bad news + follow up good news Pt. 2

i purchased a camera [Nikon 35mm FM] off e-bay.

i am aware that there is a lot wrong with that sentence in and of itself. i have never thought it to be all too wise to purchase electronics or things of the like from e-bay. i have stuck mostly (or perhaps only?) to sunglasses. vintage sunglasses (oh, and i once purchased a pair of suspenders – impulse buy – please forgive me). sunglasses are an addiction and obsession for me – i’ll be the first to admit this. some people abuse alcohol/drugs, i abuse sunglasses:

this photo represents a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of my collection (ask family and or friends, they can confirm this). many pairs have broken. many pairs are in my glove compartment. many pairs are scattered around my apartment because they are being used on a daily basis. i wear sunglasses when it’s raining. i particularly enjoy wearing sunglasses when i drive through tunnels. don’t ask me why because i refuse to go into detail: it’s just what i do and have been doing for years. so, deal with it.

that said, the camera arrived. i squealed with delight when i opened up the USPS box that it arrived in. i wound the lever once and then no more, it was stuck. if you know anything about these cameras – this should not happen. i’d attached the lens from my old camera (same model, make, and year). i had assumed at this point that i’d done something wrong (which was fairly unlikely because i’d owned that same camera for 7+ years..). regardless, i wanted to confirm whether it was the man or the machine, so i took it to my favorite-most-awesome camera shop in Seattle, ‘Glazer’s.’ i had not one, but two, technicians inspect it and both of them said that i’d “been had” by an e-bay seller. i’d love to share said seller’s name on here, but i’d rather not be a complete tattle. if you want to know his name and/or the ‘business name’ he operates under – go ahead and email me personally so i can save you some grief.

so i was back to square one. my previous Nikon 35mm FM had died, quite sadly, after a brisk walk in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. this was back in March. i had been waiting until my tax rebate kicked in (mid to late April) to purchase a replacement. i was so excited about this replacement and then it was confirmed that said replacement was kaput.

after my visit to Glazer’s, they informed me that they do, once in a while, receive used Nikon 35mm FM cameras that they refurbish and re-sell. had i known this to begin with i’d have avoided the whole e-bay thing. regardless, no time like the present, eh? to make a long story short, the next day, i called Glazer’s to learn that they’d just received the perfect camera for me. it was a Nikon 35mm (except this one had CHROME), my lens would fit it, and it was a measly $100.00 – which is quite a price reduction from the $450-$500 that this camera, in new condition, would go for. once again, i squealed with delight and bolted into Glazer’s. and there she was, a beauty.. my beauty:

[insert tears of happiness]

so, there you have it. that’s my story and i’m sticking to it. i have yet to take a photograph with my new camera (did i mention they threw in an old 60’s camera strap for free? so yeah, it’s basically the best camera ever). i have been admiring it from a-far and intend to load it up with film tomorrow and take it for a test drive. it sounds like i just purchased a new car and in many ways i feel that i have. i’ll keep you posted on the new edition to the Kempin Camera family – but i have a pretty strong feeling it’s not going to disappoint and will perhaps [most likely] rise to stardom status among my camera collection – which is starting to become just as excessive as my sunglasses collection.

wish me luck RE getting my money back from Mr. Bad E-Bay Seller, i’ve yet to hear back from him and will be pursuing further action(s) tomorrow.

jessi