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By BeBu Lamar · Posted
The shutter failed on my FE (I don't have an FE2). The shutter in any camera can fail in 5 years (let alone 30 plus years) but I wouold say the percentage isn't big. You just have to buy another FE2. Even back in the 80's I don't think replacing the shutter is economical vs buying another camera (although you could buy a brand new camera with warranty back then). In April 1984 B&H was selling the FE2 body for $219.99. And my Maxxum 7 is dead and so I can't call it oustanding. My F3 (1982) is still working great. -
By chuck_foreman1 · Posted
Cityscape View from the Bridge [caption for previous picture] ...continued Vito CS Rear of the Art Academy (perspective correction needed) Tonhalle - (probably posted this view before ) Sculpture Harmony (dedicated to poet Heinrich Heine) Märchenbrunnen (Fairytale Fountain ) Tonahalle (fornt or side view - needs perspective control too) Rheinterasse (ritzy dance or event space ) -
By gary green · Posted
In the vintage camera collecting world, the Ansco brand usually evokes images of cheap, mass-produced “point-and-shoot” film cameras with fixed-focus, fixed aperture meniscus lenses and single or limited shutter speeds such as the Panda, Anscoflex, and Clipper series of cameras. With the exception of the excellent but over-ambitious Automatic Reflex TLR, any well-equipped camera from the mid-20th century with an Ansco nameplate is likely a simple re-badge of an identical camera from the German Agfa company who purchased Ansco in 1928. What is less well-known is that, prior to joining with Agfa, and particularly in the 1910s and early 1920s, Ansco was a major manufacturer of quality cameras and photographic supplies in the American market. It is from this earlier era, 1916 specifically, that the Ansco VP Speedex No. 3 was introduced. Here is my particular example that was manufactured in 1918. The Ansco Vest Pocket Speedex No. 3 is a mouthful when spoken but not a handful in use. In fact, in its initial version, it is one of the smallest 120 roll film folding 6x9 cameras I have ever held … on par with the reduced-size 620 folders introduced by Kodak. Ansco sold 4 different models of VP cameras oddly numbered 0 through 3. Unlike Kodak, whose VP cameras only used size 127 film, only the No. 0 (original) Ansco VP camera used the smaller film format. The Ansco VPs No. 1 through 3 all used size 120 film while still retaining the “vest pocket” nomenclature. To Ansco’s credit, all versions except the No. 1 included the option of being equipped with a focusing anastigmat lens which was state-of-the-art at the time. The No. 3 model was the top-tier offering, was the only model that could be equipped with a lens faster than f6.3, and was the only model with the “Speedex” moniker. It was also the only “folding bed” model; the other models being of the extended strut design. Here is a September 1916 advertisement showing all the Ansco VP models. As alluded to earlier, the VP Speedex No. 3 was produced in two successive versions. The first version (1916 – 1918) was the smaller and simpler of the two versions consisting of a fold-down bed, slide-out lens panel, Ilex Acme No. 0 shutter with seven speeds from 1 to 1/300 sec plus T & B, and a choice of five unit-focusing anastigmat lenses: Modico f7.5, Ansco f6.3, Ansco f5, Goerz Celor f4.8, or Bausch & Lomb (Zeiss) Tessar f4.5. 1st Version Advertisement The second version of the VP Speedex No. 3 (1918 – 1922) was released with several enhancements: Swing-out film spool holders Film transport rollers Rising front standard adjustment Focusing scale in feet and meters DOF scale Carrying strap Ansco f4.5 anastigmat lens option (replacing Ansco f5) Here's a side-by-side comparison of the film chambers of the 1st and 2nd versions of the VP No. 3. 1st version left, 2nd version right The addition of the spool holders, film rollers, and carrying strap increased the size of the camera but not appreciably. The spool holders and film rollers also appear to have increased the rigidity of the body which likely helps with maintaining film flatness and keeping the film plane parallel to the lens. 2nd Version Advertisement The list of lens offerings seemed to change dynamically based on market supply/demand conditions. Also, this post-WW1 Goerz advertisement seemed to indicate that owners/buyers could have a Goerz Dagor lens retrofitted to the VP Speedex. I’m not sure if Goerz partnered with Ansco or if this was strictly a third-party modification. I suspect the latter because I have not seen any Ansco advertisements listing the Dagor lens option. I found my particular first-version example on the Goodwill auction website. When I noticed the Ansco name on the shutter with a f4.5 Tessar lens, I knew this was a camera I had not seen before, and I snatched it up. In the auction listing, the only issues I could see were a worn-out and loose body covering and a cloudy lens. Upon arrival, I was pleased to see that the bellows were largely intact, with a few pinholes in the top corners, and that the shutter fired, albeit slowly, at all speeds. I began my overhaul of the shutter in the usual way. I removed the front and rear lens groups and cleaned the external surfaces. The air-spaced front group had a strong haze on the internal surfaces, but I was able to unscrew the front element and it cleaned up nicely. After cleaning the lenses, I then flushed the shutter with Ronsonol (naptha) while exercising the shutter speeds and aperture. To my horror, when I adjusted the aperture, I saw the blades crumble into tiny pieces. This was my first experience cleaning an Ilex shutter and I was not aware that the aperture blades were made of some kind of paper/plastic/synthetic material that seemed to swell slightly when the naptha was applied and then disintegrated when I moved the aperture lever. I had never seen this type of aperture blade material before. Needless to say, I was bummed-out but I decided my best solution was to look for a compatible replacement shutter. I eventually found a beat up, “for parts” second version VP Speedex No. 3 for sale on eBay with what appeared to be the identical shutter but with the f7.5 Modico anastigmat lens. The seller indicated the shutter and aperture were working so I decided to purchase it with the intent of carefully cleaning the shutter (i.e., no flooding with naptha) and swapping the lens groups. When the parts camera arrived, I removed the Modico lens and noticed immediately that the aperture blades on this otherwise identical Ilex shutter were made of metal! Evidently, this was another improvement to the second version camera. I was able to clean and lube the new shutter in my usual way and successfully swapped in the freshly cleaned f4.5 Tessar. After the initial CLA, I loaded up some Arista 100 film and tossed the camera in my bag as an extra to take on a trip to a friend’s cabin in Canada. In use, the camera was quick to open, set exposure, and adjust focus. The focusing lever is convenient with click stops at 4, 6, 10, 25, and 100 feet. Setting the focus in between any of these stops is tricky however due to the limited swing arc of the lever. The 90mm Tessar lens is a little wider than usual for a 6x9 camera and the viewfinder exhibits some barrel distortion when attempting to frame subjects, but really no worse than competitor’s offerings. The Ilex shutter has an excellent range of speeds and worked flawlessly. Also, the shutter release is smooth and easy to trip without shaking the camera. I expected good results from the Tessar lens and I wasn’t disappointed. I’ve included some sample images below. All was not smooth sailing; it took a couple of test rolls for me to get all the pinhole leaks patched and the focus adjusted to meet my satisfaction. I am pleased with the final results, however. Safe Harbor Upstairs Apartment Hosed Not Quite Off-The-Grid Abandoned Dock Until Summer Arrives Ansco called the VP Speedex No. 3 model “The Master Camera”. That’s a bit of hyperbole but I do agree it is a very convenient pocketable folder with an excellent, fast lens and a respectable range of shutter speeds and features for its time. I believe it holds up well against the similar No. 1 “Special” Kodaks of the same time period. All things considered, I think the second version of this camera would be slightly more desirable from a user standpoint so it’s on my watch list now along with working examples of VP models No. 0 through 2 to complete the series. As always, I hope you’ve enjoyed this short review and found some of the information useful and/or interesting. Happy collecting! Gary -
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By chuck_foreman1 · Posted
Reaching back into the last year again with two more cameras ... Doing two cameras/rolls helps me get caught up. Today we will have David and Goliath. Here is a the Zeiss Ikon Ikonta 524-2 (Goliath) and the small pocketable Voigtländer Vito CS (David). The The 6x9 Ikonta has the triplet 4.5 Novar (Yellow Filtwer) and the Vito has the 2.8 Skopar (Tessar type) . The Ikonta has far fewer frames to choose from so I might add a few more (punches) from the Vito. As per my usual process; Foma 100 and APX100 soupled in D76 1:1. These are straight negative scans. Ikonta Rheinpromenade Rheinscape Barge on the river
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