| Gil
Ghitelman, a clinical psychologist by training, was bitten by the
photography bug at an early age. His first real camera was a Kodak
Signet which was followed by a twin-lens Rolleiflex. His love affair
with Rolleis continues to this day and his unique position as one
of the world's foremost Hasselblad specialists might be attributed
to the square format Rollei of his youth. "When you hold a Rollei
it has a special feel of quality. The same feeling you get with
a Leica or Hasselblad." These plasticy new autofocus and one time
use cameras are wonderful for the casual vacationer but Gil's customers
are more sophisticated users. It isn't as though he's not ready
for change it's just photography as he knows it is black and white,
not screaming colors. For Gil, the subtle grays in a fine photograph
are the true colors.
Doris, Gil's wife, is a
photographer by training and has been an integral part of the business
for the past 25 years. They met when she sold him her friend's Hasselblad.
Gil's convinced this was the best deal he ever made although Doris
sometimes jokes that she should have taken it to more dealers! She
coordinates the Hasselblad repair department and is especially knowledgeable
about the workings of Hasselblad cameras.
Robert
Kipling, our contributing technician for the past ten years, has
been repairing photographic equipment for almost 30 years. He spent
17 years working for an authorized repair facility servicing Hasselblad
equipment followed by a stint as service manager for a leading large
format lens manufacturer. In addition to supervising our service
department he is the quality control manager of a major DSLR company.
To paraphrase the Allstate commercial, your Hasselblad is in very
capable hands if those hands belong to Robert Kipling.
For
the past 30 years Gil Ghitelman has been trading fine photographic
equipment. For thirteen years his shop, located in the heart of
New York City's photo district, was a hotbed of activity for collectors
of rare and unusual photographic gear but more importantly a professional
source for current equipment, especially panoramic/wide angle cameras
and Hasselblad. His stock of new, nearly new, and preowned equipment
of exceptional quality combined with the personalized service that
demanding professionals require, made his shop and now his Internet
location a valuable resource.
If you think mail order means placing orders with operators who never stood
behind a camera and, thankfully, not in front of one either, you'll find Gil
Ghitelman's operation a welcome change. He feels strongly that when buying
high end equipment one should be dealing with individuals as professional as
the equipment they sell.
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