I've asked sellers every question except the first one. You are right that
sometimes I have to lead them through the process, but so far everyone has
been quite nice about it. I admit, I don't usually ask question 2.
Question 3 I always ask. Question 4 I just ask for the serial number.
Question 5 is almost useless as the 50/1.8 value is about the same as the
body cap....
Tom
From: "John A. Lind" <jlind@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> It gave me visions of questions non-OM-saavy sellers might be asked about
> other OM items, and what they might think about the questions:
>
> 1. OM-2: Can you make a digital photo of the shutter curtain pattern and
> send it to me?
> [With complete instructions for how to perform this macro feat . . . What
> on Earth is this for, the TOPE Abstract Gallery? Make your own abstract!]
>
> 2. OM-2S: With a T-Series flash attached and turned on, is the LED in
the
> viewfinder red or green?
> [What's it for, replacing Christmas tree lights; does he want a blinking
> one too? If a seller was wondering the sanity of a possible buyer at that
> point, a follow-on question asking about flying shutter strings . . . with
> instructions on how to look for them . . . would clinch it.]
>
> 3. OM-3/4: With the switch held in the battery check position, does the
> beeping turn itself off after 30 seconds or so?
> [What's he want, new cells too? I'll give him new cells. The high
pitched
> beep makes some people ready for the "rubber room" after the first 10
> seconds. 30 seconds of it would put them into a frustrated "ursa reefer
> rage."]
>
> 4. 50/1.4: Does it have a silver nose? Is the lens ring marked with
> "G.Zuiko," "Zuiko MC" or just "Zuiko?" Do *all* its elements have green
> reflections? Is the serial number under 1,000,000? Is it over 1,000,000
> but less than 1,100,000? Is it over 1,100,000?
> [Nope, no silver nose; doesn't have Rudolph's red one either. With the
> rest of this I'm wondering if the buyer has W.C. Field's nose. Maybe he
> hung out with Timothy Leary a little too long, and wants it for the pretty
> colors its glass reflects.]
>
> 5. 50/1.8: Is the lens ring marked with "F.Zuiko?" Is it marked with
> "Zuiko?" Does it say "Made in Japan" on it?
> [What, is there some other "Olympus" camera company in Elbonia nobody else
> knows about?]
>
> I think it is exasperation from lengthy questions about minutia with
> instructions for how to look for it. Yes, I forgot to include the parens
> with the reference to being worse than Leica-philes, and it was good too.
>
> I've no personal experience with them, but have heard stories about some
of
> the "glass case collectors" storing items in hermetically sealed plastic
> and handling everything with lint-free gloves, as one would do with
> valuable museum pieces. It doesn't just afflict the Leica-philes, there
> are parallels with early Rollei TLR and Nikon RF collectors too . . .
> looking for perfect, "uncirculated," mint samples of everything ever made
> for the entire system, in every variation and formulation.
>
> -- John
>
>
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