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what waS your last photography related purchase?

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Earlier today, I snagged this little Olympus ∞ Stylus at charity bazaar for 2$. It has a few flaws that need to be fixed but it's all there, and it appears to be in working order.


Capture d’écran 2026-04-12 170449.png
 
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removed account4 said:
couid be a give away, freebee, book, equipment, film, chemistry
just something related to making photographs, or thinking about making photographs ...
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I just bought an adapter ring to use Nikkor EL enlarger lenses in reverse for macro photography, hoping for an increase in image quality over using regular Nikon lenses in reverse.
 
eli griggs said:
Nice catch!
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False alarm, it's a parts camera. I think it shorted, when I removed the front cover to re-glue the bezel that had peeled off... Oh well, at least it was only 2 bucks.

Days without screwing up: 186 0

😆
 
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I just bought 2 K3 focus screens converted to Nikon Df to see if I can get a better manual focus experience with my faster lenses. Reason I got 2x was that both were scratched in a botched install, so I will see which one looks better. I missed the boat on purchasing one from focusingscreens.com when they still had them (the K3 is probably the brightest and nicest screen to use in the Df).
 
A second F2, this one with a working meter. Because apparently buying an entire camera body is somehow cheaper than the meter by itself.
 
MCB18 said:
A second F2, this one with a working meter. Because apparently buying an entire camera body is somehow cheaper than the meter by itself.
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Yup! Nikon finders purchased individually are almost always MUCH more expensive than when combined with a camera! And because the F2 metering finders are so often dead these days, the prices of plain/prism finders has gone through the roof since people are looking for a more compact solution to actually use their F2.

Another example of this phenomenon is Nikonos lenses, which are much cheaper to buy as part of a camera outfit. Of course, since it is so hard to get Nikonos gear serviced and pressure-tested, the prices of Nikonos gear are (sensibly) plummeting, which is part of the reason you see very large/complete outfits going for less than the price of a single lens.
 
grant.goodes said:
Yup! Nikon finders purchased individually are almost always MUCH more expensive than when combined with a camera! And because the F2 metering finders are so often dead these days, the prices of plain/prism finders has gone through the roof since people are looking for a more compact solution to actually use their F2.

Another example of this phenomenon is Nikonos lenses, which are much cheaper to buy as part of a camera outfit. Of course, since it is so hard to get Nikonos gear serviced and pressure-tested, the prices of Nikonos gear are (sensibly) plummeting, which is part of the reason you see very large/complete outfits going for less than the price of a single lens.
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I don't know what the situation is with international repairs right now, but - based on the work he did on my 1974 Photomic FtN finder, I cannot recommend ICT in Bonita, CA highly enough. He didn't just do a calibration and clean, he tore the meter down, replaced a failing photocell, and brought the meter back to full and proper operation.

I would expect he could do the same for F2 meters.
 
grant.goodes said:
Yup! Nikon finders purchased individually are almost always MUCH more expensive than when combined with a camera! And because the F2 metering finders are so often dead these days, the prices of plain/prism finders has gone through the roof since people are looking for a more compact solution to actually use their F2.
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Yeah, it’s actually insane. It would cost me around $250 to buy a working DP-1 prism from Japan, including shipping and tariffs. Meanwhile, this camera cost me a grand total of $216. Which doesn’t sound like a lot of saving, until you realize that you can resell the body to get a good portion of that back.

chuckroast said:
I don't know what the situation is with international repairs right now, but - based on the work he did on my 1974 Photomic FtN finder, I cannot recommend ICT in Bonita, CA highly enough. He didn't just do a calibration and clean, he tore the meter down, replaced a failing photocell, and brought the meter back to full and proper operation.

I would expect he could do the same for F2 meters.
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Unfortunately, I don’t think the the price of the service would be worth it compared to what I’m doing, as I very much doubt that he could do that service for less than $50-$75.
 
I had the Zoom creep of my Nikon 75-150 F3.5 fixed.
I could have gambled on another used lens but now I know my sample will last for some years.
Also bought 2 packs x 100 sheets of Ilford MG for $10!
I should have known better when the young"lady" i bought from said she did not need it has she does not have a printer!
In all the years of buying out of date Ilford paper this is the only time it was ruined; likely stored above the microwave.
 
Epson P700
 
Just received a Mamiya c33 I bought for parts, The real gem was the 80mm lens on it is immaculate and works great usually they need an overhaul.
 
A C-mount 2,5 cm, f/2.7, Zeiss Tessar. Very tricky to disassemble with the iris cage stuck in the dried-up grease remnant. At first I was disappointed about the diaphragm blades not having pivots but being stamped through for those little crowns that are fit into the bores but soon I detected that these blades are stronger and the fit better made than with what I know from Kern, Berthiot, and others. So after a good cleaning and the application of fresh lubricants the lens works again well. Single drawback of this mass product are the crowded iris marks. Who came up first with corrected-curve diaphragm blades?
 
Melvin J Bramley said:
I had the Zoom creep of my Nikon 75-150 F3.5 fixed.
I could have gambled on another used lens but now I know my sample will last for some years.
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If you don't mind me asking some details on this:
  • Was this the later, chrome-ring version of the lens?
  • Did they just restore the felt, or was this the fix involving re-shimming?
  • And what was the turn-around time and approximate cost?
It's a great lens, and while zoom-creep is not a fatal problem, as a 1-touch zoom it really benefits from a more damped zoom-ring.
 
MCB18 said:
A second F2, this one with a working meter. Because apparently buying an entire camera body is somehow cheaper than the meter by itself.
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Pessimistic viewpoint: Now, and maybe for a few more years, is the last good opportunity to buy working (or only slightly damaged) examples of these classic mid-century cameras. The pool of usable cameras is diminishing. For awhile, supply from Japanese collectors/stores may provide decent cameras, but I do not see much evidence that the major companies are tooling up to build new film cameras. Maybe Pentax? Leica is continuing to make their M bodies, but they are not a mass market vendor.
 
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100 feet of Arista EDU 35mm and 50 sheets of Ilford MGRC 8x10 paper.
 
Hi all, I’m the new guy.

I am currently on a crazy lucky streak.
The big one was a sketchy listing for a Rolleicord III on eBay that the seller actually discounted to $45. I broke the mirror cleaning it so make it $60. I have always wanted one.

On the other end of the spectrum is a $5 Windsor Diana clone. Same Hong Kong markings. Got the original box and booklet, but mysteriously no neck strap…🤷🏼‍♂️

Looking forward to hanging around here!
 

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koraks said:
Welcome aboard @Opa65!


I've never really looked into the market for Rolleicords, but that sounds like an absolute steal in today's market!
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It was pretty crazy. I think the seller took careless photos, and two of an absolutely destroyed original case. I think this had people skeptical at @125.
I got an offer at near 70% off, how could I pass it up. It’s nice!
 
You might laugh…. Tried to buy a photo album at W, earlier today.
Three different people I asked looked at me like I was crazy! I mentioned it to my niece, and she thought I was talking about getting a printed book with my photos…. Apparently there is such a thing today. She’s gifted various family members these sort of photo books.
The search continues. I’m not ordering thru the internet. I’m determined to find one locally.
Wish me luck!
 
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