Originally posted by tranq78 . . .
Off topic here... I walked into a drug store that sold used camera gear (you know the one) a couple years ago. Tucked into a corner of the photo display was a small collection of Pentax gear. The clerk was quite knowledgeable but he was a snob, making it clear within the first minute that Nikon was his preferred brand & he didn't care much about Pentax. How do I know? Maybe it was his opening proclaimation "I am a Nikon user and I don't know about this old Pentax equipment" that gave me the first clue.
So I did the only thing I could do. I took full & complete advantage of the situation. He sold me a 50/1.4 and a 100/4 macro for $100.
Knowledge is power and shall be used ruthlessly against snobby salespeople. The best thing is, he probably thought he was taking advantage of me.
Next time you run into a snobby salesperson, ask to buy some of their Pentax junk for cheap and see what they say. Remember to keep a straight face.
I spent quite a while post-Christmas discussing cameras with the sales guy at the London Drugs near where my car was getting serviced. He used a K100D and told how he recently attended the product launch of the k10d and especially how he and the others salivated over the DA limited pancake lenses being demoed there.
And which they had no examples of in stock.
When he learned I used a Minolta X-700 and had a few (3) nice lenses for it, he said I should consider the Sony alpha which accepted Minolta lenses. After all they had a 2-week return policy and I could try both cameras out side by side. Despite the misinformation about the old MD lenses fitting an alpha, I found this guy to be genuinely interested in helping me find a new digital camera I'd be most happy with and not the slightest bit brand-snobbish. I ended up buying my camera there, but while they claim they can get anything that Pentax Canada produces, their appalling lack of stock at all their locations limits my business with them.
Originally posted by little laker Has anyone in Canada found any lenses in pawn shops?
I always hear of people buying them there, but have never seen any when I've looked.
I phoned around a while back and the universal response was "we turfed a load of that stuff a few weeks ago". Makes me wonder how many vintage gems now reside in the landfill. Best bet for used around here appears to be Classic Camera Exchange, the classifieds, and EBay. Both McBain and London Drugs have a small cache of used Pentax and 3rd party K-mount lenses, usually covered in a thick layer of dust. I saw a white Pentax power zoom (28-???) with a price tag of $100 scratched out and $50 written under it. Felt cheap and plasticky, though.
Anyone local can send me or post here their wish list and I'll keep an eye open for them. I can't stay away from camera shops.
And yes camera brand snobs do need to be taken advantage of, when encountered. That attitude seems contradictory to the spirit of photography, IMHO.
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dbh