At 11:11 AM 7/23/2010, Peter K. wrote:
I think its funny you consider digital and flash a money pit yet all the exotic lenses we talk about are not. To each his own.
Back in the days of camera shows, I was able to buy cheap and sell high and swap and trade and thus ended up with a LOT of really fine exotic lenses quite inexpensively -- some of my gear actually has a negative value, as I made more money selling Leica and Rolleiflex the decades than it cost me to buy my current Leica kit or, for that matter, my 2.8GX.
And a number of folks have gifted me items as a thank-you for helping them on historical points. One example: Jim Williams, a Contax RTS fellow, sold me a lens at an embarrassingly low price, and over my objection: the lens is a RF-coupled LTM 1.5/7.5cm CZJ Biotar T. As of the present, six of these are known to exist, and there are standing offers in four figures. Someday, I will sell it, but no time soon: I like the pictures it produces on my M6, an interesting contrast to those from my 1.4/75 Summilux-M.
Peter, if you are nice to people, you would be amazed at the wonders which fall into your hands.
But with digital and digital flash, it is a cash proposition, and I am retired and living on a very fixed budget. So, I would have to sell stuff off to invest in, say, a Canon L lens, and I am not willing to do that right now, as I receive at least four or five queries a week which require me to dig out lenses and accessories and camera bodies before answering the question. Again, I will sell my gear someday, but today is not the day, though, as I find duplicates, I am selling those -- note that I just added a 4/135 Super-Dynarex in M42 to my FS list, as it is a duplicate to another I own.
Look at it another way. I am awash in M42 gear, and I have two high-end T-Mount lenses, a Questar 700 and a Leica APO-Televid spotting scope. I got an M42 adapter for $5 and a T-ring for $12, both postpaid. THAT fits my constrained budget a lot better than does that new $1400 L lens.
Marc msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxx Cha robh bàs fir gun ghràs fir! --- Rollei List - Post to rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx - Subscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'subscribe' in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org - Unsubscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org - Online, searchable archives are available at //www.freelists.org/archives/rollei_list