New toys

[Wade D]

I've recently had a G.A.S. attack and bought some new toys.
My old Patterson plastic tank broke so I bought a Nikor stainless steel tank and 5 35mm & 2 120 reels for 15 bucks.
I used to focus my enlarger by eye but the eyes aren't as good as they used to be so I bought a Magna Sight grain focuser for 7 bucks.
Lastly I bought a really nice Minolta Maxxum 8000i with a 28-200 lens for 40 bucks. It has all the bells and whistles of a digital but still uses film.
I use digital too but still love to play in the dark.

[Jim Jones]

Low price for a magna sight! I used to pay much more for good SS tanks and reels, too. They'll last a lifetime and more. I had an eight-reel SS tank in the darkroom that burned down. The bulldozer that covered up the burning residue mostly crushed the tank, but one reel was salvageable, and is still in use. Plastic tanks can crack merely when tapping them on a counter top to release air bells. It sounds like a good catch on the Minolta. Some day bargains like these will be gone forever. Speed Graphics seem to be on the rise, but a lot of LF gear is still a great bargain. Also, it has the advantage of not requiring batteries that become obsolete in addition to superior image quality.

[winger]

Those are some good prices. I got a grain focuser for my birthday last year 'cause I realized I couldn't see the grain on 4x5 negs as easily as smaller ones. I'm pretty sure Ken paid more than that for the one he got me. Nice deal!
Now that I'm used to loading 120 on ss reels, I don't know that I could use plastic (at least for 120). It just has a better feel knowing you won't crack it when tapping out bubbles.

[Wade D]

I am very happy with the deals. SS reels are becoming easy to load. The Magna Sight makes focusing much easier. The new camera is very easy to use.
I still have my Yashica D & my Speed Graphic.
For quick shooting the new Minolta is great!
I use Arista Premium 100 (rebranded Plus-X) for 35mm.
Also use Plus-X for medium format and 4x5. It is no longer available in 4x5 so I'm using up my stock of 3K sheets I have in the freezer.

[winger]

'm using up my stock of 3K sheets I have in the freezer.

3K? Lifetime supply?

[atulli]

Originally Posted by Wade D

Lastly I bought a really nice Minolta Maxxum 8000i with a 28-200 lens for 40 bucks. It has all the bells and whistles of a digital but still uses film.
I use digital too but still love to play in the dark.

That lens would cost more without the camera. I have been pricing Minolta lenses for my sony.

[Wade D]

Originally Posted by winger

3K? Lifetime supply?

Not the way I shoot. Every time I go out I have 15 holders loaded and shoot most all of them. So maybe I can get through the year with what I have. If I had more money I would have bought more when Plus-X was discontinued.
It's been my favorite film for 40 years. Tri-X is a close second.

[Wade D]

Originally Posted by atulli

That lens would cost more without the camera. I have been pricing Minolta lenses for my sony.

There are many good deals to be had on ebay. That's where I bought all of this stuff. Look for items that have low or no bids close to the end time. I have been buying low and selling for a profit as a second income for a couple of months now. Basically it has paid for all the stuff I want to keep and then some.

[Jim Jones]

As Atulli said, just the lens on the Minolta may be worth more than lens and camera together. That seems to happen with surprising frequency on ebay, especially with large format where accessories are often interchanged. Occasionally a Speed Graphic with the desirable Graflok back and infinity stops will sell for as little as those items alone. I've upgraded some of my LF gear with lenses only 20 or 30 years old this way. Also, sellers with little knowledge about photography can post an ad that eludes intelligent searches, or doesn't mention desirable features obvious only in photographs. Being old has two advantages: there's time enough to look for such bargains, and Golden Corral restaurant has a 50 cent senior's discount.

[Johndeere]

I have wanted one of those stainless steel tanks ever since I started but I just never could get my old platic tanks to expire. I did crack my 5 roll Paterson but with some work I was able to repair it. The problem is that I have too many tanks and if I wait for them to wear out I will never get a stainless steel tank.

I want a Nikon F6 but of course they still demand a few dollars so I guess a second F100 wouldn't be so bad. But then again I love my Nikon FM 2N.

Now I have used a grain focusing aid since day one. I never could work without one.

In a way it is sad to see this forum so slow. However even my family has left the film cameras all to me a few years back.

Keep the interest up besides after all of these years film is still pretty neat to work with.