Gentle reader,
OK, so none of you were any help regarding the vintage dolls and chimp in my last post. That's OK. If all goes well and I have any energy after working seven days straight this week, I'll be putting them and some other stuff on ebay on Sunday.
Now, more as to what The Robb Collections is all about. Cameras! OK, and Cars!
Above is the cabinet, which, BTW, I originally built to house Nancy's Beanie Babies, as it stands today.
Above is a close-up of the cameras showing the newest additions amongst their new friends. That is, if cameras were like toys as Pixar imagined. The little ones on the bottom, left are cute, but only the one on the right is an actual camera.
Above is the three 110 cameras added below the three Kodak top-of-the-line 110 film cameras.
Above, an Olympus IS-3DLX which I scored on ebay for $2.99. Works perfectly and is in terrific shape. A very expensive camera in it's day. I had the first model, the IS-1 which is smaller and has a less lengthy lens. When I had that IS-1, I lusted after the IS-3DLX.
Another ebay bargain, 99 cents for this Olympus OM-2S program, less lens. Listed as not working and try as I might, it is still not working. I got the JCPenney brand zoom lens for a few bucks on ebay. Made-in-Japan, by whom?
You can't tell, but this is the once very expensive G-40 flash that was exclusive to the IS series of cameras. Another 99 cent item and it works great!
This is the flash Olympus made for their OM line of SLR cameras. The T-32. TTL on OM cameras and unlike later models, the flash portion hinges upward, rather than the whole head. Too close to the body to avoid red-eye unless using the tilt.
This one I found at a local Saturday flea market for $10. An Ansco Karomat. Nee Agfa. Made in Germany right after WWII. Collapsible lens with a shutter that works when IT wants too.
Above is an Argus C-Forty-Four. Their answer to the Leica. Although performance was not much better than the venerable "brick" the C-3. It does have interchangeable lenses, like the Leica. I had the girl's late grandfather's whole three-lens kit years ago and made some very nice shots with it. Found it and the three 110 models below at one of my favorite thrift store haunts.
This is called an "All Weather" camera, made by Kalimar. It was robust enough to handle a few feet of underwater use. Appears to be unused. Fingerprints are my grandson's.
I found the top-of-the-line Minolta Autopak 460T during an earlier trip. Some would argue that the 470 was the top-of-the-line, yet it was single lens and only sported a detachable flash. Not as versatile in my opinion.
The Vivitar is a 845 Tele Motor. It and the Minolta, each sport a second lens that slides in front of the standard lens. The Vivitar's is seen in place. Also, the Vivitar has a motor to advance the film. A little "impact adjustment" got the motor to wake from it's Rip Van Winkle slumber and work once again.
OK, now the changes to the die-cast cars collection. See the new ones above? What? You don't remember what it looked like before? It's the Lambo and the Viper GTS. Same thrift store. All 1:18th scale. I don't think you ever saw the Porsche Caymen S either. Fun comparing it to the 1986 924 above which preceded the 924S that I once owned a real one of.
A dear friend and former co-worker who is a professional model maker and designer, once gave me a very nice and complicated Ferarri F-50 model which is still un-built. Above, is a same-scale die-cast one, far better than I could ever do. Same thrift store.
I once had a 1975 Vega Kammback (wagon) which I liked and never gave me any trouble. The die-cast one above is of course, not a wagon. They don't make them. Factory promotional models, if ever available, go for a lot of money. Again, I could not build one as nice. Both of the photos above were shot through the Lexan cover which keeps little grandsons fingers away.
This is an update. I have been trying to get an Olympus XA which is a small (and Olympus' last) rangefinder focusing camera to have a sort of all-Olympus grouping. I want to get an A11 flash to attach to it, because as you can see below, it looks so tiny between it's larger brothers. Also, I've been wanting a 50mm lens for the OM-2S rather than the 28-80mm JCPenney branded zoom lens. Then looking in the OM camera bag, I spied the 2X which is about the same size as a normal (50m) lens and thought, "That'll do."
The Argus C44 will go to a new home, hopefully, via ebay.
Below are images of another, in better shape, XA+A16 flash combo. I actually have had several of these and made images with them. Nice little camera. The A16 is a little more powerful flash than the more common A11.
As you can see, the lens cover slides to the left and also acts as an on/off switch.
Sans flash, below.
Next time it will be more of Nancy's stuff. I have pics of all of her
glass paperweights and ALL her Beanie Babies. More than 350 pics of
those! Don't worry, I'll do group shots for the blog. I have yet to
shoot her large antique bottle collection. I want to shoot them with the
sun behind......
Thanks for looking!
Scott
