120 film / bulb flash / bright coupled rangefinder

[eli_chartkoff1]

I fantasize about a camera that has a really bright coupled rangefinder (for

focusing in low light--my Autocord isn't quite bright enough) and shoots 120

film. And I love love love using the bulb flash on my wife's Polaroid 100, so

I'd like to be able to use bulb flash on my ideal camera. Oh and an automatic

frame counter.

 

What camera would you nominate with these qualities?

[radfordneal]

A Mamiya Press Universal with one of the later M film backs?

[donnie_strickland]

Not a lot of contenders here -- perhaps a Koni-Omega?

[michael_gilday]

I think a Koni-Omega or Rapid Omega is what you're looking for. The flash bracket accepts most bulb flashguns, including the Graflex ones, all the shutters do M-sync (as well as X), the coupled finder is big and bright, and the backs have automatic frame counters. Best of all, they're nigh indestructible, and cheap. :)

[eli_chartkoff1]

Okay, great--I think either the Koni-Omega will work, probably the Mamiya too. I shall start saving the pennies then.

[richard_oleson]

You can use a bulb with X synch, at speeds up to about 1/30 second.

[ellis_davison]

This may be heresy, since this is the "Classic" camera forum, but the newer Mamiya 6 and 7 also fit the bill and have interchangeable lenses, as well as the Fuji fixed lens rangefinders. The newere cameras will probably only have "X" synch and will be limited to slower shutter speeds, as Richard notes.

[patrick j dempsey]

You can get freznel screens for many TLR's to brighten them.

[frank.schifano]

Why flashbulbs? The larger ones put out tremendous amounts of light, but is that really necessary with the faster films available today? Flash bulbs are expensive and far less reliable than a good electronic flash unit. The lowly Vivitar 285 HV is available new for less than $100 US, is adjustable, and can pump out lots of light.

[richard_oleson]

The Autocord already has a Fresnel focusing screen, so it's probably about as bright as it's going to get short of a Beattie screen or something that would cost as much as the camera.

[michael_gilday]

Frank: A 285 gives a lot of light, yes - but quite a bit less than a Press 5 or 25 flashbulb. Too, it's a very, very different quality of light than a flashbulb in a 7" reflector. If that's the look you want, the closest electronic options are the Sunpak 120J or the Quantum Q-Flash - and you can buy a *lot* of flashbulbs for what one of those cost. Admittedly, most Polaroids used baseless AG bulbs, or M2/M3 bulbs, but, still...

 

Besides, there's something incredibly fun about using flashbulbs - especially peoples' reactions to them. :)

 

For what it's worth, I frequently use a Rapid-Omega 100 with a pair of Vivitar 283s mounted up top - one direct, and one bounced. I tried attaching a Metz 45 once, in addition to the two 283s, but that was clearly a little silly - and more than a little heavy.

[sg_adams]

The Graflex Graphics with Kalart side mounted rangefinders had an adapter that mounts on top, connects to the battery tube on the Graflite flash battery pack, and thus place a nice split beam from the camera rather than to it. The later top rangefinder Graphic 4x5's also had a similar set up contained within the housing on top. One just sets up the camera for safe-set shooting, moves slightly forward or back to allign the beams on the subject and the camera will be in focus. I prefer the Crown, Speed,and Mini Speed 2x3 series of cameras as they are considerably smaller than 4x5, but they have all the same press camera features of the big ones, accept 120 roll backs, and many come with Kalart focuspots and flash units etc...

The problem in the near future will be lack of flash bulbs.