So, what photographic gear are you rewarding yourself with this holiday season?

[dennis_w3]

<p>I'm limiting my gift to myself to a 55 to 62 mm step up adapter so I can use big filters on my latest affliction, a lovely and venerable Minolta 7s in black trim. I'm shooting Plus X with yellow and orange filters in bright sunshine/blue sky over our near-record 31 inches of snow in this month of December. From what I read on this forum, the 45 mm 1.8 Rokkor on this beauty is very sharp.</p>

[DickArnold]

Two things. An EF 85 1.8. Don't know how I lived without it. And a gridded focusing screen for my 5D. I was tired of my own failute to keep horizons straight. Works fine.

[dennis_w3]

<p>Here's that Lovely Minolta, ready for the sun to show, hopefully later this morning!</p>

[ridinhome]

<p>Jon S - Congratulations on the Autocord. I bought one a few months ago. It's a beautiful camera.</p>

<p>If you haven't already, you might want to send it to Karl Bryan for a CLA and focus lever rebuild. If yours has the original focus lever it WILL break. Karl build a replacement part out of steel - you'll never be able to tell the Autocord doesn't have the original lever (provided you have the original knob of course). Ping me offline and I can let you have Karl's e-mail address. Very nice guy to boot and very quick service.</p>

<p>It's nice in this day and age of quick-replacement electronics to find people who still believe in the old fashioned notion of quality service.</p>

[CoryAmmerman]

<p>My Christmas gift to myself was my Nikomat FT-n/2.8cm f3.5/50mm f2 combo. Depending on how much cash I get, I might splurge on some higher quality film to use when the weather warms up and the sun sticks around later than 4:30 p.m.</p>

[dennis_w3]

<p>Another try to attach the 7s, sorry:<br>

<img id="fullSizedImage" src="http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww53/Barharbor/7sminolta.jpg?t=1293202519" alt="" /></p>

[User_4136860]

<p>I treat myself to a Domke f5XC large olive drab shoulder bag.</p>

[dan_fromm2]

<p>Forgot to mention the Manfrotto 130-38 quick release plate. It arrived today.</p>

[charles_stobbs3]

Give myself enough time to study the manual for my Sigma DP1s so it doesn't take me too long to operate it.

[JDMvW]

<p>I am contemplating adding the last of my "beauties" collection - a local person has an all-black Olympus OM-1.</p>

<p>It's essentially what (how I hate the term!) is called "minty" on eBay.</p>

[craigd]

<p>"Minty" is kind of annoying. I interpret it to mean "I want you to think it's in mint condition, and it actually is in really good shape, but I'm not going to commit myself by actually saying 'mint'." That said, I've had no complaints whatsoever about the "minty" items I've bought on eBay.</p>

<p>Les, nice-looking F2A! I don't have one of those yet, just an F2 Photomic and an F2S.</p>

<p>I've added to my holiday haul by buying a miniature Slik tripod to improve my up-close photography, mostly when I take pictures of cameras and lenses to post here. I'm tempted to pick up a non-AI Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/3.5, too.</p>

[tony_lockerbie]

<p>Yep, over here a Minty is a small and very chewy mint flavoured sweet, great for removing your fillings. I just got a Leica 111A with an uncoated Summar....with no scratches! Anxious to try it out.</p>

[Karim Ghantous]

<p>Someone gave me a few cameras out of the blue. One of them was this old Ricoh 300. It's a fixed-lens RF with a 45/2.8. I don't really think I'll use it. And I don't think I'll use the mju-II either, although it is such a svelte camera. I think only the Elph APS cameras were smaller. Those limited cameras just don't do it for me.</p>

<p>I did order a VGC Topcon Uni, though, with a 50/2.0. It's likely to arrive in early January Now, that is the kind of thing I can use - in fact I hope to use as many classic cameras as I can for paid jobs in the future. Recently I had to shoot digital - and what a godsend it is, especially in low light - but if I can I'll not only shoot film but shoot film with equipment as old as practically possible. Why be boring? A camera is not 'just a tool'. :-)</p>

[Mike Gammill]

Last minute gift: Got a Tamron 24-70 to fit my Maxxum gear.

[Mike Gammill]

Last minute gift: Got a Tamron 24-70 to fit my Maxxum gear.

[mjferron]

<p>I lost a good friend the day before Christmas. My Minolta Scan Dual 4 died a horrible death. The grindings sounds were heart breaking. Not one to mourn I quickly ordered a Plustek 7600 SE from Adorama. I'm reading a lot of good things about this scanner and the price is right.</p>

[andylynn]

<p>Michael, as the proud owner of a Dual 4 I feel for you. Post something about how the Plustek works out.</p>

[mjferron]

<p>I will Andrew.</p>

[wolfgang_dreher]

<p>Canon F-1N AE</p>

[chuck_foreman1]

I'm with Bueh....what cash I got, goes to others this year! In fact in reply to th OP regarding trusting others, Frankly I wish my significant others would give just enough interest to find out what makes my heart beat. My kids think any "old" camera (anything that isn'T exactly digital) is enough and my wife doesn't bother even trying. It's all just cameras for her!

[k5083]

I received a nice present from a well known eBay vendor of used non-working gear just before Xmas. By present I

mean that usually they test cameras pretty well and if they say it's broken, it is, but not this time. This was a lot of four

AF Nikons, an N8008 "powers up but shutter won't fire", N70 "powers up and fires but shows error message, can't set

modes", N6006 "works but door won't close" and N60 "won't focus, AF just hunts". I had a hunch I could get one or

two of them working. Final price was $10.50 for the lot with about $12 shipping. When they arrived, the N8008 worked

perfectly -- I never figured out what the vendor's problem with it was. The N70 needed its settings reset but then

worked fine -- I think the funky interface confused the vendor. The N6006 had a broken door latch which is so

common to this and related models that a repair kit is sold for $7; it is now better than new (because the new latch is

metal) and I'm shooting my kids with it today. The N60 AF is indeed screwed up but who cares, it was junky to start

with. So three well made upper-mid range Nikons for a $30 total outlay.

[craigd]

<p>I celebrated Christmas by winning an eBay auction for an early '60s Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 with the chrome barrel, compensating aperture, and distance scale only in feet. Though maybe I should consider it a birthday present since it probably won't arrive until January...</p>

[clay2]

<p>Minolta 300 mm Rokkor MC f/4.5 with caps, built in shade, and case<br /> Minolta 28 mm Rokkor MC f/2.5 with caps and shade and case<br /> Nikkor AI-S 80-200 f/4 with rear end cap, built in shade, and case.<br /> 2nd Minolta SR-T101 body.<br /> Best regards,<br /> /Clay</p>

[Karim Ghantous]

<p>August, well played! It seems one should follow one's hunches as often as possible. :-)</p>

[gene_woods]

<p>I found a Pentax Superprogram that needs a CLR meter is way off and the mirror was stuck up for some time so that foam need replaced and we will see what else. Gene</p>