08-02-2010, 10:57 AM
[quote name='Scott' timestamp='1280733378' post='1448']
Frankly, I don't. I can't lament the disappearance of $200 markups, rude and ignorant staff (if they aren't indifferent and lazy teenagers), the lack of quality goods, and the two week wait for any item desired ["Well ain't this place a geographical oddity--two weeks from everywhere!" - O Brother Where Art Thou]. I do occasionally find a shop that has a lot of used gear where I can save a few bucks, but Ebay presumably could fill that void as well.
I got the final wake-up call when I was trying to find out if a ring flash mounted on the Elan IIe would work with the two second mirror prefire I frequently needed for macro work. The unpleasant "experts" at the local shops didn't know and weren't concerned enough to look it up. B&H in New York sure hustled, and had the answer for me in less than one minute. I bought the ring flash from B&H and haven't looked back.
Perhaps things are different elsewhere, but to find what I need on the West Coast I pretty much have to travel to Seattle, San Francisco or Los Angeles. Or I can just look on the Interblogoweb.
IMHO much more crucial to pro photography are the small, innovative manufacturers of quality gear--I'm thinking of places like Really Right Stuff, Singh-Ray, Nik, Acratech, Kirk, and so forth. I would shower them with blessings, but being an atheist I'll settle for mutually satisfying business transactions. :-D
Scott
[/quote]
Good points, Scott - but it is different where I live. The small shops are often run by people who themselves are photographers and who enjoy what they're doing. The staff in electronics discounters are just cheap labour who might otherwise work in a supermarket or a call centre.
In Germany the main problem is, the big discounters have their handful of suppliers (Canon, Samsung, Sony, Hama) and you will never, ever, find a product from Zeiss, Singh Ray or Novoflex in these places. It's only the small shops that stock such 'exotic' items so you can actually see what you are buying.
And yes, I might pay 20% more, but I am helping keep someone in a job they enjoy and they won't be earning minimum wages like in the major retailers. Cheap is nice, but there's always a cost somewhere along the line.
Frankly, I don't. I can't lament the disappearance of $200 markups, rude and ignorant staff (if they aren't indifferent and lazy teenagers), the lack of quality goods, and the two week wait for any item desired ["Well ain't this place a geographical oddity--two weeks from everywhere!" - O Brother Where Art Thou]. I do occasionally find a shop that has a lot of used gear where I can save a few bucks, but Ebay presumably could fill that void as well.
I got the final wake-up call when I was trying to find out if a ring flash mounted on the Elan IIe would work with the two second mirror prefire I frequently needed for macro work. The unpleasant "experts" at the local shops didn't know and weren't concerned enough to look it up. B&H in New York sure hustled, and had the answer for me in less than one minute. I bought the ring flash from B&H and haven't looked back.
Perhaps things are different elsewhere, but to find what I need on the West Coast I pretty much have to travel to Seattle, San Francisco or Los Angeles. Or I can just look on the Interblogoweb.
IMHO much more crucial to pro photography are the small, innovative manufacturers of quality gear--I'm thinking of places like Really Right Stuff, Singh-Ray, Nik, Acratech, Kirk, and so forth. I would shower them with blessings, but being an atheist I'll settle for mutually satisfying business transactions. :-D
Scott
[/quote]
Good points, Scott - but it is different where I live. The small shops are often run by people who themselves are photographers and who enjoy what they're doing. The staff in electronics discounters are just cheap labour who might otherwise work in a supermarket or a call centre.
In Germany the main problem is, the big discounters have their handful of suppliers (Canon, Samsung, Sony, Hama) and you will never, ever, find a product from Zeiss, Singh Ray or Novoflex in these places. It's only the small shops that stock such 'exotic' items so you can actually see what you are buying.
And yes, I might pay 20% more, but I am helping keep someone in a job they enjoy and they won't be earning minimum wages like in the major retailers. Cheap is nice, but there's always a cost somewhere along the line.