New (old) gear

[Mike]

I just had to tell you about some of the stuff I just got.
Firstly, on Tuesday I got a free Canon Rebel (film) with a couple cheap lenses. Probably something I'll never use but hey, it was free.

I also got a call from my wife's uncle, who is a contractor and has a shop in town here. His shop neighbor is cleaning out his shop and used to have a partner who was a photographer. The Photographer got sick and passed away last year and now there is a pile of photography gear in the shop...and would I like to come have a look at it.
I went there yesterday after work...and there was a lot of stuff...pretty good stuff. He just wanted to get rid of it but he knew it was sort of valuable, even though a lot of it was old. I offered him $200 for the lot...he eventually took $400. He's just going to send the money to the photographer's family back in Quebec anyway.

I just managed to get all the stuff into the FIT and get it home. I haven't even taken stock of all of it yet...

There are studio strobes, although they look pretty old. Two power packs with 4 heads and three more mono lights. I didn't recognize the brand on any of them.
A couple 12x12 softboxes (perfect, I've been wanting some of these), and a couple 'home made' mid sized soft boxes. Three or 4 small umbrellas.
One of the mono lights has a grid and one has barn doors.
Several Manfrotto light stands of various sizes.
A Heavy Duty Manfrotto background stand with poles that can be mounted against the floor & ceiling. Could also be used for mounting lights etc.
At least two (maybe more) super clamps and mounting adapters.
A heavy duty Manfrotto boom stand.
A super heavy duty Manfrotto studio tripod. This thing weighs at least 25 lbs. and has a huge 3-way head on it. There is another, smaller 3-way head in there somewhere.
There are a couple collapsible reflectors.
And something I'm pretty excited about...a Mamiya camera system. I think the body is a Mamiya 67RB Pro (a workhorse studio camera, or so says the internet). It only has one lens, a 100-200 F5.2 but it has three 110 film backs, a Polaroid back and a prism viewfinder. The camera and accessories came in a custom case with cut out foam, so it's all in great condition. Now I just have to learn how to use this darn thing. There was also a 2nd Mamiya body...looks like a newer (cheaper) model (Z series I think), possibly auto focus and it has a power winder.
There was a bunch of other miscellaneous stuff that I haven't even looked at yet.

I'd say that I got a pretty good deal for $400...even if I don't use the lights.

[Antarctican]

Sounds like a good haul, with some very usable stuff!

[PhotoJet]

Very nice! :) That Mamiya should be tons of fun! :)

[mitica100]

Mamiya system should be fun to shoot with! Oh, it works with 120 film, not 110, ;)

Congrats on the find!

[Terri]

Mike!! You hit hte jackpot, bay-bay!!!

The RB67 is definitely a tank, but if you add some lenses to that zoom you'll be in love.

Now, the RZ (you mentioned the 2nd camera body with a Z, so I'm guessing here) ;) is indeed a more recent body....more plastic to offset the weight of the predecessor the RB, has a light meter and more automated features. It may "look" cheaper because the body probably isn't as cool looking as the RB, but you have a great camera there!

Get some lens, and let's watch you put some 120 film through that bad boy. :popcorn:

[Mike]

Thanks Terri. I'm pretty excited to use it...I just need to find the time to a)learn how and b) actually shoot with it.

I've priced out a few 50mm (wide angle) lenses. I've seen them on KEH for around $300 and my local used shop has one for $600 CDN.

I'm not sure which film I want to buy. I'm not going to process my own B&W and I've heard that there aren't any commercial labs doing that around here anymore (although I'm sure it could be sent somewhere). I'll probably try out some color film at first...maybe some C41 B&W.

I would want to take the images into my digital workflow, so they would need to be scanned....but I don't have a neg scanner. I'm sure my lab could scan them for me...but is that something that I ask for when they are developed? Or do I get the film back then ask them to scan just the ones that I want? Do I order (proof) prints when I get it developed? Or am I going to need a light table or film viewer etc? So many things I have yet to find out.

I've tried out the pack/head lights, well, two of the heads on one of the packs. They do work, and once the burning dust smell disappeared I was less worried. Actually, I used canned air to clean them as best I could, before firing them up. Man, are they loud. POP! POP! The only problem is that if I shoot too fast, they blow the breaker.

[Terri]

Yep, tell whoever develops the film to slap 'em on a CD for you. Keep your negs stored safely in a cool dry place so if the CD craps out for any reason, you can always have it redone.

When you're just starting out and feeling your way, I agree - don't sweat the film type too much. The C41 B&W you mentioned is probably going to be great for you. Once you get familiar with the camera, film loading, etc., you may want to spring for something like Kodak Portra - I think you'd love it.

I love KEH - you can always trust their ratings. Sometimes they do charge a little much. Try ebay, too, of course, if you trust the seller and the photos are clear you can sometimes get better bargains.

I think you're going to love using these cameras - have fun! :boogie:

[Mike]

Thanks again Terri.

Now...if only I can find an affordable digital back for this thing.... ;)