Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Ok, time to ante up, if you can.......

I was in on a raffle deal. I will also donate money towards a camera for Ken.
<br>
<br>I was out on any target match though. To many cheats appear for prizes as nice as the rifle offered here sorry.
<br>
<br>We had problems with a few cheats on our Poatal match when the prizes were very small. Sorry.
<br>
<br>If you have an address to just send money for Ken's Camera I'm in for that!! And heaven knows since I haven't worked since the accident in August thats saying a lot right there.
<br>
<br>Tex

Tex check your e-mail...
<br>
<br>Mike

This is an off the cuff response, I am not one for dealing behind the scenes, so this is just my ideas on the topic with no "vetting" with Rick or anyone else.
<br>
<br>First of all, we have to decide the purpose of the contest. Originally, I think it was to promote the custom rifle thread, and the gunsmiths who build them with the addition of buying a camera for Mr. Howell as a nice after thought.
<br>
<br>Superficially, it would have seemed a slam dunk, a chance at a very expensive rifle(with a provenance, the article) for a few bucks and helping someone out who obviously contributes to the total of firearms knowledge/lore. I told Rick when it first came up that these things were harder to "sell" than one would think, and this is a prime example. It doesn't get any better than this from a sporting/raffle type POV. Yet, possibly because of confusion such as Tx hunter exhibits above(your chances were not based on just your score) it has nearly died for lack of participation. I don't know how many people have actually, or are in the process of sending money in, but surely not many more than 20 and probably less.
<br>
<br>Therefore, whatever promotional aspects were intended, they have been explored and seem to have not been overly successful. I leave that to others to decide. But that leaves us with the goal of getting a camera for Mr. Howell, who,
<br>to anyone who is more than the newest of participants in these forums knows, has freely given of himself and his knowledge on these forums for the last year or so. As have many of us, without argument, but most of us do not have his wealth of experience or ballistic knowledge, and, in particular, his health problems which have made it difficult for him to obtain some of the items necessary for his current book project. In effect, we are trying to help a friend/neighbor over a rough patch.
<br>
<br>Given all of the above, if Mr. Sisk, Rick, and the other "contest" participants agree, I think the most funds can be raised by an open auction of the rifle as suggested above. The reason I have come to this conclusion is that, even if all of the people who say they are going to send in money, do so, then I am guessing that the total entry fees in the contest will be less than $1100 which is where we were at when I offered to buy the rifle above in this thread. In addition to the auction total, (if it is converted to one), I hope that some of the "contestants" would donate some, if not all of their entry fee to a good cause. However, I am fully aware that having a chance to win something is an entirely different matter than a straight donation and think that each person has to make his own decisions in that regard. I do not think that the auction should be limited to the "contestants" that have entered already, although in reality they will probably have the most interest and are the likely winning bidders. Obviously I think that if someone wanted to contribute any amount to the camera fund then that would be welcome as well.
<br>
<br>I dunno if this is going to be the way it goes down or not, but, whether it does or not, I will open the bidding at $1150(including my $100 of entry fees) and agree to donate 1/2 of my entry fees($50) towards the purchase of the camera, if I am not the successful bidder. Note that this is an opening bid, not a final bid. I reserve the right to bid more at any time. I know this is not Ebay and I would hope that we would bid with good intentions(and the ability to pay our bid amount, quickly, in good funds), therefore, I would suggest that we maintain an open period of 24 hours after the last apparently high bid for anyone to bid higher if they wish, and if they do, then we would start the 24 hour period over again. Any other rules, suggestions or modifications to this whole concept are welcome and I hope that Rick will choose what seems best to him for achieving the purchase of the camera.

Then maybe you need to explain again for nitwits like me. As soon as I saw it was now a shooting match I was out on the rifle deal.
<br>
<br>Like I said I have no probs with the camera idea for Ken and will gladly just donate money to that cause. And guys nowadays a pretty nice digital camera is not that expensive. A camera that cost 1000 dollars a year ago is 300 today. technology is changing so fast that what you buy today is out of date in 12 months anyway.
<br>
<br>you can get one that does nice normal pics for way under 300 bucks without all the bells and whistles and it fits in your shirt pocket. despite what some salesman wants to tell ya you do not HAVE to have a 2.1 megapixel camera to have a lot of fun and take great digital pics too. The one my kid has takes normal looking pics for 30 dollars for petes sake although it does have a picture of Scooby Doo or something. (grin)
<br>
<br>Tex
<br>

TH:
<br>
<br>Re: the camera
<br>
<br>Agreed, and I think for $500 or $600 bucks max we should be able to get one that will do all that is required. Do I hear any bids from anyone?

One other thought, if there are objections to the auction, and Rick finds them to have merit, I can hold the "contest" in Texas, where, as far as I know, raffles are legal, and we could figure out some way to have several reliable witnesses at the drawing. Naturally, if I was going to be involved in such a manner, I would not participate in the raffle and would still donate $50 towards the camera fund. Let's get this thing done, one way or the other, and the quicker the better.

TH, IIFID:
<br>re the camera:
<br>
<br>The Minolta DiMAGE 7 camera is the one that I have my eye on, and at this point, the only one available that I know to be acceptable for the very demanding professional work that I need it for, to satisfy the technical demands of that work and the quality that's an absolute minimum for the photographs to be used in my articles and books.
<br>
<br>IOW, a completely adequate hobby or general-use camera can't cut it for this higher level of professional image quality in book and magazine reproduction. Photos always lose quality in the process of reproduction. The print image never has the full quality of the negative image. The screened process negative never has all the image quality of the print. The plate made from the process negative never has all the quality of the process negative. The half-tone "photograph" on the printed page ALWAYS lacks the quality of the plate. Each step in the process always diminishes resolution, so the originals intended for reproduction always have to be a good bit better than what's acceptable on the printed page -- better, IOW, than a photo that's just hunky-dory for direct viewing as a photograph.
<br>
<br>It isn't haughty or one-upmanship -- just simple truth -- that my photographs HAVE to be better than what would satisfy your eye. They have to be better than what would satisfy my eye, as far as that goes.
<br>
<br>I've been trying to think of a gun-related parallel to make this clearer. The best I can come up with, so far, is that a bench-rest champ's demands for accuracy impose quality requirements beyond what he can expect from a Winchester 94 or an H&R Topper.
<br>
<br>I already have several professional-quality FILM cameras capable of very fine resolution. The Minolta DiMAGE 7 is the only digital camera that I know of that acceptably approaches the resolution of the 35mm, 6x7cm, and 4x5 film cameras that I already have (it can not equal them in these categories).
<br>
<br>I deeply appreciate every showing of interest and concern that you fellows have been showing here -- but please, let me judge the suitability of the professional equipment I use in my work.
<br>
<br>A cheaper camera would of course be easier to acquire. If a cheaper digital camera were adequate, I would already have it and be using it.

Ken gets the Minolta.
<br>
<br>Rick

Sent my donations today and Ken gets whatever camera he wants as far as I'm concerned. If my $200 towards the camera wasn't enough to get that particular one, and this comes up short, I'll pitch in another $200 if need be.

Rick
<br>Will put my check for 200 in the mail tomorrow. There is a small catch though... I put a custom printed tee-shirt in the envelope which says "Lakers Suck" on the front and "Shaq can't shoot a freethrow" on the back. It is reversable though, and says "Kobe ain't Michael" on the inside. There is a special heat sensitive transmitter woven into the fabric and if it does not feel warm skin within 24hours, for 24 hours, the check will self-destruct. Dare you wear it?
<br>
<br>I feel your pain, brother!
<br>art

IIFID
<br>Reliable witnesses? You plan to import some across state lines? LOL
<br>art

Sitka Deer:
<br>
<br>No, we exclude people from beyond the state line, that is how we know it is reliable. LOL

IIFID -if it is a raffle again will send money on Monday. Let me know.

Dr. Howell,
<br>
<br>Your choice is fine with me, current price on that model is $604.99 plus shipping. So Tx Hunter and I were a few bucks off, but not much.

I'll bid 1200.00 for the rifle and you can keep the other 100.00 that I already sent in.....if theres going to be an auction...

What a great bunch of guys on this site. You all make me very proud.
<br>
<br>Tex

" ... current price on that model is $604.99 plus shipping."
<br>
<br>Tell me WHERE! Pronto! Maintenant! Tout de suite! (If not sooner!)
<br>
<br>... not that I can do anything about it yet.
<br>
<br>Thanks for the tip. The best price I'd found, just bashing around, was $799.95 plus s&h. Then Rick said he'd seen it for a good bit less on Ebay. I managed to find eBay and a "buy it now" price of $645 plus s&h. Six hundred and a fin is even better.

Actually I found it in 2 places, but when I made a quick search, this is the only one I came up with in a hurry. Have to take son to little league. http://www.bwayphoto.com/product.asp?item=mndimage7

Ok Rick, here's the deal. The day my donation towards the rifle and camera arrives, announce the amount that we have as a total towards the camera, include any that may still be in the mail, and I will pick up the difference we are short of getting the camera up to $300.

Ken-
<br>
<br>If you do get your digital camera (hope the best) I would recommend that you head to Sam's club or Pace Warehouse club and pick up a 128 mgbyte card for about $50. and not pay the $200 for others. I have one for my digital camera and they work superbly. I know of others who have them and they work great.
<br>
<br>Just a helpful tip.