By Ryan Noel, senior art director

For the longest time, my wife and I were a one-camera family. And that camera was a Nikon SLR – the hefty kind you see on straps around photographers’ necks. It takes beautiful photos, no question, but when you’re parenting an 18-month-old boy whose nickname is Perpetual Motion Man, that big heavy zoom lens becomes kind of a liability.

In search of an on-the-run photography solution, off I went to a favorite electronics retailer. Would I find the perfect pocket-sized picture-taker?

Choices. Man, there were a ton of choices — options, features and megapixels aplenty. I had a budget in mind, which narrowed the options some, but still left at least a half-dozen candidates to consider. How was I going to cut through the clutter? Then I remembered, “Ryan, you’re a modern man. Couldn’t you just pull out your iPhone and have a look at some consumer reviews?”

Could I ever. It was like having unlimited lifelines on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” Dozens and dozens of reports, all offering the kind of candid, hands-on help I was after. Being in advertising myself, it was peculiar to admit that I sought the advice of fellow consumers rather than turning to the latest brilliant campaign, but there you have it.

Anyway, my selection was made. My decision, informed. Confidence restored. But then, as I’m standing there in the camera aisle, savoring the taste of victory, I overhear another customer agonizing aloud over which camera he should buy.

“Ryan,” the voice in my head murmurs. “Help this fellow. You could be his lifeline.”

“Hey,” I say, holding the iPhone at the ready. “I can look up some consumer reviews for you if that would help.”

He looks up from his agonizing. “Is this the brand Ashton Kutcher advertises?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“I’ll go with this one then,” he says, plucking the box off the shelf and heading for the registers.

So not everybody has my internal monologue, I guess. Not all of us are compelled to seek counsel from our peers. And for this guy, at least, the best lifeline is someone who’s a millionaire already.

This entry was posted by Borshoff on Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 10:12 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the Comment Feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.