Bolo Kukus
en vacances...
A two-word introduction suffices. Who doesn't?
When I retired in 2012 I did a head-count of my gear and was amazed at what I found. I had 60+ of the beasts. Also lenses, brand-name bits and pieces and TWO darkrooms with THREE enlargers.
My first thought, all this whatever the hell for?
So, not wanting to be a one-guy camera shop, I downsized. A difficult task. Each camera had to be taken out, dusted off or fully cleaned, checked for loose bits and missing pieces, and tested with film. All of which was fun (at first), but ate up a lot of time.
Nine years later, I'm down to about 15. I say "about" as there may be one or two lurking quietly in unpacked boxes. The garage is an unexplored treasure-trove (some will say a minefield) for hidden treasures.
The darkrooms were severely culled. An ancient Durst 66 went to a camera club. My Leitz Ic with Multigrade head was sold last December after 24 years of mostly gathering dust. Every boy needs a toy, so I kept an LPL 7700 with all the bits and pieces. Boxes of other darkroom items sold or given away. I still have too many film tanks as we all do, yes?
Cameras. Film first. Two Nikkormat FT2s with 50 (2), 55 macro (2), 35 (1) and 28 (3) F mount lenses. Yes, three 28s. Don't ask, please. Five Nikon polarisers. Nikon B&W filters, bought new for small fortunes, sadly little used.
Four Contax G1s with 21-28-35-45-90 Zeiss lenses. Why four? Darned if I know. Two bought new when I had the credit if not the cash. Two when G prices hit the floor in the then-new digi craze. Two will be sold when I've had time to test them. I used a G1 yesterday on a country trip - I took 28 images on TMax 100. Now off to the darkroom...
Four Rollei TLRs. Two Ts, a 3.5 E2 I got new in 1966, a Rolleicord Vb. With boxes of 'bits' Also too little used.
Two Nikon N65s (= F65s), one autowinder, two 50/1.8 Nikkors. Ideal for candid/street work.
One Zeiss Nettar (1954) and a Voigtlander Perkeo I (1952). German made so flawless if basic. Taken out now and then on country walks.
Digital. One Nikon D800. The best digital Nikon I've ever used, and likely my last digi camera. Or maybe a Df. A Z6. Whatever.
Two Nikon D700s. Monsters, but they make unique images. Again I seldom use them as I find them too heavy to easily carry. Age does weary us.
Ten Nikon D lenses. One zoom, an ancient 28-85 worth nothing but a good image maker on a D700. In my day I had six Nikon zooms, now sold.
Nine Nikon D prime lenses. Two 28/2.8 Ds. Why two? I do ask myself that.
A Panasonic Lumix GF1 with two lenses. An impulse buy, cheap. An ideal replacement for my too-heavy D700s.
I THINK that is the list. I may have missed one or two or three, but after almost a decade of Ebay listings I no longer live in hope about this, in fact I find myself hoping AGAINST hope - I know you all understand this.
The tarot cards read more Ebay sales in my future...
When I retired in 2012 I did a head-count of my gear and was amazed at what I found. I had 60+ of the beasts. Also lenses, brand-name bits and pieces and TWO darkrooms with THREE enlargers.
My first thought, all this whatever the hell for?
So, not wanting to be a one-guy camera shop, I downsized. A difficult task. Each camera had to be taken out, dusted off or fully cleaned, checked for loose bits and missing pieces, and tested with film. All of which was fun (at first), but ate up a lot of time.
Nine years later, I'm down to about 15. I say "about" as there may be one or two lurking quietly in unpacked boxes. The garage is an unexplored treasure-trove (some will say a minefield) for hidden treasures.
The darkrooms were severely culled. An ancient Durst 66 went to a camera club. My Leitz Ic with Multigrade head was sold last December after 24 years of mostly gathering dust. Every boy needs a toy, so I kept an LPL 7700 with all the bits and pieces. Boxes of other darkroom items sold or given away. I still have too many film tanks as we all do, yes?
Cameras. Film first. Two Nikkormat FT2s with 50 (2), 55 macro (2), 35 (1) and 28 (3) F mount lenses. Yes, three 28s. Don't ask, please. Five Nikon polarisers. Nikon B&W filters, bought new for small fortunes, sadly little used.
Four Contax G1s with 21-28-35-45-90 Zeiss lenses. Why four? Darned if I know. Two bought new when I had the credit if not the cash. Two when G prices hit the floor in the then-new digi craze. Two will be sold when I've had time to test them. I used a G1 yesterday on a country trip - I took 28 images on TMax 100. Now off to the darkroom...
Four Rollei TLRs. Two Ts, a 3.5 E2 I got new in 1966, a Rolleicord Vb. With boxes of 'bits' Also too little used.
Two Nikon N65s (= F65s), one autowinder, two 50/1.8 Nikkors. Ideal for candid/street work.
One Zeiss Nettar (1954) and a Voigtlander Perkeo I (1952). German made so flawless if basic. Taken out now and then on country walks.
Digital. One Nikon D800. The best digital Nikon I've ever used, and likely my last digi camera. Or maybe a Df. A Z6. Whatever.
Two Nikon D700s. Monsters, but they make unique images. Again I seldom use them as I find them too heavy to easily carry. Age does weary us.
Ten Nikon D lenses. One zoom, an ancient 28-85 worth nothing but a good image maker on a D700. In my day I had six Nikon zooms, now sold.
Nine Nikon D prime lenses. Two 28/2.8 Ds. Why two? I do ask myself that.
A Panasonic Lumix GF1 with two lenses. An impulse buy, cheap. An ideal replacement for my too-heavy D700s.
I THINK that is the list. I may have missed one or two or three, but after almost a decade of Ebay listings I no longer live in hope about this, in fact I find myself hoping AGAINST hope - I know you all understand this.
The tarot cards read more Ebay sales in my future...
