Mamiya C330

     During my Saturday walk on Main Street, which was mostly a trek to make sure my photos that were up at the Grind were not all knocked askew by reckless coffee drinkers, we stopped at the YMCA Thrift Store. Katherine found some hankies or tea towels, both of which she loves and collects, and I saw this camera. It is a Mamiya C330. There is something heartbreakingly beautiful about old cameras and I wanted it as soon as I saw it. If it was simply for sale I might have bought it right there, but it was part of an auction. The high bid at the time was $70. There were 5 days left in the auction. 

     I went back once before the end of the auction to study it as best I could. The mechanics seemed to be in order but I couldn't get the back open to see if there was any damage inside that wasn't obvious from the outside. Having lived from paycheck to paycheck all my adult life, while being at least partially responsible for 3 kids, I have learned to ignore the impulses of my spendthrift nature. And there are many things that are crying out for the few coins I have. But the idea of taking pictures with that camera was very tempting.

     I went back tonight to see if the price had risen. It was $120. I spoke to the man who had placed that bid. He was an artist who painted from photographs. I knew, after having done a little research, that the camera was suggested at around $150 and, if I stayed and bid, one of us, or someone else in the room, would probably get it at around that price. I didn't want to chance it, not knowing how much I might need to spend on repairs. I also didn't want to bump up the price for the artist by engaging in a bidding war. But it did firm my resolve to get a good medium format camera. It'll just take a little time. I did like that camera.