That made my day!

[lubitel]

Well my wife and I were visiting Dresden for one day, and what do I see the first thing there? A camera market!!!! full of all kinds of goodies, and two tables full of Feds Zorkiis Kievs! I got my self a fed2 with a collapsable lens, I've wanted one for a long time now. Camera is in good working condition, and cost me 35 euros. I'm just so happy 😀

 

[ruben]

where exactly ?

 

[lubitel]

I dont remember the street, it was just a one day kamera boerse, I was going from Hauptbahnhof to Weihnachtsmarkt, and it was on the right in a kind of socialist style theater building. They also had a website, but I cant find it. When I do, I'll send it to you.

 

[darkkavenger]

Oh gosh I'd love to go to Dresden and visit Pentacon facilities 😀

 

[lubitel]

Aren't they long closed? I saw this tv-report about Pentacon, and how they closed down shortly after the unification, this one lady talking about throwing out boxes full of lenses, samples and all kinds of equipment. When will people learn not to throw their cameras out?

 

[Mike Kovacs]

There is a link to Pentacon's website from Darkavenger's photo blog, so they exist in some form, even if they don't make new cameras anymore.

I too would love to visit Dresden. I'll bet there are many basements full of photographic treasures!

 

[darkkavenger]

Lubitel, Pentacon are still operating, I had my Pentacon Six serviced by them about 6 months ago. Very nice and professional service. I think they now work in the field of industrial optics.

Check their sites : http://www.pentacon.de and http://www.praktica.de

🙂

 

[lubitel]

Hmm, must have been another company in DDR that I saw that report about.

 

[darkkavenger]

In fact, in the beginning of 1990, the VEB Pentacon Dresden kombinat saw some activities stopped and was merged with another company .. check this link http://www.praktica-collector.de/history.htm

(on the left side are the links ... the page is a bit noisy! 😉)

 

[bobofish]

Off the subject a bit,
There's a couple of world-class fishing rod manufacturers not far from where I live, maybe 50km. One of them sells their "seconds," but the other, G. Loomis doesn't sell seconds, and doesn't even admit to them going through the process. I've spoken to a guy who used to collect their trash, and he said that several times a month, they dump a bunch of perfectly good, but cosmetically imperfect rods into the trash bin out back of the factory (an amazingly small building for how many rods they make), and anybody who happens upon them can pick up those rods. I drove by once, but the can was empty.

I wonder if Leica has a trash bin behind the factory?

 

[darkkavenger]

😀 I'd be rather scavenging near Zeiss facilities 😉 but i'm not sure they're dumping their asph. 85/2 ZM Sonnars 😉