Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
Next time i do a sharpness test , i just found the building to shoot :ROTFL:
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Awesome images Doug, thanks for sharing these!The Blue Mesa in Petrified Forest NP is my favorite area. 4x5 Provia.
There you go! That one is the winner --- LOVE it!!!Oh hell , last one. Jack this one is for you. Thanks for twisting my arm on the 21mm
Hi Carsten, of course, it's horses for courses, and like you, my WATE is lying around a bit - more because it's big than because it's not convenient. I was thinking of selling it, then I remembered how much I used it in that sunny autumn weather in Crete - truth be told, this isn't the time of year for big wides in northern europe, and when it is , then the CV15 does a grand job and fits in a back pocket.I am toying with the idea of trading in the WATE for something more convenient. I can't stand fiddling with the menu, the viewfinder, and the whole hassle in general, although I do really like the lens. If there were no IR filters and some kind of per-focal length key in the lens, it would be great, but as it is, it sucks and I barely use it.
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CarstenI am toying with the idea of trading in the WATE for something more convenient. I can't stand fiddling with the menu, the viewfinder, and the whole hassle in general, although I do really like the lens. If there were no IR filters and some kind of per-focal length key in the lens, it would be great, but as it is, it sucks and I barely use it.
However, I have had some bad experiences with selling and trading, and I have lost my desire for this. The most recent was a guy in Hamburg named Stefan Störmer who wanted to trade his 90 Cron Asph for my 90 Macro kit. My kit was perfect, LNIB and still in warranty, although I don't know if that is tranferrable. I had a standing offer for €1800 for the kit, but decided to do the trade, as the 90 Cron Ashp was what I wanted anyway.
Given that his lens had no box or anything except for two caps, and was not coded, I should probably have held off for a better deal. A little earlier there was an ad for a 90AA for €1350, and it was there for a while, but the guy was not interested in trading, and by the time I had found a buyer for the 90 Macro, it was gone. I could probably have found another, but I was impatient, and Stefan Störmer was the first to contact me (via LUF ad), so I decided to do it, given that he would throw in an extra €95 for coding. There was some talk of how to meet, and eventually he announced that he would be near Berlin, and I took the train out to meet him. He appeared nice enough, we examined each other's lenses, and decided to conclude the trade.
Then he said that he had "forgotten" the €95, so naive as I was, I just gave him my account number and said good enough. He asked for partial reimbursement of the gas cost, which I found a bit annoying, as I had previously been under the impression that he was going to be there anyway, and given that my lens was potentially worth a chunk more, I thought he could just swallow that cost, but in the end we agreed on €75. I thought I had not said that the filter would be included, so I took my B+W IR filter with me and we parted. When I got home, I checked on the my ad, and realised that I had promised the filter too, so I emailed him for his address, which he sent.
And then, nothing. No money. I emailed him, no answer. I have his address, his phone numbers, and can easily find him, but given that I still have the filter, I am only out perhaps €30, and anyway, I have no record of our agreement.
I find it incredibly frustrating how cheap people can be, and how they will mess with their reputation for a few bucks. The guy is a notar (notary?), and ought to be earning good money. So why?
I have lost quite a bit of faith in people recently like that, and don't feel like buying or selling anything any more. I do like the lens, although the thought has flashed through my mind if it is stolen, and I have meant to ask Leica about the serial number, but keep forgetting. I would be surprised, since he is too easy to track, but I just want to know.
It never ceases to surprise me how greedy and cheap people can be.
Anyway, that story was uncalled for. Bottom line: I have thought more than once of selling the WATE, buying the 21mm and the CV12, and keeping my CV15, but I can't quite pull the trigger. I am afraid of losing a bunch of money on the deal again, and what if I want it back when the FF M9 without IR problems comes along? It would be a pretty cool lens to have then, and the 12 will be quite useless.
I think I will just get a CV12 and CV21M and call it good enough.
Carsten
I used the buy and sell thread on this forum and sold the WATE with finder, 15 3.5, 35 Cron, 35-70 R Elmarit, 70-180 R Elmarit and the R9 DMR. I think that many of the potential buyers for this gear are right here or over on the LUF. I did not find it a hassle at all. YMMV
Woody
Funny I bought one with my 30% off deal (at the old price as well) with the intention of selling it. I was then going to buy a couple of lenses that I wanted. Once I had received it and used it with the frankenfinder I now find it hard to part with. The quality is superb and I really like the finder. I guess I will just have to find another way to fund the other lenses.Interesting conversation on the WATE. This was a big topic of conversation for me over the weekend as I was contemplting buying one. There seem to be more sellers than buyers these days.
Quite Right TimFunny I bought one with my 30% off deal (at the old price as well) with the intention of selling it. I was then going to buy a couple of lenses that I wanted. Once I had received it and used it with the frankenfinder I now find it hard to part with. The quality is superb and I really like the finder. I guess I will just have to find another way to fund the other lenses.