Daniel seemed to come back to himself and straightened his posture as he turned to Ben. “Yes, uh, I’ve heard this model is good but as it’s implemented a lot of new features there are some rather unfortunate bugs that will require a firmware update to address them. Also, some features from previous models have been removed to make room for the new ones and many professional photographers have complained about this. As I’m just moving into this level it might make more sense to look at a more mature model which has already been through that bug cycle and is at its apex of usability. I don’t need the newest. The D4S perhaps?”
Ben smiled proudly at how brilliant Daniel’s response was. He looked to the salesman who was staring at Daniel in surprise. Obviously, he thought he’d be unloading their most expensive camera on a newbie. “Do you have a D4S we might look at?”
“Of course, sir,” the salesman said and put the D6 back in the case. He brought out the D4S and handed it to Daniel. The young man’s eyes once more began to glow with excitement.
“It’s currently equipped with the 50mm prime lens which comes in the kit,” the salesman said trying to get the initiative back.
“Is that a lens you’d be interested in having?” Ben asked Daniel who looked back in surprise. “If it’s not a useful lens to you then maybe we should look at a different lens. Are prime lenses good?”
“Prime lenses have one focal length and that means they can be sharper and faster. Zoom lenses are more versatile as they can cover multiple focal lengths but they typically aren’t as sharp or fast.”
“Fast?” Ben asked.
“Fast lenses have wider apertures allowing more light in which allows the camera to use faster shutter speeds in low light conditions.
“Wide apertures also lets you drop the backgrounds out of focus to emphasize the subject,” the salesman jumped in, still trying to drive the sale.
“So, is a 50mm lens useful to you?” Ben asked again.
Daniel looked at him with wide eyes. “No, not really.”
“Does this camera come in a body only configuration?” Ben asked.
“Yes but… you’ll need a lens,” the salesman uttered.
Ben looked back at Daniel. “What lens would be useful? What do you use now?”
Daniel lifted his camera and showed Ben. “It has a zoom. 30mm to 90mm.”
“OK, which… focal lengths do you use most,” Ben asked feeling rather pleased with himself for getting the term right.
Daniel was having trouble speaking as he was seeing the price of this camera begin to skyrocket. “I- I use wide for scenic so 30mm and the other end for portraits.”
Ben turned to the salesman. “Do you have a prime lens in the 30mm range and a prime portrait lens in the 90mm range for this body?”
The man’s smile returned twice as bright. “Yes sir, we do.” He turned back to the case.
“Ben… this is really expensive!” Daniel whispered hoarsely so the salesman wouldn’t hear him.
“Really good tools usually cost more. That’s why you don’t get them until you’ve proven you have the skills to use them. It’s a universal rule. Listen Daniel, I’m not kidding when I say your photos are really great. A better camera won’t make bad pictures better but it will make great pictures spectacular. I think you have it in you to take truly exceptional photos. I’d like to invest in that potential. However, if you aren’t interested in investing your time, if photography isn’t that important to you I’m ok with that too. We can look at a lower end camera. It’s up to you.”
Daniel was struggling not to cry. Having Ben’s respect meant so much to him. Hearing that the big man believed in him to this level was almost too much for him to cope with.
“I’d- I’d like to get the D4S,” he choked out.
Ben saw Daniel was shaky so he pointed to the wall of camera bags. “Good! Why don’t you select a camera bag that will hold the camera and at least three lenses. Oh! And get one of those wide camera straps. This camera is going to be heavy.”
Daniel smiled and stiffly walked away.
The salesman returned and frowned as he saw Daniel walking away with an odd look on his face. The man had the D4S body, a 35mm prime, and an 85mm prime. At Ben’s questioning glance he explained the lenses. “These are the ‘fastest’ and sharpest lenses for this body.”
“Great! I’ll also need at least three batteries and a charger for them. I assume I’ll be able to get a North American equivalent charger at home?” The man nodded. “And three large capacity memory cards for this camera body. Daniel is selecting the camera bag and strap.”
“Will there be anything else?” the happy man asked.
“I don’t think so,” Ben responded.
“Excellent sir. I will meet you at the cashier’s station.” Ben nodded and the man walked away with the equipment.
Daniel met Ben at the checkout counter with a shoulder camera bag in grey and a dazzlingly colorful camera strap. Ben grinned when he saw the strap and Daniel grinned self-consciously. “I like it!” he said defensively and Ben just held up his hands in surrender.
As Ben stood at the counter making the purchases he felt Daniel leaning against him. It was Ben’s turn to choke back his emotions. When he was done Ben and Daniel turned and spotted Gabriella standing in the aisle with tears in her eyes and a trembling smile on her lips. Both men groaned as it was hard enough holding back their own tears. They glanced at each other in surprise and snorted with amusement.
They collected Gabriella and Miriam and walked out of the store.
Once everyone was breathing easy again Gabriella looked at her son. “So, what did you get?”
Daniel looked nervously at Ben who smiled and shrugged. He reached into the bag and pulled out the box for the D4S body. Gabriella’s eyes widened in shock when she saw the price tag on the box.
“BEN!”
“What?”
“How much did you spend?” She recognized the camera name and model from the photographers who worked with Brezza.
“Are you going to chastise me for how much I invest in those I believe in?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Her mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find an argument for that. Finally she just shook her head.
“Good because I think we’ve reached the place Miriam has been waiting all day to visit since we drove through it so quickly,” he said with a grin as the young girl’s face lit up. “Let’s get you some pretty things to wear!” Miriam bounced on her toes and hugged Ben as she giggled.