Let's discuss: Bargain Accessories

[h._p.]

We must all have come across really useful stuff that cost us very

little. Why not share your experience? I'll kick off with this

unprepossesing but useful little tripod. I bought it about five years

ago in Bournemouth for £9.95. Granted, it ain't no Leica tabletop

tripod but then it didn't cost £100+ either! It's stable even at full

extension (around 18") and it works smoothly. One really useful

feature is that it takes the same camera plates as the Velbon PH-157Q

head. As I have three of the latter on various legs, I have spare

plates around and was able to replace the plastic plate that came

with the tripod. I've seen it around under various names: this one's

called a Vanguard Mars 1.<div></div>

[m_.]

Harvey:

 

Not sure if I can name one thing Leica that I got for garage sale price but I did come across a Canon GIII QL17 a couple years ago in a neighbor's yard sale for $10 or something like that. All I did was getting a battery. It had since been with me to many places. Until the last time I showed a few pictures from the camera to her and she wanted to buy back the camera. As I have since acquired many more Leica stuff so I gave it back to her. I figured $10 for almost two years use is more than enough. Plus now I have a neighbor who started using a manual camera with real films - YES! And she tells everyone about the story and promotes my pictures whatever she gets a chance. She is a sculpturer and hangs around with some young punks. So the bonus is that I earned the right to photograph people every time I am in the mood photograghing people in her party. Does that sound like a bargain? I very much think so.

[dan flanders]

Salvaging useful stuff off otherwise old or useless cameras is a potential field for bargains. I have pulled the folding brightline VF off several inoperative Polaroids and found them comparable to ones that would cost in the hundreds. Fitted with an accessory shoe line of sight is approximately the same height above the camera as the Imarect. Though the image is about three quarters life size it is possible to view with both eyes open. As near as I can determine they approximate the field of the 35mm Leica lenses. <p> Another interesting item is the fine Zeiss manufactured range finder on some of the Polaroids of this era. I haven�t determined how to use them yet but am investigating mounting one on a baby Graphic and possibly a Foth Derby. <p> There are some very useful right angle (waist level) finders to be had from old cameras. Many of them are rotatable for taking vertical or horizontal oriented shots as the need may be.

[gary_ferguson1]

There's a little device from Jessops, the UK retailer, that allows you to fish the leader out from a film cassette after it's been wound back in. It even works with leaders that have been trimmed for screw mount Leicas. I must have had it for ten years or more and hardly a month goes past without it being used.

 

As to useless accessories that cost a fortune...well that would take some time to list! But I'd start with the Leica 21/24/28 zoom finder, cleverly designed so the tip of my nose smears the camera viewfinder window whenever I used it. Or then there's a very expensive Linhof lens shade and filter housing that won't take graduated neutral density filters. Or my absolute favourite, the older style Rolleiflex ever ready case, the one with the front flap that waves up and down in breeze and gets itself in frame on the majority of shots!

[Guest]

Film cartridge opener.

 

Just ten minutes ago I went to open a bottle of beer and couldn't find my 'waiter's friend.' ;-) So the film opener proved worth its weight in gold. And it melds those fragrant hops with a subtle hint of Rodinal....

 

Cheap tripods are good. Good for taking into the middle of a river and not worrying.

[Nowhereman]

Hey, Harvey: the things is NOT to take pictrures of your camera, but to take real pictures,

butt as this is only the Leica Forum, who cares?

[Nowhereman]

Sorry "butt' should read "but". but as I said, who cares?

[george_b1]

Mitch - Don't agree. Harvey's camera provides a reference for the tripod's size and heft. Looks like an excellent acquisition.

[msitaraman]

<a href=http://www.leicagoodies.com/>Lutz Konermann's SLING</a>, $17 these days. It changed the way I carried the camera around, and for the better. Now I'll never worry about dropping it again, and it gets that pesky strap out from under my right-hand which is great if you have small hands as I do.

[msitaraman]

Oh, and the $20 buzzy little mechanical self timer gizmo. Saves me from having to haul out the Nikon when doing the obligatory family group picture during the holidays.

[__jon__]

>Mitch Alland , apr 11, 2004; 05:11 p.m.

 

>Sorry "butt' should read "but". but as I said, who cares?

 

Whiiiiiiiiiiiner. If you don't care, why do you keep coming back?

[MTC Photography]

I like my Leitz table top with large ball head much better<p>

 

Another small table top tripod I like is Manfrotto table top, it

has a large ball head<p>

[d._p.1]

Ian, <i>Cheap tripods are good. Good for taking into the middle of a river and not worrying.</i>... they're o.k. as long as you don't really use them I guess. Over the last 3 years my spotting scope has seen 5 different cheapo tripods on rough hikes. That's 5 more trashed pieces of plastic junk on the hughe and ever growing mountain of garbage, and for that price i couldve bought a good one. Now i have an old aluminium Slick "Master" (yeah right, "Master"!) which seems to survive being used quite well.

[h._p.]

I thought quite hard before posting this:

 

There is a kind of sad little wannabe type of person who tries to disrupt threads because they themselves are unable to contribute. Typically, on photo.net, they have never posted any images, possibly because they do not have a camera or if they have one, do not know how to use it. They do, however, like to pretend that they know all about photography even when it is manifest from their writing that they have no idea at all how to please anyone, least of all themselves.

 

In an ideal world, the moderators would cull their nonsense but around here there's just too much traffic for Josh and Tony to handle, so their poisonous little ditties stay in the thread to the irritation of those who wish to share their knowledge and pleasure with others.

 

This is not to decry those with strongly held views who feel the need to explain those views. Such people, love them or hate them, are a valuable resource to the forum and should never be discouraged, although they may occassionaly need to be reminded of their manners. My beef is with people like the person above who makes a stupid comment about an illustrative image in order to satisfy some urge to show off like an over-tired child.

 

Perhaps we would be better off without such as them.

[d._p.1]

Harvey, maybe you're right - otoh, usually when someone posts a gear picture, the derogatory comment seems to follow almost obligatory, you know that. Maybe this guy felt he had to do it because noone else did. But it didnt change the overall tone of the thread so why get worked up about it? <br><br>As to bargain accessories i'd like to recommend Abrahamsons's soft release, $10 shipped worldwide. Shoot faster than your shadow! Only take care to use it sparingly, i.e. only screw it on when you're actually going to shoot, as anything coming near will make it trip the shutter release, even changing the shutter speed is tricky.<br><br>cheers, d.p.

[Guest]

Maybe the Leica needs taking out for a coffee to get over the slight? ;-)

 

My tripod was a fiver dearer than Harvey's, but it came with a get-started-in-35mm book and three rolls of Superia, courtesy of (electronics chain store) Dixons, of all people. DP's right: it broke about a year ago. But I haven't bothered to replace it. I think a tripod takes away from the spirit of using a 36oz SLR....