Great day today

[Benny Stevens]

Friends, well it was indeed a great day today. Luck was on my side for once for what concerns finding great photo items at ridiculous prices. Some people have reported here that they were given a Leica for free, or found a Hassy in the neighbour's trash can, or bought a Rolleiflex for 2 dollars and three peanuts. Well, today I bought a AIS Nikkor 50mm F1.4 for just 8 Euros (about 10 dollars?) at the thrift shop near the office and it is in excellent condition. It's not a Leica nor a Hasselblad, but good enough for me to call a great find.
Then when I got home after work the postman had brought the Petri Color 35 that I 'won' on evilbay for just USD50.00 + shipping and that was in great shape too (thanks to a great evilbay seller : Cameraman122 from Midland, Michigan in the Ustited Nates). I had been eyeballing these cute little cameras for a long time, but they always go for more (too much ?) than what I paid for this one. I think this was a fair price. So, not a bad day I would say, no?

[Philip]

That Petri is a gem of a camera -- or so it seems to me from reading about them.  I've never held one in my hands. You're a lucky man!

[LarryD]

I have one make sure you check it wide open as the RF can go off fast on some of them....

[br1078lum]

1.4 AIS Nikkor for ten bucks?  Sounds like a really nice self birthday/early Christmas present.  The only things I usually get lucky on are five dollar items that normally sell for ten dollars.  Enjoy the Petri, and don't be such a stranger here.

PF

[Benny Stevens]

Thanks all.
Phil, I have indeed been busy with a new addiction : I'm trying to squeeze something out of my new Fender Strat but I promised myself to finally start using some of the photo gear I have accumulated. If that old promise can be held at last, I should be able to post on a more regular basis here, hehe... :rolleyes:
Meanwhile I have checked the Petri : everything seems to work fine. Even the meter works. I understand that this camera was conceived for 1.35V mercury batteries which are now obsolete. The 1.5V battery seems to throw the meter off at least two stops. That should be easily corrected by adjusting the film speed dial a step or two. I think it's a wonderful little camera : compact and solidly built (as opposed to most other Petris). Firm controls are all in reach of your right index finger : shutter speed dial (limited range though : B-1/250th), stepless (!) aperture dial, battery test button, release button and the focusing wheel next to the VF, which also retracts the lens after use, blocking the release button. It also came with the wrist strap and the original soft pouch + a non-original metal screw in front lens cap.
What I also like is that they managed to offer something better and more interesting than the simple and cheapish zone focusing cameras of the time : a distance scale in the VF with an indicator needle moving over that scale when the lens is focused. Adding a complicated and fragile rangefinder system would have made the camera more expensive and bigger and would have had a narrow measuring base due to the small size of the camera. I really must put a film in this gem.
The Nikkor is also wonderful : perfect glass and iris blades, and just two very tiny nicks in the black paint of the focusing ring. It looks like it has been used very little - it must have belonged to a guy like me...

[LarryD]

You just have to love us bottom feeders... You did well there and I hope you had a great Birthday Benny.

[titrisol]

awesome deal!  The 50/1.4 AIS is wonderful!!!!

goed gedan jonge!

[Philip]

Cameras and lenses are good. But Strats are good, too!

[rentavet]

great job on the nikkor for sure!

[Benny Stevens]

I had a great brithday indeed, thank you all. These two gifts to myself were the cherry on the cake I guess.
here's a picture of the Nikkor and Petri (the F2AS was NOT included for the 10 bucks!). You can just distinguish the two nicks in the black paint of the lens focusing ring, otherwise it's
perfect as you can see.

[melek]

I've been trying to pick up one of the little Petri's for some time and just missed out on one last month because I forgot to bid. It went for $57. You'll have to tell us how the Petri is as a shooter.

And anytime you can get a f/1.4 Nikkor at that price is a good day.

[Graham Serretta]

Bravo Benny - I hope your good fortune holds through the new year.

[radiophoto]

I got a good deal today as well, figured this was a good place to share it: I bought a Hanimex Praktica Super TL body w/neveready case, for $8.99!  Naturally I did a little research before making the purchase, and learned that Hanimex was a company set up to import cameras to Australia, and I guess part of the deal was being allowed to put their company name on something they hadn't manufactured at all.  (Was this the situation with Honeywell-Pentax and Bell & Howell-Canon?)  Anyway, somehow this Oz-bound Praktica ended up in California, and that's where I bought it from. 

Now my multiple M42 lenses can go onto a camera without a Canon-FD adapter.    And even better news, I'll have one more camera to shoot on ICCD-12!

[LarryD]

Pete The importer was in AZ but then they moved them on to other western countries. It was a way around the Cold war era bans for things made in the Eastern European and Soviet areas.

[radiophoto]

OK, so it wasn't just Australia, it was zee vorld?    Thanks, bro.