We wanted to get something that would last but was also practical. Next year she will be living away from home and there are things every student needs. Without a camera how are you going to have fuzzy photographic memories of drunken evenings at the SU bar, or proof that your favourite band did play at your college before they became famous, or pictures of the floor of the bathroom that you have no idea how they appeared on your camera?
But I hate shopping. The long-suffering husband did his research to try to find a good compact camera in a pretty colour. He couldn't find a nice pink one so we hit the shops to see if the purple alternatives were any good. Every shop we went in made me cross. I hate to be 'sold to'. We knew what we wanted to look at and found it incredibly frustrating to be told, "You'd be better off with this camera, madam!" That wouldn't be annoying if it wasn't a lower-spec camera at a higher price! And before you've even bought the camera they are trying to sell you extended warranty.
Then we went to Camera World in Chelmsford. This was the most exciting, rewarding shopping experience I have ever had. The staff were passionate about cameras. They got excited when you told them what you were buying and who for. Were were served by a young woman, who understood exactly what we were looking for. Although, she didn't have the camera we had thought of getting (in purple) she made really good suggestions. She showed us a camera that could be used for taking good pictures of yourself.
But finally we settled on an Olympus camera with a 10x optical zoom (great for getting a close-up shot of Jack Whitehall) in red. It was also a really good price and no extended warranty. She didn't push us to buy extra's like a card (we already had one) either.
If only all shops were like that.
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