What camera(s) are you using this weekend?

[mjferron]

 

5x7 finished product.

[Xícara de Café]

Well, not this weekend, but a weekend coming soon, a Contax III. I bought the camera in a non-working state for less than US$30 a year ago. Couldn't find anyone who would fix it completely here in Brazil (i wanted the light meter to work) so I sent it to technician in the Ukraine on the recommendation of a friend on Flickr. It's on its way back to me by post. I decided to replace the shutter curtains and he also replaced the coil in the light meter. There had been the addition of a flash sync in the past which was apparently for magnesium type flashes, that was updated too.

 

The technician made a video and anyone interested in camera repair/Contax cameras might find it interesting. He speaks in Russian, but Youtube does automatic captioning and you can do a translation in the language of your choice. It doesn't always make a lot of sense of course!

 

Here's the video:

[rick_drawbridge]

Back to basics this weekend. The neighbour passed me this very tidy Chinon CM-4 over the fence a couple of weeks ago; apparently one of the kids had used it at high school years ago for a photography course. He'd certainly looked after it, though it has it's quirks... It has a sticker on the base saying "Slap me!", which I initially found a little confronting. It turns out that, very occasionally, the camera locks up, and a brisk slap on the bottom sorts things out. I tried the lens on a Sony digital camera and, like many Chinon lenses, it's very good indeed, so I thought I'd run a film. It has three little diodes in the side of the eyepiece, coupled to shutter and aperture, that indicate under, over and correct exposure, and one of the best viewfinders around, with microprism and split image focusing aids, and no exposure information to clutter things up. I'm quite looking forward to using such a fuss-free little camera.

 

Chinon CM-4

 

[Mike Gammill]

Very nice, Rick. When my family had a camera shop we sold Chinon movie cameras and projectors, but we never stocked any of the 35mm gear. From what I understand the 35mm line up was a good value. Might have been just the thing for some of our more tight fisted customers. I recall one customer came in to browse for five or six years before finally buying an SLR (and a used on at that). I think if we'd had Chinon SLR's he might have bought new.

Looking forward to seeing your images from this beauty.

[Mike Gammill]

Some first generation Maxxum lenses later in life suffered from a weakening electromagnet that worked with the camera to open aperture to the correct value. As a result the lens would sometimes fail to open up and would instead remain at minimum aperture. This is what eventually happened to my original Maxxum 28-85. I later replaced it with a Sigma 28-105 f 3.8-5.6 and used it along with second Maxxum (still with 35-105) for wedding photos. For this weekend I plan to try the 28-105 again as it's been several years since I've used it. On the classic front I'm using my Olympus 35RC and Minolta XE. All cameras with Ilford FP4+.

[rick_drawbridge]

The re-emergence of the old Pancolar thread on this forum reminded me that I haven't used my copy of the 50mm CZJ Pancolar f/2 for quite a while, so I've attached it to a Exakta Varex IIb and hope to use it this weekend.

 

[Julio Fernandez]

Another Exakta VX IIb with Pancolar, expecting to exercise also a 35mm Flektogon and 135mm Sonnar. Loaded a short roll, last one of a bulk FP4+.

 

[m42dave]

We must be on the same wavelength in different parts of the world. Just ran a roll through my RTL 1000 using the Oreston and Soligor T4 35/2.8.

 

[Mike Gammill]

Loaded another roll in this combination

The Tamron Adaptall 35-80 balances well on the heavy XE

Also running a roll of FP4+ through my Olympus Trip 35.

[cary_chin1]

Nikon F with 50mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.8 Nikkor lenses.

[mrjallen]

My 9-yr-old son and I shot two rolls of XP2 with this yesterday at a couple car shows. I hope to develop the film next weekend--my first ever attempt. The chemistry kit is en route from freestyle right now.

 

Nikon FE2 with 50mm AI f/2

[Don Harpold]

Hello mrjallen

You can develop XP-2 in HC110 B&W chemicals which make it easier if you have developed B&W film before, check this thread on Photrio.

 

Ilford XP2 Super in B&W chemicals

[Mike Gammill]

A further note on the Tamron Adaptall 35-80 f 2.8-3.8. I had not used it in a while and the aperture ring was so stiff I could barley adjust it. After a few tries it loosened up.

[mrjallen]

Hello mrjallen

You can develop XP-2 in HC110 B&W chemicals which make it easier if you have developed B&W film before, check this thread on Photrio.

 

Ilford XP2 Super in B&W chemicals

 

First off, thanks for linking to that thread. It was absolutely fascinating reading.

 

Second, I have never developed any film of any type before. This upcoming foray into processing film at home will be my inaugural attempt. With 10 rolls of C-41 that have accumulated over the past year, I decided to develop myself rather than send out.

 

With ten rolls ready, certainly I'll have a few keepers that I can then scan in. Every weekend for much of the past number of years, I've followed this forum. I just haven't had the time, or made it, to participate. Ultimately, I hope my son will take an interest in it, as well. He's the creative one!

 

Edited September 30, 2019 by mrjallen

[Don Harpold]

Hello

I am sure you will do fine, I have never done any C41 processing, plenty of B&W, but from what I have read ""they" say it is supposed to be easier than B&W?

Once you have completed a roll or two make sure to post on the Classic Manual Cameras thread.

Great to see your son take an interest in film, because digital is dead!

Don

[Rick_van_Nooij]

Haven't shot any film in over a week. Leica and Speed Graphic still have some roll film remaining in them.

 

I have spent the weekend processing a large chunk of the backlog of images I've taken earlier this month during September Odyssey and Operation Market-Garden remembrance activities.

 

And I've got 3 new cameras to test/play with. KW Patent Etui, 9x12 plate camera and an Agfa Billy Record.

[rick_drawbridge]

Back to the medium format, currently, with the Mamiya 645 1000s, pictured here with the 55-110mm Mamiya-Sekor f/4.5 zoom lens.This rig is nearing my weight limits for a carry-around, hand-held camera, but the results make the effort worthwhile.

 

[cary_chin1]

Leicaflex SL MOT with 35mm Elmarit R lens.

[katie_pype]

 

 

New to me, ecstatic new owner. 3.5 F with the Zeiss Planar. Vintage racecar show tomorrow morning, couldn't be better subjects.

[Julio Fernandez]

 

Old Minolta Autocord, with broken focus lever, Loaded with TMax 100.

[Andrew in Austin]

Two similarly sized, fixed-lens 35mm rangefinder cameras. - I need to finish a roll of film in the 35RD and begin shooting with the Vito BR.

 

[Fiddlefye]

Well, I finished the roll in the Canon 7 only to discover that while the Jupiter 8 is a peach the 35 f2.8 Jupiter 12 was vastly out of whack in terms of focus - now rectified by my tech. I've since gone rather farther down the Canon rangefinder rabbit hole and added a Canon IVs body and a few more lenses to the collection: 50 f1.8 Serenar, 90 f4 Elmar and 135 f3.5 Nikkor. I've a roll of Ilford Delta 100 loaded in the IVs and shot a bit with all of the lenses yesterday. Today I'll take it out again and will finish the roll doing a comparison between the Jupiter 8 and the Serenar. I have to admit to having developed an immediate fondness for the handling of the combination of the IVs body with the Jupiter 8, though. The results should be interesting! My feeling is that the Canon 7 will be a "full service" system with the 35mm Jupiter 12, 50mm Serenar, 90mm Elmar and 135mm Nikkor and that the 50mm Jupiter 8 will simply reside happily on the Canon IVs body.

DSC_5853 by fiddlefye, on Flickr

[chuck_foreman1]

Thanks Andrew in Austin.. another camera I now badly want!!!

We've had only rainy weather here in NRW the last two weeks.. so I am not particularly optimistic. I'm always bouncing between both MF and 35mm. If the 640 battery adapter arrives for the Yashica it will be one of the two cameras I have that use this style battery. the TL Electro ( I bought for the case duuh ) and the 5000e I've had forever, It also needs light seals but knitting thread seems to be ok for the moment... we'll see!!

In MF either the Baby Speed or one of the Yashica TLRs...

Of course all of this is pending sunlight.. I am simply not inspired with bad weather... let the guys who believe in " the biggest soft-box in the sky" have it.. me I want directional contrasty sunlight ..goddammit

[Andrew in Austin]

Thanks Andrew in Austin.. another camera I now badly want!!!

 

Thanks. With regards to their respective age - in order from the youngest of the pair, one is over 40 year old, while its German predecessor is now slightly past 60 years its build date.

[m42dave]

This weekend I'm hoping to test this Vivitar XC-2, also sold as the Cosina CSR. It's an overlooked and underrated screw-mount SLR with spot or averaging metering (stopped down) and a large, bright viewfinder with LED readout. It's a nice-handling and solid-feeling camera with its metal body, compact but not too small. Unlike earlier Cosina/Vivitar M42 SLRs, it has an electronically-controlled cloth shutter; the self-timer is also electronic (the "lever" is actually a switch). The Vivitar VMC 50/1.7 lens is a rebranded Cosinon, and is nicely multicoated.

 

In addition to replacing the seals I had to remove the top cover to tighten the strap lugs, and remove the battery compartment to clean some corrosion. After installing some fresh silver-oxide batteries, all the shutter speeds came back to life after a bit of use.