I always thought it would be cool to buy one of these, but I think you have to be a moviestar to afford one. Is it worth it?
item # 290286184204
I always thought it would be cool to buy one of these, but I think you have to be a moviestar to afford one. Is it worth it?
item # 290286184204
Depends on who you talk to .....Originally Posted by minesix66
According to Littman, that's about half price, and he even had one listed for $100,000 at one time with some sort of goofy donation to "The Feed The Wild Whales Foundation" or something equally bizarre.
If you talk to people who buy a Razzle (effectively the same result), that listing is about ten times the price of having one one built.
When you have a week to spend on absolutely worthless information, do a search on Littman 45 Single and wade in.
It's a modified used Polaroid roll film camera that can be bought at least three times a week if not more on eBay for $75 to $100. Degrees of modification vary, but it's a long way from $100 to $8000 using the higher percentage of the parts that come with the $100 purchase price.
I'd rather have an $85 Speed Graphic thanks. Weighs less and far more useful. imho of course.
I seen that and wondered what was so special about it. How is modified?
Or just rip the back off of Jim's $85 Speed Graphic and take the $100 used Polaroid 110 and belt sand the dickens out of the rear end, epoxy the Graphic back on. Then go kill an alligator, skin it, and glue its hide onto your plastic camera. And go snub Brad Pitt's nose in it with your $7,815.00 savings.
(Actually Dean Jones does a very nice job with his conversions and they are fairly priced. Although I tend to agree with Jim, an inexpensive Crown or Speed does more for very little difference in weight or bulk, and it will be sturdier and offer more movements too.)
Razzles are beautiful at a fraction of the cost.
Even though I can't justify one, I'm tempted by them just because of the clever way Mr. Jones attacks the challenges.
I also want to make it clear that I, in no way, intend to diminish Dean or the Razzle. I have been close a couple of times to sending him one of my Polaroid 110's. If he just weren't so busy and having to stop taking orders because of the demand. His camera's are very likely the real value in this modification process IN MY OPINION at least.
Eh? What grit belt on that sander, Frank?
What Frank said...
I think these Polaroid conversions are an acquired taste - although I bought a Razzle, I didn't acquire the taste, and so I sold the camera after not too long. But Dean is a blast, and if that sort of contraption is right for you his price is eminently fair for the ingenuity and labor that go into it and the entertainment value you get out of it.
As for whether a Littman Single is worth ten times the price, that's up to you.
I would love it if Dean would apply his strange yet pragmatic Aussie engineering to some larger format gear, like a cheap, light 8x10 or some other crazy contraptions. The various generations of backs he's developed for the Razzle have some clever ideas that probably should have been the defacto standard for 4x5 100 years ago... it's a shame he came to this so late in the game.
I once offered to edit Mr. Littman's website, to cleanse it of inaccuracies and grammatical errors if He would give me one of his cameras. He appeared to take my offer seriously, but neither of us followed up. I think that I was lucky since he is evidently capable of generating an unlimited number of inaccuracies and grammatical errors
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