Fun, usable classic camera

[madwand]

I'm looking for advice on what would be a fun, usable classic

camera. Fully manual is essential. Metering is not necessary.

Flash is not necessary, but being able to sync an electronic flash

manually would be nice.

 

The camera must look at least somewhat old. The camera must be a

pleasure to use. The camera should be able to take good pictures

given a good lens in good condition (these must be available) and

modern film. The camera should be portable (35mm would be best, but

a small MF would be fine).

 

Please pardon the following criticism. It's personal preference, and

what I'm trying to improve upon.

 

I have a Contax IIa that fits most of this criteria, but I don't find

it to be fun to use. I don't like the view through the viewfinder,

and I find the focusing to be clever but midly painful.

 

I have a Canon F1 that fits most of this criteria, but is not quite

old enough.

 

What's the point of this search? I guess it's merely to show that it

can be done by doing it. It would feel good to use such a device at

times, to leave the modern consumer world for a moment and to go back

to an older consumer world.

 

Perhaps the price to pay is like what I've complained about with the

Contax IIa. I'll reconcile to it or to the Canon if I have no better

alternatives.

 

Do you have any suggestions?

[daniel_iggers]

Contaflex with Tessar f/2.8 45mm

[jimvanson]

"<I>...leave the modern consumer world for a moment and to go back to an older consumer world..."</i><P>Old cardboard cylindrical oatmeal container with a pinhole in one end -- nothing else will satisfy.

[jonathan_stark]

Here's a slightly unorthodox suggestion: Soviet FED 2 rangefinder from the early 60's. A well-running one (admittedly not easy to find) can be a blast. Has a much better viewfinder than a Barnack Leica, definitely doesn't look modern, can take dozens of fine lenses, and even the Soviet Industars and Jupiters can give fine results, handled right. Has everything you need and nothing extra, like an old British sports car.

 

(and you guys thought I was going to say Retina IIa, right? My personal favorite, but Retinas are an acquired taste......) JS

[msitaraman]

Rolleicord.

[back_alley_.]

i'll trade you a minolta 7s, minolta 9 and an konica c 35 for the contax lla.

 

joe

[larry_mobbs]

I agree with Mani's suggestion. Using a TLR causes you to approach your photo differently in composition and for me, being more deliberate. They really look old fashioned and you'll never complain about the image quality. It is also a nice choise for street photography. In addition to Rollei, there are Yashicas and Minolta Autocords.

[john_shriver]

You can use what I started with -- an Aires Viscount. Japanese rangefinder, ca. 1960. 45mm f/1.9 lens, which is quite sharp. Leaf shutter, M & X sync. Generous (non-squnity) bright-line viewfinder, large eyepiece. Reasonably durable if well-treated. Cheap. There are some earlier Aires models that also have bright-line finders, such as the 35-IIIC and 35-IIIL, which have styling more inspired by the Leica M3. But they have a smaller rangefinder eyepiece.

 

There are always some on eBay.

 

Might need a clean, lube, and adjust, but they aren't hard to work on, so it shouldn't be expensive, and it is a feasible do-it-yourself project for the very handy and coordinated. Just be sure the RF mirror is OK.

[lex_jenkins]

The Canon F1 isn't exactly "roughing it" and if you didn't enjoy the Contax IIa then you probably won't care for my suggestion.

 

I really enjoy my Agfa Isolette when I don't want to tote my Rollei TLR. It's lightweight and fits my smallest camera bag easily, along with a light meter, several rolls of film, cell phone, even my day planner if I need it. There aren't many smaller, lighter medium format cameras around.

 

Because my Isolette doesn't have the built-in rangefinder (tho' I do have a separate Rowi rangefinder for the accessory shoe) I find it easiest to use fast film and stop down to f/11 or smaller to ensure plenty of DOF for zone focusing. Typically I use Tri-X, sometimes pushing it to 1600 for all-day flexibility.

 

While I'll use the Rowi rangefinder to get me in the ballpark it's of somewhat limited usefulness - it's calibrated in feet while the focus ring on the Isolette is in meters. Most of the time I just use "3" as a quick factor and it's close enough.

 

This Isolette does have flash sync capability and it works with electronic flash - I've tested it a couple of times and the photos showed correct sync. However the flash socket is not as deep as later cameras so I had to carefully file down the flash plug on the cord to allow for reliable contact. But since I don't use flash with this camera, other than the one test to make sure it worked, it doesn't matter.

 

One suggestion: If you do get an Isolette or other folder, buy from someone who knows how to CLA them properly. I went the do-it-yourself route and it was tedious and frustrating. The camera works fine and looks great but I can't say I had fun getting it into that condition.

[pc1]

what Lex just wrote : i totally agree to an Agfa Isolette .here's a pic of my Isolette ll.

 

 

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/1821490-sm.jpg">

 

or what the poster above suggested : maybe if you could find a Contaflex ll in good working condition,this too is one of my favorite ,take anywhere ,classic SLR . here's a pic of it.

 

 

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/1821525-sm.jpg"> hope you find what you're lookin for , pc

[erin.e]

Konica Auto S2, Excellent legendary 45mm 1.8 Hexanon lens, metered manual or shutter preffered auto. Fixed lens rangefinder benchmark.

A steal at current prices. Readily avaiable on Ebay.<div></div>

[david_bedell]

A decent TLR. Lots of fun to use, fantastic image quality, and it

looks plenty old.

[steve_chan5]

I'd suggest either a medium format folder, like the Agfa, an Iskra or maybe something like a Certo Six or the later Zeiss Ikontas - or else pick up and old RF like the Canon P

[furcafe]

If you can't stand the view through the Contax IIa's VF (even as a Zeiss Ikon fan, I can't say that it's great) & don't want to deal w/a focus wheel, why not try a later Canon RF, like the P or 7? They're about the same price as the Contax (sometimes a bit more), & have much brighter VFs.

[jena_tessar]

A press camera in 120 rollfilm size, like a "23 Graphic"-size Speed, Crown, or Century Graphic. Budget for a fedora and a cheap cigar to go with it.

[mike_elek]

As you might have guessed, it's a wide-open field.

 

My two cents for 35mm:

 

-- Super Solinette: Nice little camera. Good lens, Decent viewfinder/rangefinder. Very pocketable and fun. Usually about $50.

 

-- Retina IIIS: Excellent camera. A bit large but easy to use and with very good interchangeable lenses. Viewfinder has parallax correcting frame marks. Usually about $115, maybe less.

 

-- Contarex Bullseye: Massive camera. Good viewfinder, excellent glass. Almost always more than $500.

 

-- Rollei 35/T/S: Great little camera. Must be flexible and willing to adapt to quirky ergonomics. Great lenses. Meters sometimes don't work, but has no effect on camera. Zone focus ... which some people can and cannot do. Collectors are pushing up the price on these. Between $175-$275 or more.

 

-- Voigtlander Vito II/IIa: Excellent camera with a very good lens. Nice ergonomics. Very lightweight. Zone focus. No meter, but not a big deal. Roughly $50-$80.

 

Personally, I love the Contax IIa and would reach for it nearly every time.

 

The Contax II has a somewhat brighter viewfinder, though it's a larger camera. I also find it a bit easier to focus than the IIa.

 

 

My own collection. Not quite up to date, but close enough:

 

http://host.fptoday.com/melek/cameras.html

[silent1]

I'm very happy with my Moskva-5 -- it looks "old" because it was made in Russia in 1959. It's a folder, with a rangefinder, using a rotating prism system identical to that on the Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta models from before WWII. It's easy to focus, easy to set, has electronic flash synch and a reasonably fast lens (f/3.5 105mm, a Tessar copy with good quality coating), even primitive double exposure prevention (on the body release only). Shutter runs from 1 to 250, plus B, and it takes a standard cable release.

 

Hard to find another camera that has more "classic" look than this one, and it's fun to use. I will warn you, though -- big negatives are addictive.

[h._p.]

If the viewfinder is the big thing to you, then you could try the Retina 1B, IIC or IIIC (note the capital letters, they're important). They have excellent finders and are built in the traditional style. I have a IB and it's an excellent shooter.

 

The later Canon rangefinder models have already been mentioned. If you have the money, the rangefinder par excellence and the epitome of the classic camera has to be the Leica M3. I got myself a rather battered one a couple of years ago and I think it's a marvelous camera.

[summitar]

I also vote for the Konica Auto S2--old world quality, with new world conveience.

[tim obrien]

I would agree with the Agfa Isolette except it's a crappy camera compared to the Zeiss Nettar with the Novar lens. That said, the best cameras I can recommend are the Kodak Retina II, or a Zeiss Ikonta 532. Both of these have rangefinders and excellent lens.

 

TLRs are an aquired taste that I haven't picked up on. My C220 and Yashica, while nice cameras, sit in the cuboard most of the time.

 

For a 35mm I suggest a goood Russian lens and something like a Fujica ST body.

 

tim in san jose

[vidom]

I love my Leica M3 and can most warmly recommend any Leica M - a problem for you may be that the latest model looks nearly the same. For the smallest package of big neg, big and clear viewfinder, coupled RF and nice lens also consider a Super Ikonta III - 6x6 doesn't get any smaller, and this does have a "classic" look in a very old-fashioned way.

[jon_goodman1]

Contaflex I or II, but get one that has been serviced so the shutter (and more importantly) and aperture work correctly. You'll get a nice bright viewfinder and a camera that will take superb photos.

 

Jon

[jeffpolaski]

Retina II or IIa. Very good, fast lens. Folds to fit in hip pocket. Veiwfinder/rangefinder usually needs a cleaning and adjustment. Take 32mm slip-on filters. A nice lump of German steel mthat's also good for self-defense.

[robert_davis2]

A spotmatic. Stick any of the wide range of lenses on it and go.

[richard_oleson]

There's been another thread here recently on Exaktas; these are a bit of an acquired taste, but with a good lens and screen and an eye level prism they can stand up with the best of them... and they look INCREDIBLY old, like something out of another century (which now, I guess, they are). A TLR is good too, there are good users available in price ranges from about $30 up. A Minolta Autocord or a Rolleicord probably offer the best value for the price, and both are nice to look at.

 

Here's another one if you want to look really old: I've got a Miniature Speed Graphic with a 120 rollfilm back on it. Takes 6x9cm photos and looks like it was used to document loading animals onto the Ark.

 

:)=<div></div>