Does anyone ever see and hold a camera before purchase anymore?

per BigBerney:

BigBarney said:

[M]ost small towns here in the UK had their own specialist photographic retailer. Most of them have now gone as buying is centralised/centralized on large stores and the Internet.

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one of the sad things about the passing of the small independent store is the loss of the wealth of old and weird stuff. i remember a little store in sheffield, massachusetts, that used to have a multitude of wonders -- got an m4 there and my 35mm summicron and 50mm summilux, for cheap (this was pre-ebay). you'd never know what would show up on the shelves there. the same was true of all kinds of independent camera shops. not so much anymore.
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depscribe
some pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/depscribe/collections/

The thing is with the internet is you can get hold of so much more product data and read son many reviews and opinions that you can make a decision without going to store.

It has created the tribe of brave folk who are, with each new camera release, the first to go and buy it. We owe these guys and gals a thank you actually.

Thank you.

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The FZ50: DSLR handling of a bright Leica 35-420mm lens that's this good: http://www.flickr.com/groups/panasonicfz50/pool/ (slideshow always good). And now add the LX2: http://www.flickr.com/groups/lx2/pool/
[Tomorrows camera is better and smaller than todays]

Nothing compares to holding a camera to see if it fits your hand. One reason I don't own an FZ100 today is that I simply cannot find one to examine.

I really do not want the hassle of ordering and paying shipping, and then return shipping, on cameras just to see if I like how they operate. It's ludicrous, IMO, but we have somehow surrendered to the concept of buying things sight unseen.

You can argue it's because of the economy and the cost of operating a bricks and mortar store. But, if people would stand their ground and not order online for a few dollars of savings, the actual physical stores might still be in business.

My last camera purchase was my D80. I bought from the original Circuit City. They let me open fresh boxes and test the cameras and find one that I was satisfied with. Some might say that's why they went out of business. I'd say it was great customer service.

They offered a good selection, as well. But, they are history. Their name was bought and there is a website, but their stores are no more. In my city of Richmond, CC headquarters, some of the stores are now occupied by hh Gregg. But, their meager camera aisle is just that.

I know how "selective" I am and how much it could cost in return shipping fees. I also know I'm a voice crying in the wilderness, especially where Panasonic is concerned. I've called and emailed Best Buy requesting that they stock the FZ100. No response. How did Best Buy manage to gobble up so much of the electronics business, anyway? They are practically a monopoly.

I've been lucky enough to find the Sony HX-1 and Canon SX-30 and, having held both, I can say that I would have paid return shipping on two cameras.

So, I believe that buying a camera should be like buying a car. The grip/seats, controls/steering wheel, etc. should be tried before buying.
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If Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life, How Will You Spend It?

Yeah, Dez, keep bragging about NYC--bed bug capital of the U.S. OK,, that was off topic. I just had to kid with you since I'm so jealous of your having B&H to shop in. Geez, if I had one nearby, I'd spend all my time there!
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If Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life, How Will You Spend It?

I hear you, Larry. Ritz and Crutchfield used to carry Panasonic FZs and both have stores in Virginia. But, not anymore. I guess Panasonic thinks it makes a product that is so great, there would be no need to return it. They got that idea from Leica, no doubt.

I truly miss being able to look over the Panasonics. I drove once to Charlottesville, about 75 miles from Richmond, to look at cameras in Crutchfield's store. I actually found an FZ50 in their outlet shop, but decided it was so big that it didn't offer me any advantage over my Nikon D80. So, that was worth it--and it's a pretty drive.
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If Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life, How Will You Spend It?

No, no. Marry her and let her put the expensive equipment on her charge card. Then, ask to borrow it. Of course, that also means she gets to drive your new Corvette.
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If Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life, How Will You Spend It?

I like your idea. We could establish a Panasonic Try- Then-Buy Club in each state or territory. Order one with a 2-week return period, announce the day when we'd meet to play with the camera, drink some wine, eat some cheese, maybe bar-b-que, and make it a regular outing. And, if Panasonic were smart, they'd provide sample models for these events with direct ordering from their company store.

YEAH! I like it. I really like it. OK, who wants to go first and set up a club?
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If Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life, How Will You Spend It?

I remember the early days of Honda and Toyota with buying and taking what you're given. That was really trusting in a company.
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If Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life, How Will You Spend It?

Anybody remember when you'd pull up to a gas station and an attendant came out, filled your tank, checked your oil and cleaned your windshield?

Somebody convinced us that we'd save a few cents if we pumped gas ourselves. Then the attendants were out of work. And, we now have the pleasure of pumping gas in the rain, wind, and snow. And, we've saved a few cents.
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If Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life, How Will You Spend It?

Is that small business owner still in business? You are like most of us. We want to try out the camera and then order online or from Megabox store and save a few dollars. It just doesn't work that way. The guy who offers the camera has overhead and needs to make a living. So, we need to "suck it up" so to speak and help him stay in business.
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If Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life, How Will You Spend It?

Yeah, we have a camera chain here in Virginia, called Richmond Camera. They are predominantly Nikon and Canon, but manage to accumulate old cameras, miscellaneous parts, etc. And, they have much better bags and straps than Best Buy. But, alas, no Lumix cams.
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If Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life, How Will You Spend It?

I live in NJ - the bus ride to NYC is 30 minutes - and B&H is a 5 minute walk from Port Authority - so I have this convenience.

However, even before B&H, I've never purchased a camera that I did not check out in person to see how it "feels" in my hands. This is always my bottom line - after the specs and reviews are checked out obviously. I've always found a place to see it in person.

I've checked out cameras I was sure I'd purchase after reading great reviews, but because they didn't feel right in my hands, I didn't purchase them.

Also, for me, it's a good way to make a decision between 2 cameras that I'm thinking about. How it feels in my hand is most important for me personally.

Just my 2 cents.

Maria
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I have to have the thing in my hands - big hands and chunky fingers - I am lucky living near to the best camera shop in the world - Mathers, Bolton Lancs and the dealers there let you try them out - all with batteries and cards in - great stuff - I was surprised at the actual size of the FZ100, as on You Tube it looked much smaller - I was so impressed I bought one there and then - brilliant camera it does more than what it say's on the tin.

there's the problem -- used to be, the small stores would sell us film and processing, chemicals and paper, the things that photography once entailed. but much of that has disappeared, and most pictures never actually take physical form. can't go to a camera shop and say, "i need two pounds of electrons."

the small stores could afford to let us look at cameras and buy 'em elsewhere, because all the items that would keep 'em running were bought locally. now, there are really no items needed to keep them running.
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depscribe
some pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/depscribe/collections/

Perhaps we unfairly expect too much of the sales people who work in the camera stores, small and large, chains and independents. How many of us could go into a camera store and wait on customers? Do any of us know all there is to know about every camera on the market? We may speak with authority about the brand or brands we have owned, but who among us knows all about each and every model, P&S, DSLR and Pro models? Maybe we should appreciate the way things are now....they could be much worse........
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POGO was right !

but that may not be the beauty of having a physical store. we can get all the information we need about a camera online, or by word of mouth. what we can't get are the subjective things -- how the camera feels, whether the buttons are of size and location that works for us, whether the finder (or lack thereof) is objectionable, whether we're likely to quickly get to the items we want in menus, all sort of things that might make the camera perfect for someone else but not for us. nor is this something a sales person could help you with, so having salesfolk around really doesn't match having the thing in our hot little hands.

one objectionable thing about physical stores is the electronic tether/retractor things that make it impossible to sense the heft or solidness of a camera.

in any case, by the time one gets to the store one ought to already know everything a salesperson could say. or so it seems to me.
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depscribe
some pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/depscribe/collections/

My reasoning is simple:

• online stores leave me at the mercy of hoping that telephone / email service is going to be ok, that returns are going to function, that the goods have the proper warranty, etc. That's a lot of if's. If I buy from a store, I can go back, as for help, discuss. If a return is needed, it's easy to do.

• online stores have no opinions or recommendations. Reading reviews is interesting, but it's generally less informative than playing w a camera for 10 minutes and talking about it with a store employee (at least in countries where sales people are still mostly honest, and genuinely try to aim for customer satisfaction, vs closing the highest possible sale, at any cost)

So buying on-line saves some money. But that money is more than spent on time wasted reading reviews and attempting to get an opinion on a product one hasn't touched. Not to mention potential fixes, or returns.

So goods in stores are more expensive, because they need to pay a rent, store employees who know something about their products, and oh, if you see a box on a shelf, it means they REALLY have the thing on stock.

I think that a world where we might pay 5% more, but get great service, and advice, and can test the goods, is preferrable, and the overall economic result is the same but with much less hassle for consumers.

Long live the stores, and I'm using Amazon as little as I can, at least for electronics that requires testing and advice and service (I use i a lot for books or films).

P.S. I do, however, tend to be cheaper typically very high margin stuff (such as filters) from on-line stores, and if others do like me it already IS hurting stores.

The electronic theft cables are a real nuisance. I'd rather deal with someone who can reach into a glass counter and pull out the real deal so that I can handle it. Ritz used to do that. I don't care much if the salesperson knows the camera because I've already done my research.
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If Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life, How Will You Spend It?

I see a lot of responses here lamenting the lack of opportunity for touchy-feely buying. However, we've shot ourselves in the foot. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to walk into a local shop and try out any camera you're interested in -- they buy it from B&H or Adorama or NewEgg?

But how does that work for the main street / high street retailer? How many of those who are moaning about the sad state of affairs would just do the hands-on thing locally, then buy from Internet stores. No, I don't really wonder, I think most of them would.
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http://www.pbase.com/morepix

I went to those thieving bait and switchers when they were in Maine in the 80's. They to me that they had a Canon 80-200 f/4 lens when they did not and I drove 40 minutes and they did not. Then when they did have it they insisted that I try the Zykkor model which cost more and was horrible. They told me I was making a mistake. I now just read horrible reviews.

ces120777328 said:

and Abes of Main are all honest folks
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Ray

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