[Previous entry: "Gunpowder Park on a cloudy day"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "what a slug"]

06/18/2004 Entry: "new toy - Brownie Target 620"

After a long day at work, the last thing I wanted to do was fight through rush hour traffic and spend several hours on a hot and humid afternoon helping my mother-in-law clean out her basement. She's quite a pack rat but the basement was small, so dragging furniture and boxes to the front porch for a Goodwill pick up later in the week wasn't as bad as it could have been.

I was amazed at what emerged from some of the boxes. Art projects from her children's grade school days, christening gowns, and all the usual sentimental keepsakes. One item made my jaw drop. She pulled out a mildew covered Brownie Target Six-20. She saw my eyes light up and asked if I wanted it.

Silly question to ask.

A damp rag and soapy water removed most of the green slime. The lens looked clear and the shutter still worked. A quick application of some nail clippers to trim the oversized spool of a roll of 120 film, and the old box camera is ready to head down to the beach tomorrow.

He who dies with the most cameras wins.

Posted by CNL @ 06/30/2004 01:33 PM ET

Score!!!!

Posted by dan @ 06/18/2004 03:34 PM ET

john...

about 20 years ago, i was photographing people and their dogs, and came across an elderly man and his collie. He invited me to his home to photograph, and we entered a rather lengthy discussion about dogs and photography. He went to another room and retrieved an box with an old camera and several lens, and told me I could have them. He had inherited them from his brother in-law, and they had been sitting in his closet for 20 years. I offered to buy them, but he declined, saying he was just looking to give them to someone who could use them.
And that is how I acquired my very first Leica (M2).

Posted by alan @ 06/18/2004 12:45 PM ET