Old lenses have turned me into an equipment geek...

[Mark Sawyer]

You might have noticed I haven't posted many (any?) images for the past three or four months. I put it aside for a while as a friend and I built an addition onto my house over the summer, a studio and place to keep my photo-crap. I miss the image making, but have really enjoyed the construction process, which is largely wrapping up.

I'm back to 50-60 hour weeks teaching high school now, but in any spare time, I'm building furniture for the new room. The very first project: a new lens cabinet! It started out as a big pink-and-green dresser bought from Goodwill for $99. From the flower stickers and Hello Kitty decals that were all over it, I'd guess it's last service was in a little girl's bedroom, but with a deep red cherry finish and a new hutch on top, it'll keep the lenses happy. I still need to add glass doors to the front and crown-work on top, but it's getting there...

I put the lenses in it a couple of nights ago, then sat back with a nice beer and admired my mess. And I realized these old lenses (and okay, a few newer ones) have turned me into an equipment geek. Still, you have to love them...

Hoping to have the studio actually up and running in a couple more months. And thanks for indulging my self-involved post!

[Glenn Thoreson]

That is WAY cool! I bet my old lens accumulation would enjoy something like that. Nice work!

[Bruce Watson]

That looks like about 100 lenses! Yes, I'd say you qualify as an equipment geek. It makes me shudder to look at it -- because I carry all my lenses on my back when I head up the mountain. All five. Hmmm... maybe I've got equipment deficit disorder...

[Ron Marshall]

Beautiful job refinishing that dresser!

[IanG]

Mark, a van from Istanbul is on it's way, I'm very worried your not storing those lenses properly, so we'll store them for you, what address should they come to

You can visit every year or two for a day or so . . . .

Nice collection but where's the Hypergon !!!

Ian

[Mark Sawyer]

Thanks, guys! Yes, Bruce, I think you have a mild case of EDD, but I've seen worse. Actually, for the first five or six years I had my 8x10, I had only one lens, a 9 1/2" Velostigmat with the variable diffusion in a Studio shutter. It never held me back, and I still have it and use it.

Ian ~ Since the Hypergon has it's own dedicated camera, it lives on it in it's own case in the closet. Poor, lonely little lens...

And I'll take your storage offer under advisement...

[Nathan Potter]

Mark, this looks like a good start to an "Old West Museum". Very nice.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Morten]

A role model, if I ever did see one!!! :-)

[snuck]

This is fantastic! Great woodworking skills too!..
Cheers

[Turner Reich]

Absolutely, positively, fantastic. I love wood working and am in the process of coming up with a cabinet too. I am going to add some glass doors on mine to keep the dust out. I have to get the collection out so I can see them too. Maybe that way I'll start to reduce my spending on old lenses and shutters. I was worried about security when I am away, maybe some removable sections to fit in a gun safe or just insurance? They are irreplaceable so insurance just does not cover the historical value.

Great job indeed.