What, are you nuts!

So the other evening my sister calls me. Susan lives in Bellevue, Washington.

“I need your opinion,” she says. “The guy down the street is selling an old Nikon F2 and a bunch of stuff with it. I know that’s an old one, do you think it would be worth it?”

So I ask the usual questions about brassing, advance lever, shutter release, all shutter speeds working, no cracks on the mount, on and on. Susan says all that seemed fine. The lenses were third party and she wasn’t sure about them. There’s a “big” zoom lens, a really big “500mm f/8 something or other,” a big flash with a “long handle and this thing that sticks out and looks like it screws into the camera somewhere.” There are these little boxes that say “Nikon Type K” on them, an old Nikon neck strap in the original box, a Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 “all metal, but the focusing ring sounds a bit gritty.”

“Oh yeah and there’s another one of those prism things that go on the top of the camera,” she says.

Wow, that’s a lot of stuff…

So I ask, “What are you going to do with all that stuff?”

“I don’t want it, I thought you’d want it,” she says.

“Well, how much does the guy want for it?”

“$150,” she says.

“WHAT! ARE YOU NUTS?!!! Put the phone down, go back there and buy it now! I’ll wait on the line. GO…GO…GO!!!”

“He said he’ll hold it for me. Are you sure you want it?”

“Umm, let me think… YES! FOR THE SAKE OF EVERYTHING GOOD ON THIS PLANET, GO…GET…IT!!!”

I mailed a check the next morning, and now, waiting for me in Bellevue, Washington at my sister’s place is a Nikon F2A, Nikkor 24mm f/2.8, Lexar 500mm f/8 Mirror lens, Sunpak 511 flash with bracket, and various other Nikon parts and some sort of “big” zoom lens.

I’m heading up there in June for my nephew’s graduation. I figure this is my sister’s way of making sure I show up.

Photo: Steve Weil