My Dear, Dear Friends: Don't Do This.

Mike Cash · 12-01-2007, 02:42 AM

Don't go to the camera store under the pretense of getting a $10 accessory.

If you do, once you're done in the accessory aisle, don't wander over to the lens case.

If you do, don't ask the clerk to show you one of the Limited lenses.

If you do, don't mount it on your camera.

If you do, don't take a test shot with it.

If you do, for God's sake don't look at the in-camera review.

If you've ignored everything above, go ahead and get your plastic out like I did.

I ended up coming home with a DA70. I have a new theory on the "Limited" portion of the name....mine is serial number 0000565.

Here's the nice lady at the camera store with ZERO post-processing other than cropping the image. Shot in RAW and converted with Irfanview defaults:

alib99 · 12-01-2007, 02:58 AM

Or...
If the lens you have asked is not in stock (DFA 100 in this case), don't wander over to the lens case.

the rest is same.... Except that the lady did not let me take her photo. (With a demo camera of the shop with no card in it

)

Mike Cash · 12-01-2007, 03:28 AM

She didn't "let" me take her photo; I just took it anyway. And incredibly much hotter in person than this photo shows. I don't know if they get commissions or not, but I let her have the sale anyway. She made a point of going over to the register and ringing up the sale herself, so maybe they are on commission. She had to bump a couple of the regular register clerks out of the way first.

alib99 · 12-01-2007, 03:36 AM

I read the yodobashi name card in the lady if I am correct. My shop was BIC camera in Nagoya. They have almost all the current pentax lenses in demo which is very dangerous.
Fortunately they do not have stock for all of them.

JCSullivan · 12-01-2007, 04:32 AM

Thanks for the heads-up Mike. As posted elsewhere we have a camera store opening-up here today and I'm doing exactly as you say but, when CAN I go to the store and get the accesory?

Now we know why you posted the Lottery shot.

Mike Cash · 12-01-2007, 04:57 AM

You can NEVER go to the store and get the accessory.

In my case, not only did they not have it, the nice lady (Miss Sakurai) didn't even know what the hell I was talking about. See? We have sales staff in Japanese camera shops who don't know crap either. Makes the whole world kin. (I was looking for a hotshoe-to-pc adapter).

@alib99: The first part of the shop name isn't exactly clear on the card, is it? It was the Takasaki branch of BIC Camera.

**NaClH2O** · 12-01-2007, 05:00 AM

I feel your pain Mike. Unfortunately for me the Adorama brick and mortar store is just around the corner from my favorite book store, and not too far from Union Sq where I frequently change trains on my way home from work. Walking into Adorama unprepared (read sans plastic) is a very very dangerous undertaking. Maybe I could get blinders like they do for the carriage horses. The other day I walked in there to get a new lens pen and walked out with:
new lens pen
2 new batteries for my K10D (they were on sale)
2 Extreme III 2gb SD cards (they were on sale)
then one of the sales guys goes
"Hey pentax Pete (you think I might spend some time there?) look what just came in!"
so I also walk out with a new-to-me 35-105mm F3.5 Pentax A lens, but of course I have to get lens case, and hood.
most expensive lens pen I ever bought!

NaCl(it's a good thing I like living on peanut butter and hotdogs)H2O

Photo Tramp · 12-01-2007, 05:39 AM

Best Idea guys and gals when going shopping for anything leave the wallet at home. It gives you time to think while running home to get it.

Mike if your not married (she works in a camera shop with discounts for employees) this is a plus.

And Salty this guy has your number (Pentax Pete indeed) He also has your credit card number.

and you did get a great lens.

Chako · 12-01-2007, 06:03 AM

I am burning with envy here folks. I live in a Northern Ontario Canadian city with a population of 75,000. There is only one small photo shop with no used gear, hardly any lenses on display, etc. The nearest large city worth visiting is about 3.5 hours away, and their photo shop is in the same shape.

Pentax gear? Yes, the local guy has one display camera, one 50-200mm lens to go along with it. Everything else must be ordered.

Mike Cash · 12-01-2007, 06:31 AM

Chako, I live in a city of about 120,000 in the land where the world seemingly assumes there is a fully-stocked camera shop on every corner......and the Pentax offerings are the K100D Super with the kit lens and the option of the FA J 75-300. Period. End of story.

I have to take a 50 minute train ride to a more major city to find anything at all, and even then I would actually be better off ordering stuff online. In this major camera store, they had precisely ONE umbrella swivel and precisely TWO umbrellas, all of which were horrendously overpriced. I could order them from B&H, pay the new outrageous US international postal rates, and still be money ahead. They had ZERO hotshoe-pc adapters and I practically had to draw a picture to get across the idea of what one even is.

Finn · 12-01-2007, 07:15 AM

I would like to feel your pain, but I have yet to see ANY actual Pentax lens in a camera store. The little store in my town of 25,000 only has a couple of Promaster versions, and for crazy prices. (They want almost $600 for the Promaster 18-250, which I can only assume is a rebadged Tamron).

Here in Iowa, presidential candidates are tripping over each other to shake your hand, but you can't find a freakin' Pentax lens anywhere? The world has turned crazy.

"Not now, Barack! I'm trying to post a reply, ok? Go wait in the other room with Hillary!"

txbonds · 12-01-2007, 07:31 AM

Don't feel bad, I'm in a town with 3 major colleges, the state capital and about 200,000+ residents, and the only camera store I've found is a "ritz camera" located in the mall that is little better than a point and shoot trinket store. They don't have any pentax lenses, no lowepro bags and I think they only recently even got a photo developing machine installed.

The town I previously lived in was about the same size, and even it only had 4 "ritz camera" stores, all of which again carried very little pentax. Although one of them was a "ultra ritz" or whatever they call it and they did have the pentax DA* lenses last time I visted, as well as more bags, but nothing to really write home about.

Pretty much anything I want has to be ordered via internet.

**NaClH2O** · 12-01-2007, 08:10 AM

Originally posted by Photo Tramp

*snip*
And Salty this guy has your number (Pentax Pete indeed) He also has your credit card number.

and you did get a great lens.

You know you're spending waaaayyyyyy too much money in a store when you are on a first name basis with half the store personnel.

NaCl(the upside is that you get to know when good glass is available)H2O

**NaClH2O** · 12-01-2007, 08:15 AM

Originally posted by Chako

I am burning with envy here folks. I live in a Northern Ontario Canadian city with a population of 75,000. There is only one small photo shop with no used gear, hardly any lenses on display, etc. The nearest large city worth visiting is about 3.5 hours away, and their photo shop is in the same shape.

Pentax gear? Yes, the local guy has one display camera, one 50-200mm lens to go along with it. Everything else must be ordered.

Well Chako, the downside of living in the same town as B&H and Adorama is that I get to spend 8.375% more for everything due to sales tax. The upside is that I can open up the box on my way home on the train.

NaCl(the ups and downs of living in NYC)H2O

-=JoN=- · 12-01-2007, 08:21 AM

Originally posted by NaClH2O

I feel your pain Mike. Unfortunately for me the Adorama brick and mortar store is just around the corner from my favorite book store, and not too far from Union Sq where I frequently change trains on my way home from work. Walking into Adorama unprepared (read sans plastic) is a very very dangerous undertaking. Maybe I could get blinders like they do for the carriage horses. The other day I walked in there to get a new lens pen and walked out with:
new lens pen
2 new batteries for my K10D (they were on sale)
2 Extreme III 2gb SD cards (they were on sale)
then one of the sales guys goes
"Hey pentax Pete (you think I might spend some time there?) look what just came in!"
so I also walk out with a new-to-me 35-105mm F3.5 Pentax A lens, but of course I have to get lens case, and hood.
most expensive lens pen I ever bought!

NaCl(it's a good thing I like living on peanut butter and hotdogs)H2O

I work around the area too, and I feel the same way...hence why I tend to stay south of Union Sq for my lunch break.....the one time, i decided to walk past calumet, I ended up reading the manual my new DA* 50-135.....

12-01-2007, 02:42 AM	#1
Mike Cash Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Japan Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,950	My Dear, Dear Friends: Don't Do This. Don't go to the camera store under the pretense of getting a $10 accessory. If you do, once you're done in the accessory aisle, don't wander over to the lens case. If you do, don't ask the clerk to show you one of the Limited lenses. If you do, don't mount it on your camera. If you do, don't take a test shot with it. If you do, for God's sake don't look at the in-camera review. If you've ignored everything above, go ahead and get your plastic out like I did. I ended up coming home with a DA70. I have a new theory on the "Limited" portion of the name....mine is serial number 0000565. Here's the nice lady at the camera store with ZERO post-processing other than cropping the image. Shot in RAW and converted with Irfanview defaults:

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12-01-2007, 02:58 AM	#2
alib99 Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 90	Or... If the lens you have asked is not in stock (DFA 100 in this case), don't wander over to the lens case. the rest is same.... Except that the lady did not let me take her photo. (With a demo camera of the shop with no card in it )

12-01-2007, 03:28 AM	#3
Mike Cash Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Japan Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,950 Original Poster	She didn't "let" me take her photo; I just took it anyway. And incredibly much hotter in person than this photo shows. I don't know if they get commissions or not, but I let her have the sale anyway. She made a point of going over to the register and ringing up the sale herself, so maybe they are on commission. She had to bump a couple of the regular register clerks out of the way first.

12-01-2007, 03:36 AM	#4
alib99 Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 90	I read the yodobashi name card in the lady if I am correct. My shop was BIC camera in Nagoya. They have almost all the current pentax lenses in demo which is very dangerous. Fortunately they do not have stock for all of them.

12-01-2007, 04:32 AM	#5
JCSullivan Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Windsor, Canada Posts: 3,056	Thanks for the heads-up Mike. As posted elsewhere we have a camera store opening-up here today and I'm doing exactly as you say but, when CAN I go to the store and get the accesory? Now we know why you posted the Lottery shot.

12-01-2007, 04:57 AM	#6
Mike Cash Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Japan Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,950 Original Poster	You can NEVER go to the store and get the accessory. In my case, not only did they not have it, the nice lady (Miss Sakurai) didn't even know what the hell I was talking about. See? We have sales staff in Japanese camera shops who don't know crap either. Makes the whole world kin. (I was looking for a hotshoe-to-pc adapter). @alib99: The first part of the shop name isn't exactly clear on the card, is it? It was the Takasaki branch of BIC Camera.

12-01-2007, 05:00 AM	#7
NaClH2O Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bronx NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,631	I feel your pain Mike. Unfortunately for me the Adorama brick and mortar store is just around the corner from my favorite book store, and not too far from Union Sq where I frequently change trains on my way home from work. Walking into Adorama unprepared (read sans plastic) is a very very dangerous undertaking. Maybe I could get blinders like they do for the carriage horses. The other day I walked in there to get a new lens pen and walked out with: new lens pen 2 new batteries for my K10D (they were on sale) 2 Extreme III 2gb SD cards (they were on sale) then one of the sales guys goes "Hey pentax Pete (you think I might spend some time there?) look what just came in!" so I also walk out with a new-to-me 35-105mm F3.5 Pentax A lens, but of course I have to get lens case, and hood. most expensive lens pen I ever bought! NaCl(it's a good thing I like living on peanut butter and hotdogs)H2O

12-01-2007, 05:39 AM	#8
Photo Tramp Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Lancaster, PA. Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,041	Best Idea guys and gals when going shopping for anything leave the wallet at home. It gives you time to think while running home to get it. Mike if your not married (she works in a camera shop with discounts for employees) this is a plus. And Salty this guy has your number (Pentax Pete indeed) He also has your credit card number. and you did get a great lens.

12-01-2007, 06:03 AM	#9
Chako Inactive Account Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Sault Ste Marie, Ont, Canada. Posts: 563	I am burning with envy here folks. I live in a Northern Ontario Canadian city with a population of 75,000. There is only one small photo shop with no used gear, hardly any lenses on display, etc. The nearest large city worth visiting is about 3.5 hours away, and their photo shop is in the same shape. Pentax gear? Yes, the local guy has one display camera, one 50-200mm lens to go along with it. Everything else must be ordered.

12-01-2007, 06:31 AM	#10
Mike Cash Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Japan Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,950 Original Poster	Chako, I live in a city of about 120,000 in the land where the world seemingly assumes there is a fully-stocked camera shop on every corner......and the Pentax offerings are the K100D Super with the kit lens and the option of the FA J 75-300. Period. End of story. I have to take a 50 minute train ride to a more major city to find anything at all, and even then I would actually be better off ordering stuff online. In this major camera store, they had precisely ONE umbrella swivel and precisely TWO umbrellas, all of which were horrendously overpriced. I could order them from B&H, pay the new outrageous US international postal rates, and still be money ahead. They had ZERO hotshoe-pc adapters and I practically had to draw a picture to get across the idea of what one even is.

12-01-2007, 07:15 AM	#11
Finn Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Phoenix Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,056	I would like to feel your pain, but I have yet to see ANY actual Pentax lens in a camera store. The little store in my town of 25,000 only has a couple of Promaster versions, and for crazy prices. (They want almost $600 for the Promaster 18-250, which I can only assume is a rebadged Tamron). Here in Iowa, presidential candidates are tripping over each other to shake your hand, but you can't find a freakin' Pentax lens anywhere? The world has turned crazy. "Not now, Barack! I'm trying to post a reply, ok? Go wait in the other room with Hillary!"

12-01-2007, 07:31 AM	#12
txbonds Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 195	Don't feel bad, I'm in a town with 3 major colleges, the state capital and about 200,000+ residents, and the only camera store I've found is a "ritz camera" located in the mall that is little better than a point and shoot trinket store. They don't have any pentax lenses, no lowepro bags and I think they only recently even got a photo developing machine installed. The town I previously lived in was about the same size, and even it only had 4 "ritz camera" stores, all of which again carried very little pentax. Although one of them was a "ultra ritz" or whatever they call it and they did have the pentax DA* lenses last time I visted, as well as more bags, but nothing to really write home about. Pretty much anything I want has to be ordered via internet.

12-01-2007, 08:10 AM	#13
NaClH2O Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bronx NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,631	Originally posted by Photo Tramp snip And Salty this guy has your number (Pentax Pete indeed) He also has your credit card number. and you did get a great lens. You know you're spending waaaayyyyyy too much money in a store when you are on a first name basis with half the store personnel. NaCl(the upside is that you get to know when good glass is available)H2O

12-01-2007, 08:15 AM	#14
NaClH2O Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bronx NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,631	Originally posted by Chako I am burning with envy here folks. I live in a Northern Ontario Canadian city with a population of 75,000. There is only one small photo shop with no used gear, hardly any lenses on display, etc. The nearest large city worth visiting is about 3.5 hours away, and their photo shop is in the same shape. Pentax gear? Yes, the local guy has one display camera, one 50-200mm lens to go along with it. Everything else must be ordered. Well Chako, the downside of living in the same town as B&H and Adorama is that I get to spend 8.375% more for everything due to sales tax. The upside is that I can open up the box on my way home on the train. NaCl(the ups and downs of living in NYC)H2O

12-01-2007, 08:21 AM	#15
-=JoN=- Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NYC Posts: 999	Originally posted by NaClH2O I feel your pain Mike. Unfortunately for me the Adorama brick and mortar store is just around the corner from my favorite book store, and not too far from Union Sq where I frequently change trains on my way home from work. Walking into Adorama unprepared (read sans plastic) is a very very dangerous undertaking. Maybe I could get blinders like they do for the carriage horses. The other day I walked in there to get a new lens pen and walked out with: new lens pen 2 new batteries for my K10D (they were on sale) 2 Extreme III 2gb SD cards (they were on sale) then one of the sales guys goes "Hey pentax Pete (you think I might spend some time there?) look what just came in!" so I also walk out with a new-to-me 35-105mm F3.5 Pentax A lens, but of course I have to get lens case, and hood. most expensive lens pen I ever bought! NaCl(it's a good thing I like living on peanut butter and hotdogs)H2O I work around the area too, and I feel the same way...hence why I tend to stay south of Union Sq for my lunch break.....the one time, i decided to walk past calumet, I ended up reading the manual my new DA* 50-135.....