On Sun, 23 May 2004 22:25:06 +0200, "Q.G. de Bakker"
wrote:

Michael Benveniste wrote:

I didn't think you could put a digital back on a 645E. But one of
the things the 645E did was to drive the price of _used_ 645 manual
focus cameras down to today's historically low levels.

I don't doubt that one minute.
In fact, i think it was responsible for driving the price of used
any-brand-or-type MF camera down to today's historically low levels as
well... ;-)


The 645E is what got me back into MF photography.
I had used a number of TLRs in my younger days.

Since I've owned it I've seen its price drop from $1250
(BH price, near its introduction, the price I paid) down
to $650 and, last I checked, back up to around $850.

What are folks supposed to make of that, or the
inherent worth or value of the equipment, in the
face of such wild swings?

The other telling tale is when I once heard this
camera, on this forum, refered to as a "bottom
feeder." Which it is, I suppose, compared to
Blads and Rolleis and Contax. My point is that
matters of financial reality don't impinge on the
MF world in any "normal" way. MF is a is a
niche market, and has been for the last forty
years or more, when the last "Brownies" were
chucked into the bin.



rafe b.
http://www.terrapinphoto.com