The elusive T-20 TTL adaptor, which Gary Schloss recently called "the
rarist piece of Oly gear today," showed up in a local Shutterbug
franchise, of all places.
I saw a nice orange Celestron C-90 in the window, and took a closer
look at the used counter. There was a pile of OM accessories in the
corner, and I made the adaptor before it realized it had been
spotted, before it could scurry off under other bits. (As it was, it
was partially covered by an old QA-310 remote sensor, under which it
had obviously crawled to escape detection.)
When I asked to see it, it desperately clung to a nearby T0.6 coiled
cord and Type 4 TTL adaptor to avoid being dragged out, but of
course, it was no match for a salesman on commission. The shoe had a
$19.99 sticker on it, and the two other items were unpriced.
"How about $15?" I asked, innocently holding up the trio as if they
were one component.
"I'll have to check," said the salesman, who returned and said, "How
about $16.50?"
"Tell you what," I answered, "Give it to me for $15, and I'll tell a
few hundred Olympus enthusiasts about the other stuff you've got
here."
"C'mon, I gotta make something on it!" he replied, "Call it $15.50?"
"Sold!" I almost shouted, trying to hide my glee.
So to earn my extra dollar, here's other stuff he had: a bunch of
screens (didn't take note which, but I doubt there were any "2"
series), an Olympus 25mm tube for $30, a Quick-Auto 310, a grossly
over-priced T-20 at $130, the aforementioned Quick-Auto remote
adaptor, and a 50/1.4.
He also had a broken OM-2 that you may be able to get from him cheap
for parts. The mirror was locked up. I switched it to B and tried the
battery check, which didn't light up, and then grimaced as he pulled
the mirror down with his finger.
I'd never seen the Quick-Auto adaptor before. It has a calculator
wheel on top of a single-contact hot-shoe, and a coiled cord to a
blade-and-coax plug that I believe fits in the side of the QA-310.
The "O" on the front appeared to have a sensor behind it. This might
be of interest to QA-310 owners, and you can probably get it for
$16.50 or so!
I think the prize, however, is the C-90. It looked to be in good
shape, with good looking glass and no major scratches or dings. It
was hard to evaluate indoors with a dim screen, but it seemed to
focus as good as any long slow mirror. It had a leather case, and an
OM T-mount, for $230. (The T-mount was missing the over-rotation stop
screw -- dicker with him for a different T-mount, or plan on fixing
it or replacing it yourself.)
I was pricing these a while ago, and I seem to remember them going
for $300 and up. For those who don't know, it's a 1000mm, f11 mirror
lens, lightweight, easily handled, American made, pretty well
regarded. This is the orange finish one, an was probably manufactured
in the late 70's or early 80's. When I characteristically began
criticizing it, he volunteered, "Make me an offer," so on a whim, I
said, "How about $160?" After checking, he said he couldn't go lower
than $179.95.
If you're interested in any of these items, please contact the dealer
directly: Myke Austin, 360/263-6588. Tell him the guy who was going
to help him sell the C-90 sent you.
If you want me to go take a look at any particular item after
speaking with Myke, it's only a few miles away, but I offer no
guarantees as to my judgement.
As for the coiled T0.6 cord and Type 4 adaptor, convince me that you
have a need and make me an offer. Gary Schloss listed them here
recently for $30 and $25, respectively. I'll certainly let them go to
a list member for much less than that, but I'm gonna be pissed if I
share my bargain with you and they end up on eBay! Also, I wouldn't
mind swapping both these items for a working T-20 if you're so
inclined.
So, I'm not quite in Doris Fang's league, but I'm trying! (I'm not
much of a yard sailor yet... :-)
: Jan Steinman <mailto:jans@xxxxxxxxxxx>
: 19280 Rydman Court, West Linn, OR 97068-1331 USA
: +1.503.635.3229
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