Latest acquisition(s)

[mjferron]

First off I apologize for my lack of participation. Lots going on and I have had little to no time for shooting. 

Anyway I came across these items sold as a bundle on EBay. One Minolta XD5, a Celtic 28 2.8, a Minolta MD 135 2.8 and a Tokina 50-250 4-5.6. Oh and the hippy strap. The Tokina is in user condition but the the 28 and 135 are near pristine. The camera was well used and DOA. It only fired on bulb and fresh batteries did not cure the problem. I contacted the seller and we agreed upon a partial refund. I paid $49 plus shipping for the items and received A $15 refund so the total out of pocket cost including shipping was $44 or $11 per item. After messing with the cameras exposure compensation, ISO dial and self timer the camera miraculously came back to life (for now anyway).  

[rick_drawbridge]

Great value! I hope the camera stays alive for you. The MD 135/2.8 is a very good performer, in my experience, and the hippy strap is definitely icing on the cake. Well done!

[Niels - NHSN]

On 10/24/2023 at 11:47 AM, mjferron said:

After messing with the cameras exposure compensation, ISO dial and self timer the camera miraculously came back to life (for now anyway).  

"Messing around" is sometimes all it takes. Great find.

Film photography may have become expensive when looking at film/processing prices, but as you have just shown; great equipment can be found for close to nothing - if avoiding those things that have caught the hipster's attention.

[bruce_z._li2]

Congratulations on a nice find! And I did something similar to you to "revive" a XD-11. I guess those dials and resistor/capacitor rings needs a bit of exercise to wear off the dirt, grime, and oxidization over many years of inactivity.

I only have the older MC PF 58/1.4 lens, which has a mellow glowing charm.

[mjferron]

9 hours ago, bruce_z._li2 said:

Congratulations on a nice find! And I did something similar to you to "revive" a XD-11. I guess those dials and resistor/capacitor rings needs a bit of exercise to wear off the dirt, grime, and oxidization over many years of inactivity.

I only have the older MC PF 58/1.4 lens, which has a mellow glowing charm.

Yes this camera is pretty dirty and the ISO dial is not easy to turn. Could be part of the problem. 

[chuck_foreman1]

I had a similar experience with a Minolta X-300. A recent poster was also disappointed with a Minolta?? Indweed just keep on fooling with it... You might just get lucky!!

[Robin Smith]

Picked up a Nikon F (non-meter) with 105mm f2.5. Nikon F in excellent condition. 1 sec shutter does not work so slow speeds are probably all slow, but otherwise good. 105mm f2.5 original is well used but has good glass. Lens does not stop down past f5.6. Should have checked that, but I'll keep.

[Matthew Currie]

I haven't shot film for some time, and have resisted adding more to the pile of film cameras, which continues to be overstocked despite my having given away a bunch of them.  But there was this Nikonos III in good but shopworn looking condition for cheap, and I just couldn't...you know.  I've never had a working Nikonos before.  Probably won't run much film through it, especially with the underwater season dramatically over for a while, but there it is.

[bruce_z._li2]

Maybe take the Nikonos to a rainy day, or the beach? At least treat it with some splashes, sand and mud? 

[Matthew Currie]

Not much chance of beaches for a while, but a nice downpour or two is likely to occur soon enough.

[morrisbagnall]

I should add this one as I am really excited about it. It is currently in Germany being serviced.

A 1936 Ihajee Kino Exacta with the round viewfinder.
 

[User_502260]

My latest interesting acquisition is an 85mm f/1.4 Rokinon in Nikon AIS mount.  It is the older manual focus model but is chipped.  So far I have just handled it on a Nikkormat FT2.  It should meter in all modes on my N90S cameras and also meter on my D3300.  The price was very reasonable and the lens is interesting.  It has internal focusing and the front element does not rotate.  The focusing ring moves past infinity, which might help in cold or hot weather.  It came with the dedicated bayonet hood.  If the weather is good, I will try it out on Thursday.

[User_502260]

I forgot one thing - Jeff Adler

[rick_drawbridge]

This little outfit arrived last week. The typical contents of a photographer's bag from the 1960's, the enormously popular Asahi Pentax Spotmatic SP with accompanying accessories. The camera has a standard Takumar 50/1.8 lens, accompanied by the Takumar 35/3.5 and 135/3.5 lenses, often sold together with the camera as kit. Included is a 2x tele-extender and a set of extension rings, together with UV filters, caps and the camera case. These items are a little worn, but are still perfectly serviceable after six decades. I might even run a film through the Spotty, just for old times sake!

 

[Bettendorf]

1 hour ago, rick_drawbridge said:

 I might even run a film through the Spotty, just for old times sake!

Nice looking catch, Rick!

I think I would run a roll through it because it is begging for it, as it should be!

[chuck_foreman1]

Wow.. your flair for presentation is once again used to effect... Nice pic!! Please do ..ie run a roll through...

 

[gary green]

A recent find in a local antique shop, this Retina 1 Type/Nr. 118 was the 2nd model Retina produced after the original Type/Nr. 117.  Production was from 1935-36 and supposedly only 9144 units were made.  This example has the Compur shutter and Xenar 50mm f3.5 lens.  Also available were the Compur Rapid shutter and Tessar lens.

This is the model (albeit with Tessar lens) that Sir Edmund Hillary used to take the famous picture of Tenzing Norgay on the summit of Mt. Everest.  I'm fairly certain he had to take a glove off to work the controls.

[Niels - NHSN]

That's a true beauty @gary green with a great place in history, and probably cheaper than a Rolex Explorer contemporary with the first successful Everest climb ;-).

Interesting that Sir Edmund Hillary would have brought an almost 20 years old camera on such a critical and well funded mission. Surely we can think in retrospect that the differences between 30's and early 50's cameras were minor, but at the time things like access to coated optics and range finders was thought high tech and should have been easily available (for a price).

Could you perhaps explain how the shutter is released, please? That "thing" that extends out on the actual shutter unit or the button on the "wrong" side of the finder perhaps?

[gary green]

Hi Niels @Niels - NHSN.  The story is that Hillary bought the camera at an Auckland, NZ secondhand store.  He loaded it with Kodachrome 25 and preset the shutter & aperture to 1/100 and f8 for pictures at the summit, knowing that the weather would be clear.  At the summit  he also took pictures of the surrounding landscapes to prove they were actually on the summit.

His support team brought other still cameras to document the ascent up to near the summit.  These included two Retina II rangefinder models and a Contax rangefinder.

The shutter is typically released using the plunger button that is screwed into the cable release socket using your left index finger.  However, you can also use your right index finger to trip the shutter via the other lever.

Edited December 5, 2023 by gary green

[bruce_z._li2]

Really interesting stories about those little Retinas @gary green and @Niels - NHSN. I guess they were chosen for their size/weight to quality ratio. It must have been some quite punishing conditions up there in the mountains.

I too have two slightly later Retinas with American made Ektars, and both are still running like new after so many years (after CLA).

[chuck_foreman1]

On 12/5/2023 at 1:21 PM, gary green said:

Hi Niels @Niels - NHSN.  The story is that Hillary bought the camera at an Auckland, NZ secondhand store.  He loaded it with Kodachrome 25 and preset the shutter & aperture to 1/100 and f8 for pictures at the summit, knowing that the weather would be clear.  At the summit  he also took pictures of the surrounding landscapes to prove they were actually on the summit.

His support team brought other still cameras to document the ascent up to near the summit.  These included two Retina II rangefinder models and a Contax rangefinder.

The shutter is typically released using the plunger button that is screwed into the cable release socket using your left index finger.  However, you can also use your right index finger to trip the shutter via the other lever.

Not sure if it was this or the other Retinas...or even the Contax.. I do remember reading that he made some alterations...so that he could use it with gloves on... Maybe it was another explorer..but I suspect it was him...

[gary green]

@chuck_foreman1 Hi Chuck.  The only modification that Hillary reportedly made was to the film advance release lever on the back of the camera under the viewfinder.  You can see a picture at this LINK (scroll down).  Evidently, this was the only modification required for him to fully operate the camera with gloves on.  Amazing.

Edited December 6, 2023 by gary green

[AJG]

My latest--a working Contax I (version 4 per the Hans-Jurgen Kuc book On the Trail of the Contax) with black and nickel 5 cm f/3.5 Tessar.  I hope to get a roll shot this weekend to see how accurate the shutter is.  The rangefinder seems to be spot on and the film advance feels OK.

[bruce_z._li2]

I have never seen a Contax I. It is quite squarish, and reminds me of a higher precision Argus C3. 

[AJG]

1 hour ago, bruce_z._li2 said:

I have never seen a Contax I. It is quite squarish, and reminds me of a higher precision Argus C3. 

The ergonomics are similarly questionable by modern standards, but the Zeiss lenses leave the Argus in the dust.  The knob on the front is how you wind the film and the shutter as well as set the shutter speed. There isn't a lot of room between the lens and the knob for your fingers when you go to wind the camera for the next shot, even without the leather case.  The fact that Zeiss never made another camera with the winding knob in that position tells you everything you need to know about that design.  But the shutter release feels smooth, the focus is accurate with a surprisingly bright rangefinder and finder (even if it is on the small side) and the shutter is fairly quiet. The later models are definitely a big improvement over this one, even if they still require a weird grip to avoid blocking the rangefinder window with the fingers of your right hand.