When I decided to get the E-P1 late last year, it was mainly because I wanted a fast lens coupled with a large(ish) sensor for optimal image quality when shooting Emil in dimly lit environments. I knew this lens had to be the Lumix 20/1.7, for its compactness, speed and the many wonderful pictures I had seen shot with it, and the E-P1 for its outrageously gorgeous design.
I also knew I was going to get the camera second-hand, but as the lens was brand new by that time, I had to do a little searching first to find the best price. It was officially announced for € 349 when it came out, but the prices soon went up well beyond the 400’s due to heavy demand.
So I searched several websites on the internet for prices, and happened to find a retailer that offered the lens for a price that must have seemed reasonable to me by that time. They didn’t have the lens in stock yet though, so I registered to receive a status update once they would have it in stock.
A little later I discoverd a small local photography shop, and thought, why not ask the dealer if he could get the lens for me. If he could, and the price was right, I’d have a good feeling to have supported one of the few non-web-based retailers left. Soon after inquiring he called me up and said he could get me the lens for € 349 – a real deal at that time (and probably still today), as most prices on the web were already higher than that. So I had him order it for me. You know the rest of the story …

Today, more than half a year after my original search for the lens, I received an email by the aforementioned internet retailer, notifying me that the lens is now (!) in stock and available for € 399 … LOL, ROFL and LMAO! Seriously … I’d love to just send them a reply saying, “Thanks for the info, but I already got the lens more than half a year ago, for € 50 less than what you are asking now … but maybe some other idiot will want to order it from you!”

And the moral is: It never hurts asking your local salesman! And: the internet doesn’t always have the better deals!