One of the first steps in determining vintage and classic camera values is finding out as much as you can about which model you have.

In the ebook “Collecting Cameras Through The Internet” ways are described to figure out this information.

One easy way is to find the user manual of your camera online in the Vintage Camera Online links section. Often you can download manuals for free or for a little compensation to the people who have made this information available. Apart from how-to-use instructions, most manuals have one or two pages with specifications and information about accessories. Useful!

If you have hundreds or maybe thousands of items in your collection, do you still have the overview? Maybe it’s just the age, but often I have to lookup details because I don’t remember them anymore.

It seems more people have the same problem considering the questions about available collecting software.

I’ve been using a self designed Excel spreadsheet for years, the Autofilter function is excellent for finding data fast.

There is specialized collecting software though. If you don’t need complicated functions it doesn’t have to be expensive either, as Niche Software, Inc proves with their $14.95 KollectAll V8 software. And they have a free 30 day trial too

Added more links to the links section of Vintage Camera Online.

There are now 585 links to websites with loads of information for classic equipment enthousiasts. And that’s only part of the links found with the Arelis link management program, which also automatically creates the link pages. Programs like these keep you from going crazy managing all the links

Westlicht PHOTOGRAPHICA AUCTION in Austria is one of the leading auctioneers of collector photographic equipment in Europe. Initiator Peter Coeln has done an outstanding job in the last 12 years to build the exceptional reputation of this auction.

Why would you be interested to hear this? As you probably know, one of the ways to determine classic camera values is to check auction results. Buy the auction listing books with all the details and pictures, check the published auction results on internet, and you have an excellent reference. Formerly, these auction books were quite expensive.

Now, for the first time, you can get the next auction book in CD form for FREE. Visit Westlicht’s website to order your copy. The website is in German but the auction catalogs are in German and English. I’ve already ordered mine :-).

By the way, Peter Coeln also has an internet shop called Leica Shop for classic collector equipment. You can find the latest arrivals at Just Arrived. Latest update is from March 2, 2007. Check it out - it gives a good view of the market.

Back from our trip in beautiful Australia.

After catching up with hundreds of e-mails, here is an interesting announcement by Calumet which was in the inbox:

As mentioned in the previous post, Calumet is one of the huge online suppliers for hard to find photographic stuff. For March and April 2007 they offer free shipping for orders over $50, which will be applied automatically at checkout.

If you were planning to order anything shortly, click on their banner above to get on their site.