[monochrome]

Just your description gives me the shivery creepies. I have twice had a tripod with camera with a moderately long lens attached go down, watching the descent seemingly in slow motion and knowing there wasn't a prayer for me to stop what was about to happen. Fortunately, in both cases the damage was minor, a small mark on the lens in one case, and a bit of superficial damage to an upper corner of the camera in the other.

If I had let go of that lens it would either have ripped the lens mount out of the camera or the tripod mount out of the camera.

[lesmore49]

GH-3 lens hood and adapter for my new GR ll. I'm really enjoying my GR ll, which I've had for about 5 weeks. When I'm out and about it's in my small case on my belt. Working well as a carry around. I am impressed so far with this well built...excellent lens , over sized sensor (ASP-C), tiny little camera.

I wonder if Cartier-Bresson or Eisenstadt were alive, if they would be carrying a GR ...on the look out... for that 'decisive moment'.

[Canada_Rockies]

OUCH! More than once the possibility of such an incident, or disaster, has crossed my mind when a big heavy lens with a lot of leverage was mounted on one of my precious cameras. Of course, in some cases the lens is the more precious item.

Sometimes miracles happen. My tripod collapsed (operator error ) and broke my K10 (cracked the upper plate and got moisture into the contacts) and my M400/5.6 (there is a joint half way along and it sheared screws). The miracles are that McBain Camera's repair people put a new top plate on the K10 and got it working again, and they reassembled the lens and I am still using it. I am also a heck of a lot more anal about tightening things ...

[WPRESTO]

Sometimes miracles happen. My tripod collapsed (operator error ) and broke my K10 (cracked the upper plate and got moisture into the contacts) and my M400/5.6 (there is a joint half way along and it sheared screws). The miracles are that McBain Camera's repair people put a new top plate on the K10 and got it working again, and they reassembled the lens and I am still using it. I am also a heck of a lot more anal about tightening things ...

Does your tripod have collar locks? I have had two tripods that have collar locks, including a "legendary" Gitzo, and those locks have never been reliable. I replaced the friction collars on the Gitzo (extremely hard to find a source) and the first time I used it, a leg slipped. I HATE collar locks. I have multiple tripods with flip-lever locks, and never once has any leg on any of them slipped. My ancient Slik 444 sport is still 100% reliable, the much larger and younger Bogen (now Manfortto) 3221 similarly has always been and still is 100% reliable. I HATE COLLAR LOCKS! My tripod tip overs were a consequence of: 1) setting the pod down on uneven ground (put one leg into a deep rut in a dirt road); and 2) not spreading one leg when I set down the rig. In other words, it was my carelessness, not the tripod. Fortunately, when I've had collar locks slip, multiple times with the Gitzo, I've always noticed and caught the camera + lens before they fell.

[Canada_Rockies]

Does your tripod have collar locks? I have had two tripods that have collar locks, including a "legendary" Gitzo, and those locks have never been reliable. I replaced the friction collars on the Gitzo (extremely hard to find a source) and the first time I used it, a leg slipped. I HATE collar locks. I have multiple tripods with flip-lever locks, and never once has any leg on any of them slipped. My ancient Slik 444 sport is still 100% reliable, the much larger and younger Bogen (now Manfortto) 3221 similarly has always been and still is 100% reliable. I HATE COLLAR LOCKS! My tripod tip overs were a consequence of: 1) setting the pod down on uneven ground (put one leg into a deep rut in a dirt road); and 2) not spreading one leg when I set down the rig. In other words, it was my carelessness, not the tripod. Fortunately, when I've had collar locks slip, multiple times with the Gitzo, I've always noticed and caught the camera + lens before they fell.

It's a Manfrotto 055B with flip locks. It seems to work better if you flip them to the locked position ...

[Wasp]

I had quite a good shopping day:

• Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO: I already the regular version, but how could I resist?
• 58mm UV filter - needed for the above
• 58mm Pentax lens cap - it was cheap and it might be useful
• 72mm UV filter and lens cap - replacements for one broken and one lost

The lens was picked up at a charity shop for about 20USD. The filters and caps were found at a camera repair shop.

I also lost an internet auction because I was stuck in traffic while the auction ended. One SMC Pentax M 50mm f/2, with a free MV1 body that has its battery cover rusted shut. It went for less than 5USD. Sigh. I wish sellers would let their auctions end at sane times. No matter, I already have an M 50mm f/2.

[stevebrot]

Just your description gives me the shivery creepies. I have twice had a tripod with camera with a moderately long lens attached go down, watching the descent seemingly in slow motion and knowing there wasn't a prayer for me to stop what was about to happen. Fortunately, in both cases the damage was minor, a small mark on the lens in one case, and a bit of superficial damage to an upper corner of the camera in the other.

My Giottos tripod has twist-adjust aluminum legs and they are picky about the order, distal-proximal, for tightening/release. I was shooting with my Chamonix 4x5 field camera one day from a foot bridge over a deep ravine and was setting up the shot from under the dark cloth when the ground glass started creeping away from me. Before I was able to grab it, one leg was collapsing and the camera was headed to the concrete walkway surface. My immediate thought was that it least it was not pitching over the cable railing into the ravine. The next thought was how awful the sound of impact was. I expected bent metal and broken wood/glass, but amazingly there was no damage except for a small scratch on a metal support. The Chamonix uses friction set when expanded and those parts simply slid a little to absorb the impact...no splintered teak, no bent aluminum, no broken glass, and no ripped bellows.


Steve

[Merv-O]

Replaced Leica 50mm Summarit lens hood cap ($40.00 piece of plastic at B&H); Promaster 7450 Tripod, I picked up virtually new in box on eBay for $22 (which made me feel better about the Leica replacement cap--law of averages and all that); steal of the years in getting a Pentax 55-300mm lens for $89 new from someone liquidating their Pentax stash on eBay.....all in all not a bad haul....

[ivanvernon]

I just snapped up a nice clean copy of Pentax 67 165mm f2.8 grabbing extra stop of light over the 165mm LS. It is coming from the land of the Rising Sun where they seem to treat photographic gear like find jewelry.

[monochrome]

1. Carl Zeiss B50/56 bayonet mount hood in OEM cello bag, for Carl Zeiss Ultron 1,8 50mm. Super hard to find and I paid up for it.
2. EX+ HD Pentax-DA 1.4x AW AF Rear Converter w/ Caps (!) from KEH for $315 Shipped.
3. 1994-1998 era Pentax Dealer catalogs and 1998 Pentax Price Guide and Promotions Guide, including basic terms of the Dealer Agreement. Slip Sheet for every single Pentax product offered in 1994*and 1998, including the Product # for each item. A wealth of information on the early to mid AF era (SF1, PZ-1P, etc.) film cameras, ton of LX, 645, 67 info, the El-C90 digital camera, film compacts including APS and a Camcorder. About 150 pages, 2”, 5lbs.
   
   Reading material for a rainy afternoon.

* On some of the older sheets the FA43 is listed as a New! Lens.

[Jome]

Found this on my desk this morning .
A colleague is reducing his gear (giveaway)... I will invite him for a good lunch!

[lesmore49]

A little horsehair brush...wit the blower attachment. Had to send away for it. Camera stores, the ones I frequent don't seem to carry them in stock anymore. It's great for fast dust removal on the lens.

[ChrisPlatt]

I bought an advertising brochure for the Olympus OM-PC camera.

That's the SLR I trained on when I worked for Olympus for a year in the 1980's.
It was my first job after completing tech school.





I have no desire to own the camera, however I though this might be a good memento.

Chris

[WPRESTO]

Found this on my desk this morning .
A colleague is reducing his gear (giveaway)... I will invite him for a good lunch!

I found that many if not all of my small Cokin filters develop a surface texture of some kind as they age, as if the plastic or a coating on the plastic is deteriorating. Curious to know if any of those square filters have developed such a bothersome feature (don't look through the filter, allow light to reflect off the surface to see this phenomenon).

[ChrisPlatt]

Domke F-6 in Sand




Under $50 shipped, from Amazon Warehouse

I had been watching this one for awhile, through numerous price reductions.
Footprint is the same as the F-3, but without pockets, which I'm not especially fond of.
So for me it has more useful space. Disadvantage is two straps/clips to open, not one.

Chris