X10 and 'men of a certain age'

Whenever someone says "no offence, but ..." you know something's coming.

I ordered the X10 from Amazon (UK) a few weeks ago when the price dropped to £428. Delivery was scheduled for mid-December and I decided to wait as it was a good deal. Then I started hearing about dust and other issues and wondered if I'd be better off in a 'bricks and mortar' shop where returns might be easier.

So I'm in my local camera shop, which is part of a UK-wide chain. I enquire about the X10. The first thing the salesman says is "it's over-priced" and points me in the direction of the Canon G12 ("that's over-priced too").

I explain that I like the x10, and the OVF. "No offence, but it's men of a certain age (nodding in my direction) who want these. They're not used to holding the camera at arms length".

A shop in another town was offering the same price as this one but with a 2 year warranty thrown in. I decided to see if he'd match the deal. "We don't do 2 year warranties". And that was it. He admitted he had 20 on back order so it was clear he didn't need to sell one to me.

When I got home there was an email from Amazon to say they'd dispatched the camera and it comes tomorrow. So - an early night and a cup of Ovaltine - I don't want to get over-excited before tomorrow. Being of a certain age and all that.

ff