CV 101st Anniversary Set Owners - Question

[photobizzz]

I am currently waiting on a Mint Olive 101st Anniversary Set in the mail. It has had only about 6 rolls of film though it and is basically new with all original items (boxed of course)

Anyone else have one of these sets? If so how much do you think it is worth in resale value? I bought it for less than half of what Steven Gandy is selling one for on cameraquest.com ($1199) and am thinking of selling it to fund the purchase of other equipment.

Does anyone think I should just keep the set?

Thanks for your opinions, I know I won't truly know until I put it up for sale but your thoughts on the subject will help me decide.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

I think you should keep the set.

I own two black Bessas T, wonderful cameras, but I consider the olive one, just one of the most beautiful cameras ever made in history.

There are several reasons for keeping that very special set... First, it is not going to be easy to find it again soon... Second, the lens is a real gem. Third, the camera makes you photograph in a special way: beyond the usual words “it slows you down, so you take time to create your images...”, what I like the most with my Bessas T is the outstanding magnification (effective base length) that makes you focus damn fast with any lens (I use mine with a 15, a 40 and a 90), and once you've focused, then photography begins...


The first day I used it I was slow, but then I found it can be used like any other camera: it can be very very fast too... The thing about separating telemetry from scene perception, sounded a little simple to me before I used a T, I mean I thought I could understand the fact as theory, but only after making my hands and eyes speak that camera's language for a few days, I could find the charm other people find in the old Barnacks... But this one has easy loading and TTL, not to mention it holds both screw and M lenses... The arrows meter reading is very well placed, and you can use the camera metering “display” for shooting far from eye position too... Not having a reading with speed and f numbers invites you to a mood of needing to know more or less the light you have, and also to know how the speed and aperture settings are set before “fine tuning them”, so you end up learning a lot more about light...


When you have range&viewfinder together, even if you focus first, and then compose, it's not the same thing... With a T you focus or check focus if moving, but you keep the other moment, the important one, away from any other cerebral process... It sounds in words like for a “yes, yes, I got it”, but for me it's been a whole new approach, and I've been shooting all formats for 25 years...


Now I also think this kind of camera is the best camera type for teaching and learning photography.


So, you should keep it for pleasure. For soul joy.


Cheers,


Juan

 

[photobizzz]

Thanks for your thoughts Juan, I am leaning more and more towards keeping it. Especially since I can use the heliar on my M4-2 as well. I will probably just save up a bit and buy another Canon 50/1.2.

 

[photobizzz]

Well after getting the set in my hands I decided to trade it for the CV 50/1.1 Nokton. It is just so beautiful and basically new I am afraid I will put a scratch in the paint when using it, so I will pass it along before I stress myself out... 😱

I know I will get a lot more use out of the Nokton and really want to use my M4-2 anyway, I was primarily wanting the 50/3.5 Heliar anyway but a fast 50 really fits my shooting style better for available light photography. I may kick myself later as that 50 BL finder is sooo nice, I could barely tell I was not just looking at my subject with my eyes!