Well the sellers ad states "The entire set is in great condition." And, they are in the camera selling business so can be considered experts. I would be upset also.
One has to also factor in the low price and the age of the gear, no? That kit has to be 50 years old. "Excellent condition" is sales talk.... Barely worth the electrons the words are written with.
Fortunately those words can also be used to justify a return and refund even if that is a bit of an inconvenient situation.
Check immediately that the bellows is light tight. This is a deal breaker.
Heck, since we are all throwing in our two cents, I have to say that I was very impressed by Shutterfinger's detailed recommendations. My vote would be that you follow his cleaning instructions for the camera and holders, and invest the $85 he mentions for a lens CLA. Assuming that the various posts about the value of your camera and lens in "cleaned and CLA'd condition" are correct, if you are still unsatisfied after all of this, you could still re-sell the camera and lens and recover your added expenses.
You began your several threads on entering LF by saying you wanted a low-cost way to see if you liked Large Format. Pretty much by definition you eliminated "pristine" used equipment, simply because in general, the better the condition of the equipment, the higher the price. With the cleaned up Calumet and holders, and a CLA'd lens, you still will have a very low-cost way to see if you enjoy the equipment, and a re-sell option to minimize any financial hits if you decide that you've lost interest.
Tiltall tripod is perfect for this.
I've searched based on your recommendation before. Any particular model in mind?
Thanks for pointing us at it. Inexperienced seller -- been on ebay since April, '13 but 42 of his 44 feedback ratings are < 6 months old -- who sells mainly odds and ends. These types can't be counted on to know much about photographic equipment and can't evaluate it fairly. Good intentions, I'm sure, but not much competence with view cameras.
Thanks also for the video. The shutter certainly runs slow at 1 sec but it doesn't sound bad. Escapements are always noisy at one second.
You didn't expect to get a shutter in good order, did you? There's a law of nature to the effect that all used shutters need to be cleaned, lubricated and adjusted before they run properly. Keep the camera and have the shutter CLAd. You're unlikely to get as good a deal with a shutter in good order. And don't pour a solvent through the shutter. Ilexes are made to run dry and some of them have hard rubber blades that many solvents attack.
Check immediately that the bellows is light tight. This is a deal breaker.
1. That camera in pristine condition with that shutter freshly CLAed would go for $350 on ebay easily + shipping and $450-$500 in a local store.
2. I charge $85 for a shutter CLA.
3. Mount the camera on a tripod, remove the focus panel and lens board, extend the standards as far as the bellows will allow. Spray the exterior of the bellows with Windex. Using a soft cotton towel or paper towels wipe the exterior clean/dry while supporting the area being wiped with your other hand from the inside. Once the entire bellows are clean spray them down with Pledge furniture polish, the yellow can Pledge only, let sit for 15 to 30 minutes then rub the Pledge in while wiping off the excess supporting the bellows as when cleaning.
4. Place the camera in a dark room and shine a bright light inside the bellows while looking at the exterior of the bellows. That bright light can be your LED flashlight, a cfl in a small table lamp or open socket trouble lamp or similar. Be careful not to touch the inside of the bellows with a hot light source as you most likely will burn a hole in them.
5. Any pin holes can be repaired by painting the inside of the bellows with Golden Heavy Body Artist Paint #1040 Carbon Black or Tulip washable fabric paint, black or ebony. Both are available at craft stores and can be diluted with water up to 50%. Apply in two or three thin coats with an economy artist paint brush. Tears in pleat seams can be repaired by gluing tight weave black cotton or nylon cloth to the inside of the bellows then painting as needed over the tear repair if it is not light tight.
6. Most returns on ebay require you to pay the return shipping. All cleaning and patch supplies can be purchased for the cost of the return shipping.
7. Post a picture of the tripod socket. It may be a pressed in insert in a metal housing or a striped wood block of which either can be repaired without great expense.
8. Remove the darkslides from one film holder at a time. Blow out the darkslide slots with caned air. Clean the film plate and darkslides with Windex and clean paper towels. Blow out any lint with the caned air then replace the darkslides. The edges of the darkslides can be rubbed with household wax if needed to get them slide easily after cleaning.
Send me a pm if you want me to do the CLA.
Even if the partial refund is refused you still got a killer deal. In my mind you should be jumping for joy rather than anything else. You got what you sought and your on your way to your goal.
Brian, inexperienced buyers often have unrealistic expectations.
So do inexperienced photographers. The OP has already taken a couple of shots with his new treasure at, he said, 1/100. Negative film's latitude may save him but there's a law of nature to the effect that Ilex shutters' 1/100 speed can't be adjusted to be less than one stop slow. There are exceptions; I have one but I wonder how long its speeds will be good.
Cheers,
Dan
Even if the partial refund is refused you still got a killer deal. In my mind you should be jumping for joy rather than anything else. You got what you sought and your on your way to your goal.
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