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Some while ago I decided an exercise machine at home would be best for me, and I researched the alternatives. I always like to look for creative alternatives—following the herd is not my natural impulse—and I came around to the belief that a rowing machine might suit me. I researched the alternatives and settled on what I thought was the best choice. Came very close to buying it one night, but didn't click the fateful buy button, because I'm cheap.
A few days later, I discovered that the health club had a side room I was only vaguely aware of previously, and in the room was...the exact machine I had settled on buying. Same model, same features. Pleased by my luck, I asked the manager if she would give me a brief lesson on how to use the machine properly, which she did.
I then used it for seven minutes. I've had a bad back all my life, and it became obvious (I should say painfully obvious) after no more than 45 seconds that a rowing machine—any rowing machine—could not help but aggravate my back, short term, long term, morning, noon, and nigh-on neverendingly. The other six minutes and 15 seconds were really just to save face. The "painful" part lay slumbering in my spine, giving me an occasional zing, for the rest of the day, and I feel thankful it didn't last three weeks, because it could have. Sometimes it does. You might be tempted to say that I just needed to get used to it, but no, I don't think so; I've been living with my back my whole life, and I was in no doubt whatsoever about the obviousness of the obvious conclusion; but yes, you'll have to take my word for that.
Luke said the other day, "One particular thing about the [Canon] R3: it feels better in my hand than any other camera I've ever held." I used to emphasize all the time that it's important to actually try cameras. You have to use them, or at least hold them, look through them, and click the shutter. You can find out a lot about them that way that you just can't learn from video reviews, written reviews, spec sheets, etc. I don't mention this much any more, because the hordes of shoppers that used to descend on photography websites are all gone now, presumably off happy-snapping with their cellphones. But it's still important: You can't do all your shopping on paper.
The man in the Edwardian suit
Supposedly, somebody in my family three or four generations back used to have a saying about romantic love interests. The story that originated the saying was that a female forebear was wooed by a gentleman who seemed perfect in every particular all Winter long, down at home in Indiana, and this idealized impression lasted until he was invited to visit the Summer cottage up in the north of Michigan. Evidently he prepared for swimming by donning a one-piece Edwardian bathing suit with sleeves, like the one worn by the fellow in the middle in this old photograph, even though it was decidedly out of fashion by that time. (Please ignore the parasol; this isn't a family picture and there's nothing in our story about a parasol.)
He also put on a woman's bathing cap as though there were nothing remarkable about it, and wore it in the lake. This seemed, to my female ancestor, strikingly odd. It was a much more conformist era. With that, the rose-colored glasses of her Winter-long infatuation began to fall away from her eyes, and oddities aplenty began to magically appear, one after another, although what those might have been are lost to history. Maybe he used a knife as a fork, I don't know. She ended up throwing him over at the end of the Summer, and that was the end of his chances of diving into our gene pool.
The saying in the family became, "You've got to Winter 'em, and you've got to Summer 'em."
When I was writing camera reviews for magazines, I had a personal standard that I tried my best to follow: I had to use a camera for three months, for my real work, before I would write about it. That lasted for several years, until I realized that using so many different cameras was fracturing the unity of my output. But it was a good impulse, I think. You need to use a camera (or drive a car, or own a watch, or cut grass with your new lawnmower, or whatever) until the infatuation rubs off. Until then, you won't really know what you think of it.
However I can't always take my own advice. A while back, I owned the original (Mark I?) Panasonic G9 for a remarkably short period of time. On paper, it seemed like the perfect camera for me. So I ordered one, sight unseen. To be honest, it still seems like the perfect camera for me...on paper. And I know lots of people love that camera, so no diss. But once I opened the package and got the camera working, I knew within no more than five minutes that it wasn't for me. Why, I can't even say. But I knew it. The exact opposite happened with the Panasonic GX8! I remember looking it in a glass case at a camera show when it was still a prototype and thinking, "I'll have no interest in that." But I reviewed it, used it, and loved it, and it's still one of my favorite cameras. But for my mental FUD about the shutter-shock issue I would probably still be using it, and if there had ever been a GX8 Mark II I would have been on board for sure. Even as I write this, I want that*.
So it goes. Never do all your shopping on paper. You've got to Winter 'em, and you've got to Summer 'em. And if you can't, at least make sure you hold it, look through it, and click the shutter.
Mike
*The cameras I think are sure to be forthcoming never are. The cameras I don't need to be updated are updated again and again until they reach Mark VII status or more, and still they soldier on. The Universe is a trickster and loves to taunt me.
Original contents copyright 2024 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)
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I had the same experience with the G8 and the G9 after renting both. I ended up with two G8s and am still happy with them several years later. Renting is even better than in person shopping IMO.
Posted by: Charles Rozier | Wednesday, 24 July 2024 at 12:12 PM
Mike, regarding the back issues; I've had lower back problems since I was about 20. I had a L5-S1 microdiscectomy around 2001. The doc said that should hold me for about 10 years. Today--I've got virtually no back issues. I gave up tennis in my late 20s--now I can play without pain (not as well, sadly).
Two secrets: I lost quite a bit of weight with the WFPB diet (which I still 'mostly' do, but I had delicious lamb stew in Ireland a couple weeks ago). The other is that I took up Pilates about 6 years ago. I do a lot of Pilates (typically 4-6 times a week, including a private session weekly). Pilates is amazingly good for your core musculature, you work on strengthening muscles that are in a lengthened position, so you get some really solid strength without gaining a huge amount of bulk. I love it, I feel great (I look really good too). When I started I didn't want to be in group classes with a bunch of bendy women who knew what they were doing while I struggled with learning stuff, so I did private-only sessions for almost two years. Now that I'm in the group sessions I can up my frequency and get some variety in--I do reformer at least 3 days/week, some mat work, the private (where it can be a different 'apparatus' each time), and I've also started some barre and yoga. If you have a studio that's nearby, you might give it a try.
And in terms of at home equipment, I have a woman friend (who is in her early 70s) who has been using a Tonal for a couple years and is really loving that. It's not inexpensive, and it requires a subscription--but if you have an opportunity to try one, that might be another way forward. But I'd suggest Pilates first, under the guidance of someone who knows what they're doing.
Posted by: Jim K | Wednesday, 24 July 2024 at 12:43 PM
This is so very true. Long ago I bought a Canon EF 70-200 f4. It's not a very "me" lens. It's not fast. It's not a prime. It's not...so very many things. I love that lens. We have a great relationship and have created many great moments together.
I still buy many items sight unseen, usually for work. But personally, LensRentals first, then I buy. There are too many nit picky things for me about cameras. Let me use it for a few days, I'll know how I'll generally get along with it.
I'd also add, all pieces of photo equipment, for me at least, are relationships. Some work, some don't, some have oddities in them that make them interesting. All the same descriptors I can use for my relationships with people I can use with photo equipment. Relationships are complex, and that's the fun.
Posted by: Josh Hawkins | Wednesday, 24 July 2024 at 01:55 PM
A note on the Concept2 rowing machine: don't buy that model D from Amazon, unless you really want to toss Mike some affiliate money (nothing wrong with that!). Buy the current model, essentially identical but simply called the "RowErg," directly from Concept2 for hundreds less. https://www.concept2.com/ergs/rowerg
I have one and I love it, but I have my back, not Mike's.
Posted by: Joseph T | Wednesday, 24 July 2024 at 03:15 PM
For a long time now I've been in the habit of renting a camera from Lens Rentals if I'm thinking of buying one. My thinking is that if I do wind up buying, yes, the cost of the rental will increase my net cost of purchase. But if I rent the camera for a week or two and find that it's not for me for a tactile or intuitive reason that can't be found out there on the internet, I'll be out much less.
This happened with the original LX100. I rented one for a trip to NYC. I found it to be a fine piece of kit, but rapidly discovered that it just didn't suit my hands. Purely a personal thing - others mileage may vary.
I had a slightly different experience with the Panasonic GX9. Rented one with the kit lens. I liked the camera - a lot - returned it and bought one. But then I ran into another problem with the 'rent before buying' scheme. I was hit with GAS when making the purchase and got the Leica/Panasonic 12-60 instead of the kit lens. Don't get me wrong - it's an excellent lens, probably the best zoom lens I've personally owned and used, but I'm not quite as happy with the heft and balance as I was with the (also very good) kit lens.
So, the moral of that is to try to get as close to the configuration you're considering buying as posible. Eyes open.
Next rental will be the Leica D-Lux 8. Looking forward to your thoughts on that.
Posted by: Steve Greenwood | Wednesday, 24 July 2024 at 03:33 PM
I've never met a camera I didn't like, except for one that turned out to be an expensive piece of furniture with a terrible staining job. I, too, bought it 'off paper' and quickly sent it back!
Posted by: darlene | Wednesday, 24 July 2024 at 04:24 PM
Things I have tried buying on the internet, and regretted: almost everything at least once or twice, from mattresses to couches to washing machines. I get lucky sometimes, of course. And with cameras, I often know what to expect. Software is probably my biggest weakness. I have cycled through way too much software that I end up hating or just not using, always going back to what I know (in my case Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop). I'm currently sitting on my nicest and favorite couch ever, made in the USA, sold by a local dealer where I could at least examine the fabric and sit on sample couches, and pick out a color and weave. I have another couch in the basement I bought new off the internet after reading all the great reviews, and it's going nowhere but the landfill after I finally get done with it. Garbage in, garbage out.
Posted by: John Krumm | Wednesday, 24 July 2024 at 04:41 PM
Rental houses in Los Angeles used to offer “weekend rentals”. So cheap guys like me would pick up the gear on Friday night and not have to return it until Monday morning. All for the price of a one day rent.
Good way to try out lots of stuff at a bargain.
Posted by: K4kafka | Wednesday, 24 July 2024 at 07:45 PM
Great advice! But impossible for those of us who don't live anywhere near a camera store that sells what we (think) we want to buy.
Posted by: Marc Rochkind | Wednesday, 24 July 2024 at 08:02 PM
When I was shopping for my first DSLR many years ago, I did a fair amount of research and narrowed the candidates down to the Canon EOS 20D and Nikon D70S. The Canon was dearer, but the specifications were better, and (to be honest) it would have allowed me to take a step away from my Nikon-shooting extended family. I think I even downloaded the manuals and studied them for a while. The big day arrived; it was time to try out the candidates in-hand and make a purchase. I went into the shop, confident that I'd be buying a Canon that day. I spent a few minutes with each of the demonstration bodies ... and walked out with a Nikon D70S. (It's still going strong after more than 80,000 frames, far longer than I'd expected it to last.)
Posted by: Yean Wei Ong | Wednesday, 24 July 2024 at 09:28 PM
I totally agree with you. Both for the reasons you list about not being able to tell is you really like something without actually using it, but also because (at least for me) acquiring new gear has an element of lust to it. I fall in love with the idea of the thing or of buying it. It seems to activate certain parts of my brain, fire off the dopamine or whatever. I have found that if I wait a little longer before hitting the "buy now" button this sometimes subsides. Sometimes it doesn't subside until the package has arrived and I hold it in my hands. I have had to learn to differentiate between these sorts of almost compulsive "wants" and what I really need to accomplish what I want to accomplish.
Posted by: Steve Rosenblum | Wednesday, 24 July 2024 at 10:13 PM
Mark VII - that reminds me of the Baroque Lincoln Continental Mark "personal luxury coupes." These illogical excesses in sheet metal soldiered on until the demographic for personal luxury coupes faded away. Sort of like the demographic for big excess DSLRs....
Posted by: BG | Thursday, 25 July 2024 at 12:35 AM
Shame the rowing machine didn't suit you. I have a bad back and having a rowing machine has only helped it. There are many causes so many solutions. Hope you find your solution soon.
Posted by: Martin Fennell | Thursday, 25 July 2024 at 04:11 AM
With regard to rowing machines. I have one in my bedroom that I use reasonably frequently. It is very similar to the one you nearly bought.
Some years ago I started off at about five minutes and gradually went up to twenty minutes. (By the way, my technique is push with the legs first, then pull with the arms). Then my lower back went. My Harley Street physiotherapist friend told that rowing machines can be bad for your back, so I now stick to about five minutes and no more.
Posted by: Malcolm Myers | Thursday, 25 July 2024 at 07:25 AM
Regarding the back issue, I have found kneeling on steps, arms/elbows on upper step and pushing lower back out a great help. Many times. Seems to have strengthened muscles reducing the ache. Just a thought from an old guy.
Posted by: Jim | Thursday, 25 July 2024 at 07:36 AM
I agree, seeing the "thing" in person, handling it, manipulating it is superior to buying it from an online source sight unseen. I've been on a watch binge lately, and I have bought every watch from the internet. The people that use to do food photography, making dishes look so delicious must have moved on to watch photography.
I can't tell you how many times that I open a package after spending hours looking at various watches online and picking what I'm sure will be the perfect model only to be totally shocked at how different the actual watch looks on my wrist. I literally have a dozen multi-hundred dollar watches sitting unused because they are not what I was sure I was buying from the beautifully photographed images of that same watch in perfect light.
I miss stores.
Posted by: Albert Smith | Thursday, 25 July 2024 at 08:40 AM
I've been rowing on the water and on a machine for close to 40 years. The Concept II machines are the best of what's out there and used by rowing clubs the world over, so your research was good. However, rowing has a very particular technique, and I have seen some health club employees give terrible and clueless instruction on using a rowing machine. Your bad experience could have been as simple as the machine being set at a too high resistance. The Concept II website has excellent instructional videos; have a look at those and see if your lesson was in fact correct. A quick online search shows that there are a few rowing clubs in your area. Visit one of those and see if they can help you. You might even be tempted to take a beginner's on-the-water course. My personal inspiration continues to be the rower at my club that I encountered rowing on his 80th birthday. FWIW, I used to have terrible back problems, which I've overcome; rowing wasn't the problem.
Posted by: Rex Lechat | Thursday, 25 July 2024 at 08:59 AM
I am lucky here, on the other side of the pond. There is a real camera shop only 10 miles away, with friendly and helpful staff. Shops are getting rarer but still there are a few left.
As soon as I bought the Fuji x-t1 I knew it was made for me. I am on the x-t5 now and still in love, but I know some hate it. Yes, you really have to try a camera before you buy.
If it's possible for you, swimming is the best exercise if you have a bad back.
Posted by: Bob Johnston | Thursday, 25 July 2024 at 10:00 AM
Women around these here parts sum up men pretty quickly using Virgil's heuristic: 'Ex uno disce omnes.’
Lucky for me, my wife is from out of town, or I would not have seen the dawn, let alone the summer.
["From one, learn all," or, from one instance infer the whole. --Mike the Ed.]
Posted by: Sean | Thursday, 25 July 2024 at 11:18 AM
I was entirely smitten by the nikon Zf having used an FE2 during the formative years of my photography education, and even planned to trade in my Z5 for one. decided to attend a touch and try event and to my surprise i could not get comfortable with the infernal machine even with the added grip and the two smallest nikkors they had at the event - the 26 and the 40. it's definitely a great idea to always get the camera in hand before committing to it.
Posted by: almostinfamous | Thursday, 25 July 2024 at 01:57 PM
Why not just buy your whatever from Amazon, try it for a week or so and return it if you don't like it for any reason. That's Amazon's offer so why not take advantage of it?
Posted by: Dave Riedel | Thursday, 25 July 2024 at 02:30 PM
With the demise of so many brick and mortar camera stores, it's understandable that people shop "on paper." I agree that renting prior to a major purchase is great albeit sometimes expensive. I saved $3k by renting the lovely Sony 12-24 f/2.8. I took it to the Oregon coast where I realized the huge front element and lack of easy filters made an otherwise great lens just not workable for me. I also rented the 85 f/1.4 GM and found its slow noisy autofocus and lack of sharpness wide open also just wasn't my cup of tea. Even so, I still have too many lenses.
I'm fortunate to live in an area with a quite nice camera store but I suspect they too are under severe pressure. They no longer carry Canson paper, which I use almost exclusively, and seem to emphasize video and "content creator" things. They had hardly any ink the last time I was in.
We'll see what eventuates over time but I suspect things are not getting better.
Posted by: Eric Brody | Thursday, 25 July 2024 at 03:44 PM
Unfortunately, many people will "try on" a camera at a good retail store (a vanishing breed) and have it thoroughly explained to them, and then buy the camera online. Very bad form. They're contributing to the decline of good camera retailers. Renting is a a much better and more ethical way to go.
Posted by: Gary | Friday, 26 July 2024 at 03:16 AM
Keep experimenting, Mike! Different strokes for different folks (sorry, couldn't help myself). We owned a Concept II years ago when my daughter was on a crew team in high school, and enjoyed it as much as one can enjoy an indoor stationary machine. OTOH, the family is blessed with healthy backs.
Regarding try-before-you-buy, I am about to do just that. I enjoy my Fuji X100V, but missed the image stabilization of my X-T5. So, upgrade to the X100VI ... which B&H tells me will arrive in December. Hmm. I've been intrigued by the stratospherically expensive Leica Q3 but there's no way I'm gonna plunk down that kind of cash unless it solves all the worlds problems (or at least kicks more fun into my photography). At any rate, I head for Pro Photo Supply in Portland this afternoon to pick it up for a weekend of play. I rather hope I don't like it...
Posted by: Jon Peterson | Friday, 26 July 2024 at 11:25 AM