Do not let Jim Galli fool you......

[Terence]

The 150mm and 210mm G Clarons I got from Jim were flawless. My recent (and foolish) attempt to buy the aforementioned 355mm on eBay, instead of from Jim, was dashed when Jim outsniped my sniping by a measly single bid increment. Of course his bid probably blew mine away anyway, but it was close enough to taste. Always fear a man who chooses to live in a desert.

[Dan Fromm]

Lemme tell ya 'bout that there Galli. He does try a little trickeration from time to time.

Last fall I turned up a couple of 240/9 G-Clarons at our local flea market. Cleaned 'em up, looked closely, and saw that they were 6/2 dagor-type double anastigmats, not 6/4 plasmats as most of us thing G-Clarons have to be. Checked Schneider's archive site and found that I wasn't hallucinating. Early G-Clarons are 6/2s, more recent are 6/4s.

Mentioned this surprise on the LF Forum. Jim sent me an e-mail offering to relieve me of the pair for less than I thought one would bring on eBay. So I declined his generous offer, we had a nice discussion of the economics of buying low, selling higher (sometimes), and that, I thought was that. He finances his hobby by wheeling and dealing, I try to do the same but on a much smaller scale. Good for both of us.

Eventually I put one up on eBay. It brought ~170% of the amount Jim had offered for the pair. Interesting.

Some time later I put the other one up on eBay. Jim, who seems to have not much memory, sent naive, innocent, little me a kind offer to buy it off eBay for the opening bid I'd set. I declined gently. The second one also brought ~170% of the opening bid.

Around about then, someone else offered up a 240/9 6/2 G-Claron on eBay with a listing that was pretty vague about what it was. Jim bid on it, was outbid. So now we know what he values them at when buying. $144 (or was it $141, my memory is failing too), a bunch more than he offered me for two and, later, just one.

I suppose we should respect Jim's enterprise and persistence as well as his good character.

Cheers,

Dan

[Terence]

Given the additional shipping and time to write up the listing, etc. that doesn't seem unfair. Although it's interesting to know. Given that the shorter Clarons are going much cheaper now than a year or two ago, the volatility is probably a factor as well. As I said, Jim provided me great lenses at fair prices and was a pleasure to deal with. A gentleman and a scholar, in my book. For a long while I thought he had found a Claron mine out in the desert somewhere. Maybe up by Rhyolite.

[sanking]

Given the additional shipping and time to write up the listing, etc. that doesn't seem unfair. Although it's interesting to know. Given that the shorter Clarons are going much cheaper now than a year or two ago, the volatility is probably a factor as well. As I said, Jim provided me great lenses at fair prices and was a pleasure to deal with. A gentleman and a scholar, in my book. For a long while I thought he had found a Claron mine out in the desert somewhere. Maybe up by Rhyolite.

I have two lenses that were obtained from Jim in trade, a 210 G-Claron (Dagor design) and a 240mm G-Claron. Both came exactly as described and are excellent performers. The conditions of the trade were very fair, and if anything I came out ahead when considering the fair retail price of the items traded.

Don't kow how he comes up with all this equipment but I certainly think his prices are fair. In fact, compared to the cost of used equpment on ebay and at the major dealers his prices are often really good bargains.

Sandy

[Dave Wooten]

There actually is, I believe, or so the story goes, a stash of clarons in an underground vault....but is is in the Parumph, Nv area, not exactly in Jim's neighborhood (you can check this out, its on the map) but supposedly in the vicinity of Ted Binion's silver vault.

The age and curing process of the glass on these lenses is paramount.....you have to harvest them at just the right time and go through a radiation cleansing process....these lenses give a nice spiritual glow to a print...but you really gotta know what you are doing.....you can really see some stuff on the gg with these lenses...I've been thinking of getting one....

[jnanian]

i didn't buy a lens from jim, but an 8x10 camera about 1 1/2 years ago. it was a b+j, and no one had bid on it on FEEbay but me, so i got it for not too much $$. it arrived in a big shipping box on halloween day in the same condition (if not better) than jim described it. i wouldn't hesitate to buy anything from him

[Charles Webb]

Well I guess with all the good ink Jim has been getting here, I'll just throw in my complaint!. Jim often offers various lenses to our group before he puts them up on ebay. In each case, I have either been out of town or busy with someother nonsense that when I checked in to APUG I was to late to PM him.
Now here is my complaint, Jim I believe you should have anticipated well in advance when I was going to tune in and be on line. Oh well, perhaps that is asking way too much, but that was all I could think of to put a bit of tarnish on all those glowing, positive compliaments. I promise, no more complaints, and I am going to catch up with you one of these days and glomp on to one of your 240mm C G's. To us members of APUG, Jim you are a treasure,
thank you for all you do for us.

[noseoil]

Charles, just to let you know, I got the most recent 240 G-C. It arrived today and really is in excellent condition. Just a quick not to say thanks to Jim and I appreciate the print which was included.

Wanted to bump this thread. tim

[John Kasaian]

I'd like to buy a lens from Jim. Heck, I've bought lenses from just about everybody else. Someday....when he's got the right lens and I've got enough $$.

I've seen his photos at an exhibit at the Nevada State Library awhile back---great stuff! He probably sells off his old lenses after he's taken all the good pictures out of them;-)

[Tom Hoskinson]

Jim Galli has won 3 last-second sniping duels with me in eBay LF shutter auctions! I'm so traumatized I hardly ever bid on shutters anymore.