Post by raybar on Jul 23, 2020 14:57:35 GMT -5
Yes, many customers seemed to know almost nothing photography. There are still some I remember now, 40 years after I left the store to begin my real career in Hollywood with movie cameras.
One was an older gentleman who used a Nikkormat EL. Even even after repeated demonstrations he couldn't remember how to change the battery (lock mirror up, open battery chamber at bottom of mirror box), or even what battery it used. He came running up to me in a panic (he was late for something) as I got out of my car one morning with his camera and an AA battery, asking if I could install it for him. Again. But he needed a PX28 or 4SR44, neither of which I had in my pocket at the moment. The expression RYFM comes to mind - - Read Your F***ing Manual - - but we never said that aloud when customers were present.
Another was a teenage girl, accompanied by her father. She was looking for her first "good camera" but had no idea what she wanted. The range of choices must have been intimidating - everything 110 to 8x10 was in plain view. I think she bought a Canonet after eliminating both the high and low ends of the market. Wanted something better than a "point and shoot," but not ready for an SLR.
Then there was the guy who did want his first SLR, but was so afraid of buying the wrong thing that he had to smoke cigarette after cigarette to calm his nerves while he was talking to me. I assured him that we didn't carry any junk, so he really couldn't make a bad mistake. He bought a mid-range Pentax or Minolta or something after I said didn't he need a top Canon or Nikon model, but he might not want the cheapest thing in the store either.
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The Canon Epoca was sold in North America as the Photura, as if someone thought it was the future of camera design. It wasn't - - too different from everything else on the market to sell very well, and too close to the digital takeover of the whole industry to last long.
The viewfinder on top is called a "low level" finder in the instruction booklet, and could be useful if the camera is on the ground. I prefer not lying in the dirt if I can avoid it. Aside from that, I agree that it's useless. If such a feature was worthwhile, lots of cameras would have it. Still, I suppose it was something that somebody was bound to try, even if just to see whether or not it was good idea.
One feature that's really bad is the placement of the battery and film chambers. How many rolls of exposed film were ruined when someone opened the camera to change batteries mid-roll, having forgotten to open only the little battery cover rather than the main door?
And, regarding the battery chamber. I have two Photuras - one cost nothing and the other was free. Neither seats the battery properly. The electrical contacts on the battery do not stay in contact with those in the camera unless I continually press the battery into the chamber. I wonder if this was a common problem or if I was just lucky.
One was an older gentleman who used a Nikkormat EL. Even even after repeated demonstrations he couldn't remember how to change the battery (lock mirror up, open battery chamber at bottom of mirror box), or even what battery it used. He came running up to me in a panic (he was late for something) as I got out of my car one morning with his camera and an AA battery, asking if I could install it for him. Again. But he needed a PX28 or 4SR44, neither of which I had in my pocket at the moment. The expression RYFM comes to mind - - Read Your F***ing Manual - - but we never said that aloud when customers were present.
Another was a teenage girl, accompanied by her father. She was looking for her first "good camera" but had no idea what she wanted. The range of choices must have been intimidating - everything 110 to 8x10 was in plain view. I think she bought a Canonet after eliminating both the high and low ends of the market. Wanted something better than a "point and shoot," but not ready for an SLR.
Then there was the guy who did want his first SLR, but was so afraid of buying the wrong thing that he had to smoke cigarette after cigarette to calm his nerves while he was talking to me. I assured him that we didn't carry any junk, so he really couldn't make a bad mistake. He bought a mid-range Pentax or Minolta or something after I said didn't he need a top Canon or Nikon model, but he might not want the cheapest thing in the store either.
========
The Canon Epoca was sold in North America as the Photura, as if someone thought it was the future of camera design. It wasn't - - too different from everything else on the market to sell very well, and too close to the digital takeover of the whole industry to last long.
The viewfinder on top is called a "low level" finder in the instruction booklet, and could be useful if the camera is on the ground. I prefer not lying in the dirt if I can avoid it. Aside from that, I agree that it's useless. If such a feature was worthwhile, lots of cameras would have it. Still, I suppose it was something that somebody was bound to try, even if just to see whether or not it was good idea.
One feature that's really bad is the placement of the battery and film chambers. How many rolls of exposed film were ruined when someone opened the camera to change batteries mid-roll, having forgotten to open only the little battery cover rather than the main door?
And, regarding the battery chamber. I have two Photuras - one cost nothing and the other was free. Neither seats the battery properly. The electrical contacts on the battery do not stay in contact with those in the camera unless I continually press the battery into the chamber. I wonder if this was a common problem or if I was just lucky.