Strange Conversations from Working in a Camera Store
I’ve worked in a camera store now for about a year and a half, and I’ve been a photographer for about 7 years. I enjoy working in the camera shop, as it’s my one consistent form of income as a photographer.
I thought I would share just a few of the exchanges that I and other team members at the camera store have experienced.
Customer: (early 30s male): Hey, do you guys have film here.
Me: Oh sorry, no sir, we stopped carrying film a little while back. Now there is a store up the road that…
Customer: What do you mean you don’t have film!?
Me: Well we are more focused on DSLRs and mirrorless and less film.
Customer: What? How do you use all these cameras
*Customer does a dramatic motion to all our cameras*
Me: Well.. None of these use film
Customer: Then… Then how do these work?
Customer: Okay, so the new Canon 5D IV is $3,500… How many lens does that come with?
Me: It doesn’t come with any lens, that’s for the body only.
Customer: Well that’s stupid!
Customer: What’s the best camera you have here?
Me: Well, there is no real answer to that, it depends what you’re doing.
Customer: Yeah, I get that, but like what’s the best one?
Me: What are you taking pictures of?
Customer: Mainly my family and vacations.
Me: Well, for travel we have the Sony a6300. That would do good for you.
Customer: But is that the best camera you have?
Me: … Yes… Yes it is.
Me: How we doing? What kind of camera are ya looking for today?
Customer: Well, I need a camera with a super fast shutter speed, really good in low light, has good colors, a lot of megapixels, light weight and is easy to use.
Me: Well, if you wanna go big and bad…
Customer: I do!
Me: We the Sony a7R II here
Customer: Wow! What the Heck!?
Me: What?
Customer: That’s almost $3,000 dollars!
Me: Yeah, it’s a big bad camera. What kind of budget are you wanting to stay around?
Customer: $500 tops.
Me: … Here’s a Canon Rebel T6.
Customer: How does that compare to the Sony there?
Customer: So I heard Nikon is going out of business!
In-Store Nikon Rep: Well, not really, they’ve had some rough times but things are on the upswing for them.
Customer: Yeah, I don’t think you would know.
*Customer walks out*
*Customer barges into the store carrying a Nikon P900*
Customer: You ruined my daughter’s graduation!!
Me: I’m sorry ma’am, what was the issue?
Customer: The person that sold this to me said I could zoom in all the way and see my daughter on the stage! And all my pictures came out blurry!!
Me: How far back were you, and did you zoom in all the way?
Customer: Uh yeah I zoomed in all the way! It has 83x zoom for a reason!
Me: Were you outside during the day? Did you use a tripod or monopod with it?
Customer: I was in the back of a football stadium and it was night! And why would I use a freaking tripod with a camera!?!
Me: Well…
(This one involves my female coworker who has been doing photography for 8 years and is rep for Nikon)
Coworker: Hey sir, how can I help you out?
Customer: Yeah, can you get me someone who knows about these cameras?
Coworker: Yeah, I can help you, I actually work for Nikon and know all about these
Customer: does the D750 have GPS built into it?
Coworker: No, it doesn’t natively come with GPS built in.
Customer: Yeah, I think it does
*Customer walks over to a male associate and asks the same question*
Coworker: No, it doesn’t, just like she said
Customer: Okay, thank you
Customer: Wow! Why would someone pay $3,000 for a camera that only has 12 megapixels!? These Sony cameras suck anyways.
Me: How are we doing? What camera you looking for?
Customer: How many megapixels are in the Canon Rebel T5i?
Me: 18 megapixels
Customer: But this point and shoot over here has 24. Doesn’t that mean it’s better?
Me: Not exactly. You see, the sensor…
Customer: Wait. So like how many megapixels are our eyes?
Me: … Uh…
Customer: I need a new battery for my 7D II.
Me: Yeah that’s the LP-E6, they’re right here.
Customer: Thanks, I just wish I didn’t have to buy a new battery every few weeks when the other dies
Me: Sir, you can just recharge them…
Customer: Wait… What!?
Customer: I need a battery for my camera.
Me: Okay, what camera do you have?
Customer: Oh I don’t know, I got it like 12 years ago, like a Canon or Nikon.
Me: Uh, well I need to know the camera model to get you the right battery.
Customer: I just need a battery, whats the big deal? Just give me a f**king camera battery!
Me: Here… Here’s a battery.
Customer: I need a camera bag for my Fujifilm X-T1.
Me: We have all our camera bags right here.
Customer: No. I need one for this camera!
Me: We don’t have proprietary bags for each camera we carry.
Customer: Then how am I supposed to get a bag for this?
Me: We have these two aisles full of camera bags, and any will work.
Customer: But they aren’t for the Fuji, are they?
Customer: Digital isn’t real photography.
Me: Photography has evolved quit a bit.
Customer: No, photography is film! This digital crap is just a phase.
Customer: I need a vlog camera
Me: We have the Canon G7xii and the Sony RXV here that are pretty popular
Customer: Which one does Casey Neistat use?
Customer: Which camera brand is the best?
Me: There isn’t really a best, it’s more how you use it
*Customer leans in over the counter close to me and begins whispering*
Customer: Okay… But like which one is the best one?
These are just a few of the types of interactions I have with customers in a typical week. I don’t expect customers to know everything about the cameras — that’s why we are there — but it seems like we’re getting more and more of these type of customers as time goes by.
About the author: Michael Flores is a photographer based in Houston, Texas, and a multi-platform journalism student working with local newspapers and magazines. He works in a camera shop right outside Houston. You can find his work through his project 360houston, which can be found on Facebook and Instagram.
