What camera(s) are you using this weekend?

[bruce_z._li2]

Hi Rick, very interesting cameras. I guess both the Seagull and Peafowl are Minolta SR mount copies? Are the cameras reasonably reliable?

[gary green]

This coming week I'll be using the camera that almost put Leica out of business.*  That's right, it's the Atlas 35 DeLuxe 35mm rangefinder!  Excepting the lens barrel, this petite camera is only slightly larger than the famed Olympus XA and is fully featured with a 1/10 - 1/300 speed shutter (plus B) and a crisp 3-element 45mm f2.8 Colour-Luna lens.

Legend has it that HCB** used this camera to capture the "incisive moment".  I'm just hoping my results live up to the high expectations of using such a fine piece of machinery.

 

* Possibly a slight exaggeration.

** Allegedly, Homer C. Bunbutter, of Muncie, Indiana, used this model camera to catch the moment when his wife's upper dentures came out as she bit into a caramel apple at the county fair.

Edited November 16, 2023 by gary green

[MarcelRomviel]

I will give my Leica M2 that was overhauled a run with the new to me Voigländer Norton 50 mm f1.5 (weather permitting)

There is a roll of Fuji Acros II in it

[bruce_z._li2]

Just got this Tachihara 4x5 from Japan, so I have no excuse not to carry a 4x5 camera to the hills.  At 1461 grams, it is almost feather weight in terms of 4x5 cameras.

 

Edited November 16, 2023 by bruce_z._li2

[Rick_van_Nooij]

 

Have a roll of Fomapan 100 in my IIIg + Summicron combo.
Not sure the weather will cooperate this weekend though 😞

[chuck_foreman1]

@Gary Green... good footnotes!! HCB -hahhaa. Very nice camera.. happy shooting,  @bruce_zi Very nice 4x5, definitely lighter than my Speed Graphic. "No Excuses " more @ Rick_N Lovely camera well outfitted- Guten Appetit-- Indeed...bad weather in NRW too.

 

[gary green]

A trio of glamour shots of my VPK Autographic Special with fixed-focus f7.7 Kodak anastigmat lens.  I found this camera recently in the basement of a local flea mall ... $29 USD plus tax.

It appears to be an early version Autographic Special given its low 5-digit serial number (45,xxx) on the back of the foot stand and the latest patent date inscribed on the back is 1913.  As near as I can tell, this indicates a production year of 1916.

The camera is in excellent condition for its age and appears to have seen very little use.  The leather bellows are intact and a flashlight test shows them to be light-tight.  It also came with the stylus.  My guess is that the small amount of brassing on the edges and viewfinder is due to rubbing inside its leather case.  After a quick CLA, and adding some foam light seal to the autograph door and around the frame counter window, it's ready for a test roll.

This is my first 127 film camera.  I've tended to shy away from them due to the limited availability and high cost of the film.  However, I couldn't pass this one up so I gritted my teeth and ordered 4 rolls of Rera Pan film.  If things work out, I may invest in a film slicer to cut down 120 rolls.

I'm hoping to finish the first roll by the end of this coming holiday weekend.

 

 

[bruce_z._li2]

Hi @gary green, nice first 127 camera. I have to admit some of them are incurably cute. If after you finishing your Rerapan test rolls and still in love with the format, I might be able to find a spare 120->127 slicing kit (made by Camerhack in Italy) that you can have it for free.

[Rick_van_Nooij]

I've got the CameraHack 120->127 splicer as well. I find it a little awkward to use. But it does give me both a strip of 127 format and 16mm for my Steky III camera.
I also have a good supply of Rerapan spools and backing paper now. I need to play with my K.W. Pilot in this format again soon.

Lovely VPK that's for sure, with that particular finish. Be sure to seal up that Autographic hatch at the back with some tape, it will be a source of possible light leaks.

I was lucky, Chuck. Sunday Morning the sun was out for a while and I took the opportunity to snap some of the Fly Agarics across the street from my house and went to see the deer and goats in the nearby park with my Leica.

Still got a few frames in the camera now. Not sure I'll be able to use it next weekend. Probably visiting a scale model convention, so the Leica M-E will get another outing, with some longer glass on it.

 

[gary green]

@bruce_z._li2 Thanks Bruce!  That's a very generous offer.  I'll let you know how it goes.

@Rick_van_Nooij I've added some self-adhesive foam to the inside of the autographic door.  The foam is slightly thicker than the door and goes into the slot.  I've used this method to seal my other autographic cameras with good success.

[Mike Gammill]

Here's one I haven't used in a few months.  Loaded with Kentmere 100. 

[morrisbagnall]

Will put a roll of HP5+ in the Contax II (1936) and see what happens. New to me, it certainly needs a service at some point but the shutter fires on all speeds (accuracy unknown but slow is slow and fast is fast).

Lens has a little bit of possible separation, hard to tell so the test roll should also give me some insight into that as well.

I may also run a test roll through the Fed 2. The rangefinder cam is too stiff to function properly so zone focusing will be the order of the day. I put the N61 from my Fed 3 on it (it's the N26 in the picture) as it is easier to read for the zone info.

[Rick_van_Nooij]

14 hours ago, morrisbagnall said:

I put the N61 from my Fed 3 on it (it's the N26 in the picture) as it is easier to read for the zone info.

"И61", The Industar-61 can be a VERY sharp lens, particularly for B/W photography.  Though I've had better results with the M42 mount version than those that go on my LTM copies.


 

[Kent T]

I hope to have great light, great weather on my next trip south 120 miles to Chattanooga, TN. Breakfast/Physical Medicine And Rehabilitation Physicians Assistant exam/hopefully the Downtown Trolley, wheelchair bag will have Retina 1b, Canon L1/50 mm/f2.8, and a Luna-Pro F. I have Kodak UltraMax loaded in Canon, Retina will shoot Ferrania P30 and inspired by Italian cinema. Italian B&W and Kodak Color. Photo Roll and Push! Wheelies meet photography on the great views of Downtown and one Art District. 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Kent T

[Niels - NHSN]

There's still some pleasing autumn colours in the local park.

I brought my F2 (1971) and Nikkor-H.C 85mm f/1.8 - a chunky piece of glass.
Camera is loaded with Fujifilm C200.

 

[James Bryant]

Love all mechanical Nikons. No chip to take control.

[bruce_z._li2]

Nikon F4 with the Nikkor 50/1.2 Ai-S. I have never owned F4 (or F5 and F6), and was surprised how little money it costs these days. It is very heavy, and almost made the larger Canon T90 like on diet.  And the stock screen is not the easiest to manual focus. I believe I need to find a type-K screen or an autofocus lens.

 

[bruce_z._li2]

Tachihara 4x5 at the Oyster Point ferry terminal - photos in the weekly.

 

[rick_drawbridge]

Arrived last week, a tidy Voigtlander Vitessa T, seen here with Kontur and Turnit 3 finders. While I don't consider it as pretty as the original folding Vitessa with it's funky "barn doors" and fixed lens, there was a limited range of lenses available for the Vitessa T in the DKL mount. I hope to shoot some film this weekend.

 

[Rick_van_Nooij]

Outdoor Brocante/Antiques fair tomorrow. Maybe I'll finally get round to fill up that roll in the Leica IIIg.
Already have a Contax I(f) lined up to use next. Will probably mount a 50/3.5 or 2.8 Tessar on it.

[gary green]

If the weather clears, I plan to use this slightly blemished Aires 35-V interchangeable lens rangefinder with the S-Coral 45mm f1.5 lens and behind-the-lens leaf shutter.  I bought this camera about 20 years ago and haven't put a roll through it yet.  Other than some minor pitting in the chrome finish, the camera is otherwise fully functional.

This camera is substantial in size and weight but feels very comfortable in the hands.  Also, the viewfinder has good eye-relief and I can easily see the entire frame with my glasses on.  The second photo below shows the size difference with the Atlas 35 Deluxe rangefinder that I used last week.

 

Goliath & David

[morrisbagnall]

I plan to shoot a camera that I originally threw in the bin. I don't usually do that but it was so dirty, the material had fallen off and the back door was completely off the camera. It was only when I discovered the manual in the box that I discovered the back door is meant to come off so I figured the camera deserved a reprieve and some TLC. Picking up a roll of Ilford HP5+ on Thursday.

[chuck_foreman1]

Very capablöe and modern for its time... JDM likes this too!!

 

[rick_drawbridge]

A comparatively modern camera, but one I've kept coming back to over the years, the Canon EOS 30, aka Elan 7E. It's one of the few cameras I own that becomes "part of me" when I'm using it, especially when I utilise the eye-controlled focusing. While I'm aware that this is a "love it or hate it" feature, I've often wondered why Canon never included it in the DSLR range. Perhaps the "hate it" had a majority that carried the day. I hope to have a few images from the EOS 30 to post during the weekend.

[Rick_van_Nooij]

Haven't shot a single frame with it over the last week..... It is now sporting my freshly cleaned and repainted VC-meter II on it, though.
Again, no real plans this weekend. But if the weather's nice I might step out for a bit.