Wow, who knew? (Ansel used a Cambo!)

[Ralph]

Ebay auction #7578713441 (expires in 12 hours) proclaims "Cambo Legend 8x10 View Camera Ansel Adams Choice."

I suppose the headline refers to the format, not the brand (as AA isn't mentioned again), but with luck a couple of the bidders are hoping for an Adams-proven brand.

I think it would be fun if this forum had a category for "Ebay watch" to note some of the entertaining auctions, at least one of which shows up every day or two; threads could be deleted after the end of the auction.

[Witold Grabiec]

I agree that an Ebay section would help. Not only for entertainment but the good stuff too. We could post a link to a great deal that we don't need yet we know well someone should jump right on it. I remember posting it once here for a mint Minolta Spot F with a BuyItNow of some $200 or so. There was a Pentax Analog Spot that had a BIN of $145 very recently. These kind of deals are no longer common and that much more valueable.

Perhaps it can be set up in the software that such links would remove automatically after a set date.

[Ralph]

"I agree that an Ebay section would help. Not only for entertainment but the good stuff too."

I hadn't thought of that, but you're right, esp. wrt to the BuyItNow auctions, some of which are great deals and are likely to be missed by those of us who don't monitor Ebay closely (I don't).

If this new category allows for pointing people to other opportunities out there (and there's no reason it couldn't be used for that, esp. if the threads had a 2-week expiration life), it could be the next-best thing to having classifieds on this site -- and even better in some ways, since the seller pool wouldn't be limited to participants here.

[Ralph]

A P.S. to my previous post:

When I said, "If this new category allows for pointing people to other opportunities out there. . ." I meant things for sale *outside of* Ebay, i.e., on other websites and in the few remaining camera stores that hang onto "antiquated" gear on the off-chance someone will want it someday.

Sometimes when I travel and I wander into a camera shop with a few forgotten pieces of LF stuff, I think, "I can't use that, but someone can, and there's no way this little store is ever going to list those items on a website."

[Jim Rhoades]

In his book "Camera and Lens" he shows camera movement with a 400 series Calumet. It's a 4x5 but that's close enough for salemanship huh?

Oh, one of the best was the enlarging paper sale showing the paper out of the box. Must have gotten the paper at an estate sale.

[Ralph]

"In his book 'Camera and Lens' he shows camera movement with a 400 series Calumet."

Careful, or you'll start what might be called the "Cambo Legend." (Of course, if he used the former and was the latter...).

Jim, I love the enlarging paper sale story. That's like the cartoon of the guy's wife opening his 35mm camera and unspooling the film inside it: "Ha! I knew it! You claim you were out all day photographing and I can see that this film is all blank!"

[robc]

"enlarging paper sale showing the paper out of the box"

reminds me of the sales rep in a Jessops(UK) shop who told me he had just sold a box of 100 sheets of 8x10 paper to two students from the local arts college. The students walked out of the door, stopped, opened the box, took out the paper and counted it into 50 sheets each and then walked off in different directions with their share of the paper.

[Mark Sampson]

In Apple's "Think Different" ad campaign of a few years back, they used a photo of Adams posing behind a view camera with an L-shaped front standard. Didn't Cambo make one of those? The seller could be correct. (I'm sure someone on this forum has seen that ad and can identify the actual camera.)

[Ralph]

L-standards, yes. Cambo, no:

http://flickr.com/photos/skyzyx/56608293/in/set-1226146/

[Nicol Verheem]

Ironic, I just read on E-Bay that ansel used an Arca...

Ebay # 7579856414 :

"4x5 Arca-Swiss A (base tilts only) lightweight field and studio camera with 16-inch rail and Copal 0 lensboard. Ansel Adams used the same model in the 60s and 70s (hint hint)."

[Capocheny]

Jim,

LOL: That was an ultra-RARE box of paper... pre-flashed to Zone 0! :)

Cheers

[Frank Petronio]

That's my Arca! Yes, I have photos of Ansel using an older base tilt Arca (by way of Ted Orland). But I think every camera company sent him a free copy or two once he became famous...

[Jim Rhoades]

Franks right about that. The Hasselblads that Adams used were on loan. They were returned after his death. Hasselblad then auctioned them off to a high bidder with the money going to, I believe, AIDS research. There's a photo in Camera & Lens of his using a Arca-Swiss.... now if it's Franks or not....

[j.e.simmons]

If you read through enough technical details of Adam's work, you can get the impression that he used every camera ever made - and that he used each camera to shoot only one photograph. Ha.

[kreig]

According to my research Ansel was both the designer and engineer of the Cambo Legend . . . . :-)