February 5, 2021

Lens Vindication covid-19: day 319 | US: GA | info | act

After wasting way too much of my time and energy going around and around with this obdurate eBay seller, I finally was able to ask the powers-that-be at eBay to step in this morning. Within an hour, I received their reply:

“ This case has been decided in your favor. ”

W00t! I really didn’t have any doubt that it would, but I can’t help the bit of Schadenfreude I feel right now at this vindication. The dude was just so confident that I had no recourse—that eBay would definitely side with him. I guess the earth is flat where he lives, because we certainly do not share similar realities. I think, too, that this whole incident is just proof that unregulated markets are a pipe dream that cannot complete with human greed and callousness.

I learned a valuable lesson, too. Be more careful. Use the rhetorical savvy that you’re supposed to possess to access what’s unwritten in ads. Use the clues to make better judgments on what to purchase and what to pass on. I definitely should have passed on these twin Zuikos. Well, I paid for my mistake in time wasted trying to get this seller to do the right thing. Never again.

To celebrate my victory, I bought what seems to be a pristine Super-Takumar 135mm f/2.8 M42 complete with a lens hood and original caps and case. After the twin Zuiko ordeal, I need something to pick up my spirits. I watched a couple of videos last night singing the praises of the 135mm focal length, and I thought it would be worth it to have at least one fast telephoto in my arsenal.

Giles leveled an implicit criticism at me last time we met: “Why do you have some many lenses that are the same focal length?” Well, different lenses have different renderings and characteristics: when playing with vintage optics, one must experiment. He knows better. Anyway, this 135mm should be fun to play with. I’ll know next week.

Ernest and his new kit should be home this weekend. I can’t help but feel a bit of envy for what appears to be a mint M8—but good for him. I’m glad he was able to, and I’ll be super psyched if he likes it. I’m curious to try it myself. He found a second-hand Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.5 (in silver) to go with it. A great lens, but I might have chosen something wider for the M8. Still, I can lend him my Summicron 35mm—I might never get it back. It’ll be great to see him, catch up, drink some bourbon, and shoot.