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beeman458

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Posts posted by beeman458

    Adray Photo Closes one of its stores

    in Casual Photo Conversations

    Posted

    "However I would much prefer fighting with a face than a computer screen or telephone receiver."

     

    No argument with your above, it's just in my case, I've found that for the most part, the computer and the person on the other side of the counter are much alike: neither care. :) So if I'm going have to deal with an entity that doesn't care, I'd rather deal with the computer. Why? That way I know it's not personal. LOL

     

    I do have to make one note and admit that there is a "small" difference between the computer and the person on the other side of the counter.... the computer doesn't have to make a sale in order to keep their job. :)

     

    Again, I'm not arguing (my apologies if it seems that way) as how we conduct business is a personal choice thingy and your method is just as valid as anybody else's method. :)

    Adray Photo Closes one of its stores

    in Casual Photo Conversations

    Posted

    "If I have a problem with my Nikon, the camera shop I purchased it from becomes Nikon and the shop's employees become Nikon customer service representatives. Face to face the problem is addressed and resolved."

     

    Not trying to be argumentative, but even as Nikon employees, they're going have to give you the bad news that they can't do anything for your baby and they're going have to send it in to the hospital and hopefully, it will be back in two to four weeks.

     

    Three weeks later, the fun begins.

     

    "Where's my baby?"

     

    "We don't know."

     

    "Can you find out?"

     

    "No."

     

    "Why?"

     

    "Cause we're too busy with everybody else."

     

    "So what am I supposed to do?"

     

    "Take a number and we'll get back to you."

     

    "Why so long?"

     

    "Look dude, we're busy here and you're not the only person on the planet."

     

    "Can't you give them a call?"

     

    "Sure, in a day or so when we have time, we're busy here. Check back in a couple of days and see if we got an answer."

     

    Care to go into the routine that goes on two or three days later? The pithy version. :)

     

    "Look dude, if you don't like it, go to another camera store."

     

    Or, you can send it in to the same Nikon service center yourself and if there's a time delay, you can give them a call or drop them an e-mail and save yourself all the heartbreak, hassle and bad attitude. Kinda like cutting out the middleman as you know the store doesn't want to deal with the service center. :) And when it does finally return, it'll return to your front door and you won't have to worry about drive time or finding parking. Besides, the stores around here..... aren't big on customer satisfaction cause they're the only thing happening. But now there's the "inner-net," we have choices that we didn't have ten years ago. :)

     

    Canoga

     

    Samy's

     

    B&H

     

    Adorama

     

    Badger

     

    Your name choice here

     

    Domestic or foreign; ad infinitum.

     

    Remember; No choice equals tyranny and choices equals freedom.

    Adray Photo Closes one of its stores

    in Casual Photo Conversations

    Posted

    "you should deal with it before there are no more."

     

    I've given over to the breath of fresh air that I consider the internet. All the stores in our local have closed, save one and when that last store closes, due to their customer unfriendly attitude (I live in San Jose, CA, so anybody local will know the name of the store I'm thinking of), it will be good riddance, cause they'll finally have gotten their customer unfriendly comeuppance.

     

    When it comes to photography, photography was made for the web. You can post a question, such as this forum (supported in part by stores such as B&H) and most of the time get multiple friendly answers and not be made to feel obligated to buy because you asked a question or feel that you're bothering them. (I run a service business and answering questions is what I do) You save gas, which is good for the environment, don't have to run twenty miles to a store to find out they have to order it; on the web (no thanks, I have the web also) and then have to go back, cause they can't drop ship it to you; more gas, bad for the environment. Also, you have multiple choices as to whom to buy from and you're not locked into just the product mix a brick-n-mortar store carries.

     

    As an example, I like B+W MRC UV filters and B+W MRC Kaesemann CirPl filters, which most B&M stores don't carry; too expensive. But they'll, for an extra charge, be happy to order them (online) for me and in two weeks, I can come back in...... or I can go online to B&H and for a small extra fee, have them 2-day'd to my front door and save the wear and tear and gas (as well as the threat to my life as 40k people are killed on the road each year), to go to the store, just to get turned away cause they don't have what you need/want or can't answer your question cause they're too busy with others or worse, rudely taking phone calls as opposed to returning phone calls when they're finished with the folks who have taken the time to come into their store.

     

    There are as many bad stories, locally, as to how folks have been treated as good stories and all the shops locally have many a bad story posted online. Bet these stores don't post these bad stories on their front door as a warning to all shoppers who might enter. :)

     

    Once the last local shop goes, then it will be up to the shops twenty plus miles away, to carry the photographic flag and their pricing and customer service reputation is clearly tarnished; 20% more than online. From there, one has to travel fifty miles and even there, the stores have horrible customer service records, product mix is limited and their pricing is higher than I can afford. See it as a form of social taxation so somebody can locally have a job at your expense.

     

    Enters the "inner-net." One can shop at four in the morning, get answers to their questions in the evening, online, when they get home from work, give customer service a call at six in the morning on the West Coast, to the East Coast, where it's nine and get a return authorization number and have the package picked-up from work; FedEx/UPS/USPS, or their front porch, or drop off, choices.

     

    The point of my above,a new age has dawned (the age of online shopping) and many shops are unable to adapt but that's not necessarily a bad thing for the consumer as the consumer is being blessed with excellent service, great pricing and all this coupled with front door delivery, rain or shine.

     

    Now how's that a bad thing? :)

    Uv And Sky Light Filters

    in Casual Photo Conversations

    Posted

    Rule of thumb with protective filters.....

     

    No filter is better than any filter except in the case of inclement conditions (blowing sand, salt spray, rain, snow or caustic air environments) or wet doggy noses or sticky fingered children.

     

    If you're going use or need a protective filter, only use the best as they do, empirically, make a difference in all areas; build, glass quality and anti-reflection coatings.

     

    HOYA S-HMC or Pro line for starters. Better still are the B+W MRC line. Expensive? Yes. Money well spent? Yes. Here's the best priced, legitimate source for filters.

     

    http://hvstar.net/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=36

     

    I use B&H because I don't do PayPal but many others have used them and they're reputable.

    Organizing a photo competition

    in Casual Photo Conversations

    Posted

    A discussion group where everybody sits around and critiques images you bring in. The purpose being, to openly discuss their bias' as opposed to being just another photo critique session; "I don't like that tree growing out of the back of John's head." :)

     

    The discussion can then move into contemporary photographic styles and the relevance to what each of you are currently creating and how each's bias' affects their personal photographic style.

    post production

    in Casual Photo Conversations

    Posted

    "Resize Crop Contrast Levels Color saturation Reduce in size for web posting Erase things, like distractions Selectively change highlights and shadows"

     

    Sorry, I forgot this site's HTML doesn't recognize returns.

     

    D'oh! :)

     

    Resize

     

    Crop

     

    Contrast adjustment

     

    Levels adjustment

     

    Color saturation adjustment

     

    Reduce in size for web posting

     

    Allows for print size options

     

    Erase things, like distractions

     

    Selectively change highlights and shadows

     

    These are a few examples of what can be done in post.

     

    Hope the above helps.

    post production

    in Casual Photo Conversations

    Posted

    "i am wondering how much of a difference does post production make to a photograph?"

     

    Post is what you do to the image after it's brought into the computer via what ever processing program you use.

     

    A few things you can do to change things to your liking.

     

    Resize

    Crop

    Contrast

    Levels

    Color saturation

    Reduce in size for web posting

    Erase things, like distractions

    Selectively change highlights and shadows

     

     

    JPEG is what the camera does (in camera settings) and throws information away and locks you into, basically, one format.

     

    RAW allows you to expand on your ideas and give you more leeway as to final image. When shooting in RAW, you can change exposure, saturation, contrast, sharpening (USM), exposure compensation and color balance. It's the professional/experienced way to go.

     

    One suggestion is to shoot both JPEG and RAW. That way you have an in camera image to use and a RAW file to work on as you learn to process your images.

     

    In short, it's a learning curve that will provide you with lots of good-time entertainment. :D

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