Photographica 77 coming up - Wakefield MA

[batterytypehah!]

Boston area gearheads, is anybody going? This weekend, April 14/15, Sat 9-4, Sun 9-3.

Details at http://www.phsne.org/shows.html

[batterytypehah!]

Deafening silence as usual

I think my wife and I might grab breakfast in Wakefield tomorrow and show up at the show pretty close to 9. Anybody know the Blue Moon Grill? Looks good on Yelp.

[daveleo]

hmmm . . . I usually get a flyer in the mail . . . not this time.
Must see what my wife has penciled me in for tomorrow. Hopefully I can get there.

Never ate in the area, so can't comment on that.

[anjoca76]

Probably a stupid question, but I've never purchased anything at a camera show before. What are the accepted methods of payment? Are they generally cash transactions, or do most exhibitors accept credit cards?

[batterytypehah!]

Hey there's life in this thread yet!

I'm back from the show and it was a lot of fun. Even my wife (who can rarely be bothered to even take digicam snapshots) had a good time. She says she got to watch me in my natural habitat

My haul was a Fuji dark box for $20 plus a load of items from their famous, and mobbed, dollar tables. I didn't know this but we arrived just before they literally took the wraps off the tables, at 10. Good to know for next time. Photos of the scene and my haul below.

The two cameras (Lumix DMC-LZ5 and Oly Infinity Mini) are not quite dead but on life support. For a buck I couldn't resist the gamble. Almost everything else was new old stock. Several filters and shades for my Contax and FSU lenses, a Lloyd daylight loader, a roll of Pan-X 620 (exp. 1974) which will go into my Brownie this weekend, and one of 400NC in 220 (a couple of years out of date) for my Fuji. Oh, and the little black box is a Toshiba light meter that seems to work fine. Reads a little high but that's with the first battery I could find that would physically fit.

I saw and played with a load of neat stuff, and the dealers seemed to be in a good mood. I very nearly bought a Zarya (priced at $50 with a clean I-26) and a Kodak Bantam 4.5 ($20) but resisted.

I would say it's still worth it today (until 4), or even tomorrow (9 to 3). Admission is $5. Not sure about credit card payment. I think you should assume cash. Dealers should be happy to hold an item while you head for an ATM.

[batterytypehah!]

And a very enthusiastic thumbs up for the Blue Moon Grill! Fabulous place. About a mile down Main St from the show venue. It's very small (probably seats less than 30) and fills up quickly on weekend mornings. We spent our wait on their sidewalk bench with mugs of coffee, it was actually pleasant. http://bluemoonwakefield.com/

[daveleo]

I made it there too ! Was there at 10AM when they unwrapped the table in the back. We probably passed each other a few times !

I didn't buy anything. Almost bought a nikon 20mm/f4, but did not.

The show is a lot smaller than it was 10 years ago . . . probably the "internet" effect.

To answer a question from above: lots of dealers like cash for small stuff and take credit cards for the expensive stuff.

[batterytypehah!]

Originally Posted by daveleo

I made it there too ! Was there at 10AM when they unwrapped the table in the back. We probably passed each other a few times !

I didn't buy anything. Almost bought a nikon 20mm/f4, but did not.

The show is a lot smaller than it was 10 years ago . . . probably the "internet" effect.

To answer a question from above: lots of dealers like cash for small stuff and take credit cards for the expensive stuff.

We must indeed have passed each other, and based on the portrait on your website, my wife thinks she did see you! She was clearly focusing on people not tables... Ah well. Next time.