There must be something wrong with e

[dotyj]

This morning a crammed some cash in my pocket and drove down to the gun show at the Clark County Fairgrounds.

Did I buy a firearm? Nope. Nor did I buy re-loading supplies, ammo, magazines, or anything else firearms related.

I bought a Canon AE1 Program with a telephoto/macro lens. Then I went to a friend's house and was given an Olympus Trip.

When will the madness end?

 

[Ralph Javins]

Good morning, James;

Well, we did try to warn you. Unfortunately, you are seeing the manifestations and the evidence in your own life already. We no longer need to offer any suggestions about things to watch out for. You are seeing them already.

Yes, in March I went to a large gathering of people with a common interest in another subject, but one of them had two (count them; 2) camera bags with cameras and lenses in them on his table. The bags had a price of $75.00 each on them. As I was looking through them, and this was in the afternoon when the crowds in the fleamarket area were beginning to thin out, the fellow at the table said that he would sell both of them to me for $100.00. Yes, I came home with four more camera bodies, several lenses, and accessories, and a copy of the Kodak AR-21 Pocket Photoguide in a printing date I did not have already. Could I have haggled and had the price dropped to something even lower? Probably, but it was worth the price I paid, and I thought that it was fair for both of us.

Of course, I had to make room for the new "stuff," and sort it out, and log it into the Photography Equipment Inventory List with the description, serial numbers, condition rating, quick estimate of any work needed, and similar things. Yes, it actually does make more work.

Then there is also the point that if I had not been there, and I had not yielded to that temptation, now I would not have here the Chinon AM-3 as a sample of the offerings of the Chinon Industries in Japan, Chinon Kaibushiki-gaisha. Like Cosina in Japan, Chinon made a lot of cameras for other people, using mainly the M42 and Pentax-K lens mounts. Then EKCo. bought them in 1997, and EKCo. took them down with them in the first bankruptcy proceeding in 2004. Chinon was making mainly just digital cameras at the end. Back in the 1980s, they also made computer disk drives and other peripherals. A versatile company.

Still, from this revelation of some recent history, you can see that G. A. S. is a lifelong battle. It is not easy to resist, and you might be tempted in places you may not expect. Just remember, James, you are not alone in this. We can hear you and will listen as you try to make your valiant efforts to stave off the temptations of G. A. S. It will get better, but it may take a while. In my own case, there was a point reached when I realized that there is not very much room left to even put any more cameras here. That was a real help with me in damping down my own yielding to the temptations of G. A. S.

Enjoy;

Ralph
Latte Land, Washington

 

[dotyj]

I'll guess I'll just have to be brave and soldier on.

I'm up to 37 cameras. There are eleven in my bedroom alone. Nine of those are on my computer desk.

I once bought a video mixer at a ham fest. Good thing I didn't see a camera there too!

My friends try to be supportive and yesterday I had a friend over to do some upgrading on the gull wing door on my van. My van is a 1986 Dodge Caravan with a nine inch drop floor, gull wing door, and power ramp.

The door originally had a pair of motors with pulleys and straps, and a pair of pneumatic lifters to open and close the door. Over the years since the conversion (I'm the third owner and bought the van a year ago) the pneumatic lifters have lost much of their strength and one of the two motors had quit working. The door would no longer go up all the way on it's own.

I bought a linear actuator and my friend and I took the pneumatic lifters and the remaining motor, pulley, and strap out and installed the linear actuator. The new system works brilliantly and has more travel than the old system had originally and it takes just twelve seconds to go from fully closed to fully open.

In support of my G.A.S. issue my friend asked me to pull out my Canon 300D (I know it's digital but he didn't want to wait for me to process my film) and take photos of the results. I did so and posted them to my Flickr page in my Redicuvan set.

My sickness came in handy for my same friend when we spent an evening doing macro photography of saw blades that had been stress tested to failure for one of his engineering classes.

Today I went out and painted the new door mount we made for the linear actuator we installed in the van yesterday and then photographed it using my Kodak Signet 40. Of course I'm using ISO 100 black and white film instead of color film but it's what's in the camera currently and I'm trying to use up that roll so I can process it.

Besides the weather is spectacular today and it was as good an excuse as I need to go out and take photographs.

 

[Ralph Javins]

Good morning, James;

Trying to finish off a roll so that it can be processed is something we all face at some time. I have a small APS cartridge "carry around all the time" camera with me where there are about 5 remaining frames on the cartridge, and I have been looking at the flowers and things to finish off the cartridge and get it into the local Fuji C-41 Process Machine. An enhanced sense of urgency arose when the fellow at the local Walgreens said that they are now talking about taking it out, since most of their photography work has become mainly digital image printing. Oh, well. I also remember when every drug store had a tube testing machine for checking the vacuum tubes or valves in our television sets.

Enjoy;

Ralph
Latte Land, Washington

 

[dotyj]

Hi Ralph:

I've used up several more frames of that film. I'm nearly there. Thankfully it's not a half frame camera.

I'm proud of myself I'll have everyone here know. I haven't bought a camera since Saturday.

The high school where I work has a digital photography lab. Until last year it was analog. I've been pestering the photography teacher and his boss non stop to finally auction some of that stuff off so I can buy it already.

I want to see if they have any old Canon or Minolta lenses.

I remember when there was a Fotomat in front of nearly every strip mall. I remember taking the back off our TV at the age of 10 and removing tubes to be tested then re-aligning the TV when I had finished. i remember penny candy, and I remember really loving watching "The Rockford Files".