View Full Version : Vintage film cameras
So much easier to seal than the 500G.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180610/4e4e86c8584f8e559a011d8fc5605fad.jpg
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Couple of finds from today:
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1742/42716920831_3fc2cf2935_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/285Kok2)
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1738/42716924681_bc9b3a6f77_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/285Kptp)
I also got a Jessops Zoom slide duplicator with 110 and 35mm holders. Luckily had a Nikon fit T-Mount adapter. Works well.
yokohama
10-06-18, 06:54 PM
Those 500ST seals look much more sensible.
I fired off half a roll with the Electro today. As a shooting experience, it was nothing special but that's probably because on a bright day, set on f11 with 400 ASA film, it pretty much behaved as a point and shoot; no metering involved. After using SLRs, the quiet click of the rangefinder shutter is also a bit disconcerting. I don't feel convinced it's worked properly. I'll try it in low light next, see how it behaves, and wait for the results to discover if the lens is all it's cracked up to be.
I get that as well. I like to know that the shutter has fired. The XAs give a weak little click and a couple of others like the Russians are like it too. Speaking of which, I might take my Zorki or Kiev out next time.
johnnyrod
10-06-18, 07:54 PM
I noticed that when I got my first leaf shutter camera, after only using SLRs seriously. A little, anticlimactic phut, and no darkness. The shutter speed has to be pretty slow to really be able to tell any difference in speeds, but the fastest speeds do sound like it hasn't gone off.
Did you take a meter reading for that Yoko? Or a variation on sunny 16. Some folders have a usefully placed co.cking arm that passes in front of the viewfinder. The Perkeo does anyway.
yokohama
10-06-18, 08:54 PM
No meter reading, I guessed and just left it. The Electro is aperture priority and chooses the shutter speed for you. If the shot is under or over exposed, an arrow in the vf lights up showing which way to turn the aperture to get back within limits. (Nice touch) It was so bright today that the warning lights only came on a couple of times. Meter is a little window on the body, just below the shutter, not on the lens.
I forgot about that mode. Mine is still in bits at the moment. So much to shoot with, so little time. Got a day off next week, so will do some then.
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yokohama
12-06-18, 07:56 PM
There was an old Vivitar flash in with the Minolta stuff I bought last week. I had to take a hammer and screwdriver to chisel the battery compartment cover off. Never seen anything so bad before and wish I'd taken a photo. 4 batteries all crystallised and fused together in a block, Once I'd prised them out with needlenose pliers, I saw they were Duracells with a 1994 expiry date. I don't know if I can be bothered attempting to clean it out.
I probably wouldn't bother, flashes are ten a penny and it sounds pretty bad. You might be able to pick up another cheap or if you really want to use it or its rare/valuable then go for it.
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johnnyrod
13-06-18, 08:28 AM
They are but not all have working flash tubes! Am biding on this BTW 273271454604
I've also sent off for a USB "on the go" adapter for 99p delivered and claiming not to be some Chinese knockoff. Hopefully this will mean I can connect my daughter's Fuji F11 to an Android tablet and she can use it (easily) as a photo album. This has always been the problem with digital, how to store and view them easily. I was thinking of chopping in her camera for one with a viewfinder but this may be a good solution, as the camera itself is good. I have had to increase the screen to max brightness to cope with sunny days, but it's not so easy to see what's going on with any subtlety, and reviewing pictures isn't a lot of fun as they're relatively small and don't look good even if they are.
I have found out what is wrong with my latest K1000s meter, the wire has come off the battery holder. I tried trimming the wire back to resolder but it keeps snapping. Can't get any further with it as it is running out of length. It would be a top plate off job to fix.
yokohama
13-06-18, 07:12 PM
That was the problem with my K1000 too but luckily there was a littlebit of play and I managed to resolder it. Does the wire go to the top or does it attach to another circuit in the bottom? Can't remember.
I think it runs alongside the mirror box and under the top plate. It will have to be a sunny 16 job until I can sus a repair.
yokohama
13-06-18, 07:17 PM
I think I have the repair manual somewhere if it's any use.
I was hoping there would be a YouTube video but I cannot see one. From what I can read, it's a top plate off job, but the battery holder tab is stainless steel.
Found a vintage market in Chelmsford, with vintage cameras.... Pics to follow.
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Found a Voigtlander Vitessa 500S and an Olympus Auto Eye. Hoping I didn't over pay. The Olympus was £25 and the Voigtlander was £10. So many cameras in the charity shops as well, but they were priced high.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180614/9739359aff62b43b3e52cd2a1ca10985.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180614/fa9e1f68b717b59d0446f4d5fc41eda8.jpg
One camera shop I went in to had an ME Super and 50km f1.7 at £150. Also do basic point and shoot models for £50.
yokohama
15-06-18, 05:04 AM
Those two are both new ones on me. I had to look them up. Prices seem reasonable if they are working.
I knew about the Auto Eye, but I hadn't seen the Voigtlander before. Both seem to be dry firing ok, will add them to the queue.
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I did another dumb thing while out shooting. Whats up there with not having film in the camera? Not checking that your fully electronic camera has batteries in! I'd taken them out to try another camera and not put them back. Gave up and used another camera, but on the way home realised the Lomo L-CA in my pocket had the batteries I needed!
Was in a negative wallet. Trying to track down where this is. Edit, my wife found it, Selfridges coronation display for King George vi 1937. View from Balderton Street
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1764/27966646827_d492e48143_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JBjnKZ)
johnnyrod
17-06-18, 07:38 PM
Holy cow, that's quite a pic! Good haul there Kenzie, I have an Olympus S Electro Set but with G Zuiko 1.8 and it is one of the few cameras that has worked well. The RF needed adjusting but that was it. Great pictures (I struggle to separate some cameras but they do look good even to me), and really nice to shoot with. I also saw on Gumtree a Vito CLR in Beaconsfield for a fiver, and a great OM1n package but Bristol or somewhere I can't reach, won't hang around long though at £80 including a few lenses. I scored the Contessamat STE, meter is said to work, the rest looks good so far.
The rangefinder on the AE is off, but I have no idea on how to adjust it. There are a few more pics on my Flickr feed. Film prices are still rising, saw a mju ii go for £141.
johnnyrod
17-06-18, 08:26 PM
I can't remember how I adjusted it on mine but I remember it being pretty straightforward
I can't find anything obvious. Normally you take a screw out and a flathead is underneath. Even had the top plate off.
johnnyrod
17-06-18, 08:54 PM
Hmm, if I remember I'll look at mine, but it's not quite the same model. Normally taking the top off does the trick! Can you post come pics of it, er, topless?
I'll see what I can do.
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https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1824/29052377748_2b0e22f0b6_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Lgg2JC)
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1808/28055684317_df67e693a9_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JKbHv8)
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1828/28055688267_54f9314400_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JKbJFe)
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1783/28055692237_512774af9b_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JKbKRF)
johnnyrod
20-06-18, 07:17 PM
Hmm tricky alright! Looks nothing like mine. Anything in the film chamber? I'm sure one of mine has an adjuster in there, the top is covered by what looks like a large screw but it's just a plug
I'll take a look in the chamber. Its not the end of the world as I shoot mostly at infinity anyway. Been up to much of still busy? I wonder if we still have any lurkers?
Is this any good Johnny? 273157432167
johnnyrod
20-06-18, 08:47 PM
I'd give it a miss, I think mine has an f3.5 Novar but might be f4.5 but anyway it's 50% over the odds and who knows if the RF works and they just don't understand it, or if it's knackered. If you were after a 6x6 with a Novar lens then there would be better VFM in an Ikonta or really a Nettar, ignoring the RF, which is uncoupled anyway. I have got some good pics from mine, it was £30 all working (though now needs new bellows).
No worries. Got plenty to be getting on with anyway, plus the upcoming house move.
johnnyrod
21-06-18, 04:57 AM
Have you got a date? We're off on hols next week, all inclusive resort in Turkey where, in a sort of retrograde evolutionary step, my daughter will become aquatic for a week.
Not yet, the draft contract came through yesterday. Couple of spelling mistakes on the sellers names, so checking if this needs correcting. Where in Turkey are you headed? We went to Bodrum a few years ago, great views from the castle. Taking any film?
johnnyrod
21-06-18, 12:35 PM
Belek, about 20mins east of Antalya, fancy resort called Regnum Caraya. Only taking phones this time, I have an old 5MP waterproof camera but we're just going to be knocking around the resort mainly and there is a new theme park next door. I prefer more of an exploring holiday but it's a bit less interesting for a 6 year old! Looks like it's going to be hot in the UK next week as well
Not sure if they still do it, but we had to pay £10 cash for a visitor visa.
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johnnyrod
21-06-18, 12:54 PM
Yeah still the same, you can get them on line now, not that they ask any more questions than before, it's just a moneyspinner. I've been a fair few times in my last job, all you do is stand in a queue and hand your money over unless you already have a valid stamp (they last 90 days), they never turn anyone away!
johnnyrod
21-06-18, 08:02 PM
Contessamat arrived, it's similar to the one I have. Shutter and timer work, RF looks good but linkage is a bit wobbly, meter is good, glass is good, case is just about as knackered as it could be. The only thing that would stop you shooting with it straight off is that it won't wind on. From a bit of investigation it's something between the winder and the shutter, maybe the double exposure prevention is stuck. I cokked the shutter from inside instead to try it out. This model doesn't have the (now redundant) feature where it adjusts the aperture based on distance if you are using a flash, a leftover from flash bulb days when there were no thyristors to cut off the light, but the aperture adjustment in manual mode is a lot easier than my other one, where you need to hold down a little button (like when you adjust the ISO ring).
I wouldn't know where to start with something like that. Are there any guides on how to sort? How are you getting on rebuilding the Agfas for that guy?
johnnyrod
21-06-18, 08:58 PM
Ha, haven't touched the Agfas. They need a basic clean and collimation, that's all really, he doesn't want them back. He has (or had) an Agfa Ambi Silette which needed work, which he never sent to me in the end, I can't remember why. He's seany65 on RFF, he has an MO of buying something, finding it doesn't work, asking a lot of questions, then selling it and buying another. I'm not sure if he has a working camera!
Guides - no, I've fiddled with a few of these, the auto aperture bit is a bit tricky but really they come apart easily. For example, on all the rigid Contessas there is a lever that is operated by the ISO ring/shutter speed/aperture that pokes up into the top bit. This moves bits around in the meter so it knows what you are adjusting - the metering is the centre-the-needle type. If you take the meter off then there are no wires going down into the shutter, and it has no carbon tracks to wear out, the meter just pops on and off and engages the lever. Not at all like the Japanese ones! Glad I didn't cut my teeth on those or folders. The Tessar lenses are good without being amazing, they don't seem as forgiving as say a G Zuiko, but the rest of the camera is really nice to use and they're much smaller and lighter than a Konica S or Yashica Electro. I think you or Yoko have a Colora/Symbolica, they're that big, a touch bigger than a Contina.
I think mine is a Tenax, not seen it in a while so can't remember. My luck with rangefinders isn't too good, they tend to be a little off or have broken mirrors. 401551111188
johnnyrod
22-06-18, 09:13 AM
That's a Contessamatic E, I had one with a knackered meter. The metering is a lot like the Vitomatic in that the index mark for shutter speed isn't fixed, it's on the shutter speed ring, but once you have chosen the right EV then you swap between the shutter/aperture combinations easily. That one looks pretty grubby! I think I can see oil on the blades from here. Contessa LK aside they are easy to adjust, and in my experience they are often sticky but tend to have lasted well.
Grabbed this tank for a fiver. More for the lens than anything else. Even the meter seems to work.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1822/29095631648_7c17906fc2_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Lk5HBw)
A few from the Pentax Program A and the rebuilt 50mm f1.7. I also realised with a few shots left that I had been shooting my 200 speed film at 400.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180624/26bfc03fc345bc02a276e4461a72dfd8.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180624/cbb309ead04a1320a233f54debf9a4dd.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180624/6fe52dd6cafefe81edce22173ff14503.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180624/8d083f9e18577f819902c3b4d391ba86.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180624/22fb0359d1715be150adc88b483446ef.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180624/1521c16bcfbfc26e5890069a341df1a0.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180624/e099e4bbdcb8545977fd78e559890647.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180624/780deb0ed3bd9f935607dfd1e468ed5f.jpg
They look good.
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They look good.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using TapatalkThanks, the red truck is my favourite.
Thanks, the red truck is my favourite.Yes that was mine too.
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Going to keep an eye on this one 372345313964
yokohama
25-06-18, 08:22 PM
Going to keep an eye on this one 372345313964
Go on, put an offer in. you know you want to. :)
Good buy on the Zenith. A fiver for a working EM and a Helios for the price of a London pint is an excellent deal.
Somehow, the Minolta XE 1 seems to be working. I tried to clean it up, put new batteries in and following Rupert Brooke's advice, moved it into the sun. Maybe the capacitors needed a recharge but the shutter sounds like it's working properly at different speeds now. I'll put a film in and try it out. EEK! Down to my last 3 Poundland Vistas. Looks like it's Fujicolour or Kodak colourplus from now on.
Went for a walk at the weekend and shot a few more on the Electro 35. It still leaves me emotionless though.
Maybe, just bought one of these though http://www.redbellows.co.uk/CameraCollection/Kodak/No2Hawkette_gen.htm. Missing the front clips to keep it closed but nothing a hair band won't sort. My stock of Vista is looking depressingly low as well, it all expires in December as well. You will have to learn black and white and how to bulk load. Need a film fridge in the new place. Good news on the XE1 though.
Cleaned up this old Kodak Brownie Bullseye tonight, don't see them very often. 620 rollfilm. Had it a while but wanted something to tinker with.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/833/41218151370_51c6373940_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/25NiNof)
yokohama
26-06-18, 08:10 PM
I like the Hawkette. Really cool design.
Guy at a car boot wanted £70 for his one. Really nice in the flesh.
Doubt I'm going to go for the folding Olympus, its at £45 at the moment.
yokohama
30-06-18, 05:11 PM
I don't blame you and it'll probably go higher at the death.
Looks like we lost a couple of posts during the blackout.
I don't blame you and it'll probably go higher at the death.
Looks like we lost a couple of posts during the blackout.We lost 24 hours of posts as the server failed just 1 hour before it's next scheduled backup.
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I was wondering what had happened. Kept getting server not found errors. I still can't find a silver rewind crank for the OM1. I have spotted a black one on eBay or I can stick with the Pen EE crank I found.
yokohama
30-06-18, 05:21 PM
Is the black one a reasonable price? If not, stick with the Pen EE one until you can find a donor.
£22.95. I paid £25 for the silver body.
I was looking for a 14-42mm Lumix lens for the G1, one has come up on Facebook locally for £50 with a GF3 attached but I just blew £300 on the Civic today, otherwise I would jump on it.
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yokohama
30-06-18, 08:47 PM
That's a good deal on the Panasonic camera and lens, unlike the OM crank.
The Panny sold. Oh well.
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Not much at the boot sales this morning, got a couple of Kodak film pods, an Ansco 127 Dollar camera and a Kodak No.2 Autographic. Sadly the bellows are shot (noticing a pattern here)
Picked this up for £20 at an antique centre, and I know nothing about it.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1787/29260185548_9654b8d4fc_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/LzC6KJ)
Cool waist level finder though
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1762/43132242361_1a44a6d3b9_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/28Hs1X4)
Picked this up for £20 at an antique centre, and I know nothing about it.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1787/29260185548_9654b8d4fc_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/LzC6KJ)
Cool waist level finder though
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1762/43132242361_1a44a6d3b9_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/28Hs1X4)I like that.
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Bet you can't guess where the shutter release is! No cheating!
Bet you can't guess where the shutter release is! No cheating!Well there is a very obvious button on the top plate so it can't be that. Is it the button on the front left opposite the pc connection?
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That's the one. I wound it on and thought I broke it. I was pushing the top one. Had me confused for a while.
That's the one. I wound it on and thought I broke it. I was pushing the top one. Had me confused for a while.So what does the top plate button do?
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Rewind release.!
I love quirky cameras
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I was pushing it and thinking "why won't you fire!" It also has a safety catch on the back to lock the shutter release. Lens is interchangeable too.
yokohama
01-07-18, 07:22 PM
Nice one. I like the waist level viewfinder too.
I think it would make a great street shooter. With the finder on top you can use it and not look like you are using it if you know what I mean.
I think I fixed my duff X700. http://www.suaudeau.eu/memo/rep/armement_d%27un_Minolta_X700.html
Nope, it's locking up now. Hmmm.
yokohama
04-07-18, 07:39 PM
I think there in the winder mechanism has something to do with it. That's where I was when I got it working again. Keep persevering.
Yeah it's gone all squiffy now but I will keep trying. By the way, does anyone know where I put my Rolleicord?
johnnyrod
04-07-18, 09:37 PM
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HistoricCamera/permalink/1052595958230574/
yokohama
07-07-18, 05:18 PM
Got bored while waiting for the footie to start and went on ebay. Ended up winning an ME Super for £7. Hope it works.
Lol, boredom browsing. Did it come with a lens or was it body only? I got some expired 110 film from the bay that expired in 1990. Hope it works!
yokohama
07-07-18, 05:58 PM
Body only but I have a couple of K mount lenses.
1990 film! A bit of synchronicity with the football there!
Fingers crossed it works. They don't seem to be very reliable though, nice when they work.
Got one of these kits for a tenner from the car boot sale. Brand new not used https://www.cameraking.co.uk/konig-electronic-kn-studio10-portable-photo-studio-kit/
I also got a Praktica B100 for £3 with what looks to be a 50mm pancake lens.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180708/fdc93384e7130f07413e06130da010e7.jpg
Hey Yoko, have you done any more shooting with vintage glass on your Olympus? I'm starting to find the use of the old lenses very limiting. 2x crop is a pain, and there seems to be a limited amount of worthwhile subjects. Mostly seems to be flowers. Either I need some inspiration, to buy a normal Lumix lens for it it or move it on. Not sure what to do as I have my D5200, the HS10 and the TZ35 for travel.
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yokohama
08-07-18, 07:07 PM
Another nice set of finds from the boot sales. The charity shops up here have been pretty bare of late. I've only seen bog standard point and shoot cameras.
I haven't tried the vintage glass since my last experiment. The crop factor does limit things a bit. 50mm for portraits maybe. A 28mm might work for street shots. I'll give it another go someday but for me, focussing was the biggest pain, even with the help turned on. Wonder how zooms would work?
Massive pain I would have thought. 70-200 would be 140-400, massive shake. Maybe a Tamron 35-70 would be better? I do have an Olympus 28mm which gives me a 56I'm focal length. I'll have to try it but it's just not doing it for me tbh.
yokohama
08-07-18, 07:45 PM
I know what you mean. Maybe it's better for close up or macro stuff in high definition. Flowers, fly tying, still life. Your car boot find might be useful in that respect. I've some time off work over the next couple of weeks so will give it another go.
I need to get the creases out of the backdrops. They folded them instead of rolling them.
I was playing around with the B100 and heard something loose under the top plate. With much fiddling I got the plate off and found this u-shaped bit that holds the front two hotshoe screws was loose. Refitted and all good again.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1782/43306245531_1854474949_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/28YPQ2H)
johnnyrod
10-07-18, 05:25 AM
Not much going on up here. Am still shooting some colour 645 on my old Certo - I feel like I should refer to this as a "project" as it takes so long to finish one film! Next thing on the list is getting a NAS, as our digital photos are just too disorganized, and too difficult to manage on several computers. The harvest has started in some places though so I should keep the Certo on me a bit more I guess.
They have done the hay harvest early down here so I missed a chance to go back and get a decent shot. As I find my film stock dwindling I find myself taking longer to get through a roll. Knowing I can't just walk into Poundland to restock is making me conserve what film I have left. Once its gone film shooting will be a bit more of a treat. We are at the point of exchanging on the house, I think this is week 11. So I'll be very busy shortly.
johnnyrod
10-07-18, 12:11 PM
Pentax MX in west London for peanuts
https://www.gumtree.com/p/video-camera-accessories/pentax-camra-and-lens/1305728881
Would have jumped on that if I hadn't just bought another Kiev 4.
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One for Yoko? 142854067850
yokohama
10-07-18, 08:31 PM
Don't tempt me with any more but I think if I went for a Kiev, it would be an older model. I saw a Fed 2 in WYC a while ago and liked the look of that.
The ME super arrived today and looks to be in good working order. It just needs a clean up but it's a nice size.; it deserves a little pancake lens on the end.
Not trying to be a tease 253741545948
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johnnyrod
12-07-18, 08:38 AM
The older Kievs are said to be better made than the various model 4s. I have a IIIa which is nice to use but the meter is rubbish and the pull-up-to-change shutter speed knob is a pin in the backside. Great lenses though, I swapped the Jupiter 8 50mm f2 for the same Sonnar off my Contax and you couldn't tell the difference.
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