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How would you spend $100


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Suppose that you found $100 in the pocket of an old coat and were free to

indulge your interests in classic cameras. How would you spend it?

 

I propose patiently waiting for a $25 Spotmatic on eBay and having Eric

Hendrickson do a CLA. A serviced Spotmatic would probably outlast me.

 

How would you indulge yourself? (Given the current exchange rate, European

readers would probably find $100 enough for a beer and a sandwich)

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$100? That's not much.

 

I'd have my 58/5.6 Grandagon extracted from the so-so shutter its in, put in my nicer Synchro-Compur #00, and have the shutter scaled for it. Or I'd have an adapter for front-mounting my 4"/5.6 Enlarging Pro Raptar on a #1 shutter made. $100 will probably cover the first, might cover the second. And since both lenses date from the '60s and will be used on a camera made in 1947 the answer fits.

 

There's more to "classic" cameras than pocketable 120 folders and 35 mm gear.

 

Michael, I've never been fascinated with the Nikon F -- with the Photomic head they're front-heavy -- but have been with the F2. The price you quoted is, for a camera with working meter, pretty optimistic. Only one sale on eBay near that price, most considerably above. And all the F2s with working meters at KEH are priced well above $100. Gotta look at completed auctions ...

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Ok, I'm a bit over at $150, but I just scored from Craigslist from a single buyer; Beseler 23CII enlarger, 2 Schnieder lenses, an Calumet archival 11x14 print washer, 2 gralabs, grain focuser, trays, graduates, safelights, blah, blah, blah... and hardback versions of Ansel Adams The Camera, Negative, and Print. I figure about $2000 bucks worth. All in very nice shape. Life is good. : )
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Its a very clever post Wendell because it makes me think. It's a funny thing to analyze why and how we spend our money. If you had said that someone would buy me anything I wanted for classic photography for $100, and it was my only choice, my answer would be different, but if I found my own $100 that I could use for anything, then I get really circumspect. I can manage $100 for any equipment I want, but there really isn't anything I'm really "hankering" that can be had for that price. In fact, I already recognize that there already isn't anything to be had for under about $800 that would even give me any further capability than I already have with all my awesome junk. For example, I'd like to have a Leica M6 hand grip. That would be fun, but I don't think I would really use it after enjoying trying it, so I don't buy. I'd love to play around with a carbon fiber monopod: very light weight and cool, but still won't do what I need when I need a tripod, and also not $100.

 

To play along a bit, if I could get a really nice Nikon F2 DE-1 meterless prism for $100 (chrome or black), I would do that, but I'm not sure if that is realistic either. How about a frozen brick of Kodachrome 25? No wait...a really good working Olympus RD. That's it. (I bought a broken one and have not had it repaired yet, and I don't know when I will.)

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You can get a Nikkormat FTn with lens for about that much now. The FTn is a non-AI body, so it will accept all Nikkors, whether non-AI, AI, AIS or AF as long as they have the fork installed on the aperture ring (it will accept them even if they don't, if you don't mind stopping down to meter).

 

An FT2, the only non-AI Nikkormat to use S76 silver cells, would be even better, but i'm not sure if you can get that one for $100 in good shape. If I could have only one Nikon body, that would be my choice.

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Well, Gene M made me laugh and Doctor Bill made me feel guilty. As was said, $100 doesn't go too far today. Film gear has been dropping rapidly but not necessarily down through the $100 barrier. Things you could get with some change left over are a Vito B in great condition, a Retina IIa or IIIa with OK cosmetics that works, a Minota SRT, a Canon FTb, a Spotmatic. If the $100 was $300, it would open the window much wider. The non-meter prism finders for the F and F2 seem to go for more than the entire F or F2 with metered finders and lenses. I bought a LN F2 with photomic finder (or whatever they called the first of these finders ) with 50mm f1.4 lens for a little over $200 recently. I have seen the non-meter prisms go for $300 on baywatch. Right now I would spend the $50 of the 100 on film and processing, blow $25 at the bar, and drop the remaining $25 in a Salvation Army bucket.
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I think I would buy a whole bunch of Olympus XA2 cameras and ducktape them together to form a sort of bug eye panorama. Kind of like spokes in an old wagon wheel. I guess you could do this with disposables too, but the XA2 is so nice and you can set the self timers to fire in sequence.

 

Just a crazy idea I've had for a while....

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Ok, it's not quite "classic," but if you are looking for a 35mm SLR I would get an OM-1 over a Spotmatic... just a nicer camera IMO and still seems classic in today's terms... and you can probably get one working out of the box for about $50... so that leaves another $50 to spend on more stuff... maybe add a Retina IIa... anyway, these are two cameras I like!

 

Nikon is *Nikon* and still holds its value quite well... too well...

 

I guess I don't really like my Spotmatic enough to get it fixed... so I'd buy something like a newer Pentax (Black MX?).

 

Ikoflex?

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Based on all the Ikonta buzz that seems to be going around, I decided to vary from my total 35mm and digital obsession and try some medium format. I was able to find a lated mode Ikonta super B with f2.8 Tessar lens. The camera and lens are in EX++ plus condition and the only real sign of age I can find are the "zeiss bumps" on the back side. I haven't used it yet (winter, wet, Seattle) but I am looking forward to it. Cost was closer to $300. I have color and B&W 120 film and I have found a place that will process the film and scan it. 2000 by 2000 file size. I hope the scanning does justice to the system. Why did they design it to get just 11 frames per roll?

 

Nikkormats are nice rugged cameras but I thought their price would be $150-200 for nice specimens without lens. But prices for film cameras are zany, what with F100s going for about $300. I thought the F100 was a contender for Nikon's best SLR, which would make it a contender for best ever 35 mm SLR.

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$100 is about 50 UK pounds. I think with a windfall of 50 quid I'd end up hunting for cameras on That Site. I'd either try to get a nice-condition Kiev 4, because I covet one, or I'd be really self-indulgent and get a second Olympus 35RC. They've shot up in price lately, as if the photo.net buzz about them has filtered into sellers' expectations... $100 would just about cover it.
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Hi All...

I would buy a good spanner wrench so I don't have to "make" one everytime I need to remove or, take a lens apart. Then I would order some of that lightproof fabric from Porters Camera so I can get started making new bellows for three folders that have been begging for new ones... That should take care of the hundred but, then I would go on the hunt for more broken relics, over-extend the budget and, hope I could find another $100 :-)

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Funny - my wife found 2 Canadian $50 notes in her pocket yesterday, and she spent it all on Christmas gifts for me...and not on what I would have picked (appears to be trousers and shirts).

 

I would get 8 spools of Kodak HIE film...last deliveries are this month. It would go in the freezer beside some frozen vegetables.

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