Vintage film cameras

[yokohama]

Yep. That's the one I read but I found it hard to follow and it mentions marks and colours on the lens and dials that the camera doesn't have. I'll work it out while I'm using it.
I've now got an adaptall 2 Olympus mount. New range of lenses opens up.

[yokohama]

I still cant open the front end of the Vivitar though. Johnny, you were right. Searching for the lens + repair brought up some useful stuff. I was searching lens + disassembly

[Kenzie]

Do you think someone attempted a repair or clean and fluffed up putting it back together? Got nearly two rolls through the MV plus finishing off the Solinette and Zorki 10 as well as loads of others I haven't shot yet.

[johnnyrod]

Have had a look a the Contina manual. The light meter is uncoupled i.e. no feedback from the shutter settings at all. You set the ISO then point the camera and wind the middle knob until the circle sits over the needle. Ignore the next part of the manual - yours doesn't have the hateful light value scale, just scales of shutter sped and aperture to choose the combo you want for the light you have. The meter doesn't have any sort of lens so won't be fantastically directional, but the main interference is sunlight so the flap is good in that respect. Set the shutter and distance, wind it on, SNAP! It's modern enough that you can change the shutter speed after winding on - unlike, for example, and old Certo folder. Yours doesn't appear to have the VXM switch, if that's the case then no self-timer. If you connect a flash and open the back, then fire the shutter while looking through it you'll find out if it's X-synchronised, which I expect it will be. If so you'll see light, if not you won't. Some people point the flash through the shutter to do this, it's a good way to be blinded though! The flash is way too short on any shutter speed to be visible if it's M sync. Ignore all the fannying around re. loading film, the Contessa manuals say the same (as I discovered after the third film), just shove it in in the usual way. Finally the "snapshot" setting aka Zeiss red dot is a simple way to shoot anything hyperfocally. Set the aperture to the red number (i.e.8 ), set the distance to the red dot (between 5 and 10 on the distance scale I think, from the ebay pictures), and you will then see from the DoF scale it'll cover most situations if you get the right shutter speed. The DoF scale is a bit enthusiastic by around one stop as ever though. Hope this clarifies it all.

[Kenzie]

Can someone help me wrap my head around something. My Solinette has a mark on the focus ring. The manual says if I use this and have the aperture between f8 and f11 I will have a dof of 7-22ft with a subject at 10ft and 22ft to infinity if the subject is at 35ft or more. Does this mean I will have sharp focus within those ranges?
That black om2 went for £46.

[johnnyrod]

Yep that's right, you should be able to set the distance on the lens and read the same numbers off the DoF scale. As I said above, at least on older cameras, the DoF scale is a bit wider than in reality i.e. if you set aperture to f11 then read off the distance range against the two f8 marks, depending on what you call sharp of course - I'd be surprised if you would be really happy at the far ends of the DoF you're supposed to have. Also remember that the DoF is twice as long behind the subject as in front - so with large DoF (small aperture) then err on the short distance side as it is less forgiving.

I have read so many manuals it's getting ridiculous.

[yokohama]

Over 2 rolls of film in a day??? I think that's beyond my capabilities.
It's possible someone had the lens apart and didn't reassemble properly. As it is, it would be fine for close-ups and subjects up to 10 feet or so, but definitely not landscapes.
Post some pics up when you get them all processed.

[johnnyrod]

Hahhah haaa I missed that one. Think I managed that at my sister's wedding in 2006 when I was doing the photos! Badly...

[Kenzie]

No, not in one day. Although one film is full of daisies while playing with the Hanimex.

[yokohama]

Thanks for the instructions Johnny. So basically, once the light meter is set, I can choose the shutter/aperture combination to suit?
There is a VXM switch in the side of the lens.