Re: [photo-3d] Re: Not buying a collectible Realist

["Dr. George A. Themelis" <drt-3d@xxxxxxx>]

>On ebay, what were the bids on the Contura?  Were those bids
>from users?  I don't think so!

I don't either... I mentioned that 130,000 Realist were made.
How many Conturas were made?  10, 50, 100?  There is a small
difference don't you think?

>generally speaking, a $20 value means that it's NOT a collectable
>item.  Or at least not very collectable.  :-)

What makes something collectible vs. not very collectible?

>I've also noticed on ebay that stereo cameras, including the
>Realist, sell for MUCH higher prices if they are "mint" and/or
>include the original box.  To me, these are signs of collectors.

A lot of users will trust a Realist what is better cared for.
Don't ask me why... it just works that way.  The prices are
not MUCH higher.  Only slightly higher.  

Why are the prices for the "two-button" Realists higher than
the one-button Realists?  Because users trust the later models
more and want a Realist that has this feature.  There were
more two-button than one-button Realists made.  But you see
more one-button for sale.  That's because most Realists are
bought my users not collectors who think that this is a 
desirable feature.

>A user should/would throw away the box (which is why collectors
>value them).

I throw away the case and the lens cap too.  But many
USERS want these items....

>Although I agree that most are probably sold for user-purposes
>(I get email from my web site too), I suspect there is a good
>collector aspect present as well.

What percentage do you think this is?

George