Penn Camera
I am fortunate enough to be living in the area in which Penn Camera, a full-service professional-level camera/photography equipment store, has several brick-and-mortar retail establishments. I suppose if I were out in the boonies somewhere, I'd use B&H. I usually don't buy from Ritz, which also is prevalent in my area, but as it happened, surprisingly, following a tip from someone at Nikon Cafe, I was able to locate a 28mm f/1.4 lens from Ritz. I called the 800 number and was able to arrange for a "callback" of that lens and it was shipped to me. This worked out well, and yet I normally do not frequent the local Ritz stores here, as usually they do not have the kind of equipment or lenses I am looking for. I might run into Ritz (or Wolf, as I guess it is elsewhere?) real quick in a strange town to grab an additional memory card, battery or something, but it is not my first thought when it comes to camera gear. I was really surprised that they had an inventory of the 28mm fl/1.4.
In general when I'm looking to buy a new camera body or a new lens, I head right to Penn, and if they don't have it they can usually get it for me or pre-order for me, whatever the situation may be. We'd already tried trying to find me a 28mm f/1.4, even working with the Nikon rep, but it just happened that this other attempt with Ritz was more successful a month or so later into the search. Normally my first port of call is always Penn Camera. (Note to self: gotta run over there in the next day or so and get the 72mm UV filter for that new lens!) (Further note to Chip, Arlene and everybody else at Penn:
DON'T let me even look at, much less buy a 300mm lens!! Right now I need to work more with what I've already got first!)
I learned my lesson the hard way. Several years ago when the Nikon Coolpix 8800 was first on the market for some reason I impulsively ordered it, sight unseen, from B&H. Well.... BIG mistake! Nothing to do with B&H, they fulfilled their part of the bargain and the merchandise arrived as promised. The problem was that this particular camera really did not suit my needs or my shooting style at all and if I'd simply gone over to Penn and checked it out there first, I probably never would have bought that particular camera. At Penn I would have had the opportunity to handle it, test it out and note the issues with responsiveness, I would have talked with the sales associate(s) about the pros and cons of this particular model....and maybe not made an expensive mistake, or if I had gone ahead and bought it, once I realized that this wasn't the camera for me, it would have been no problem to return to Penn a few days later and say, "agh, this isn't for me!" Instead, that camera now sits in the cabinet, unused and sadly not loved....
Lesson learned....
It really does pay to have an established relationship with a brick-and-mortar store, as that way the customer is able to go in and discuss any issues, ask any questions, get help with anything as far as items purchased, and can also be assured of the store staff's willingness to go that extra mile to track down items.... Certainly it is valuable when placing prepaid pre-orders on equipment, too, to then be reassured that whenever the item(s) arrive at the store that the customer will be able to get it or them promptly. If a longtime established customer wanders in one day and says, "gee, I'd like to see xx camera or lens...." even if there may not be any chance whatsoever that he or she is going to buy it, store staff will trot it out and let them have a go at it.... I knew and Chip and Arlene and everybody else knew the day I waltzed into Penn and asked to see the 200-400mm that more than likely I wasn't going to be taking it home with me, and yet the lens was smilingly and promptly produced for my inspection..... When I asked about the 200 f/2 there was also a lot of doubt on everybody's part, including mine, about the suitability of that lens for me, yet they ordered the lens to be sent over from the warehouse and the next day when I had my hands and eyes on it and experienced instant love and actually was able to physically handle the lens, we all were kind of surprised. I know *I* was! LOL! If it had turned out that I'd hefted it and then immediately said, "Uh.... gee, this is a nice lens, but...." they would've smiled, put the lens back in inventory and that would've been that. Instead, I played with the lens, Chip shot with the lens, another sales associate played with the lens, we all talked about the lens, time went on and I shot with her some more, and while we all talked, as Chip will tell you, I stood there stroking the lens as I would a beloved cat, and eventually I handed over the plastic to buy her and bring her home with me. THIS is why I keep returning to Penn time and time again.....
Heh, as we've both noted in posts on here, there have been times when Chip has actually tried to discourage me from buying a particular lens (Bertha [as I dubbed the 200mm f/2] included!), questioning me seriously on my proposed uses for it, etc..... Now that's pretty cool, as of course the usual approach of a sales associate on the floor in any retail establishment is to sell the merchandise, maybe even push the merchandise. He knew I already had the 70-200mm VR and the 180mm, why was I looking at the 200 f/2? At Penn the staff there are genuinely interested in what the customer really needs and what will best serve his or her needs. They aren't going to push a lens at someone who is clearly not ever going to benefit from using that lens and if, as in my case, they have a pretty good idea of the lens inventory a customer already has, they'll explore with the customer which lenses might be the best to fill in specific gaps or they'll check things out to see if the customer is unnecessarily duplicating a particular lens length or range.... I think all of us, me included, were really surprised when I hefted and shot with Bertha and found her to be quite manageable after all, fell in love with her and eventually decided to take her home..... If for any reason over the next few days if I'd decided that she wasn't going to work out for me after all, there would have been no problems with a return to the store's inventory.
One day I was in there and out of curiosity more than anything else, I asked to have a look at the Leica D-Lux 2. Arlene and I both knew that I needed this like a hole in the head and that more than likely I wasn't a serious buyer, but she willingly brought it out for my inspection. I had a look, was satisfied with that, end of story.... It's a lovely camera but not one which I need right at the moment and there were not enough compelling features about it that I was observing just then to prompt me to buy it anyway. Arlene didn't attempt to push it at me, she just let me observe and handle it, we talked about various features and that was that.
Of course I'm singing the praises of Penn Camera in particular here, but overall my point is that I do shop at a local (to me) brick-and-mortar store in preference to ordering something online for all the reasons mentioned above. There is just not going to be the same experience when buying anonymously from an online shop somewhere.....
Edited to add: actually, Penn does have an online presence at
http://www.penncamera.com and for those who are in states other than Maryland, Virginia or the District of Columbia, there could be a real advantage as far as state taxes, etc..... Shhh! I didn't say that, did I???
Edited to add another note: what I've written about Penn Camera is sincere and from the heart, as I've been dealing with that establishment and staff for around 16 or 17 years.... Arlene has been there from the beginning and so has another former store employee who happened to stop in one day when I was there and we had a joyful "old-home-week" reunion..... When I discovered Chip on here when I joined MacRumors it was icing on the cake! We'd interacted before at the store but at that point hadn't known each other all that well.... Compared to some of the others at Penn, he's a relative newcomer. What is it, six, seven years now? LOL! Anyway, I was thrilled to realize he was a fellow Mac user as well as knowledgeable about camera gear.... It's so much fun when I go in there, we talk cameras, lenses and Macs! They've got a nice Mac setup at the store, since Penn is also an authorized Appple reseller.
) go to get your gear? I'm in my own dilemma at the moment as the cheapest webstore is £600, whereas a local shop of mine is selling the exact same package for £200 more at £799!!! Although, to be fair, most are selling it at around the £700 mark.
