Favorite beater camera(s) or asthetically challenged

[Mike Gammill]

<p>Take you pick what you want to call it, but many of us have classic cameras that look well-used, yet function just fine. I know I've posted my share of gear that looks mint, but I wanted to recognize the gear that has seen its share of use. Post as many pictures as you like. I'll start with a few.</p><div></div>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>While it looks okay from the front a side view reveals peeling leatherette. There are a few dings on the back, but they're not visible. But, light meter is still spot on. A couple of the lenses I have do cause the mirror to stay up after exposure until film is advanced.</p><div></div>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>The 202, btw, is pictured on the back of an old car of mine that is a beater- a 1986 Chevy Celebrity whose torque converter is giving problems, AC blower nonfunctional, etc.<br>

Another well-used example coming up.</p><div></div>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>Last one. A Rollei 35 that looks okay except for a few finish flaws, but shutter release button is loose and will fall out if camera is carried upside down. Several attempts to glue it in place only held temporarily. Meter works great as do all mechanical functions. This camera gets the longest life out of a zinc air battery, possibly due to the battery chamber being located inside the camera.</p><div></div>

[User_502260]

<p>What is it about those lenses that cause your mirror to stay up? Do they intrude too far into the mount or is there some kind of mirror foam/mirror shock absorber problem? I have a chrome Canon FTbN with some black paint loss on the front but it has been overhauled and works fine. The Nikkormat I use most often is a black FT2 with plenty of brassing. It has been overhauled once and had the meter movement adjusted a few years later. My Yashica 635 has some front impact damage and it isn't possible to mount a bayonet filter but otherwise it works well. </p>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>Not sure, Jeff. One of them is an MC Rokkor 50mm f1.4 which behaves fine on all other manual focus Minoltas. I don't remember what the other one is. Hmm. Forgot about the brassy ones. I would also include my Minolta SR 505 black which shows heavy brassing, but works fine.</p>

[david_carroll4]

<p>Here is my "grizzled warrior" - an FM I bought a few years ago, thrown in with some other stuff. However, everything worked perfectly...except for the hot shoe (duh)</p><div></div>

[david_carroll4]

<p>And from the back......</p><div></div>

[jean_yves_mead]

<p>Meet the Uglycam:<br>

<a href=" title="EPM40776 by Jean-Yves,

on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3780/13797384085_1acd6a4be6_z.jpg" width="640"

height="640" alt="EPM40776"></a><br>

Griptac-covered Nikon F2, DE finder (from the F), 5.8cm f/1.4 Nikkor-S. Camera, hammer, melee

weapon, all in one robust package.</p>

[glen_h]

<p>I have a Canon T70 where the LCD display partly doesn't work. The exposure counter works, and most of the segments of the ISO and shutter speed, but not all. The viewfinder display also doesn't all work.<br>

I will have to figure out how to get a picture of the LCD.<br>

Otherwise, it shoots fine.</p>

 

[charles_stobbs3]

Don't have it anymore but my all time low was a Konica Off Road that was held together with rubber

bands. (The back latch was broken.) I bought it to see if I would be satisfied with a 28mm fixed lens.

It was fine so I sold it on EBay and bought a Sigma DP1S. (Also fine.)

[chansonbleu]

<p>It does not count as a "classic manual camera", but it does operate mechanically at 1/60th, I consider it a classic, and its certainly a beater.</p>

<p>My trusty OM4 T. Perfect metering system for an exposure control freak.</p><div></div>

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>My original Spotmatic, once my pride and joy, that eventually got relegated to the status of a "go everywhere" camera, thrown into tramping packs and glove compartments, and served to introduce three sons to photography. Amazingly, it still functions, but it doesn't get much use these days.</p><div></div>

[JDMvW]

<p>The Ugly Duckling</p><div></div>

[chuck_foreman1]

<p>My favorite candidate was stolen. A Yahica FX2 with a ML 1.7. This thing was so beat up and dented but still worked I really trusted the meter and knew it weaknesses etc. This one here A Voigtlaender Vitessa 1000 When I lent to my brother it was actually working good with a meter and a RF and a mildly wide 42mm Tessar. 2 years later I found it in a dplorable state in his toolbox. Still a desirable shooter always delivers a nice result. I have the piece of glass that fits across the front but the retaining frame is gone, the meter (mercury) is badly off with the normal 1.5v and the RF is out of adjustment. Anybody know how to adjust RF on this model.. oh it has the mystery small green tab?!? anyone ! </p>

<div></div>

[Matthew Currie]

<p>Most of my cameras are beaters, some really dreadful looking. They're cheap that way and usually work just fine. I have a Rollei 35 with mashed corners, a Miranda F with a big dent in the prism, and so forth. But my favorites are Nikons. Here's an F from about 1964, which I got from a dealer's junk box a couple of years ago for $5. The prism was loose in the case (and a bit desilvered but not badly), and the X sync contact doesn't work. But it works fine. On it is a Vivitar Series I lens that cost 8 bucks because it has a nasty looking scratch on the front glass. Also works fine.</p><div></div>

[Matthew Currie]

<p>It's hard to pass up an F. Here's one I got from KEH "as is," with purportedly a cracked frame and no wind lever. In fact it had a bit of body damage where the back had been slid in, and signs of a fairly recent overhaul, including a later type lever and lugs, the nicest sounding F I've ever heard. I put the finder and back from a water damaged F on it. A horrid looking Franken-F that works 100 percent. </p><div></div>

[Matthew Currie]

<p>I could go on and on considering how many old cameras I have, but since we're sticking to favorites here, I'll conclude with the reason my F's and my brassy-edged F3 have not been seeing much use when film is shot: this F4, which a local dealer sold me for $89 including new batteries that have lasted for years. A non-critical bit of LCD bleed, and it does show some signs of use. It works 100 percent, of course, and fortunately it seems the former owner took the batteries out before using it as a dog toy, so it's even got clean contacts. The F's are iconic, and the F3 is fine and pretty, but I must confess this is about my favorite beater.</p>

<p>edit to add: I mixed up lenses on the F's The first F has a Hanimex Preset 28 that I think cost as much as $5 long long ago. The second F has the $8 Vivitar on it. </p><div></div>

[Matthew Currie]

<p>Oh well, I guess I'd better throw in another that I got a lot of use out of a few years ago. This Konica T3 cost $11 at a tag sale, with a Hexanon 50 mm. lens and a Sigma 35-70 zoom and a flash, in a bag. It had been dropped, and the bezel holding the flash bracket on was missing. The bracket was in the bag, though, so as you can see, I bolted it on. It's hard to see here, but the prism cover was dented, and I banged that out a little too. I later got a nicer looking T3, but this one works just fine, including the hot shoe, though the viewfinder is less than ideal. </p>

<p>p.s. my wife got stuck using this years ago when her camera broke and she was taking a photo seminar. She hates this camera, hence the nickname. </p><div></div>

[john_narsuitus]

<p >This Pentax ME I bought had a dented prism when I purchased it.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I asked the seller what happened and he told that he had purchased the camera for his sister-in-law. She, however, found it too complicated and never used it. Fifteen years after she received it, she had completely forgotten about it. She was cleaning her junk closet when she accidentally knocked it off the shelf. It crashed to the floor and completely shattered the attached filter. The lens was undamaged but the prism and hot shoe were dented.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I was really surprised that after having received so much damage, it not only functioned but the light meter was still accurate.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I have known for a long time that Pentax cameras were tough but I had no idea they were that tough. This camera became my favorite “beater” camera.</p>

<p > </p>

<p ><a href="

<p > </p><div></div>

[darin_cozine]

<p>i think the ME could be more reliable than the ME super.. less functions, yes, but less things to go wrong.</p>

[darin_cozine]

<p>OK, Here is my soon-to-be favorite beater. This is a Voightlander Vitessa that I bought from a high school photo department cleanout/ fundraiser. The chrome is badly pitted. But the glass is really clean and the shutter still sounds accurate. I have not used it yet, but I have it in my bag for my next outing. Together with a roll of FP4 and a gossen super pilot. Shes ready to go.</p><div></div>

[grey_rogacion]

<p>This Ftb came from Japan via a container van. A restoration project, the prism needs to be replace, and the curtain sprocket in the bottom had a broken head screw leaving the male part in. Unfortunately I was being asked more than what I paid for the cam just to have the sprocket at the bottom fix. They would need to drill the male part out from the sprocket and re-calibrate the cam. What seemed to be a mission impossible to a young camera repairman was a very easy fix to an older repairman that had been fixing this type of camera's in his yestertears. Camera repairman named " Bibot", pulled out the mainshaft and replaced the whole curtain sprocket for a song and he had the parts. This same man also fixed my Fujica 35SE which needs the shutter spring to be recoiled. <br /><br />I replaced the mirror damper, seals, and brake pads and I also learned to open the Ftb from top to bottom to clean. I recently got another black Ftb from another container van from Japan with a working meter but with a very bad prism which was easy for me to fix and replace. This Ftb had been my main streetshooter, I liked it's simplicity/ruggedness at the same time it's built like a brick. <br /><br />Wherever we go, the restoration/brassing of the Ftb makes it a very interesting conversational peice..................<br /><br /><br /> <img src="http://i1284.photobucket.com/albums/a574/king3sparrow/Picture-1229_zpscbb82757.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p><img src="http://i1284.photobucket.com/albums/a574/king3sparrow/Picture-1228b_zpsd44d924f.jpg" alt="" /></p>

[Brad Cloven]

<p>The Olympus on the left does just fine. It took some finagling to get it back from the dead, but it shoots well. "Auto" exposure control that works just fine. See results below (posted previously).<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17832045-md.jpg" alt="" width="679" height="382" /></p>

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17832040-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="508" /></p>