shopping: best friend's advice

When people go on vacation, they tend to do usually 1 of 2 things.... get lost or spend a lot of money. Sometimes, when you're luck pisses on you, you do both. Since this wasn't my first time around Nara/Osaka, I didn't get pissed on, but had troubles spending an insane amount of money on something that I really didn't need. I'm not sure what it is, but when you're on vacation you justify every purchase with, "Well, how often am I on vacation?" or "Can't go on vacation and come home empty handed, right?" Be warned, these are dangerous words to live by because this philosophy can empty every last yen in your pocket!

The only question left to be answered is naturally, what was it that I purchased? To answer this questions, let me do so by asking a question so you can get an idea of how ridiculous even I thought this was. So, when was the last time you spent $1,000.00 USD on a camera? For the majority, a $300.00 dollar 'point & shoot' will do the trick and perform superbly. Now, forget about the camera all together and allow me to rephrase my question. When was the last time you spent $1,000.00 USD on just a camera lens?!?!

Ken knew that I was into photography, but up until this point he's never seen any of my photos. He has no idea what kind of pictures I took or what kind of camera I used. I remember when we were about to leave the house and check out scenic Nara, I grabbed my camera and the moment the strap touched my shoulder, simultaneously I heard the words, "What are you a journalist?" I looked at Ken with a smirk and smiling eyes. Deep down I knew this was coming. "Hahaha, I know... I take my camera everywhere," I said in defense. Casey didn't hesitate, "Yo, this isn't Afghanistan." We all laughed and yes I felt a bit embarrassed. This was the first time for them to see me with a camera and they savored the moment. After that, every time I touched my camera I would hear the words, "reporter dong" or "Afghan."

The next day we went shopping in Nara and this wasn't your typical shopping trip.
"So this store has a lot of used lenses?" I asked Ken.
"Yah, this is the biggest camera store in Nara," he replied. "Maybe it has what you're looking for."
I told him the price of the lens I was hoping to find and surprisingly, 10万円 (approx. $950 USD) for a lens carried no shock value. I thought he would think I was crazy for spending $1k on a camera lens but it was the exact opposite. He was actually somewhat supportive.
The camera store was quite busy, which allowed us to browse without being pestered. Quickly spotting the "中古" or "used" section, I set my coordinates and made my dash.
"Damn, they don't have it," I said with slight disappointment.
"What about new?" Ken suggested.
After having one final look-over, I sighed and casually made my way over to the new lens section while quietly pouting. Being in a camera store for me is much like taking a kid to the toy store. Eyes light up and you can hear the excitement in their voice and once they are there, they never want to leave. My eyes carefully inspected the glass shelves for the one lens I was hoping to find. Suddenly, I connected with a black, sleek, cylindrical shaped object that was unexpectedly identifiable from the other lenses behind the glass. I wasn't sure if it was my eyes that were playing tricks on me, but in an instant the lighting around this one lens changed and became more softly focused. It was like God was showing me the holy grail. I was in heaven. I swear it even had a halo around it but in red. My eyes grew bigger and I reached out with my pointer finger and exhaled these words while wrestling to maintain my coolness, "Yep, they got it."Ken had not more than a peep and said, "This?"
"This?" "This" echoed in my head as I was about to lose it. How could he just say, "This?" as if it were just a mere tool for mortal beings. I coerced myself into paying no attention to Ken because his innocent soul was still green to the camera world. I could only muster out a "Yah......" for a reply.

I normally don't carry $1k on me where ever I go, so we had to leave the store and hit up an ATM. This gave me a chance to talk to Ken and see what he had to say. As you can see, I was already 'dorked out' for the lens, but I was interested in hearing a different perspective from someone who didn't have much attachment to cameras and photography. Somehow, what Ken said made perfect sense to me. In this very moment, he showed me what our friendship has accumulated into with just a few words.

"Well, you know it's up to you, but I know you and I know you want this so you might as well get it."
I replied with, "Might as well get it? What do you mean?"
"You always want the best stuff, that's how you are dong."
"You think so?"
"Yah, look at snowboarding or anything else you're really into. You always do a lot of research and end up getting the best stuff."
A bit confused I uttered, "So is that bad?"
"No, you should get what makes you happy. Why spend life doing things that don't make you happy? This is your hobby right? You sound really into it and I just know you will be happy getting this."
It was like Ken stepped up to the plate and hit a home run and I was that wild fan that runs out on the field cheering his heart out only to get tackled by security. Deep down, it was exactly what I was wanting to hear but just afraid to hear it. He was right. Why go through life not being happy? If it's your passion, why not be passionate about it? Through his words I found encouragement and support. In Ken's own way, he was telling that there is nothing wrong with being passionate about photography. I don't mean to imply that money buys passion or money buys photography skills, but because he knows my character so well, he understands that if i commit in making this purchase, then I will devote myself in being the best photographer I can be. If I make it anywhere in the world of photography, it will be because of my friends, but also mainly because of Ken. His words on that day are words I will from now on carry with me. To me they translate into....be you.....be happy...believe in yourself.

With my newly found inspiration, we headed back to the camera store where the next task was to negotiate price. Since the lens was already on sale, 2万円 down from original price ($180), the salesman had the upper hand. After 20 minutes of battling, I saved 千円 ($9.00) and got a free UV protector. I grabbed the bag, bowed, and walked out the door.


The lens: My impressions

Anyways, let me introduce my new toy, which I must note, almost all the images on my blog are/will be taken with the new lens I purchased in Nara at Kitamura Camera, the legendary Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. I apologize for the super "dorky" intro, but honestly I'm really excited about this lens. Canon 'L' series lenses are considered the best in the business and the professional standard. Not to take any credit away from Nikon or any other glass maker's pro series lenses as I'm sure they are great too. This was my first 'L' lens and maybe my last lens purchase for a while since I already had the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. This means I have lens coverage from 24mm to 300mm (in 1.6 crop factor 38-480mm!!).

My first impressions of the 24-105mm lens was the size and weight when I attached it to my camera, Canon Rebel XT/350D. The lens looked huge! It was massively round and seriously looked bigger than the camera body. Not only did it look awkward but it weighed more than the camera body! 485g vs 670g!! In terms of handling performance, I would imagine it feels much like a Chevy Corvair: dangerous at any speeds. The camera was extremely unbalanced because of the infamous tiny grip. My grip even started making creaking noises every time I tilted the camera. I would go as far as saying that this setup is the Antichrist of the Rebel XT and the 50mm 1.8 II, which felt harmonious in every way, size, build, weight, and IQ. Within a few seconds, I stopped caring about how it looked and felt. I flipped the on switch with my thumb and I pointed the camera and shot.

Beauty is only skin deep. The biggest cliche of cliches, but this is how I feel about this setup. Function over form, never judge a book by it's cover, yada yada yada, I could go on but I think you get my drift. It may look awkward, handle funky, but the picture quality is amazing. Whether or not spending $1k on 1 lens is justifiable, it really is up to the individual. If I find myself shooting more and enjoying photography more, then this will be the best $1,000 I will ever spend because photography is something I will enjoy for the rest of my life.