Mooching Along Through The Shop...

On a recent visit to the new CE Murray Street shop I came past this cabinet.

It is not overstated, nor over-full. Well, not as yet. It's still early days at the new shop and there will be more materièl added as time goes on. Our regular customers at the Stirling Street shop may crack a wry smile at this. Camera Electronic does have a habit of adding extra stuff from time to time...Ahem...

Okay, the cabinet has a " Pre-Owned " sign on the top. Those are pre-owned cameras and lense on the shelves. That's the bare bones of it. Here's the back story...

Camera Electronic has always maintained a Secondhand dealer's license. It has always had the legal ability to trade goods in or buy them outright and then to resell them. It also has the ability to thoroughly check the goods that come into the pre-owned section and to warrant their proper operation. This is due to the astute judgment of our technicians.

Our chief man, Ernest, uses nearly all of his senses when it comes to assessing equipment offered for trade.

a. He feels the camera. Is the surface rough, is a covering loose, do the controls feel gritty? Is there too much play in a lens mount? Does something not turn? All these signs mean that he will recommend that it not be traded in.

b. He listens to the camera. Do  the gears grate, does the motor whine too much, is there a crackle in the operation of the buttons or the levers? Again, this is a no...

c. He smells the camera. Mould and fungus have a peculiar odour. One he does not want us have to deal with. It can be dealt with, but not easily nor cheaply. Again no.

d. He looks at the camera. If it looks fine, that is fine. If it looks bad, that is not. Are there tell-tale signs of previous repair? Hmmm...

e. At this stage of the game I can state that I have never seen him lick a camera or lens to test the flavour. It is not impossible, but I have no idea that test result this would yield. About the only thing I can think of is the idea that a Zorki or Fed would probably taste like fish oil...Let's leave that one alone...

All the above is to indicate that the items that make it to the Pre-owned cabinet s at Stirling Street or Murray Street do so on merit. They have passed a set of very tough tests and are worthy of consideration. The fact that they are often at a considerable reduction in price compared to the new boxed item is of real benefit - you can have double the amount of equipment and double the amount of capability for the same price.

Do I practice what I preach? I do - I have bought secondhand lenses and camera bodies from Camera Electronic for decades and I have not been disappointed once. All the way from the wooden 4x5 Nagaoka that Ron sold me in 1995 to the latest 35mm f:1.4 Fujinon lens that sits on my Fujifilm X-Pro1 right now, the goods have been good and I have had fabulous value for money.

Go-on - mooch past that cabinet every time you are in there - and look in every time you do. The stock changes all the time and you never can tell when the ideal bit that you never dreamed you could afford will be sitting there waiting for you. One thing you can be sure of - it has the Ernest seal of approval.

Does that 35mm f:1.4 Fujinon do the business? It sure does when La Belle Jane is the model...

Just When You Thought It Was Safe...

Welcome to Ernest's World - the repair workshop at Camera Electronic. You will be amazed. You will be astounded. Try not to touch anything...

In particular, try not to touch the "Sony" charger that he has opened for repair on the workbench. We say "Sony" because that is what the white label on the top says, but there is no way in the world that this has ever been a Sony product.

Oh, it looks like it from the outside - there are the guide rails and the pins that accept a standard Sony lithium-ion battery, but when Ernest opened the casing the circuit board told a different story.

Look at the components - 1970's style resistors and capacitors. Look at the assembly of the parts on the board. They fit where they touch and they touch in very few places.

Look at the screw that holds the device together. If you think it looks like something that would normally secure an MDF cabinet, you could very well be right...

Ernest is not a man given to harsh judgements, but his verdict on this was "fire hazard".

Did this come from a reputable Sony dealer? I am betting it did not. It has the look and feel of eBay or a discount electrical shop. Someone was intrigued by the low price for it and either decided to sell it or buy it - when what they should have done is run out the door to avoid it.

Well, not for Camera Electronic. Our Sony IS Sony, and Sony are good. They stand by their equipment and by us...so if you are tempted to get that free shipping bargain from somewhere that need not be named, remember that you could well be getting the electrical surprise of your life.

The Lifetime Warranty Vs The Ironclad Guarantee Vs Roll Dem Bones And Take Yo' Chances

I'll bet you could have a lot of fun in a group of lawyers at cocktail hour if you asked them the difference between warranties, guarantees, sureties, indemnities, and Mr. T. I pity de fool...

Here in the shop we see a number of these words and have occasion to bandy them about frequently. We are assisted in this by the firms representing photographic equipment manufacturers that we purchase the gear from. By and large when something goes pear-shaped and it is not the fault of the customer, the wholesalers and the firms the represent do a good job of backing things up.

Sometimes the backup takes longer than others, and like articulated lorries, they emit a series of beeping noises, but eventually all comes good. For the most part they are sports about it all and in some cases stretch the statutory warranty period to double the time period - the gear is that good these days.

Several suppliers maintain a lifetime no-quibble replacement policy for stuff that fails - this can be related to volume of supply in some cases, but again they are betting, and finding, that there is enough reliability in simple devices to back this up. The consumer can approach their products with confidence.

Likewise, if the client is the sort of person who goes through life's minefields wearing heavy shoes, there are warranty extension cards available from reputable independent firms that add extra time - and for a fee also add replacement for accidental damage that the shooter might do. It costs, but some people attract costs...

For those who prefer to shoot craps with their camera purchases...and are prepared to encounter snake eyes...there is the internet overseas bucket shop eBay PayPal Western Union approach to it all. Fortunately the worst that can happen in these cases is nothing works and you never get your money back - but that is what shooting dice is all about. It helps if you rattle the computer mouse in your hand, blow on it, and shut out " C'mon Baby! Daddy needs a new DSLR! "

If you need to see how to do it we recommend " Guys And Dolls " on Netflix.

Does This Lens Feel Funny To You?

Well, no. Or yes, if that would be better...I'm not quite sure how funny lenses ever are...

You bought it online from Lenses R Us in Fortitude Valley but apparently they don't appear on the web browser anymore? Sort of a stealth camera shop, I presume...Well, the humour of the lens is starting to appear, now that you come to think of it...

Don't be too concerned if the lens makes a noise as it works. A lot of lenses do that - they have electronic motors inside to do the autofocusing and these can be audible. Indeed, some manufacturers have realised that the noise can interfere with the use of the camera for video work and have made re-designs that incorporate silent motors. The still photographer may not notice this but the videographer can breath a ( silent ) sigh of relief.

And some lenses have mechanisms inside to reduce the effects of vibration - you'll see they have the words VR, OS, IS, or  VC in the name somewhere - not at the same time, as these are different makers. Well, some of those mechanisms can have a rattle to them when they are not being used - indeed some of them make a little clack noise as they work,

Some lenses have a degree of what one could only describe as looseness in their zooming elements and can seem to slop around when not under direct control. One manufacturer realises that people want to have different feels and has a friction collar that snubs the zoom ring - this is a very good idea. Other manufacturers just rely on tight tolerances at the start of the lens' life and loose ones later...

But if you have one of the Special Lenses From The Internet ( and they need not be from Queensland - you can get them from Hong Kong and Oklahoma as well...) that has passed what we like to call Negative Quality Control, you may have Special Noises. Or Special Feelings. Sometimes you can look into them and see Special Things.

Our service department can investigate this for you - it might cost a bit to do this as it takes time, tools, and occasionally a bucket of bleach. Keep trying to get Fortitude Valley on the phone and remember to keep your sense of humour.

PS: If the paper you got from Fortitude Valley says Warrenty it means your lens will be fixed by Warren...

Your Very Favourite Lens Is...

Gone. Gone forever. It has rolled off the roof, where you were taking pictures of the nurse's quarters, and fallen into a newly-opened bottomless pit that has appeared in your back yard.

What are you going to do?

This depends upon whether you had the foresight to purchase a Mack Diamond Warranty when you got the lens. If that was under three years ago you can breathe a sigh of relief.

Ring up the Mack people, tell them the sad news, and wait for them to send you a cheque for the replacement cost of another Very Favourite Lens. They are men of honour - if you have a Diamond Warranty you are covered for three years against impact damage, manufacturer defects, sand/grit damage, accidental or unintentional abuse, mechanical malfunction, and abnormal wear and tear.

You are still required to keep your gear secure against human thieves - they cannot really insure you against patently criminal activity. For that matter, neither can some police forces...

Well, philosophy aside, the prices are geared to the price of the equipment. here's a number of examples:

1. $ 499 and under.............................$ 99.00

2. $ 1999 and under...........................$ 399.00

3. $ 3999 and under...........................$ 479.00

Now like all insurances, it is a calculated bet. If you don't use it, they keep your money, and you have the satisfaction of having your Very Favourite Lens with you to squeeze and hold and...If you do use it they are down the price of a new Very Favourite Lens - not you.

Sort of a win either way.

Note, the Mack Warranty does not cover the sulfurous sinkhole in the back yard, or your fate if you also roll off the roof and fall down it. Consult your religious adviser about this one.

When It All Goes To...Queensland...In A Handbasket

Following on from our previous blog about a disaster averted, here is one that deals with the situation when disaster arrives, unpacks its bags, and sets up a deckchair and an esky - in short when things really do go wrong.

If you have a camera/lens/flash that becomes wet/crushed/scratched/full of sand/abused...and it is unintentional...then the Mack company may well be your best friend ever.

Photo equipment is sold with proprietary warranties here in Australia. They vary from one year onwards for new equipment - some manufacturers have two-years or even longer. Good deal - if your new camera has a manufacturing flaw, they will make it good. But they have no responsibility to do so if you drop it down the blowhole in Albany.

Well, that is where a mack warranty comes in. Call it insurance, call it a bet, call it an invitation to Fate...but if you need to cash in on it, you are in a far better position than if you didn't have it. Sort of like a Ruger Redhawk...

They will cover the cameras and lenses - but also printers, projectors, and other photographic equipment. They base their prices on the sales price of the gear and the terms are world-wide. There is 24/7 support online as well.

If you'd like to read more, the site is:

www.mackcam.com

Needless to say, we have their warranties for sale here at our shop. Not that we are trying to hex you, but just sayin'...

An Announcement From Nikon For Warranty Issues

I have received a message from Thomas in our repair department alerting me to an announcement from the Nikon company.

It concerns the questions that have arisen around the shutter mechanism of the Nikon D600 cameras. Some people may have experienced difficulties with oil contamination of the sensors in these cameras, and have had to refer to Nikon for warranty attention.

Essentially the Nikon company has said that circumstances may not necessarily gone to the advantage of D600 users...and that if owners do have issues with oil spot contamination on the sensor they can send it to Nikon to get the shutter replaced free of charge. Thomas says that our customers can bring them in to us and we can send it off to Nikon for them.

Here is a the rather complex web address that will link to the service advisory:

http://www.nikon.com.au/en AU/service advisory.page?ID=templatedata/en Asia/taggable content/data/service advisory notices/d600 service advisory&Category=service-and-support&Section=nikon-service-advisory

I hope this will be of assistance to the Nikon users - the cameras are excellent and the system is extremely successful. I use their cameras and lenses myself and have always been pleased with them. This should correct a small manufacturing glitch and let the D600 users venture out with confidence.

You Bet Your Digit

Did you know they have a casino in this town? Apparently it's the big building sitting on top of the old Burswood rubbish tip down by the causeway. They have a gold sign out the front and an army of field hands in hi-vis vests tending the bushes. And if you go in there they can mind your money for you for a long, long time.

The mechanism they use to do this involves brightly coloured lights, computer screens, and credit cards. Rather like the on-line camera trade, in a way, but with the numbers reversed. Here's what I mean. When you go into the casino (apparently*) you put a small amount of money down somewhere upon the understanding that there is a possibility that they will give you a large amount of money to take away. Then they do something and take your money away. The something involves a wheel or a computer program or cardboard cards, but the essence of it is you know very quickly if you are going to get that large amount of money to take home or not. Small bet - big return - quick decision.

You can add overpriced drinks and dodgy food to the equation if you wish plus the amusement of seeing other pensioners. Suit yourself...

The on-line camera trade from Brisbane, Sydney, Blurkistan, or wherever is the same brightly coloured computer screens and the same credit card transaction, but in this case you are betting large sums of money with the hope of very small returns - the $ 2150 camera that you try to get for $ 2025 online sounds tempting until you find out that the manufacturer's representative here in Australia won't warrant it or supply repair parts to the cousin of a friend of he chap in Brisbane who is dealing out of a carton of them in his garage...

The local buyer who pays the $ 2150 gets a two year no-quibble warranty from the correct wholesaler - the online cheapjack gets to wonder if their putative $ 125 gain will really work out and won't know for two years. There is about an 8% chance that they will be out the whole pot. Big bet - small return - long delay in resolution.

Dumbo the elephant managed to fly with big ears. I would advise anyone who is seriously considering sending thousands of dollars off to unseen and unknown websites to examine the sides of their heads in the mirror. And then calculate their chances of getting off the ground...better than 8%...?

* Who knows? Us Baptists never go into casinos...in case it leads to dancing.

Uncle Dick

Tamron Make You An Offer - 60 Days

It's not often that you hear the expression "Satisfaction Guaranteed". Hard to do in retail, harder to do in politics, and nearly impossible in family life...

Can't help in the parliament or the bedroom, but we can tell you that Tamron have made the offer in retail sales of their lenses. They have come forward with a 60-day satisfaction guarantee on any new Tamron lens bought before December 31, 2013.

Their flyer states that if you are not completely satisfied for any reason with your new purchase in that time you register with them at

tamron.com.au/satisfied

and they'll give you a full refund.

That's pretty bold, and speaks well for the quality of the products and for the sincerity of the manufacturer. Tamron lenses have been on the Australian market for a very long time - there were many series of them way back into the film era that did marvellous things. They could be adapted and switched in strange ways between different camera systems. Times have changed, of course, and lenses made by Tamron for Nikon or Canon cameras are dedicated to those mounts.

They are good lenses - I think in particular that the wide-ranging lenses of the 18-270 variety are the most useful. They are stabilised and solidly built with good metal mounts.The 24-70 is no slouch and the 90 macro is wonderfully light. It is actually piece of unsung hero glass...

60 days - you get less than that for poaching. Worthwhile thinking about...

Wham Bam, No Thank You, M'am...

So I arrive at work and put my satchel onto a wheelie bin, preparatory to taking in all the emptied bins from the curb-side. As I work there is this almighty crash, and when I look around, the satchel has fallen onto the concrete driveway.

Anglo Saxon, Anglo Saxon, Yiddish, Anglo Saxon, Western Canada....

Having relieved my soul for a few minutes I hauled it up here to the editorial desk and opened the thing. It has some internal padding and the editorial camera and computer seem to have survived the impact fine. The editorial Nokia phone is dead. The editorial apple was not squashed, so all in all it seems to have been a light blow.

My complements to the makers of Macbook Pro, Fuji X-10 and apples. Also my admiration for the Crumpler people for a fine satchel - it is the Boston Heist, if you want to go buy one.

What if it had been an expensive professional camera that hit the deck?
They do, you know - we can introduce you to a man who dropped on off Bluff Knoll, and another man who dropped one in a volcano. You might meet the chap who crossed a river and opened his backpack in the middle and....

Disasters happen. If they happen to your old camera we can fix it - that's what we have a repair department for. If it cannot be repaired we have a sales department and sympathetic faces.

What if it is a new camera...the manufacturers honour warranties that cover internal failures and material flaws for one to two years - and as we source our cameras from the proper Australian distributors, there are no problems getting the warranty repairs. But they aren't liable for you dropping it off Bluff Knoll or a council rubbish bin....

Here is where the Mack Warranty system comes in shining. When you buy new cameras and lenses from us you can buy extended warranty coverage from us with Mack. They have pure extension policies and also what they call " Diamond" policies.

Essentially, the " Diamond" covers repair or replacement for whatever specified period that includes ALL forms of disaster. Drop, boil, bake, douse, ignite....The only thing they will not reimburse you for is theft - you have to keep your cameras and lenses safe from other humans.

I wonder if there is a warranty for computers? Or mobile phones? Or apples?