Biggest "steal" you ever made...
Mine happened just yesterday. They just come once in a while. I'm, as some of you might know, a 100% analog guy but...
I couldn't resist to buy EPSON Stylus Pro 7880 with another sets of inks and two rolls of paper for......$1,500!!!!!!! Now, I need to learn to operate that beast!
I'm doomed, the digital just snapped me :eek:
Re: Biggest "steal" you ever made...
Good Find! We've got an old "retired" color plotter back in our storage room at our office that i'm thinking of purchasing from the firm to give them some "much needed storage space" back.... *devious grin*
lol, don't worry about going digital right now, it's too fast of an evolving market to really be able to economically get into it and not have outdated equipment in less than a year.... just buy a great scanner and be done with it.
Re: Biggest "steal" you ever made...
Contax 139Q with winder, 21mm, 35mm, 50/1.2, 100-200zoom (all Zeiss)TLA flash, Sekonic L-398a meter Tiltall tripod and a Pelican case for $80 (in 1995)
Re: Biggest "steal" you ever made...
8x10 Kodak 2D in original and perfect operating condition, lensboard, 8x10 back, 5x7 back, extension rail, tripod block, (4) 8x10 filmholders, and (10) SS process holders for $150 three years ago.
Re: Biggest "steal" you ever made...
I wouldn't call this a steal but i did pickup an Ilford ICP42/IWD42 a few months ago for $250.
I know it sounds a bit high but it was in perfect condition with a ton of chemistry and accessories.
A few weeks ago i also picked up a Durst L1200 enlarger with a CLS 501 color head from one of my partner labs.
It came with a bunch of lenses, femo boxes, femo masks and a timer.
I just screwed it into the wall last weekend and leveled it this weekend. They let me borrow their laser leveler, that turned into a few hours of pulling, twisting and yelling.
But its ok now and the price was good for me at $250.
I did come across 2 dicomed digital backs, 2 vidiscence light panels and a bunch of other gear last year. It was from a friend that let me have it if i moved it out.
It was really cool of him and i did get the dicomeds working sort of. Scanning backs are really touchy but its still on the list of things to play with more.
In 2008 i found out about a local printing shop that was in receivership and i bought their photo studio out.
They only had a small lighting setup and the camera were long stolen. I came out with a profoto Acute 2 2400 with 2 heads and a bunch of stands, reflectors, softboxes, autopoles, spectrophotometers, dymo printer and a lot of other stuff. All for $560.
That was probably my only really good deal but i felt so bad for the factoring guy that was trying to get some of his money back.
I wish i could find one of those honey holes for old lenses or cameras but i haven't seen much of anything at garage sales or antique shops around here.
Its a fun game to play when the opportunity comes, i just wish it came more often!
Re: Biggest "steal" you ever made...
Minolta XD-11, black body, with 58mm f1.2, minty, $9.99 at a local thrift store, stacked among the plastic P&S detritus. That was nice. I also bought a Pentax digital spot meter in perfect working condition (once the battery was installed), for $25, from a local pawn shop. The list is long, and I hope it continues!
Re: Biggest "steal" you ever made...
DeVere 504 with an Ilfospeed head, mixing boxes, lensboards and film carriers..$50.00..Evan Clarke
Re: Biggest "steal" you ever made...
10x10 Durst enlarger with Aristo & color heads with an array of Schneider & Rodenstock lenses from 360mm down to a 50, a large fiberglass photo sink and a shit ton of RC papers all for the cost of having it moved into my house ($200). Plus a whole list of items that were given, the best being a Chromega D with timer and a Zeiss Biogon 75.
Re: Biggest "steal" you ever made...
Kodak half plate field camera for £20
Beseler CB7 complete for cost of petrol (£40)
Calypso 35mm underwater camera, early version as a birthday present (free)
Re: Biggest "steal" you ever made...
A few years ago, my friend sold me his father in law's 1946 Martin 000-21 guitar for $1300. Pop was the original owner. Was under the bed for a coupla decades. Plays and sounds so sweet. Now worth $7K.