Adventure into Delaware, Pawn Shops and Ridiculousness
For our other blog, Lauren and I decided to travel about 45 minutes outside from where we are and take a photographic adventure to somewhere we never have been. Lauren got to visit a Loch near Glasgow complete with sheep, trees, and hiking, and I got to experience…Delaware.
For those of you who are around my age, you still might think of Delaware solely from a single scene in the The Original Wayne’s World Movie….(Start about 0:34 seconds in)….It’s not too far off, however there is some neat opportunities for photography there.
This was my first trip into Delaware outside of random gas station stops using the bus from NYC to Baltimore and vice versa. I spent the day in Wilmington, mainly Market St. and was able to capture a some candid shots of random people at the station, on the train and around the city. The vibe in the city was really odd, there was a feeling of tension as I walked down Market Street camera in hand. And by tension I mean the constant threat of being mugged for my camera, asking if i could donate money because the person was sick/stranded/dog died/needed booze/wanted to score some drugs (yes these all were actually asked by me).
Needless to say I would go back, it has its charm. One of the highlights of my trip was a fantastic pawn shop on Market Street which had a plethora of old camera gear and lenses as well as rangefinder camera’s (I will go into this obsession in a future post – I can already feel Lauren shaking her head at me). Resisting the urge to purchase any of these amazing artifacts, I stumbled across a Sony Alpha 390 DSLR.
Before I go into this I must advise, I have a ton of camera gear….like almost a ridiculous amount of camera gear – and this is coming from my girl friend who is a photography major (This will also be in a future post). I purchase everything second hand, and I have a weakness for great deals. Again I can feel Lauren just reading this and asking herself “Oh god what has he done this time”….
The amount of gear I have is almost as if I am some kind of ancient historian going to swap meets, yard sales, pawn stores, and online second hand auctions sites attempt to start a museum from the loots of my plundering (Maybe i will – who knows).
Regardless, I digress; So this pawn shop had a Sony Alpha 390 DSLR, but the important factor was it had the Sony 30mm f/2.8 SSM Macro lens on it. Lauren and I are a huge fan of the Minolta Maxxum 50mm f/2.8 Macro – it actually might be my fav lens that I own. Lauren is borrowing my Sony Alpha 580 while she’s in Glasgow and just got to appreciate it in a few of the Trans-Atlantic Project shots she has done.
Anyway’s I got distracted again, So I asked the elderly gentlemen and his sons if the Sony Alpha’s lens was for sale apart from the camera. To which the replied “No, sorry. It must be purchased with the camera”. Slightly annoyed, I debated offering to trade one of my Sony Alpha lenses for it, however I only had my Quataray 19-35mm f/3.5-4.5 with me at this time. That lens is quite mediocre (Again another post about it will be made in the future).
So i asked the shop keeper how much for the Sony Alpha with the 30mm Macro lens, gritting my teeth waiting for the damage. He thinks for a second, looks up at the ceiling as if the pricing gods were talking to him in a sweer pawn shop tongue that only owners and time could decipher and turns to me and says “$280″.
Lauren is holding her head right now as she reads this, I can almost certainly feel it.
I made a recent promise to her that I would limit my yearly lens purchasing, and I whole-heartily intend to keep that promise.
I think to myself for a second, wait what….280 bucks? I am slightly confused at this as I remember seeing that lens go for nearly $250 dollars alone last year.
I calmly bring up my cell phone and decide to do some Amazon window shopping and compare the rates:
- Sony Alpha 390 14.2 Mega-pixel DSLR – average price used – $400
- Sony SAL30M28 30mm f/2.8 Macro Lens – average price used – $160
Me, being a confused bargain hunter extraordinaire, ask to see the camera for anything out of the ordinary. Check the sensor, modes, buttons, battery, charger and strap and conclude that everything is in great condition. Baffled, I open the memory card slot expecting the worse…
Inside the card slot is a 32 Gigabyte Class 10 Memory Card:
I do the math in my head: 400 + 160 + 33 = 563 dollars in gear being offered for $280…. that’s literally 50% off Amazon’s price.
I ask the man again, “$280 for all of this?” . To which he responds certainly “Yes”
No my father, a bargain hunter whose exploits are legendary would have probably talked the man lower. I on the other hand decided that this was good enough bargain and purchased it out right.
Lauren is judging. I know it.
So i am now a proud owner of a Sony 30mm f/2.8 Macro. And I am selling a Sony A390 camera with a few extra lenses that are collecting dust for a profit 
SMH
but i still love you. get a good deal bargain hunter extordinaire sex monger