Classic cameras

[Gorgonzola]

More like a knockoff of a Yashica Mat. But that also followed the Rolleiflex pattern (or, really, the Rolleicord pattern) at least initially. Only Rollei, though, automatically sensed the beginning of the film on the backing paper to align the first frame (hence “automat”).

Rick “who has a Yashica 635 that is similar to a Rolleicord from longer ago that the Seagull” Denney

Speaking of the Yashica Mat and TLR in general, back, eons ago, when I was in high school some of us became interested in serious photography. I opted for 35mm and upgraded from a Brownie Hawkeye to a Petri 1.9 fixed lens rangefinder. But a school buddy opted for TLR; he got himself a cute little Yashica 44 that used the 127 roll film format.

 

[JJB70]

Yashica will always have a special place in my heart as my first SLR camera was a Yashica FX-D quartz, a lovely camera.

 

[Frank Dernie]

I sold my old cameras via a dealer who went bankrupt still owing me £51k so don't like being reminded about them
I loved collecting and using them though.
I started off with an Agfa Silette viewfinder camera in 1961, lost interest in photography when kick starting my career in the 60s and 70s then bought an Olympus OM1 when our first child was born in 1976 and got back into it.
I went Canon with the EOS 620 and bought a used Leica M6 a when I could afford it. I ended up mainly using the Leica with and SLR for zoom (almost never used) and long telephoto for birds mainly.
I ended up collecting a lot of Leica lenses, including some prototypes, which is just as well since their increase in value cancelled out what I lost when Peter Walnes effectively stole some of them.

I have kept a small number for nostalgic reasons, a green and a black Leica M3 and a lovely 1930s Leica II with nickel 5cm f3.5 Elmar.
I particularly admired the design and workmanship of Rolleiflex cameras too but sold them all - or had them stolen depending on which one...

 

[JeffS7444]

Circa 1936 Zeiss Ikonta A 520 (6 x 4.5), purchased from a seller in Moscow

 

[JeffS7444]

a cute little Yashica 44 that used the 127 roll film format.

View attachment 186352

I haven't really gotten into the TLR groove to date, but "baby" looks like it's got some real size-appeal.

 

[KR500]

Zeiss Ikonta A 520

My father gave me his 6X6 version of this when he bought his Rollei SLR in the 70's. It may have had a 6X4/5 mask insert with it ?
It did take sharp images.

 

[KR500]

Another Kodak I owned and enjoyed, the 6 x 9 format Tourist.

 

[JeffS7444]

Those were all the rage when I was big into cameras (early/mid 1970s) -- for those of limited means.
The other craze in those days: the Chinese made "Seagull" [sic] rollfilm TLR.

I was poor enough to resist both.

Was this in the eastern USA? Because way out west, I didn't see my first Soviet camera or Seagull TLR until the 1990s. Had I been gifted with a Zenit-E while in my mid-teens, I wonder if I'd have been overjoyed to have a camera of my own, or grumbled that it wasn't some sleek, tech-laden thing from Minolta! No way I was poor in those, days, I simply didn't have much spending money

 

[Gorgonzola]

Speaking of TLR, a life time ago I agree to do an event photo shoot for the college news paper. They wanted me to use their Mamiya C3 camera. What a brute!! Large & heavy, much more so than a Rollieflex but allowed interchangeable lenses.

 

[JeffS7444]

Matchbox label, part of a series commemorating Soviet cameras.

 

[JeffS7444]

A few threads up we mentioned Konica, today I had the opportunity to play with something rather impressive, a Konica Hexanon 35 - 100mm varifocal F:2.8, a real monster of a lens. This is usually described as a zoom lens but it isn't really a zoom as the focus point floats, meaning you have to refocus if you change focal length. And it is enormous, on the upside it is fixed length and the end element doesn't rotate, but it is a monster, 82mm filter fitting. The lens is very impressive given that it is a mid-70's design with a pretty wide focal length and a constant F:2.8 maximum aperture, Konica apparently decided they could either make a true zoom with a fast constant aperture over that focal length and sacrifice optical performance, or maintain the optical performance that they were famous for and accept a varifocal design, so they went for the latter. I suspect almost any other manufacturer would have gone with a true zoom and lowered optical performance. It was one of those lenses I'd always wanted to have a go with but never previously had the opportunity.

I haven't had too much opportunity to try Konica to date: I was most impressed by the Hexar RF, but the dealer wouldn't let me lay a finger on it. I did somehow get ahold of a 50/2 Hexanon lens in Leica M mount, and recall it being very good.

Years ago at a photo swap meet I saw a strange looking item on one of the tables: A Konishiroku aerial reconnaissance camera! I recall it being encased in a sturdy cast metal housing, and it had a clockwork motor drive.

In mid-2021, I picked up an Auto S3 via eBay but should have known better than to buy based on a couple of dark and blurry photos. Besides bearing signs of a botched attempt at opening the lens, optics were fungused, and the light meter was reading way too high. It cleaned up pretty well, though a patch of lens coating was etched away by the fungus. CdS photocell was way off spec, causing the funky meter readings, but that should be one of the easier bits to remedy.

 

[rdenney]

Yashica will always have a special place in my heart as my first SLR camera was a Yashica FX-D quartz, a lovely camera.

Me, too. My first 35mm camera was a Lynx 5000e—a compact rangefinder like the Minolta Hi-Matic. My first rollfilm camera was a Yashica 635.

Rick “still has the 635” Denney

 

[rdenney]

Speaking of TLR, a life time ago I agree to do an event photo shoot for the college news paper. They wanted me to use their Mamiya C3 camera. What a brute!! Large & heavy, much more so than a Rollieflex but allowed interchangeable lenses.

View attachment 186433

I used a C3 for pay gigs for 25 years. It really was a brute when you added a Stroboframe with a Sunpak 612 potato-masher flash.

Rick “laughs at people who think the Pentax 645z is a beast” Denney

 

[JeffS7444]

Speaking of TLR, a life time ago I agree to do an event photo shoot for the college news paper. They wanted me to use their Mamiya C3 camera. What a brute!! Large & heavy, much more so than a Rollieflex but allowed interchangeable lenses.

I think you got me beat: Noblex 6/150E2 was too big for me to carry around taking snaps. No wonder they call these things "Professional" cameras: If you're not getting paid, why the heck are you carrying that thing?

 

[JeffS7444]

What 35 mm film cameras have brought you the most enjoyment in the past 5-10 years? What have you grown bored with, and what new things might you like to try? I'm feeling restless and have the urge to unload a few items on That Auction Site once again, maybe pick up a few new ones.

But I'll probably keep my Lomo.

 

[Gorgonzola]

I abandoned film photography at least a decade ago. I sold my Olympus OM outfit and my more recently purchased Voigtland Bessa R on Ebay; I relegated my Kiev 4a and a couple of Soviet Contax-mount lens to the closet where they have remained ever since.

I admit there is the nagging temptation to pick up a late model, classic rangefinder 35mm like this Canon P with Canon lens; these are relatively cheap on EBay. Reason tells me, though, that I might not bother running even a single film cassette though it.

 

[Gorgonzola]

I haven't had too much opportunity to try Konica to date: I was most impressed by the Hexar RF, but the dealer wouldn't let me lay a finger on it. I did somehow get ahold of a 50/2 Hexanon lens in Leica M mount, and recall it being very good.

Years ago at a photo swap meet I saw a strange looking item on one of the tables: A Konishiroku aerial reconnaissance camera! I recall it being encased in a sturdy cast metal housing, and it had a clockwork motor drive.

In mid-2021, I picked up an Auto S3 via eBay but should have known better than to buy based on a couple of dark and blurry photos. Besides bearing signs of a botched attempt at opening the lens, optics were fungused, and the light meter was reading way too high. It cleaned up pretty well, though a patch of lens coating was etched away by the fungus. CdS photocell was way off spec, causing the funky meter readings, but that should be one of the easier bits to remedy.

View attachment 186483

I hope you trashed it rather than trying to sell it on.

 

[JeffS7444]

I got to thinking about what cameras I might consider selling off or donating to charity in coming weeks, and tentatively came up with this list:

Pentax P3N
Pentax P30T
Pentax MZ-3
Minolta X700
Alpa 5
Alpa 11e
Praktisix
Altix V
A Zenit or three

If nothing else, this exercise has inspired me to resume camera repairs!

Admittedly, taking the time to refurbish a Pentax P30T is not likely to reap a lot of rewards in terms of resale value, but it gives me something more productive to do than shopping for more stuff that I won't use.

 

[JeffS7444]

I admit there is the nagging temptation to pick up a late model, classic rangefinder 35mm like this Canon P with Canon lens; these are relatively cheap on EBay. Reason tells me, though, that I might not bother running even a single film cassette though it.

I dunno what to tell you: For me, film accounts for a small percentage of my total output, but sometimes I just get the itch for it. The grain, the nonlinearities, the whole thing. Developing and scanning can be a pain, but seeing the results emerge still gives me a rush of excitement.

 

[rdenney]

I got to thinking about what cameras I might consider selling off or donating to charity in coming weeks, and tentatively came up with this list:

Pentax P3N
Pentax P30T
Pentax MZ-3
Minolta X700
Alpa 5
Alpa 11e
Praktisix
Altix V
A Zenit or three

If nothing else, this exercise has inspired me to resume camera repairs!

Admittedly, taking the time to refurbish a Pentax P30T is not likely to reap a lot of rewards in terms of resale value, but it gives me something more productive to do than shopping for more stuff that I won't use.
View attachment 187101

Damn I have to send you some stuff.

Rick "usually the above on my bench means the patient is dead already" Denney