I normally default to buying most things online. There are very few things outside of clothing and food that I don’t look online first to purchase. But this week I was reminded how much value a skilled and informed sales person can provide.
I know very little about cameras and even less about photography. I carry around a Canon A80 that I never take off “auto” mode. In fact, I don’t even know what the modes do for the most part. But one of my coworkers is looking to purchase a digital SLR camera and so I tagged along hoping I might learning something.
So we walked over to the downtown Kits Camera location. We were immediately approached by a young man who asked what he could do for us. He listened to all our newbie questions without making us feel stupid. He didn’t try to sell us the most expensive equipment in the store. In fact, he listened to us for the first little while before even pulling a camera off the shelf. He compared several models and discussed several of the features that might interest us. I learned more about cameras in 20 minutes than I came into the store with. He pulled several models off the shelf for us to hold and test.
We asked him what camera he used and he told us why he likes his camera. He also told us about the camera his father uses. The information he gave us that day was more valuable than what I’ve been able to gather on the many photography enthusiast websites like Steve’s. Not that those sites don’t have value but for a person who is new to digital photography the hands on, face to face interaction was a lot more valuable for me.
I’ve been looking at the Nikon D40 as my first DSLR down the road. Even if I could find it at a cheaper price online I’ll be going back to Kits when it comes time to buy.
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