P3D Re: Realist in Europe?

[roberts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (John W Roberts)]

>Date: Sat, 27 Jun 1998 05:06:24 -0600
>From: "Dr. George A. Themelis" <DrT-3d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: P3D Re: Realist in Europe?

>I work in all my Realists, taking them apart, cleaning the shutter,
>checking speeds, lubricating film advance (most important!), cleaning,
>checking and adjusting infinity focusing, adjusting rangefinder,
>cleaning viewfinder, etc.  I then add $35 to the price of the camera.
>I sell Realists from $95 to $175.  Subtract $35 and you have the
>"street price".  Wouldn't you pay an expert $35 to make sure that
>the camera is adjusted and functioning well?  I provide a good
>warranty and will replace the camera if anything goes wrong (and
>things can go wrong for any camera that has not been tested in the
>field with film).  I also supply an updated instruction manual and 
>provide unlimited technical support :-).

Sounds reasonable. Equipment that old can't really be considered a
"commodity", and one should expect service/maintenance costs to be
fairly large compared with the depreciated purchase cost.

(I wonder how much B-52's cost to maintain and upgrade, compared to their
original purchase price... :-)

John R


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