Troy and Firda Went to a Camera Show

While I was browsing some online classified ads in the Cameras and Photos section some time last week, I saw a posting with a scan of a flyer advertising a camera show on Sunday near Toronto. I asked Troy if he’d like to go despite the $7 admission. He said yes and I got all excited about the prospect of getting a bunch of cheap rolls of film and maybe an inexpensive Hasselblad for the rest of the week.

Fast forward to Sunday. We left home just a little after 8 in the morning. For a Sunday, that was quite an early start. The door at the camera show wouldn’t be open until 10. When we got there, they hadn’t even started selling the tickets, but when they did, we were actually among the first 10 people in line. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. What losers. But we prefer the term “camera geeks”, thank you very much.

We had to stand in line in front of the door for nearly half an hour, during which we got to listen to the BC (before computers) versus AD (after digitals) debate among the people lining up behind us. Good times. Also, while lining up, I completely forgot what I was looking for at the show. I asked Troy and he said he didn’t know. I decided that we were looking for whatever we can get, Facebook-style.

I was expecting to see a lot of cheap, crappy, plastic cameras on the tables but there weren’t really too many of those around. If you shoot film exclusively and you’re obsessed with Leicas, Rolleis and Hassies, you’d be in heaven. Me? I like shooting with crappy plastic cameras. I felt a little out of the league there, but I had fun anyway. It was nice to be able to touch cameras that I used to only be able to see on eBay pictures and not being able to afford.

All the Hasselblads we saw cost more than they do on eBay so we didn’t come home with one. Sad llama. But we did come home with a bunch of expired rolls of 120 film, a beautiful Ricoh Diacord L twin lens reflex camera we bought from a grumpy, old, Leica shooter, and a Lomo Smena Symbol camera that evil Lomography is trying to sell for $95 a pop online. We got ours for a measly $5 from a mostly junk table, which is probably what it’s really worth. Take that, Lomography!

Speaking of evil Lomography, they’re having an invite someone and get $20 in your account dealy-o. I really want a Diana+ camera but I want to buy it with THEIR money considering they already charge too much for just about anything. So, if you’re feeling benevolent, please leave a comment with your permission to send you an invite to Lomography. I’ll get $20 if you sign up and you’ll get $10 (or 10 Euro if you’re in Europe) in your account when you sign up. In addition, you’ll get to see the pretty pictures I took with it when/if I got the camera! Please pretty please with whipped cream and a red cherry on top? 😉 You know you wanna!