• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Classic cameras

OP
J

JJB70

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Aug 17, 2018
Messages
2,905
Likes
6,148
Location
Singapore
With their medium format SLRs, I felt that Rollei was aggressively playing the planned-obsolescence game. I really enjoyed the Rolleiflex SL66 when I had it, but decided not to pursue their MF SLRs further, because I felt it was a bottomless cash-sink.

Rollei 35SE was a good little camera, but I never really got the hang of it. I got along with the Minox 35EL better.

For whatever reason, to date, the twin-lens reflex and I have never really "clicked", but I've thought that I might like to try the pint-sized 4x4 Baby Rolleiflexes.

Minox, there's a name from the past, they are still in business but haven't been in the photography market for many years (though they still make digital cameras for other uses). They were always a bit of a leftfield choice, with their focus on super-compact dimensions, and weren't cheap. Nice though.
 
OP
J

JJB70

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Aug 17, 2018
Messages
2,905
Likes
6,148
Location
Singapore
Rollie’s central product has always been their rollfilm twin-lens reflex camera. That went the path that single-lens reflex cameras now seem to be going, sadly (in both cases). But the lack of interchangeable lenses was the key failing.

They made a conventional 35mm SLR camera only as an afterthought. They tried to innovate with the very tiny compact 35S and the SL-2000 box SLR with interchangeable backs. The latter didn’t take and the former still probably has a cult following.

Rick “who once owned an excellent handle-mount Rollei thyristor flash” Denney

The TLR was probably what most people thought of if they thought of Rollei, or their rather nice MF SLR models which were very nice indeed (if expensive). However Rollei were also a volume manufacturer making (or rather, selling, many of them were manufactured by others and just labelled Rollei) huge numbers of compact 35mm and 110 cameras as well as their more serious enthusiast/professional gear. Up to the 70's it was a big company employing thousands. I suspect that MF was relatively low volume but high margin for them, with the great bulk of their production being low margin or loss making. They were a financial basket case from the 60's onwards and went into a death spiral, lurching from owner to owner, shedding products and people with each new crisis. At one point they were part of Samsung, as Samsung saw an opportunity to short cut their pathway to developing serious camera expertise and also take advantage of names which still had a lot of affection (Samsung labelled their lenses Schneider-Kreuznach) but they sold the remains of Rollei pretty quickly and after Samsung sold them it seemed to get very messy (even by Rollei's standards). Sad.
 

mhardy6647

Grand Contributor
Joined
Dec 12, 2019
Messages
11,211
Likes
24,170
Since "110" film cartridges just made a guest appearance in the post above ;) -- may I just add that I am perversely fascinated by the small but not insignificant number of good 126 cartridge ("Instamatic") film cameras that were made.

Kodak Instamatic Reflex Camera 1970 by Jussi, on Flickr

kodak instamatic by RichY, on Flickr
Rolleiflex SL26 by Uwe Kulick, on Flickr
Contaflex 126 SLR - Zeiss Ikon Voigtlander - 1969 by Jussi, on Flickr
https://flic.kr/p/J7WUjN
No, I don't have any :rolleyes:
Even I have my limits. ;)
 

mhardy6647

Grand Contributor
Joined
Dec 12, 2019
Messages
11,211
Likes
24,170
I do have these two, though. :cool:

DSCN5731.jpg


My first camera (elementary school -- i.e., the mid 1960s) was an Instamatic "104". The two above were both dump finds.
The "100" , insterestingly, is essentially the same camera as the 104, but used flash bulbs instead of the iconic "Flashcube" that people like me remember from those days. :)


That Yashica was also a dump find. It's not here anymore, but I am not 100% sure that my son doesn't have it. ;)
 
OP
J

JJB70

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Aug 17, 2018
Messages
2,905
Likes
6,148
Location
Singapore
126, that's a blast from the past! It had already been superseded by 110 when I got into photography, then we had discs, and finally APS. Manufacturers kept inventing new film formats to make film more user friendly yet I never got what the problem was meant to be with 35mm. Especially when later 35mm models ( models developed from mid-80's on?) used a drop in system, and DX coding meant you didn't have to worry about film speed.
I must admit I always had a soft spot for the Pentax 110 interchangeable lens SLR system.
 

mhardy6647

Grand Contributor
Joined
Dec 12, 2019
Messages
11,211
Likes
24,170
I have to say that I have never -- to date -- owned or used a 110 film camera.
 

JeffS7444

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Messages
2,347
Likes
3,507
I think part of it is the normal dip that old generation tech initially sees values nose dive and then it recovers as collectors emerge and also those who still use it. Usually supplies reduce as most stuff is thrown out or ends up as junk, so good examples become more sought after. And in the case of photographic equipment there has been a resurgence in interest in classic lenses as with adapters they can be used with digital cameras. As with many things if you want a mint example of a specific item it can become expensive (especially if you want it boxed with paperwork as some collectors do), but if you are flexible or willing to do a bit of work to restore beat up examples then you can pick stuff up for peanuts.
As a general bit of advice, for anyone with an interest in mechanical things who would like to find a hobby and use their hands, buying a beat up 'parts only' camera and trying to bring it to life and restore it is great fun and a hobby in itself. Some people have turned it into quite a useful source of income too.
No worries, if eBay, Craigslist, and my local thrift stores were overflowing with film-camera bargains, I'd have a serious problem with where to keep all of the things. And although the past few years have been more about selling than acquiring, I did encounter a bargain or two.
_9100006.jpg
_9100010.jpg
 

KR500

Active Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2019
Messages
134
Likes
107
110 ?
Since we are making confession....How about APS ?

I have to say my 2 Nikon APS P&S were not very good, but I really liked my Minolta Vectis-S1 with 50MM Macro and Standard Zoom. Very nice despite the format issues. Light and sharp images with a good control panel for what it was. Focusing ring on my Macro lens is turning gray with age

DSC_5638.jpg
 

JeffS7444

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Messages
2,347
Likes
3,507
Since we are making confession....How about APS ?
I found an old but unused Kodak disposable camera at my mom's place, and in hopes of reloading it, I opened it up and found a roll of APS film! Whoops, not what I had expected to find. I would have saved it as a relic, but the AA battery used to power the flash had leaked over the film and much of the electronics, making a real mess.
 

JeffS7444

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Messages
2,347
Likes
3,507
Mamiya-16 Super with 3D-printed film slitter and film cassettes. Despite tiny size of the camera, it was relatively easy to service.
_7110481.jpg
_6300468.jpg
 

JeffS7444

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Messages
2,347
Likes
3,507
My first camera (elementary school -- i.e., the mid 1960s) was an Instamatic "104". The two above were both dump finds.
The "100" , insterestingly, is essentially the same camera as the 104, but used flash bulbs instead of the iconic "Flashcube" that people like me remember from those days. :)
I got a hand-me-down Instamatic 100 from a sister circa mid-1970s. Don't recall what I ultimately did with it, but I did exhaust the supply of film and flash bulbs before passing it on. Used to encounter complete boxed sets of such Instamatics from time to time in thrift stores.
 

Gorgonzola

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 27, 2021
Messages
1,016
Likes
1,398
Location
Southern Ontario
Folks, following is my camera history since my teenage years; (unless I've forgotten one or two along the way ...

Petri 1.9 all-manual, fixed less, meter-less, rangefinder...
Petri_1.9.jpg


Miranda SLR; note the Exacta-like external lens automation ...
Miranda_slr.jpg


Canon Pellix SLR; used a semi-reflecting prism instead of a flip-up mirror ...
Canon_Pellix.jpg


Leica IIIf rangefinder; had it stolen from me ...

Leica_IIIf.jpg



Leica M3 two-stroke, which I owned too briefly; the most nearly perfect mechanical thing I ever owned ...
Leica_M3_doublestroke.jpg


Nikon F, of which little needs be said except that it was a large, heavy camera for a 35mm ...
Nikon_F.jpg


Fujica ST705, (or similar model) compact SLR with TTL metering -- a truly crappy camera, especially ergonomically despite being a compact ...
Fujica_ST705.jpg


Asahi Pentax Spotmatic SLR; much better than the Fuijca but still screw-mount, yuk ...
Pentax_Spotmatic.jpg


Olympus OM-1 compact SLR: by far the most enjoyable camera I'd owned to that point ...
Olympus_OM=1.jpg


Olympus OM-2; improved version of OM-1 with spot metering ...
Olympus_OM-2.jpg


Olympus OM-2Sprogram, yet nicer update to the OM-2 with full shutter & aperture exposure automation, supported proprietary TTL flash ...
Olympus_OM-2Sprogram.jpg


Kodak DX 4530 5 megapixel; my first digital camera; had a surprisingly sharp lens ...
Kodak_DX_4530.jpg


Olympus OM-10, briefly owned, contemporaneous with my OM-2Sprogram; briefly owned, not much used, broke down ...
Olympus_OM-10.jpg


Canon SX digital long-zoom; crapping picture quality ...
Canon_SX.jpg


Nikon Coolpix S600 compact digital; was a 40 years of service gift from my employer; not so great pic quality ...
Nikon_Coolpix_S600.jpg


Kiev 4a, rangefinder, Soviet Contax knock-off; just for fun, only took one roll of film, still own sitting a drawer ...
Kiev_4a.jpg


Voigtlander Bessa-R, Leica screw mount rangefinder; a late fling with film cameras; briefly owned and not much used ...
Voigtlander_Bessa-R.jpg


Fujifilm X-T10 mirrorless APS-C reflex -- my favorite camera 'till then and still using ...
Fujifilem X-T10.jpg


Fujifilm X-T2, most usable and fun camera I've ever owned ...





Fujifilm_X-T2.jpg
 

Attachments

  • Asahi_Pentax_ESII.jpg
    Asahi_Pentax_ESII.jpg
    73.2 KB · Views: 66
  • Pentax_Spotmatic.jpg
    Pentax_Spotmatic.jpg
    103.5 KB · Views: 53
Last edited:

JeffS7444

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Messages
2,347
Likes
3,507
Last of the Zenit 35 mm SLRs, the KM Plus circa 2005. A very big departure for Zenit, it's viewfinder provided 90%+ coverage of actual film area, vertical-running metal shutter offered electronically timed speeds of 1-1/2000th sec plus B, motorized film transport with easy film loading. Lens mount was Pentax K-bayonet. It worked well enough, but was a noisy beast. Power was provided by 4x AA batteries, which made it larger and heavier than it might have been otherwise. Photographed on color negative film.

20190324-008.jpg
 

JeffS7444

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Messages
2,347
Likes
3,507
One of my rare $25 fixer-upper finds, appears to be an ordinary Praktica B200 commemorating Carl Zeiss Jena. A pretty pleasant camera to use.
_6180466.jpg
20210611 Colorado Boulder-046.jpg
 

Prana Ferox

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Feb 6, 2020
Messages
914
Likes
1,888
Location
NoVA, USA
Focusing ring on my Macro lens is turning gray with age

View attachment 184916

It must be a thing with old Minoltas. Some of mine have gone completely white.

PXL_20220207_214608080.jpg


The lenses I handle more seem to stay in better shape, these two primes were case queens. I'm wondering if the rubber would react well to the rubber restorer I use on turntable mats.
 

JeffS7444

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Messages
2,347
Likes
3,507
I'm digressing a bit with this Nizo 481 Super-8 camera, because I like the design by Dieter Rams & the design group at Braun. Although there were another German company selling 35 mm still cameras under the "Braun Nürnberg" name, that company seems to have been unaffiliated with Braun AG. If the latter ever produced still cameras, I'm not aware of it.
_DSC3936.jpg
_DSC3935.jpg
 
OP
J

JJB70

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Aug 17, 2018
Messages
2,905
Likes
6,148
Location
Singapore
Folks, following is my camera history since my teenage years; (unless I've forgotten one or two along the way ...


Miranda SLR; note the Exacta-like external lens automation ...
View attachment 184942

Miranda, there's a name you don't see so often any more! They made some lovely cameras. In the UK it's slightly sad how they're remembered as in the 80's one of our high street retailers bought rights to use the name as a house brand for low cost entry level cameras. The SLRs were made by Cosina, funnily enough despite the low cost and way many sneer at the various Cosina OEM camera bodies (Canon T60, Tashica FX3, Olympus OM2000, Nikon FM10 to name just a few) they were actually well made cameras which served people well, Cosina has always seemed to work to a good standard. However, proper Miranda's like this were something else, thanks for posting!
 

rdenney

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 30, 2020
Messages
2,235
Likes
3,856
I had a church friend who owned a Miranda Sensorex, and then a Sensorex EE, back when such were current. Haven't seen him in 45 years. He also taught me basic mechanics that I turned into yet another side hustle that got me through college. It was a good camera, but in that large category of cameras that one bought because one could not afford the camera one really wanted. The Mamiya/Sekor was in that category--a $125 camera because we couldn't afford a $200 Pentax Spotmatic. The Miranda was the impecunious stand-in for the Nikon F. That in no way minimizes its capabilities, but Miranda as a company does suggest what eventually happens to boutique camera companies, and Ricoh of today (who was, ironically, an early investor and distributor for Miranda) should take note. The other business lesson is easier and more obvious: Don't let your U.S. distributor buy you out.

Rick "and don't buy stuff on brand alone without vetting the company behind the brand" Denney
 

Gorgonzola

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 27, 2021
Messages
1,016
Likes
1,398
Location
Southern Ontario
In the early '60s the camera I most coveted was the Nikon SP 35mm rangefinder. If film cameras were still the norm, I'd probably try to find one. Original production ceased about 1962, although Nikon produced a "Limited Edition" exact replica in 2005, apparently no mean feat.

NikonSP.jpg


The Nikon SP was "inspired" by the Contax IIa, but was arguably more advanced and refined in various respects. The Nikon SP was a direct competitor the the Leica M3, (a camera a too briefly owned a few year later). Compared to the Leica M3, the SP was a bit easier to handle and much easier to load and unload of film. However the Nikkor lenses were in general inferior to the Leica lenses.

nrf_60952_group_02a.jpg
 
Last edited:

Purité Audio

Master Contributor
Industry Insider
Barrowmaster
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 29, 2016
Messages
9,049
Likes
12,147
Location
London
My Nikon SP, beautiful condition but it has fungus in the rangefinder so the image is very in distinct.
I have asked about cleaning/splitting the block re-balsam or thought about buying another Sp and swop over rangefinders.
If anyone wants to give it a good home let me know.


Keith
 
Top Bottom