Other Areas Alexandria, VA area meet and greet?

Arrggghhhh! Sorry I wasn't able to be there. Preparations for Sandy kept me away. Hope to see accounts of what you all did and see photos.

I had been hoping for such a meet up for a long time, only to be thwarted by Sandy. Still, all is well at our place. Hope all is well with all other RFFers in Sandy's reach. Looks like New York really took a hit. Maryland and West Virginia got unusual snow also.
 
Wanted to second the good time had. It was really nice meeting everyone and I look forward to it again. Maybe next time we should all bring 3-5 prints of our work to show. Gear is great, and it's neat seeing what others shoot with, but it would be even nicer to see what people are shooting!
 
For anyone interested, I just saw that the Photorama sale and swap meet is coming back to Tysons Corner this Sunday. It's at the BEST WESTERN TysonsWestpark
8401 West Park Drive, From I495 take Exit
47, Rt 7W towards Tyson Corner, McLean, Va
Admission is $6
 
It all depends- sometimes you can find a deal on something, other times it's like picking through a junkyard. It all depends on what you're looking for and who happens to show up. I'm hoping to find a nice clean Rollei TLR I can trade for a couple of large format lenses that I'm not using.
 
Well, if you weren't looking for A: odds-n-ends of junk, B: 35mm film/digital gear, or C: collectible stuff you'd probably be afraid to shoot with, you were pretty much SOL. This one was even more pathetic than the last one I went to about a year and a half ago. There were folks there looking to buy gear, but not willing to pay reasonable prices (they were looking to pay 1/3 or less of retail). There were maybe ten or at most 12 vendors. I did get a Stroboframe T-bracket to use with my Rollei for a grand sum of $5, and a nice ruby glass ambrotype in an octagonal gutta-percha case for $40. So I did get some good deals, just not on what I was looking for (I think I saw ONE Rolleicord, a Rolleiflex 3.5, and a Mamiya C22 without a lens, along with a beat-to-hell RB67, which were the closest I came to what I was looking for - a Rollei 2.8D or E, or a Tele Rollei or Rollei Wide).
 
I won't ever go to this show again (and to think you have to pay admission to this!). The last time I went, many things didn't have prices on them, and in one case the price that was on the item was the price that the seller paid for it, and quoted me a price that was three times the sticker's price. At another table, a vendor had a Contax lens sitting on his table, and I picked it up, looked at it, asked him how much, and he said 'oh that one's not for sale'. Really a waste of time, honestly.
 
Afraid that I found it to be pretty much a waste of time when I went two years ago, which is why I was not inclined to go out of my way this time.

None of the vendors were friendly or outgoing. A lot of them were only there to buy and had equipment 'for show' only. And, the prices were KEH or higher (sometimes significantly so) with no warranty. Nobody was really willing to haggle either.

At least you found an item or two there. I'd say you fared better than most. :p
 
From the standpoint of my main reason for going, it was a total bust and waste of time. But the ancillary stuff redeemed THIS visit. But I'm inclined to agree with you and Vince that overall, they've gone so far downhill I'm much better off just trolling the KEH, B&H, and Adorama listings. And I'm also probably better off just going to NY with the gear I want to sell and selling it there. Too bad Lens & Repro is no longer around - I might have been able to get good money out of them).
 
Did we meet at the meetup (was at the end of the table w/clear2000, who was the only person whose RFF handle I got)? I had a Wide Rollei & a Foton w/me & could have brought the Tele.

TheFlyingCamera said:
So I did get some good deals, just not on what I was looking for (I think I saw ONE Rolleicord, a Rolleiflex 3.5, and a Mamiya C22 without a lens, along with a beat-to-hell RB67, which were the closest I came to what I was looking for - a Rollei 2.8D or E, or a Tele Rollei or Rollei Wide).
Click to expand...
 
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