Post by moltogordo on Jul 24, 2015 12:03:51 GMT -5
On the way to the forum, I had motherboard problems and lost my bookmarks, including to this forum. I was gone for a while. Making a long story I'm back.
On the thread topic, I was trying to find a nice, reasonably priced Nikon F2 to add to my collection. En route, I needed a part for my Linhof Color Kardan (I still shoot a lot of large format), and I found a part for $300. Pretty steep. But I also found a complete Kardan including the part for $119.00. Are you kidding? I snapped it up. A spare bellows, standards, lensboard and the part I wanted for 1/3 the price of the part?
It got me thinking, and some research proved my right. Big monorails are a glut on the market right now. Lots of old photographers retiring. Big cameras are cheap. So I added the monorail category to my collection and now have 11. Some incredible bargains. I got the camera of my dreams, a Toyo GX, for $345. My copy is mint. This is a current camera that retails for $6,500 Canadian. Why would somebody buy a new one? In Canada at least, used equipment is not deductable, so a new pro cannot write off the acquisition as they could a new camera.
In any case, my latest acquisition is large. Very large. My first 5x7 monorail. I obtained a Burke&James "Grover", c. 1948. A bit of a clunker, a bit kitschy. I got two, actually, junkers. One for $60, and one for $75, from which I assembled one camera. With the Davis tripod I mounted it on, photography with this 28 pound combination can be classified as exercise!
I've had more fun with my monorails over the past few months than with almost anything else I own. I present to you my Grover, and the first 2 photographs (same subject) I took with it. Shanghai 5x7 film, developed in HC110 1:63 for 14 minutes, Schneider Symmar 210mm f5.6 lens, 1/20th at f26. Thanskf ro looking in.
On the thread topic, I was trying to find a nice, reasonably priced Nikon F2 to add to my collection. En route, I needed a part for my Linhof Color Kardan (I still shoot a lot of large format), and I found a part for $300. Pretty steep. But I also found a complete Kardan including the part for $119.00. Are you kidding? I snapped it up. A spare bellows, standards, lensboard and the part I wanted for 1/3 the price of the part?
It got me thinking, and some research proved my right. Big monorails are a glut on the market right now. Lots of old photographers retiring. Big cameras are cheap. So I added the monorail category to my collection and now have 11. Some incredible bargains. I got the camera of my dreams, a Toyo GX, for $345. My copy is mint. This is a current camera that retails for $6,500 Canadian. Why would somebody buy a new one? In Canada at least, used equipment is not deductable, so a new pro cannot write off the acquisition as they could a new camera.
In any case, my latest acquisition is large. Very large. My first 5x7 monorail. I obtained a Burke&James "Grover", c. 1948. A bit of a clunker, a bit kitschy. I got two, actually, junkers. One for $60, and one for $75, from which I assembled one camera. With the Davis tripod I mounted it on, photography with this 28 pound combination can be classified as exercise!
I've had more fun with my monorails over the past few months than with almost anything else I own. I present to you my Grover, and the first 2 photographs (same subject) I took with it. Shanghai 5x7 film, developed in HC110 1:63 for 14 minutes, Schneider Symmar 210mm f5.6 lens, 1/20th at f26. Thanskf ro looking in.
