Pro Runner 450 AW

New Bag (not my photo)

Okay so I couldn't resist purchasing some more gear. Today I bought a Pro Runner 450 AW camera backpack. I have been looking at various camera bags. Tamrac, Kata, Crumpler you name them I have been stalking them. I need to carry two bodies, a few lenses and associated gear, laptop as well as be airline friendly. This bag for me ticked all the boxes. I have a roller Lowepro bag I bought second hand on ebay but unfortunately not airline friendly. My Lowepro  slingshot  200 unfortunately is too small. The camera backpack with wheels I brought my gear over with unfortunately broke and given I paid $50 I am not surprised. You only get what you pay for. Now my experience buying this bag is one to be told. Many a photographer has told me you need to support the photo stores as they will disappear and online will take over. Well I wish these stores would employ staff who are as passionate and understand the needs of the photographer or understand plain customer service. Today we went to Lincoln and I must admit I was excited to have the chance to go to  a branch of the London Camera Exchange a range of stores that sell new and used equipment. Well unfortunately my enthusiasm was sapped by my visit to their Lincoln store. The first time the store was busy with two customers and I studied both the Tamarac Adventurer 9 and Lowepro Pro Runner 450 AW. Now the Tamarac was appealing but did not look airline friendly. So I decided that on our return from Lincoln Cathedral I would buy it.(More on Lincoln in another Blog) On my second visit both store attendants were with customers again, I was not acknowledged, I placed the Camera Bag on the counter in readiness to buy still no" I will be right with you sir" in fact both Bernie and I were in the store for five minutes and nether shop assistant acknowledged our presence, Now I appreciate the staff were busy but I do believe they could have acknowledged I was there and would get to me as soon as possible. I walked out. Bernie agreed I had taken the right response he said I don't know why you waited so long I would have walked out earlier. Needless to say Su wore the tirade the shop assistants should have got. She talked me into going back because I wanted it and needed it. So I swallowed my pride took cash out at the ATM put the bag on the counter and paid for it. Not a word was said. I was going to buy a few other things however I will shop for these items on line and I am sorry to say London Camera Exchange gets the thumbs down. This is the second time I have gone to a camera store to buy items and found staff totally unhelpful. This lead Bernie to tell me a story about a Pool Store he knew of who had a customer arrive at 5 to 5 and say look I am here from PNG my pool pump in my rental house has shit itself I need a new Pump....Sorry we close in 5 minutes. But I go back to PNG tomorrow...yeah well sorry it is going to take me too long to get the stuff. That shop missed out on a $2,500 sale. London Camera Exchange, Lincoln does not know what it has missed out on but sadly I will give them a miss online too!.