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Post by Just Plain Curt on Apr 20, 2007 9:20:20 GMT -5
Just a few new toys, lens, and oddities. Praktica Super TL3 Auto Takumar 55 f1.8 Mamiya NC1000S with my new Mamiya-Sekor CS 50 f1.7 Vivitar V635 Tempo 28-70 f3.5 Vivitar V335 Ricoh 28-70 f3.5 Ricoh KR30SP Program Vivitar Early AF 28-70 f3.5 Minolta AF-C autofocus I don't usually post these but it's as small as a Minox with the flash removed. Olympus Infinity Tele 35 & 70 Cool dual lens autofocus camera rather than zoom and hey, Oly glass.
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Post by John Parry on Apr 20, 2007 9:41:35 GMT -5
Not slowing down then Curt! I have a Praktica Super TL, and my daughter has a Super TL1000. Good cameras. Now you've reminded me, I have a Vivitar (think it was a 635) that I haven't put a film through yet - bought it off Clarence. OK - let's go for it!
Talking about Boy's Toys - I'm picking up my new car tomorrow. Or new to me anyway. I was going to go for a Ford, or maybe a Vauxhall. I've had Toyotas for nearly twenty years, and I wanted to get away from ridiculously expensive spare parts and services. Ha! My son just gave me an Alfa Romeo T-Spark 156. Alfas are probably the most expensive cars in the world for spares and service, but I just want one good car before I pop my clogs! I'll wait till this one gets too expensive to manage, and settle for a Mini or something, but - just this once! If you read about multiple car pile-up on the M6, that'll be me!!
Regards - John
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Post by herron on Apr 20, 2007 10:08:53 GMT -5
Curt -- looks like the "bug" is running at fever pitch! Hard to pass up new "old" toys sometimes! Hope they work for you as good as they look (although that NC1000s looks like the self exposure lever is stuck...they should be straight up, not at 10:00)
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Post by kiev4a on Apr 20, 2007 12:20:02 GMT -5
That Ricoh KR 30 SP is one ugly sucker!!!!
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Post by doubs43 on Apr 20, 2007 12:37:26 GMT -5
JPC, that's a nice looking Praktica and it's sporting a nice lens too. The 50mm f/1.8 Auto-Takumar was the only Takumar marked "Auto" that didn't have the pre-set aperture blades tensioned by a lever to open them fully. Pressing the shutter release would trip the blades and they'd go to whatever pre-set value f-stop you'd selected. Then the lever was used to open the blades once again for the next shot. Anyway, I've always held the Prakticas in high regard even though they're not as "smooth" as the Japanese or West German cameras. I've taken some fine pictures with mine. I don't have the SuperTL model but one day I hope to. You may want to keep your eyes open for a Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 lens which, as John says, is an excellent performer and would be correct for your camera I believe. Wayne is right: that Ricoh is ugggggg-a-lee!! Walker
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Post by Just Plain Curt on Apr 20, 2007 15:34:17 GMT -5
Hi guys, The Vivitar 28-70 AF originally came on my Vivitar V635 but I'm trying it in manual on my Ricoh KR 30 SP. The Ricoh had a gaping hole where a finger had dislodged the shutter leaves so I've replaced and straightened them. It now fires 60-70 % of the time so I've got some work left to do. The Auto Takumar came with the beautiful H1a I bought from Randy. I have 7 Pentacon 50 f1.8 but I'm bad at testing camera and lens combos then forgetting to replace the lens on the camera it came with. They are great lenses though. I have 2 lever actuated (I usually just refer to them as semi-auto) lens for Pentax, 1 for Yashica and 2 F.C. Mamiyas. I like the fact that they force me to slow down and actually watch what I'm doing. Good eye Ron, yes I missed the self timer lever which cocks further but I don't want to force it to unwind or jam the shutter. Guess it's another project for a rainy day but truth be told, like most old in camera meters, I don't use them anyway. I'm beauty challenged so I prefer to stay behind the lens. I have one more camera coming, a Carena SLH 1000 which is a rebadged Petri FT1000 then unless the yard sale gods are good to me, I'll be caught up with buying so I can finish cleaning/repairing and displaying my toys a bit better. Ok maybe a pipe dream, but hey everyone needs a dream right, LOL?
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Post by Just Plain Curt on Apr 20, 2007 15:44:12 GMT -5
Cool John, an Alfa. Wow, wish I had kids so I could get great gifts like that. What a nice thing to give you. I've owned an older Mini (I know they're totally different than the new Minis) and while it was fun (particularly ice racing it) it's sure not in the same class as an Alfa. Hope you have plenty of fun with it and I for one would love a picture or two. There's plenty of time for acting old later, drive that Alfa like you stole it, LOL.
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PeterW
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Post by PeterW on Apr 20, 2007 20:09:46 GMT -5
Oh, WOW, John! I'm drooling over my keyboard. Enjoy many happy miles in it. I've no doubt you've earned 'em.
Which model is it, 1.6, 1.8, 2.0 ... surely not the awesome 3.2 V6??
Er, BTW, how many miles to the bancruptcy does it do? ;D.
PeterW
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Post by John Parry on Apr 22, 2007 11:43:13 GMT -5
Thanks team - I'm a little overwhelmed myself! It's a 1.8 Peter. Having got used to an underpowered Toyota 1.6, whose air-con never worked, I hope to have some fun! Drive it like I stole it hey? Think some old driving habits die a little too hard for me to go that far, but I'll give it a go!
Regards - John
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Post by John Parry on Apr 22, 2007 16:37:45 GMT -5
Maybe I should have wished for a V6 Peter! OK - there's more to it than meets the eye. His previous company leased the car from him, and provided it back to him as a company car. So he got paid for the lease arrangement, and got all running costs, fuel etc., paid by the company. The drawback is that he owes the tax man money. as it is classed as a 'benefit in kind'. I get to pay the tax bill (about 1/3 to 1/2 the car's value), and he gave me the car, as he now has a 'real' company car. He's driving a Jag XJS on hire at the moment - they are on the waiting list for his own car - an Audi A7. Serious cup holders on that baby! Here's the Alfa - not a good picture, more to follow! Regards - John
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Post by kiev4a on Apr 22, 2007 18:11:34 GMT -5
John:
That's a nice toy. What's with the rain? Got an email from my brother-in-law today and he said it has been nice there since we left. 1/3 to 1/2 the car value? WOW!
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Post by doubs43 on Apr 22, 2007 20:11:22 GMT -5
VERY nice, John. That'll go fast enough on the M6 to get Ol' Bill's attention! (When I was there in the '80's, they caught either Prince Charles or Prince Phillip doing over 100mph on one of the M roads. It was in all the papers.)
Walker
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PeterW
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Post by PeterW on Apr 22, 2007 20:33:53 GMT -5
That's a very nice looking car, John. I've never driven one, but I read from reports that the 1.8's got plenty of poke.
Shame about the tax bill. How do the IR assess the current value? Make sure they don't use the 'retail' price in Glass's Guide. They always want to assess on the high side. They ought to assess it at what your son could get if he offered the car to a dealer for cash (not p/ex). Quite a lot of difference! But all may not be lost.
Please remember that I'm talking as an individual, not a professional tax consultant, but if you think the assessment's too high make a counter offer. Get your son to ask for cash offers from a couple of non-Alfa dealers, or he could ask a local car auction house what reserve they would suggest if he put the car in their auction and/or, if you can find a similar model, check the 'completed listings' on ebay. He'll probably get surprisingly low offers and be told by dealers that 'there's very little call for that model by the general public at the moment. Expensive to run, high insurance, might tale a long time to find a buyer etc, etc'.
Then argue. Suggest that your figure is more realistic, and then offer to pay it off at something like £50 a month, with no interest of course. Chances are the IR might well come to an arrangement.
Keep all these figures documented (as long as they're in your favour), and all correspondence, and if you still don't get satisfaction with the IR, argue some more on the grounds that your son is showing 'willingness to pay', just unhappy about the amount. If they get really stubborn about it then as a last resort, show exasperation and ask for a complaints pack.
That, I'm told by someone who works in IR, brings on brown trousers time at local IR offices, and is an inducement for them to pacify and negotiate rather than have a full-scale investigation by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, which goes on an individual's record.
No-one wants that because whatever the outcome, when it comes to future consideration for promotion, the old 'no smoke without fire' atmosphere about internal investigations applies on the grounds that the person, by his handling of the case, is perhaps unsuited to reach agreement, firmly but amicably, with a taxpayer who thinks he had good grounds for a reconsideration.
I did that once, some years ago after a local firm of accountants made a complete hash of things like writing-down allowances, and after the matter dragged on for about five months finally got an assessment cut by the Commissioners by nearly 20%.
Good luck!
PeterW
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Post by Just Plain Curt on Apr 22, 2007 20:56:58 GMT -5
Definitely one nice looking car John. And yes, drive it like you stole it, LOL.
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Post by John Parry on Apr 23, 2007 7:21:43 GMT -5
Wayne - Your brother-in-law lives in the southern desert, remember. We are in the temperate north. Our gentle mediterranean climate here in the Northwest is world renowned for the gentle zephyrs wafting in from the North Atlantic carrying refreshing showers which periodically replenish our reservoirs.
What say Peter? LOL
Regards - John
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