Old Screw Bodies

[allison_reese]

I found an old screw mount camera and played with it when buying chemicals. Why are the prices of some screw cameras so high? Why would anyone still use them with the short focus mechanism and two window operation, and old lenses/with exception, of course ($$$).

 

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Is it part of being nostalgic, trying to imitate HCB...?

 

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They are far from pocketable (as a point-and-shoot), the weight being too high.

 

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My boyfriend respects my M3 but cannot understand the prices of the screw cameras...too slow. Must be the demographics he says.

[nicholas_rab1]

1. Because they are fun

2. Because they are different (related to #1)

3. Because sometimes it is the journey and not the destination that

matters (related to #2 & #1)

 

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I have one available for borrowing, and it is great fun. Sure, it is

old, slow, and the lens sucks in modern terms, but there is a certain

joy in using it. The pictures seem so much alive, and who cares that

it is only because of what I feel in my heart, nobody is buying them

anyway...

[roger_michel]

i own a number of cameras (including a number of leica m cameras)

and, for pleasure shooting, use my iiig more than anything else (with

my brooks veriwide coming in second). i like the camera because (a)

it has a very high VF mag making focusing very quick, (b) it is much

smaller than an m, © there are so many lenses to fit it, including

the voigts and current 35 and 50 (cron and lux) from leica, (d) it is

very quiet, (e) the VF is uncluttered, (f) it has a very nice range

of slow speeds as compared to an m and i use the slow speeds a lot,

(g) i am able to "get away" with using a classic camera in situations

where i mite get yelled at if i had a modern camera (e.g. strangers

are much more apt to let me take their portrait with the iiig than

with an f100), (h) the iiig, like the m3 to a somewhat lesser degree,

exudes a quality of craftsmanship and finish that few if any other

mechanical devices possess, and (i) i like the way it slows me down --

i think about the shots more. a mint iiig for $1500 is really a

bargain. if a company tried to build one today to the same quality

level it would, like the nikon s3 reissue, cost many thousands of

dollars.

[greg_mason]

most of on this forum have additional cameras of other makes. the

old screw mounts are about as far from from todays modern auto

everything cameras as you can get. there is a certain appeal to

knowing you can still get a great picture from a camera that is over

50 years old. it forces you to stop and think. it also represents a

different time when cameras were hand assembled.

 

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tell your boyfriend, that if he thinks screw mount cameras are

expensive try pricing mint 65 mustang convertables or 68 chevrolet

camero z28's. ask him which he would rather spend the summer driving

the new model or the classic.

 

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this is not just limited to cameras and cars, many other items also

have a similar relaitionship, due in some part to nostalgia and in

some part to skills long since lost in these days of time

constraints. old wood working is one example. in my case, my

grandmothers wedding dress is another item that I doubt could be

duplicated today.

[kelly_flanigan1]

Leica re-released some brand new Leica screw mount lenses about 2?

years ago...The new Leitz #11619 50mmm F2 Summicron was hawked by

Heliar on Ebay; as well as a new 35mm Summicron..These were produced

I believe for the Japanese market..All the ones I have seen are

chrome; well built but real heavy..The 50mm is darn sharp wide open;

and is the same lens/optics as the latest Leica M 50mm F2.; but with

a M39 LTM (mount)....<BR><BR>The screw mount cameras are smaller than

the M series<BR><BR>Many of the Leica screw bodies have a diopter

control; this is cool if ones eyes vary when tired!<BR><BR>The last

screw Leica IIIg has a great viewfinder; but the collectors seem to

be grabbing them all.......<BR><BR>There are <b>worlds </b>of

aftermarket lenses made by Nikon, Canon, Sears!/Tower, Steinheil,Carl

Zeiss,Angenieux,Pentax

(recently),Voigtlander,Wollensak,Cooke,Taylor,Minolta,Schneider-

Kreuznach,Zuiho Optical, FED in the Ukraine; a company in

Wetzlar......................................... Leitz!; plus all the

Jupiter, Industar, & Orion series cranked out by all the many Russian

factories...Many Russian clones are of the leica optics; which are

dirt cheap; some actually are good to great....One must have a spirt

of adventure when using these; and do alot of testing..Some are

absolute crap.......Quality control is <b>all</b> over the map; that

is why there are Russian optics lovers and haters...Most all the

Russian lenses are super light; because of the all aluminum

mounts..But they are not as robust.....The optical designs are mostly

of old old lens designs....They have a nice dreamy out of focus which

is cool for people shots...etc... <BR><BR>There are more

Russian "Leica" screw mount cameras in existance than all the Leicas

ever made.....I have only about 7 of them......They are <b>LOUD </b>;

basic and have <b>NO</b> roller cam; but instead a cam arm....Most

all Russian lenses can be mounted on Leica screw mount bodies; but

alot of the Leica lenses will not fit..The lens cam surface must be a

cylinder; so that the Russian cam doesnt get hung up....Most all the

50mm Leica screw lenses will work....<BR><BR>The Leica screw mount

cameras rangefinder has magnification; approx 1.5X? this makes the

effective rangefinder baseline better than the Bessa R series....Kelly

[jay_.]

Allison, I still have the 2 LTM bodies and 5 LTM lenses I inherited

from an elderly friend of the family when I was 13. I had the bodies

CLA'd and a new shutter put in one of them about 4 years ago, and I

take them out of the display case and work the shutter at all speeds

once every other month. I have not had a roll of film through them

since the one I used to check them after the CLA. For me at least,

it is indeed nostalgia that keeps me from selling them. But as far as

functionality, as Yogi Berra said: "nostalgia ain't what it used to

be."

[art waldschmidt]

Allison, Sometimes there are unexpected rewards in using things that

are not new and slick and popular crowd-pleasers!

[andy_wagner1]

Allison as you get older you appreciate older things. (hope the wifeb

feels the same way;-))

[frank_horn]

Instead of making the "O" Series, Leica should have reintroduced the

IIIG with bayonet mount.

[Alex_Es]

Allison,

 

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When I first started using RF cameras about 18 yrs. ago LSM cameras

(except Leicas) were cheap. No one wanted them. Now they are all the

rage. The 15000 yen Canon P is now 35 to 50 thousand yen. In 1987 I

got an M4 (slightly dented) for US$400. I am truly hoping that

Voigtlander will put enough modern equipment on the market to bring

down some of those prices for user collectors.

 

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Me--I prefer the new stuff now that it is available.

 

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Best,

[ray_moth]

For fun, Allison, for fun! Don't you and your boyfriend ever do

anything for fun? BTW, what does he mean by "the demographics"? Why

does he respect the M3 but not LTM cameras? LTMs are quite useable

too, for those with patience, but whether it's worthwhile or not

depends entirely upon your own interests and priorities.

 

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I agree, the LTM cameras are a bit heavy for pocketability. I can't

imagine carrying 1/2 kilogram of camera plus the weight of a lens in

my shirt pocket, like some people claim to do, but it is quite small

with a collapsible lens.

 

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For the era in which the Barnack camera was first designed, it was a

miracle of miniaturization. Don't forget, it takes a full-size 35mm

cassette and it WORKS properly, which is more than can be said for

some of the other freaky miniature cameras that were designed in the

first half of the 20th. century.

 

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LTM prices are not high for the more commomn user cameras (e.g. IIIa,

IIIc, IIIf) but for rare models or for a IIIg in excellent condition

they are. This is not surprizing, I suppose, collectors being what

they are.

 

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BTW, if you ever use one of the more recent LTM models, such as the

IIIa/c/f, don't try to use both viewing windows at the same time

unless your eyes are VERY close together! ;-)

[nesrani]

I don't know about the old screw bodies which look very hard and

fiddly to load, wind on, etc. But the Voigtlander Bessa T looks like

quite a usable camera for wide angle lenses like the 24 or the 12.

Add the triggerwinder and the Leica doesn't have much of an advantage

over it, imo.

[andy_piper2]

Allison: while I don't own/work with screw-mount bodies, I can

appreciate the sentiments expressed <a href="http://

www.cameraquest.com/3frdst.htm">HERE</a>.

 

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If your 'significant other' really IS an engineer at heart, he ought to

appreciate the beauty of an 'elegant' solution (in the engineering

sense) to the problem of designing a picture-making machine - and the

pleasure of keeping even an antiquated design operating as originally

designed (and proving, in the process, that it actually DOES till do

the job).

 

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You can still get from one place to another in a 1948 MG, or a 1932

Ford - or take pictures with a 1948 IIIc, or a 1968 M4 (Me!).

 

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As to prices - they vary with the cosmetics and the market. I admit

that personally I get more bang for my buck with an M - but 'chacun a

son gout'!

[bobtodrick]

I too agree that there is a certain nostalgia connected with the

screwmount cameras, but as others have said they can be potent

picture makers when pared with modern optics such as what Voigtlander

makes or the special edition LTM lenses Leica brought out a few years

back. No, it may not be pocketable, but my IIIg with collapsible

Elmar easily hides under a light jacket without a wrinkle. Allison -

there doesn't have to be reason for everything - you and your

boyfriend should shoot more and question less ;-)

[andy_wagner2]

Allison

you know how all thw techno kids rave about the ease of use and great

quality they get with their new toys, well sometimes its fun just to

go back a few steps and try it the old way. All things improve with

time and imagination, but doing it the old way makes you appreciate

the newer ways so much more. Using the older Leicas makes you have to

think of things that are now taken for granted. IE the time lag from

focusing to framing, settings,anticipation of action (you only have

one chance no motor drive to make sure you get the peak of the

action. Sounds like work but by learning in this manner you can

become better with the newer gear.

[david_killick]

Hi Allison, a belated response to your screwmount camera query. You

neglected to say what you think of them yourself? I wonder if there is

a connection between cameras and other products such as sewing

machines. My wife loves her old Singer: totally manual but rugged and

reliable. She's just not interested in multi-programme high-tech

stuff. Too complicated. The old machine does all she wants it to. I

feel it's the same with cameras. (This may sound sexist, but it's not

intended to be, I just am not familiar with sewing machines!)

Something more sexist but made me laugh: cameras are female (The

German word for camera is female anyway), especially the old Leica

with all its knobs and buttons. Compare with these operating

instructions I heard for 1) a man: on switch, off switch. That's all.

Basic. 2) a woman: numerous controls, buttons, switches etc, all of

which have to be pressed in the correct sequence. LOL, David.

[jack_thistle]

I can slip a IIIc body or a IIIg body w/a collapsible 5cm lens easily into my pocket and sneak off great shots pretty much un noticed at any time, the shots look great and it makes me think before I shoot. Seems funny but w/the screw mount bodies and lenses I'm more "aware" of exposure, composition, etc. Seems wierd but true