Correcting a mistake via Ebay

My parents split when I was very young and my dad took off to live on the other side of the Pacific. Through my youth I ended up using his Canon SLR up until highschool when I lost it. I never knew which model the camera was. Over 15 years later my mom was cleaning out the basement and found the original camera bag, flash, and 28mm lens. With the power of Google, I looked up the (FL) lens and found the body it works with.

The camera body was the CANON FT QL and looking at pictures online, I knew it had to be the one. The QL stands for "quick load" which actually spoiled me at the time. I always wondered why the other newer (80's) Canon SLR in the family was so hard to load film into since the older camera was so easy. The QL feature was unique I guess.

Here is the website I found on this late 60's early 70's Canon model.

Info on Canon FT QL

I thought I was going to have it easy until bids started to come in early today. To shorten the story I won by a $1 in the last 7 seconds of the bidding war.

Here's the EBAY description:
"This Canon FT QL camera outfit belongs to my 84 year-old father. He bought it new in Hong Kong many years ago, used it for many years without issue, and it has been now been sitting unused in a cabinet in his home for many years. Time to sell it! Included in the sale is the camera body, a 50mm 1:1.4 Canon FL lens, and a Vivitar 90-230mm 1:4.5 zoom lens. The camera has a leather case and the zoom lens has a nice sturdy case. Although we have not run any film through the camera recently, the film advance and shutter release operate properly. A new battery will be required. The outfit is offered with no warranty and with no reserve. "

The item went higher than I expected but sentimentality is a motivator. The Canon 50mm f/1.4 may have been a appealing to the other bidder/collectors. Strangely, one of the bidders already won the same camera a few days ago.

So I'm content although no EBAY purchase is complete until the item is in the buyer's hands. Whether it works or not, I just want it for sentimental reasons.

You know what's funny, when I told my mom I was bidding for the camera she said, "YOU LOST THE CAMERA?!"

You know what else is funny, when I told my wife I was bidding on the camera, she said, "WHY DO YOU NEED ANOTHER CAMERA?!"

CAN A MAN GET A BREAK!!!

:D

great story! I know the feeling, though thankfully i don't have a wife *who doesn't understand how we think about gear* to make it double trouble :)

Note, the above in the asterisks was added, someone i know who happens to be an attractive young (my age) female and happens to take it personally when i make comments about being glad I'm not married, saw that post and got a little mad :p

I had purchased a Vivitar 90-230mm 1:4.5 zoom lens but in Nikon mount and it was a nice lense. The 50mm 1.4 is a fast lense I have to purchase one for my DSLR.

Sounds like mom has your number! :eek:


JS

Nice story Eric!

To think, 15 years ago the search for that camera would have taken much longer. We tend to take it for granted the ease of life the internet brings to our door. Things like this can happen a lot easier now thanks to the www.

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Originally Posted by deckcadet

great story! I know the feeling, though thankfully i don't have a wife *who doesn't understand how we think about gear* to make it double trouble :)

Note, the above in the asterisks was added, someone i know who happens to be an attractive young (my age) female and happens to take it personally when i make comments about being glad I'm not married, saw that post and got a little mad :p

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:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :D

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Originally Posted by freygr

I had purchased a Vivitar 90-230mm 1:4.5 zoom lens but in Nikon mount and it was a nice lense.

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Good to know. Thanks.

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Originally Posted by walterick

Nice story Eric!

To think, 15 years ago the search for that camera would have taken much longer. We tend to take it for granted the ease of life the internet brings to our door. Things like this can happen a lot easier now thanks to the www.

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Tell me about it. I even found my grandmother on my father's side via the internet and a picture of her to boot. Don't ask me how I did it. She got married twice after my father's dad so she didn't even have my last name and I still found her but that's another story. No, I didn't pay for those find a person services.

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Originally Posted by JSPhoto

Sounds like mom has your number! :eek:


JS

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I never did learn to speak only when being spoken to :D

Loved the story. Last summer I went looking for a replacement for the first SLR I ever owned. Ebay was the answer for me too. After about two weeks of bidding I came up with an exact replacement for my Pentax H1a that was stollen in 1971. I posted pictures of it at the time on viewfinder. I will never run a roll of film through it but get it out every once in a while just to bring back memories. About a week ago my wife was cleaning out some old item in a spare bedroom and came accross a picture of me standing on the sidelines of a football game in 1969 with that camera hanging around my neck.

Great story as well OT. I bet we would all love to see that football game photo. I know I said earlier I don't care if it works or not but I really hope it still does. It would be nice to load film and crank it to the next frame. Maybe doing a few rolls would be nice.

:)

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Originally Posted by Old Timer

Loved the story. Last summer I went looking for a replacement for the first SLR I ever owned. Ebay was the answer for me too. After about two weeks of bidding I came up with an exact replacement for my Pentax H1a that was stollen in 1971. I posted pictures of it at the time on viewfinder. I will never run a roll of film through it but get it out every once in a while just to bring back memories. About a week ago my wife was cleaning out some old item in a spare bedroom and came accross a picture of me standing on the sidelines of a football game in 1969 with that camera hanging around my neck.

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Originally Posted by Old Timer

I will never run a roll of film through it but get it out every once in a while just to bring back memories.

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OT

I'm still using the first SLR I bought in 1980 - its had a rough life but it still works along with the 50mm f1.4 lens 70-210mm zoom and flash - All Canon; cameras that are made to last - not like those other toy things :p :rolleyes: :D :aureola:

Must have a look at ebay

Roger

I got the camera today and it looks pretty good. I'll clean it up the best I can. The zoom lens even has it's own tripod mount. The 50mm lens is kinda loose around the front glass but we will see if it effect pictures soon enough.

Now I need to find a battery for it. Otherwise, I'll have to meter light another way.

Stay tuned!

I bought a 625 Wein battery and a roll of Fuji Superia 200 36exp. The meter moves so that's good.

I spent 30 shots at the botanical garden. I got a new shot of this orange thing that looks like a dragonfly. I'm looking forward to posting it on the Nature forum.

I'm saving the rest of the shots for my son when I get home.

I'll most likely bring the roll somewhere to get it developed and put straigt to CD. I don't need prints for this right now.

It was funny shooting with something so backwards compared to my DSLRs but I enjoyed the experience. I was imagining that I was fumbling with the same controls my dad probably fumbled with to get the shots he got of me when I was a baby.

What disappoints me is that I didn't understand the camera back in highschool the way I do now after having it my hands in the past 24 hours. Maybe I wouldn't have lost it back then. Teens "can" be so irresponsible.:mad2:

I'll be posting something from this camera within 24 hours. Stay tuned!:thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by deckcadet

great story! I know the feeling, though thankfully i don't have a wife *who doesn't understand how we think about gear* to make it double trouble :)

Note, the above in the asterisks was added, someone i know who happens to be an attractive young (my age) female and happens to take it personally when i make comments about being glad I'm not married, saw that post and got a little mad :p

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When my wife and I were dating someone asked us when we were getting married and I made the mistake of answering "The second Tuesday of next week!"

You wanna see mad! WOW!

Six months later we were married.

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Originally Posted by readingr

OT

I'm still using the first SLR I bought in 1980 - its had a rough life but it still works along with the 50mm f1.4 lens 70-210mm zoom and flash - All Canon; cameras that are made to last - not like those other toy things :p :rolleyes: :D :aureola:

Must have a look at ebay

Roger

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Oh I still have my 1971 Nikon F as well and it still works just like it did the day I got it. My son used it for a photo class in college just a 4 years ago. Turn a lot of heads with it. The instructor was very suprixed and ask where he had come up with it.

Tha photo is posted in my 3K Post thread. Check it out.

Here are the test shots!

http://forums.photographyreview.com/...ad.php?t=23324