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Printed on: 5/31/2026 11:22:48 PM


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Topic author: stephanvdz

Posted on: 20080802063357

Vlad told me I have to present myself, so I do ;-)

I'm Stephan Van den Zegel, I live in Belgium (while there is a Belgium), I'm 46, french speaking but multilingual...
I live in a big house in the woods near the city of Huy.
I'm urban planner specialised in local development programs.

As you could imagine I collect old cameras (strange idea), but I also use them to take picture (tried once to use them to make coffee, but it didn't work).
I started photography at 12 with a minolta himatic 7S, then at 14 I bought an OM1 (second hand), an om2 at 17... and I never sold any of my cameras since... I began to collect OMs (easy to collect as they have numbers... 1,2,3,4... I like series), then around year 2000 I started to collect pathologically... bought a leica M6, then a contax II with a prewar coated lens... I specialised for a while on contaxes and zeiss lenses (got 6 original Zeiss lenses in LTM)... and finally someone offered me the Mckeown... aaargh.

Russian camera wise ... I spotted and bought a fed-S, then a Zorki (50th october) and so on... you know how it goes... now I own 2 fed S, a 100/6,3 lens, a early zorki-zorki, a zorki 3M, a zorki 4... a zenit 3C with various 39mm lenses (Helios 40 0000175, jup 6, ... etc...)

What else, I have acute sense of observation and a real ability to spot the little difference that makes a collector... (a dangerous ebay addict...).

My best finds until now...
- an early M6 (my first M6 sadly stolen since) from the first 1000 batch
- a prewar 1937 T coated sonnar 50/2 on a contax (for 100€)
- a second one also for 100€ (never found one since)
- a leica IIIc red Curtains... with a wartime LTM Sonnar for 200$ (spotted the lens, bought the kit for the lens, discovered the red curtains when unscrewing the lens...)
- a fed S sold as a normal fed...for the price of a normal fed
- a sonnar 85/2 Zeiss-opton with the super rare FT coating...
- a zuiko 40/2,8 LTM sold as bonus with a kit ... leica IIIc sharkskin as new, boxed pristine Summarit (600$)
- a very rare Schallie Collée 16mm film camera (40€)

As a collector... I try to find non standard or bizarre or rare cameras... but at a decent price. But I focus on working Cameras, and I prefer camera with history and feel to pristine shelf objects.

As a daily photographer, I mainly use Leicas (M6/M3/CLE) with VC or Zeiss lenses, OMs, Salyut S...and contax (old and G2)...

Other hobbies and interests : Social history, politics (anarchist movement and anarchosyndicalism,...), minis (the real one of course), folding knifes (regional workers knifes not weapons)... songs, and singing... travel...

So that's it..

Stephan





Stephan

Replies

Reply author: Jacques M.

Replied on: 20080802075701



Welcome Stephan!
We already met on another site and I fear it's me who told you about USSRphoto...

Amitiés. Jacques.

Reply author: Vlad

Replied on: 20080802095518

Stephan, thank you for this detailed introduction! [:)] An official welcome to you!!

Vlad

Reply author: mermoz37

Replied on: 20080802103440

Hi, welcome Stephan,
bienvenue....
Nice to meet a new friend on this site....
(not so far from France....)
Alain

Reply author: Michel

Replied on: 20080802130127

Welcome Stephan…
Une fois… [:D]

Reply author: nightphoto

Replied on: 20080802134430

Hi Stephan,

Welcome and thanks for your ideas (about TSVVS) which are already stimulating! Nice to have you here!

Regards, Bill

Reply author: Bull Halsey

Replied on: 20080802140640

Welcome aboard, Stephen (good name).
It's very nice having you here.

Steve

Reply author: AidasCams

Replied on: 20080804044527

Welcome Stephan!

Nice to have you in our Forums!


Best Regards,
Aidas

Reply author: James McGee

Replied on: 20080804051250

Stephan,

Welcome, and congratulations that you found the best site of all on the internet.
I'm sure that all will welcome your contribtions to our discussions, Best wishes, Jim[:)]