The Joys and Trials of GAS

[Ralph Javins]

Good morning;

One of the real problems with liking cameras, is buying them. And Buying them. There is even a special acronym for this trait; G. A. S., or "Gear Acquisition Syndrome." Sometimes it is even modified to a specific brand, such as N. A. S., for Nikon gatherers and collectors.

I admit that I suffer from this problem. While I have been seeking a Chapter of Cameras Anonymous in my area, I have not yet found one. An example of the nature of the problem arose just last Friday when I was asked to meet a fellow at one of the local camera pusher's shops -- not a good thing to do for a known addict, but I did. While there, I noticed a dark brown leather case of about 1960s vintage, and I always need things to put camera stuff into. It had a price tag of $75 USD on it which did seem a little high for just a case. When I picked it up, it was heavy. It turns out that inside the bag there was a Canon FT QL in fairly nice condition, along with an FL 50mm f:1.8 lens, an FL 135mm f:2.8 lens, and an FL 200mm f:3.5 lens in it. The guy said that it had been in a yard sale the previous weekend, but it had not sold, and only two people even looked at it. He said; "For you, $60." I pulled out three $20 USD bills. So, for a 20% discount from the tagged price, I have another Canon body and some very nice lenses.

Now there are three Canon bodies here with the "QL" or "Quick Load" feature. It is an interesting feature, and it does seem to work. The fingers are not the problem here. I can still put a roll of film into a camera. Then getting the camera lens focused accurately is getting to be more of a problem than it was in years past.

Of course, now there is also the problem, where am I going to put another bag?

Enjoy;

Ralph
Latte Land, Washington

 

[benjiboy]

I'm trying to recover from G.A.S. although I've managed to control my urges and have bought very little in the last twenty five years, because like alcoholics sufferers from this malady are never completely cured but in recovery, I had it bad, and what made things worse was I worked in camera stores for more than twenty years and was tempted every day but fought it.

 

[Ralph Javins]

Good morning;

This is a story of G.A.S. in reverse, or perhaps one man's attempt to infect other people with the same affliction.

Well, in this case, it was not really very hard to do. The fellow had his own Canon FT and a nice selection of lenses that he had bought in Hong Kong back around 1970, but his life changed in the late 1970s, and he found himself in Miami, Florida for a couple of years for rehabilitation and retraining. While he was there, his camera just "disappeared."

Well, I thought that it might be nice to replace the the camera that just disappeared, so for his birthday, I found and presented to him another Canon Black Body FT and 5 lenses. I did not get the lenses exactly right, but I did come close, and the zoom lens in the bag he says is more than the one that he did have. He is very happy. I have successfully brought another Canon FD previous owner back into the fold. I might even see if I can get a "visual back adapter" for his telescope and a T-mount adapter for the FT so that he can hang it on the back of his small telescope.

It will be interesting to see if he develops a reasonable case of Canon G.A.S. If he can keep the airplane flying, it could happen.

In any case, there is a little less Canon FD gear around here now, so it may just be possible to keep G.A.S. under control. Possibly.

Enjoy; Ralph, Latte Land, Washington

 

[Ralph Javins]

Good morning;

Sorry. Another fellow has already pointed out that I am confusing some Nikon camera designations with the Canon camera designations. I apologize, but I have also admitted that I got into this mainly with the goal of getting a replacement camera for Gary, and that was done, as reported.

But, the camera actually was a Canon F1 Black Body that also had a CLA, so it should be good for him for another 10 years or so.

Enjoy; Ralph, Latte Land, Washington

 

[dances_w_clouds]

I have just been effected by GAS. I "won" a Canon A1 with the MA power winder. According to the photograph is is still in great shape. Still has the "PASSED" sticker on it as well as the cover for the remote flash. My last A1 gave up its life a few months ago by completely locking up. Yes I know the trick of the multiple exposure lever, battery change, knocking it on the desk to loosen it up (final experiment) NOTHING worked. As I already have the MA power winder what I am anxious about is the camera it self. 45 day return option so I am covered.

 

[waynecrider]

It's definitely the bags that are a problem. They bred like rabbits. The bodies take up much less room and can be stuck in a drawer.

I like the QL feature. Much better then some other manual bodies I use. It wasn't until auto wind that finally something worked better.

 

[Ralph Javins]

Good morning;

It does seem that Canon GAS is not easy to identify and treat effectively. It may be that it is merely something that can be forced into remission, but there is no real cure.

I wanted to buy an FL 50mm f:1.4 normal lens. A fellow had one, but it was on a Canon FT-QL body. I told him that I wanted just the lens. He agreed to sell to me the lens. After we had exchanged the money and the lens, he also handed to me the FT-QL. He said that he wouldn't need it now that he did not have the lens for it. While I did pay a fair price for the lens (no, not a bargain), I did not expect to receive the body also. Still, there have been other people who, when they learned that I am still using film, just handed to me a camera that they were no longer using, now that they had a digital camera. And, I did also buy another camera case that held a Canon F1 and some lenses for it, and I paid only $60 USD for the bag and contents. That fellow said that it had been in a yard sale the previous weekend, and only two people had even bothered to look in the bag.

The bags. Yes, they do take up some space also. There are several cases here that are used for storing camera bodies, lenses, and accessories. It does seem that having a known addiction to things photographic does require a certain volume of space for storing them. When you reach the point where you have such things as a large aperture 500mm lens, you notice that not only is it heavy, it is also big, being about two feet (60cm) long and about 6 inches (15cm) in diameter. There are limitations that only become apparent when you notice how little space you have in your house for the camera stuff.

Enjoy; Ralph, Latte Land, Washington

 

[dances_w_clouds]

Well I received the Canon A1 I purchased and it turns out it is a jem. It even still has the little tab on the back beside the carrier for the film brand box that says Canon A1 Japan. Any A1s I've had it only had a black smudge mark. I have never seen an A1 that was in such good shape. No brassing at all in any of the usual areas eg. on the upper body by the strap connections and the bottom. No scratches or anything (yet). I received it with the MA power winder. At first I was having problems with the winder and I thought it was a dud but I threw in 12 Eneloop XXX and it eventually started working. I just went through 3 rls of film and it is working as good as new. The problem was that it had not been used for many years not over used. The grip on the winder feels like it was NEVER used. I am one VERY happy Canon customer after this deal. ;o) Probably was not attractive to people because it did not come with a lens. I have at least 10-12 FD & FL lenses anyway.
Also I know what you mean about large lenses I have the 400mm f/5.6 that takes up a lot of room in my lens drawer. But it is taken out quite regularly in the summer. I also have the 55mm f/1.2 FL lens that weights as much as the camera does.
Yes Ralph I see you are subscribed to the Yahoo FD groups as well. I thought I recognized the post. It could not have been 2 different people with the same story.

 

[Ralph Javins]

Good morning, Dances With Clouds;

How are Port Hardy, Comox, Parksville, Nanaimo, et environs? Are there any bars in Nanaimo?

Yes, I admit it. I do consort with other photographic groups in addition to APUG. I am even an owner or moderator of some other photography groups in other places. It does seem that having some cameras and knowing a little about them does come in handy when people ask questions. I think you already know about my Minolta cameras.

However, I do not think that I have been sneaky. I usually sign my messages with my usual "Enjoy; Ralph, Latté Land, Washington." It is possible to tell where it originated.

Long lenses. Yes, using a long lens can be a challenge, especially when you notice that there are some things in Mother Nature that may not be discussed in the Owner's Manual for our cameras and lenses, such as the way that the air moves, and that it also has its own refractive index, and that combination can really make a long distance photograph not possible at some times of the day; especially on a warm sunny afternoon. With your 400mm f:5.6 lens, you will probably notice this effect. With 500mm and longer, I know that it can be seen. And with 500mm, you begin to appreciate such things as a gear driven tripod head. Just loosening the clamp on a ball head and trying to swing the lens just the little amount you need to move the lens to the point you want for framing the picture becomes a challenge. Just aiming the thing in the first place is a challenge without a finder scope or at least some aiming posts to help in getting the lens pointed in the general direction so you can look through the viewfinder and lens and see what you want somewhere in the frame.

Enjoy; Ralph, Latte Land, Washington

 

[dances_w_clouds]

Yes I know what you mean about the long lenses in the summer. I also have a M-39 500mm f/8 mirror lens that I only use in the winter on the very cold days. Other wise it is impossible to use in the summer. From my place I have a great view of Lions' Mountain which according to Google Earth is 14.5 miles away and in the summer it is a yellow haze. I have posted a few of them on DPUG under the name of dncswclds.. That is an abbreviation of dances with clouds but my real name is Dennis. I am sure we will have further contact as I do not have all the information I need or want about Canon cameras.

 

[Ralph Javins]

Good morning, Dennis;

Oh, I am sure that we will talk more in the future. Besides, I would still like to drive up to B. C. and perhaps get together with you, Matt and Gail King, and others. Do not yet have any idea where. Victoria, Vancouver, maybe Parksville with that fantastic wet sand beach.

And, I have already revealed that I am not really a major source of information on the early Canon cameras. Others are much better qualified than I am to discuss that marque. Minolta or Chiyoda Kogaku Seiko K. K., yes, and I can contribute to a few others.

Enjoy; Ralph, Latte Land, Washington

 

[waynecrider]

Good luck with the A1 Dennis. Did you get the manual? It's a handy thing to have. Butkus should have it online if not.

 

[benjiboy]

I had an A1 for about 25 years and although it proved to be light weight and reliable I never really liked it and preferred the solid heavy feeling of the F series Canons, I finished up giving it to my niece who has a young son last year together with a 50mm f1.8 lens who can make much better use of it than I.

 

[Ralph Javins]

Good morning, everybody;

Light weight Canon bodies. Well, I also admit that I do prefer the more durably constructed earlier models than the A-1. Recently there have been some FTb and FTn bodies that have come to live here with the Canon Pellix-QL and the FT-QL, and along with them came a Canonflex that might be ressurrectible, if I can find a few parts.

Yes, the lighter weight plastic bodied models do not seem the same, but often they do have features and characteristics that still make them useable, and even desirable. Just a few weeks ago, a Minolta model X-9 SLR body (that I had not known even existed) came to live with me. Yes, this one is also a plastic body, and it looks and even feels like it. I have also criticized the use of plastics in camera construction, although I grudgingly admitted that those plastics are useful in making the parts of lenses lighter in weight and lower in mass to make the auto focusing capabilities in our new lenses faster and easier on the camera battery when moving around the parts inside the lens. However, now that I have this X-9, yes, it does look and feel like plastic, but actually it also works pretty well. I have been impressed with that Minolta X-9 can do. And I also admit that many people do like that lighter weight, but I still say that the original "image stabilization" or "vibration compensation" system was mass and inertia, and it still works. Now I might even reconsider the offer of that Canon A-1. Or was it an AE-1?

And Winter has finally come to Latte Land. Earlier there were discussions about possible water shortages and water restrictions for the coming Summer. Just this weekend, we went from about a 50% snow pack to normal snow pack levels. The main cross-state highway, I-90, was closed from Saturday evening to noon on Sunday and again also on Sunday evening while the crews cleaned up the tangled cars and persuaded some of the snow to come down off the hillsides when they wanted it to do so. This was not all bad. Skiing on Sunday and Monday was wonderful.

Enjoy; Ralph, Latte Land, Washington