P3D Re: dropped Realist

[fj834@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Dr. George A. Themelis)]

>I lent my Realist to somebody who dropped it on the sideway.  The lens
>shade is gone, the rangefinding dial is damaged and the dof scale is
>damaged.  That's the functional damage.  The top plates, under the wind
>and rewind spools, are also damaged, but only cosmetically.  Can these
>parts be easily obtained?  Can the cosmetic parts be easily replaced? 
>Is there somebody who is particullarly good at doing this sort of
>thing?
>
>If you lend out your camera, make sure it has a neck strap!

That's not the conclusion I would draw from this story... Don't lend
your Realist to people who tend to drop things... :-) (I don't usually 
have a neck strap in my Realist)

But, I am a bit puzzled because I do have dropped a few Realists here
and there and even run one over with my car, and NOTHING REALLY happened
except for a piece of cast iron knocked out of the corner of one of them...

In any case, to answer your questions, I am sure Ron Zakowski has all the
replacement parts you need.  You can 1) buy the parts from him and try
to put them on yourself, 2) Mail the camera to him to do it, 3) Have
someone else buy the parts and the job for you.  It all depends on the
cost and fine details... I guess...

BTW, I am doing good progress on the Realist book I am writing (Everything
you Always Wanted to Know About your Realist) and it will be ready and
available in the NSA convention and thereafter.

George Themelis


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