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Post by pompiere on Feb 17, 2010 8:05:17 GMT -5
I have the mechanical aptitude to repair most of the bargain cameras that I come across, so I guess that I can accept the longer odds when the outlay is only a few dollars. I haven't bought anything from the internet, so I have always had the chance to handle everything first. Even so, sometimes the battery is dead or missing, so there is no way to check all the functions. I have only had one camera that I have thus far been unable to get working, but I still take it out from time to time and have another go at it. As a tinkerer, the joy is in bringing something back to life that someone had discarded as nonfunctional junk.
In general, if the cost is less than $10, I will take a chance that it may never work. If more than that, I need to know that the camera is mostly functional or comes with enough accessories to make it worth the investment. Even the cheap or free camera can be a bad investment if you have to spend a lot more, just to see if it can be made to work. A lithium 2CR5 battery is $10 to check a $1 point & shoot.
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Post by pompiere on Feb 12, 2010 7:11:03 GMT -5
Just remember with the C3, "wind, set , shoot", in that order, or you will end up with a lot of blank and/or double exposures. Welcome to the group.
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Post by pompiere on Feb 9, 2010 22:40:04 GMT -5
I don't have a Canonet either, but I can't say that I miss it. When I went to a camera show looking to buy my first rangefinder a few years ago, I saw a Canonet for $45 and a Petri 7s for $15. I just wanted to see what all the fuss was with rangefinders so I bought the Petri. I have had a few rangefinders since then, but the only Canon is an A35F.
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Post by pompiere on Feb 8, 2010 6:26:47 GMT -5
When I bought a nonworking Olympus 35 ECR a few years ago,I found a corroded battery compartment and the corrosion had eaten through one of the power wires. I did some soldering and got it working and thought that was the end of it. Since then, whenever I would take the camera out, it seems I would have to clean the invisible layer of corrosion off the batteries to get it to work. Then one day that didn't help. So yesterday, I opened up the camera and found that the corrosion had travelled up the wires, like a wick, and caused a bad connection again. I had to replace some of the wire because the solder wouldn't stick to the old wires. Now it's working again. Somehow, I lost the slow shutter warning, but I can live with that. I realy like the ECR for the small size.
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Post by pompiere on Feb 8, 2010 6:00:09 GMT -5
Those kinds of pictures are the best, snapshots of when the kids are just being themselves. Last week, my nephew brought over some pictures that my sister had taken of my kids when they were that age. Now one is in college, the second one just turned 17, and the third will be 13 shortly and is already taller than his sisters. Before I know it, they will be picking out my nursing home.
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Post by pompiere on Feb 8, 2010 5:39:35 GMT -5
I got my SRT200 when I was 17, but it's not the oldest SLR I own. That would be a Petri Penta V6 that was a gift from a neighbor. Heavy camera, but easy to use. For the longest time they were the only SLR's that I owned, then last fall I found four more in a short period.
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Post by pompiere on Feb 6, 2010 21:25:30 GMT -5
I suppose all of us collectors share a bit of a glitch, if not truly autistic. That is what draws me to gathering all the different cameras. I like the differences of all the different models from different eras, seeing how things have progressed. I like some cameras better than others, but I haven't found one that I want to be rid of. I mostly keep my collecting to under $20 per example, so I haven't seen a Leica, but I have some interesting cameras anyhow. What I really like is showing off the pictures from a camera that I have revived after purchasing for next to nothing because it didn't work. I am glad to have found this forum where unique personalities can gather and discuss our hobby.
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Post by pompiere on Feb 5, 2010 22:51:13 GMT -5
MY SRT200 works like the first description, it pops back out.
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Post by pompiere on Feb 4, 2010 5:19:16 GMT -5
Well, we sometimes describe an old film camera as having only shot a few rolls before being stashed in a closet, ususally because the inside looks pristine. Since you can't open the back of a digital, maybe this is their way of saying the same thing? I'm sure that all those little auto focus and zoom servo motors have a finite number of cycles in their lifetime.
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Post by pompiere on Jan 31, 2010 6:42:17 GMT -5
Since I have been wearing bifocals, I have found that LCD viewfinders are more difficult to use. I have to tip my head back or hold the camera down low to be able to see the image clearly. With a conventional viewfinder, I can look through the distance section of my glasses and see fine. The framing may not be as accurate in theory, but since I can see well, the end result is better.
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Post by pompiere on Jan 26, 2010 7:45:22 GMT -5
Not ebay but on Craiglist, I found a Beseler 23C enlarger for $25. They said that they didn't have any lenses or carriers for it, but I figured "what the heck", they are pretty common, so I should be able to find the stuff I needed. When I got there, they had located the box of accessories which I could have for another $25. But I had to take the box of photography books, too. I wasn't really looking to set up a darkroom, but my daughter had just taken a photography class at school and this seemed too good to let pass. I got the enlarger, 35mm and 6x6 carriers, 50mm and 75mm lenses, miscellanious filters, and 26 photography/darkroom books for $50. Shipping was a ten minute drive.
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Post by pompiere on Jan 25, 2010 8:46:56 GMT -5
MIK,
You are correct, I have been a member of the local volunteer fire department for 15 years. A while back, I got a coffee mug that has "firefighter" in several different languages on it. Pompiere is Italian, literally it means pump operator. I feel that everyone should contribute to the community and this is one way that I can help out and do something that I enjoy at the same time. To the outsider it does appear that we are risking our lives, but through training and the proper equipment we can minimize the risk. Confidence in our training and equipment is what makes it possible to face those situations. By the way, it's not just men, the person on the right in the picture is a woman.
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Post by pompiere on Jan 25, 2010 7:58:20 GMT -5
That last one reminds me of one of the engines from "Thomas the Tank Engine".
Does anyone know the purpose of the shields that are on the sides of the front of some of the engines? They seem to be more common on the European engines than the American ones.
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Post by pompiere on Jan 24, 2010 8:44:14 GMT -5
We did some ice rescue training in the river yesterday. The exposure suits keep you completely dry and you don't even feel the water temperature.
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Post by pompiere on Jan 24, 2010 8:28:10 GMT -5
Thanks. I almost passed on the camera, but I thought "It's only a dollar." and it had a 46mm UV filter with it. What I don't like is that the self winder sounds like a coffee grinder. From what I've read on other forums, that is common for Ricoh cameras of that era.
The bus was totally restored, inside and out. It looked like it was ready for the first day of school. I didn't know the history behind the color. Notice that it doesn't have the red flashing lights either.
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