Sitting at work worrying

[SuburbanDecay]

Good morning all!

I am sitting here at work worrying about my UPS delivery.

You see, I am a soon-to-be proud owner of a brand new Zeiss Ikon and 50/2 Plannar lens. I placed my order, chose 1-day air, and swallowed hard as I watched my bank account drain. But it was all for a good cause. That cause being, of course, my insatiable lust for that wonderful Zeiss glass and the promise of a new chapter in my young photographic journey.

I'm just worried because if I am late getting home they might have to try and re-deliver the package the next day! I am taking a trip to Montreal Wednesday and would be absolutely heartbroken and forlorn if I had to part without my shiny new ZI. Lugging around the RTS III and 28-85 zoom all week just doesn't sound as fun when I compare it to the promise of the rangefinder experience.

Well, anyway, what will be will be. I'm looking forward to putting many a roll through the camera to be sure. I just wanted to introduce myself (albeit in an oddish way) to the good members of this forum, and I look forward to many discussions to come!

Best regards,
Daniel

 

[jtzordon]

I always call them if I miss them. I can pick it up after the truck returns. I don't trust them to deliver at the time they say they will on the card they leave; they often won't. It's across town to pick up the goods, but it's worth it.

 

[Kyle]

First off, congrats on the new purchase and welcome to RFF!

I know exactly what you're going through. I ordered a brand new ZI a few months back from Tony Rose. I ordered Tuesday morning, and since he's only a couple hours away from me it was supposed to arrive at my house the next day (Wednesday) and I was leaving for a trip that Thursday. Anyways, I got home on Wednesday only to find a "we tried to deliver your package" note. I was soooo upset, but I jumped back in my car and went looking for the mailman. I turned down some random street and sure enough there he was! I stopped him, asked if he was the one that delivered to my street and asked if I could have my package. He thought I was nuts, but I explained I needed it for my trip... he still thought I was nuts. In any event, I didn't care. I had my new toy and I was a happy camper.

I'm sure everything will work out fine and you'll have the camera tonight. You made a great choice, you won't regret your purchase. Where'd you buy it from?

 

[kully]

Lucky bugger. I've done something similar (running after the postie down the street in my girlfriends bath robe, dripping wet). He wouldn't give me the parcel saying it either had to be delivered or collected from the sorting office with ID.

Jobsworth.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

running after the postie down the street in my girlfriends bath robe, dripping wet

And this surprised you?

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Lucky bugger. I've done something similar (running after the postie down the street in my girlfriends bath robe, dripping wet). He wouldn't give me the parcel saying it either had to be delivered or collected from the sorting office with ID.

I hate UPS. I have quite a few stories.

But one thing you can do is, with the notice they left behind, you can go to the website and ask them to put it on hold, or even reroute it (some shipments have that option), I've done it before.

You know...reading this thread, sorry, but couldn't help but play that song in my head:

"...I'm so worried about what's
happenin' today, you know,
And I'm worried about the baggage
retrieval system they've got at Heathrow.

I'm so worried about my hair falling out,
and the state of the world today,
And I'm so worried about being
so full of doubt about everything anyway.

I'm so worried about modern technology,
I'm so worried about all the things that
they dump in the sea,
I'm so worried about it, worried
about it, worried, worried, worried... "

😉


P.S. Congrats on the purchase!!

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

Maybe a bit late, but usually you can leave a note for them to leave the package with 'waiver' of signature. That of course requires that you trust your neighbors 😉

Welcome, by the way.

 

[rncamero]

Daniel,

I was in a similar situation late last year - I won an M3 on **bay about a week before a month long trip to the Philippines. Several days before I was to fly out, the shutter curtain breaks on my M2. - and this after spending months 'training' myself with that camera and lenses!

I thought there was a good chance that the M3, which I got as a backup, would arrive in time for my trip. The day of the flight comes, and no package, and the last chance is early afternoon postal delivery. I happened to see the USPS truck come by our front yard (and no, I didn't spend the day looking out the window), but no sign of a package. Defeated, I went to retrieve the usual junk mail and bills from our box, and I also found one of those "Unable to deliver package, we'll try again" slips! I flagged the truck halfway up our street - my box and M3 was in the back, postal guy didn't even bother to try to deliver!

Anyway, I hope your ZI arrives soon! Usually whenever I miss a UPS delivery, I can go to my area's distribution center later in the day to get it, maybe this could work for you too.

-Raymond

 

[KoNickon]

I actually tell people who are shipping to me by UPS to send it to the local UPS warehouse. I give them the address and tell them to ship it to me c/o that address. This works fine, and beats playing "signature tag" with them. I have had UPS packages stolen from my front porch, so I'd rather they not even attempt to leave it.

 

[SuburbanDecay]

I'm sure everything will work out fine and you'll have the camera tonight. You made a great choice, you won't regret your purchase. Where'd you buy it from?

I bought the camera from B&H. I know I know, I overpaid. But I've had a lot of dealings with B&H in the past and any time I've had a problem they've always been very helpful to me. So ordering through someone I felt comfortable with and that was a known quantity is important. And I'm an admitted creature of habit (I'll often continue to take the same streets home even though people constantly point out to me faster ways).

As far as the shipment is concerned, I missed out. I've been checking the tracking status religiously and just found out that no one was home when they attempted to deliver. I'm glad to hear I should be able to drive to the distribution center to pick it up, however!

Oh, and kyle - Riverside, California - I take classes at RCC when I get a chance mainly so I can use the darkroom. Maybe I'll be wandering around the mission inn and see another ZI across the way. I'll be sure to say hello!

Regards,
Daniel

P.S. - Is it considered heresy to list my RTS III in my signature? I'd hate to upset the locals with my lack of tact!

 

[Kyle]

Oh, and kyle - Riverside, California - I take classes at RCC when I get a chance mainly so I can use the darkroom. Maybe I'll be wandering around the mission inn and see another ZI across the way. I'll be sure to say hello!

Its quite possible. I head down there every so often to snap a few shots. Its probably the one area I photograph the most (not necessarily the Mission Inn, but Downtown Riverside in general, I'm usually within a couple blocks of the Mission Inn).

How are the darkroom facilities at RCC? I go to UCR and take a photo class once a year to get access to the darkrooms, but have considered taking some of the photo classes that RCC offers.

My brother is going to U of Redlands, BTW.

 

[SuburbanDecay]

They are in a state of flux right now, unfortunately. The old building that used to house them was very old and is basically being completely rebuilt. For the meantime the lab and class is stuck in a portable classroom. It is smaller than before, but one fortunate consequence is there is a lot less dust in the portables than the old run down building.

Once I finish up at RCC I'll probably head over to UCR to finish up an art degree or something. Havn't decided yet. But the classes at RCC are pretty good for the most part. I don't care for every instructor, but a few are top notch. If I can ever get my job to stop changing my schedule I should be able to finish off the last few classes I have to go in the program. The semester starts right after I get back from Montreal, so I am hoping to finish off a few assignments on the trip (I've taken, and dropped, the Advanced photography class 3 times now, so I know whats expected).

I havnt spent much time walking about riverside for picture purposes, but Redlands is one my favorite places to search for inspiration.

 

[Kyle]

Any spots in Redlands in particular that you'd recommend?

 

[SuburbanDecay]

Mostly just downtown Redlands around orange/cajon/redlands blvd. I just like hanging around the area. I consider hanging around the same area over and over taking pictures is a good excersize for me. some days I take a couple, some none, some days a ton. Some day I'll compile something...

 

[JeremyR]

Welcome

Welcome

Welcome! I just received my Ikon yesterday and still have yet to put my first roll through it (I'm a slacker, I know!) So welcome to the club 🙂

 

[SuburbanDecay]

sad news from montreal...

sad news from montreal...

I recieved my camera in time for my trip! That is the only good news I can offer thus far.

I didn`t have any time to mess around with it before my trip, so I waited until today to put some film through it. Only to bring the rangefinder to my eye and notice that the focusing is off noticeably. Mainly ot infinity, the secondary image (im not sure of correct terms, forgive me) never comes all the way left and is slightly lower than it should be, if that makes sense. So while I could guess that the focus ring turned all the way is indeed infinity, focusing up close on something crucial like the eyes at shallow DOF is probably going to be noticeably off. I`m sure it isnt the lens itself because the image would only be off horizontally, and not vertically (if I understand the mechanism correctly).

Has anyone else had such problems before right out of the box (darn french keyboard layout, I cant find the question mark!)

I called B&H to retunr the camera, but I`m worried they`ll find some reason not to take it back. There is a VERY small scratch on the baseplate, and I`d hate for them to use that as an excuse not to exchange the camera for me.

So, for now I am worried. I like everything aboutthe feel of the camera with the exception of the shutter speed select knob. Everything else is so smooth, it just seems harsh and out of place is all. No other complaints, and even that one is minor.

But otherwise...I`m worried 🙁

 

[back alley]

i had the same thing, it was off at infinity.
mine was from tony at popflash and he just exchanged it for a perfect one.
no problems since.
joe

 

[Kyle]

If B&H tries to hassle you, then just contact Zeiss directly and have it fixed under warranty. It will take a bit longer than B&H exchanging it for a new one but it will be fixed and everything will be fine.

Sorry to hear about the problem...