daniel_iggers

Usually on point and shoot cameras of that vintage and type, one of the green buttons will be for fill flash, and the other for no flash. Usually, though, the buttons will be embossed with a symbol for flash and one with a diagonal line over the flash symbol. A red light on top or at the back beside the viewfinder, often lights in low ambient light, to indicate that flash is needed.

My guess was right: You can set the Agfa Optima 500 SN to "A", and let the camera's program automatic system select both the aperture and the shutter speed, or you can set it to flash, at a fixed shutter speed, and select the aperture. Actually there also is a third choice - you can set it to "B" and stll adjust the aperture. The shutter and aperture seem to respond to light, and I've loaded a roll of film, but it remains to be seen what the exposures are like. The camera also has coupled zone focus indicators in the viewfinder, but no rangefinder.

Thanks. That "continuously variable" and auto exposure suggests auto exposure only. I guess I'll find out in due course.

Nice photo.

 

I guess I'll have to wait and see.

Anyone know anything about the Agfa Optima 500 SN?

 

I just "won" an Agfa Optima 500 SN. It looks like a 35mm rangefinder. It has a

2.8 / 45mm Color Solinar lens and (I think) a Paratic shutter. I was able to

find limited information by googling, including that it is from 1966, and that

Rich Silfver (in a 2003 post on Rangefinderforum) recommended it without saying

much more.

 

Based on that small amount of information, I am hoping that aperture and shutter

speeds can be set mnanually. Problem is, from the photo with the listing and the

few photos that I googled, it looks like it might be a fully automatic camera

that does not allow for manual setting of shutter speeds. I wouldn't expect a

40-year old selenium meter to still work, and accordingly if the camera is auto

only (apart from a fixed shutter speed flash option), it won't be worth much.

 

Anyone have any information on this model?

Nice shots. The Retinette certainly is a worthy camera.

And here's one more photo, taken with the same model and lens, but a different camera (on this one the RF no longer worked):

 

http://static.flickr.com/47/150467428_4bed37c2b1_o.jpg

Here is a link to a set I took recently with a Signet-80, with the Ektanar 2.8/50 lens:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fortinbras/sets/72157594162429456/

A note of caution: Mr. Toyama only signed on today and has no history on photo.net. I'm not suggesting that he has done this, but someone could post just such a query, not in complete good faith with the intent to genuinely to ask advice, but to solicit inquiries about items for sale. Caution would be appropriate in dealing with a seller who is not 100% candid here.

 

As for advice: Ebay is the place. Research completed auctions. Include clear photos. Provide information about condition. In most cases start with a low opening bid and no reserve; however this can be a problem if you are new with no feedback yet. Accept the most common payment service. Have your listing end on a Sunday.

Kodak Pony IV with the Anastar lens!<div></div>

Thanks. That's some flare.

What's the deal or trick with counting reflections?

Here is a photo taken with my Paxette, with the removeable Staeble-Kata 2.8 / 45mm. Unfortunately, there is a frame advance issue, and this shot is an accidental composite / multiple exposure.

 

http://static.flickr.com/45/164905890_8c9e99481d_o.jpg<div></div>

I've been on a Braun Paxette kick lately. I'm wondering whether anyone out

there can tell me anything about the differences between the Staeble-Kata

2.8/45, the Staeble-Katagon 2.8/50 and the Cassarit 2.8/45 or 50. These are

all lenses that were either fixed or interchangeable on Braun Paxette

rangefinders in the late 1950s to early 1960s. They all look very similar, as

I recall, and I'm guessing that they all are Tessar-type. Does one stand out?

I think I've seen the same camera for sale under the brands Hanimex and Aimex.

If you are referring to the modern Ricoh 35R that has been for sale during the past 5 years or so, I suppose you are slightly off topic for this forum. It is a decent camera, but not really outstanding in any way. It has a wide angle 30mm lens that at f/3.9 is not particularly fast. It does have the capability to set some of the apertures manually. The photos I took with one were not bad. If it is very cheap, try it and see if you are happy with it. I would think that the Olympus Stylus Epic with its 2.8/35mm lens remains the best P&S value around (and they are getting cheaper.)

Very nice. Like the other guy said: Wow.

However, they look awesome.

Here are the results from the roll that I shot with the Pony II and 400asa Kodak C-41 B&W this weekend:

 

I just acquired a Kodak Pony II 35mm viewfinder camera. It is from

the late 1950s (say 1958), and has an f/3.9 44 mm Anastar lens (a

good quality 4 element lens, I've been told) and a single speed

(1/125) shutter. The apertures - from wide open at 3.9 to f/16 or

f/22 - are indicated only by an Exposure Value scale that runs from

9.5 (wide open) to 15 (f/22?).

 

There is an exposure guide on a small rectangular card that slides

into a holder on the back of the camera. With Kodacolor Film, with

Bright sun, sand and snow = exposure value of 14; bright sun = 13;

hazy sun = 12; cloudy bright = 11; open shade = 10.

 

What was the asa rating of Kodacolor in 1958? I'm guessing 100, as

the little chart than makes sense - for example, a combination of

the 1/125 shutter and f/16 for "bright sun, sand, snow" equals EV14.

(Or does EV14 = f/22 and EV15 = f/32?? Seems unlikely.)

 

Here is my guess as to the apertures that correspond to the exposure

values:

 

EV 15 = f/22

EV 14 = f/16

EV 13 = f/11

EV 12 = f/8

EV 11 = f/5.6

EV 10 = f/4

 

Does anyone out there have a manual, experience with the Pony II or

a better guess?

Thanks for the responses.

 

I apologize; I had not been monitoring the responses after the first one, thinking that was it.

 

Here is a response that came in elsewhere:

 

 

"Say, Dan, I see a link on that gallery to the Bentzin Primar, and you're looking for information.

 

The Primar was a rebranded KW Patent Etui; I believe Bentzin bought the rights to the patent and the design when KW changed hands around 1938 (the Jewish family that owned KW at that time fled Germany). As such, it's the physically smallest large format camera ever made. It should be compatible with KW plate holders, but very few plate camera accessories not specifically made for KW or Bentzin will fit; the plate holders have a slightly thinner edge than a Voigtlander unit, and are considerably shorter, so stuff that fits the very common Voigtlander back won't mount without damaging the KW or Bentzin back.

 

From my own experience, it's also a pain to try to change lenses, because there's no practical way to adjust the infinity setting; if (as I did) you get a lens that's got a few mm shorter back focal distance than the original, you'll be forever barred from focusing on infinity. However, the worst lens shipped in those, especially the late ones with the Bentzin name, was going to be a good triplet like a Radionar, and it'll be just fine stopped down a bit; most by the time of the name change had a Tessar.

 

If you can find some film holders that fit it, it's a nice walking-around large format camera; you can fit the folded camera in one jacket pocket and 5 plate holders in the other, focus by ground glass or scale, and even hand hold effectively. "

 

 

The Pentax UC-1 / Espio Mini is cool, though I don't think I'll use it much given the demands of old metal cameras. Here, off topic, is a link to my UC-1 shots:

 

You've convinced me. I'm going to load mine.

 

BTW: Does anyone have advice on how to adjust the rangefinder alignment?

Very nice shots, Mihai. Gotta love that 20mm Flektogon. Too bad about the light seals. But tell me: Why does the last photo, taken with the Minolta, have a purplish cast to it? Filters, Photoshop or the characteristics of the lens?

A friend asked if I would try to find out what I could (what it was,

possible current value) about one of the cameras that was part of

her father's collection. It is an interesting looking camera,

seemingly in great condition, from the 1920s or 1930s I would guess.

Here is a link (on my Flickr site)to the photos that Susan forwarded

to me:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fortinbras/sets/72057594076163441/

Forget about the meter and don't repair it. If it is a working beater - user, just use it. If the lens is clean, it will advance a film and the shutter works at speeds from 1/30 up, for $50 go for it.