Uuups ... my misspelling. Should be Otowa and neither Otawa nor Ottawa. The actually right way to write it would be 音羽光機製作所

One possible reason, why I got it for a really nice price might be the fact, that the seller was spelling it wrong too. He wrote something like "MiddleFiex" ... and not many people found it

Thanks, Col. Looks slightly different from mine, but also beautiful.


Bencini Comet S by bokuwanihongasuki, on Flickr

Definitely. That's what I wanted to say. I think, the everlasting discussion about the future of film is not necessarily related to the prices of collectable ( everybody needs to define that for himself of course ) cameras. Though ... it might be connected to the number of collectors. I am not quite sure, if there will be collectors of digital cameras in the future as there are of film cameras now. Not everybody is using his collectables, but ... yes, it is important for some people ( for example me ).
It has its charme, bringing a 50-100 years old camera back to life and that is ( still ) possible. But ... will that be possible with digital cameras 50-100 years ahead ? I can't even read the file format of my four years old camcorder anymore

Digital technology is fantastic, beautiful and convenient ... but certainly not made for the eternity. Our mails, posts like this right now and most of all our data will be just garbage in a few years and gone with the wind. People already found a name for that and called in the "Digital Dark Age" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_dark_age

But the idea of collecting is different, isn't it ( at least for me ). There is some kind of appreciation of the past connected, which is very different to the concept of our fast progressing digital age, celebrating nothing what is not new.

Wait a moment ... the prices of film cameras are dropping because film is dead ? Where is the connection ?

I think, first of all, we have to make a difference between 2nd hand/used and vintage/antique. If something is a few years old, the price is naturally dropping ... but that's not an issue of digital or analog. When I bought my GH1 ( new and just released ), I paid 150.000 Yen for it ( because I really wanted it at that time ). Less than two years later, I could get a second GH1 for just 20.000 Yen in nearly new condition. So, I honestly think, that the prices of digital equipment are dropping even faster than in the analog world. I can find not even five years old digital cameras here in junk boxes of the camera shops for less than $ 5, but a still working folder or TLR from the 50s or 60s still sells for $ 100-200.

But that's because there actually isn't any connection between the collectable and its usage. If somebody collects stamps, he mostly does not want to glue them on a letter too, doesn't he ?

Interesting report, Michael.

I imagine China similar to Russia shortly after the fall of the soviet union ( but I can be completely wrong, of course ). Most people are still poor, but a rich elite already established. I went to Moscow for a holiday at that time and found, that all prices have been quite unbalanced. You could eat or buy something in one shop for more than $ 100 and get the same thing in a neighbour shop for just a few cents.

So, it is probably still possible to make interesting bargains regarding domestic cameras in China ... or not ? The internet ... well, that's still for "rich people", I guess ... but what about local shops and flea markets ? Some domestic chinese cameras are pretty good ( especially TLRs ) and film is still cheap there, isn't it ?

So, I wouldn't cry too much about your Agfa and try to use the chance for adding some exotic chinese pieces to your collection.

And Michael ... if you intend to stay there for longer, try to learn the language. I know it's tough and I am still fighting with my Japanese here after years, but it's worth it. Otherwise, you will feel lonely and isolated very soon.

Cheers from Tokyo,

Berndt

Extinction meter ? Wow ... learned something new. I have a Vito CL in excellent condition. I just assume, that the light meter is not working exactly anymore. That kept me away from using it yet. If I have to guess everything anyway, I prefer to use a medium format folder then

If possible, I always check the sellers profile. If he has never sold a camera before, I tend to believe, that he does not know, if the camera is working or not ... as often stated ... but if he already has a lot of sold cameras on his list, I wouldn't believe the "I found it at my grandfathers attic and can't give any further information"-story

However, I also benefited from the fact, that a seller is not an expert sometimes. Got a few cameras, declared as junk and not working, just because the seller had no idea how to operate them. If I would give an old folder or TLR to anybody on the street, most people would not even know, that the shutter needs to be cocked before fired. So what kind of detailed information can I expect from a person, who is not a camera collector himself ?

Talking about very rare items, the camera condition is a secondary problem anyway, I think. As my space starts to become limited, I focus more on hunting rare cameras recently ... but here, it's often quite difficult to set myself a certain limit.

But ... it's not only about owning rare cameras. I am also happy, just to find and see something interesting, even I don't own it. Recently, I have been on a historical TV drama shoot and one of my friends, supposed to be a photographer in one scene and they gave him an old 6x6 folder from that time. The TV staff treated the cameras just like junk ( from their point of view, they are just vintage accessories ), but having a closer look at this camera, it has been a Muse Six. According to the Camerapedia, no surviving example has been observed so far. I did
I haven't had the chance for talking to the production staff, because I had to hurry to another shooting location. Otherwise, I might have tried a deal But here again, how much would such a camera be worth ? $ 10 because it's junk ... or $ 1000 because it's rare ? Or something in between ? I often simply don't know