I like camera shows. I’m new to them. My first was this past spring and just last Sunday I was at my most recent. After four shows I am beginning to know people and I’m starting to really enjoy getting together with guys who like what I like and “talk shop”. The driving force behind this show, the Vancouver Camera Show, was Tonchi who put a great deal of effort into a really fine event. I enjoyed the show and the socialising and I came up with some treasures.
When Joe and I were down at the Portland show during the summer we met John Christensen who we also met at the Kent show. He lives in Kent I believe. He said he wanted to come to the Vancouver show and asked if I needed a helper. I said sure. That got him into the show early before the public arrived and made his trip north more attractive. Joe, my usual
partner at these events is in Italy for the month so it was really helpful to have John there. We met early and were setting up our table by 7:30 and once done we went shopping. The public is not admitted till 9:30 so we had lots of time to take a good look around.
My table once I got it set up but before the trading started.
The Hall when only half of the tables were set up.
It’s amazing how much stuff I have collected that I want to sell!
Later on in the morning Susan came to see what I had spent so much time on preparing for. She joined me behind my table and stayed for a couple of hours. We chatted, shared my thermos of coffee, and I really enjoyed having her there. She also gave me a chance to get around to the other tables again.
I was really surprised at how many of my traders I was able to sell. I got rid of several camera bags, two video cameras, a few still cameras, a couple of lenses. I made enough money to invest in a few new treasures. It was great fun.
Susan is becoming a pretty good photograper herself. She took this shot of me at my table.
The is always lots of choice at these shows. I love it.
I loved this T shirt.
I love to look at the old cameras. They are so interesting.
I sold a duplicate Canonflex RM that I had and then I found this one. Mine was a Canon but this was a Bell & Howell/Canon which I did not have. And it cost exactly what I sold mine for. So this one is mine now!
This is the Serenar that came on the Canon III. This lens is really clean and the glass is excellent. I have checked the shutter speeds on the camera and they are off by less than a half stop. So …. I will have this little beauty out taking pictures very soon!
Here is a really excellent++ Industar 22 that I picted up. I like these little lenses and they take a good picture.
And this is my treasure from the show: a Canon III rangefinder with collapsible Serenar 50mm f/1.9. It was missing the shutter button collar. Here it has one from another camera but I will have to find another one.
The show was busy until about 1:00 and it began to taper off after that.
Attendance was really good. I had lots of people past my table.
The Croatian Center is a great venue for a show like this.
I was able to move a lot of stuff that has been hanging around in my closet. It’s amazing how much equipment I have picked up in the last year. I guess all people starting out collecting have trouble saying “no”. I’m becoming much pickier now because I know that all the deals are not today.
I saw several cameras that I would like to have. One, an “Honor” Japanese Leica copy, was beautiful! Very scarce and very expensive. It really hurt leaving that behind.
Tonchi is already planning the next show and I am already looking forward to it. Mark your calendar: 2 April 2017.
