Andrew in Austin

<p>Let me add that this is an extensive web site. While wandering through the Vintage Everyday pages - I found a page with photos from claimed to be from the very first Kodak box camera that used paper film.<br>

http://www.vintag.es/2012/02/kodak-no1-circular-snapshots.html</p>

<p>It looks like Kodak was targeting middle and upper class moms in its early days as the keepers of family memories.<br>

Take a look.<br>

http://www.vintag.es/2014/09/beautiful-kodak-advertisements-from.html</p>

<p>Also - when you depress the camera's shutter release located on the rear of the front platform, does the release paddle move far enough to fully engage the release lever on the shutter assembly?</p>

<p>This Bessa has what appears to be a gap between release paddle on the front platform and the shutter release on the shutter assembly.</p>

<p>What happens when you push only the shutter release lever on the shutter itself???</p>

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

<p>Totally new to me. I'm woefully ignorant in genre of leaf-shutter SLRs - which included the Contaflex and Retina Reflex S .</p>

<p>The Pentina looks to be very compact for a SLR - without the usual hump for the pentaprism. </p>

<p>Thanks for sharing the Kodak ads.<br /> So even as late as 1929, the publicists were pushing to make the term "Kodakery" synonymous with the word photography.<br /> Also, $13.95 seems inexpensive today, but back in 1920, it would have bought at least 140 loaves of bread.<br /> <br />Best Regards from Austin, TX</p>

<p>How far past the expiry date is the Pan F+? <br>

<br />My experience with 100 ISO B/W film is you go at least 10 years with no problem - if the film has been in the fridge. Pan F+ is very traditional silver halide B/W film. I'm still working my way through an old stash of Agfa APX100 120 rollfilm and when that's done there's 20 rolls Plus X in the freezer.<br>

<br />The results that you've post look quite good. </p>

<p>Mess Ikonta C with Ektar 100 film - August 2014 :</p><div></div>

<p>I doubt that anyone in 1949 could foresee the plethora of new cameras that would be available within five years. Japanese cameras anyone?<br>

I definitely noticed that the TLR tutorial included an around the corner sneak shot. </p>

<p>By the way - that color shot of the Union Pacific locomotive shows one or two surviving GE gas turbine - electric units in the US. The gas turbine - electric units were very different from the more common diesel - electro - motive counterparts.</p>

<p>Scenes with old iron, buildings with old weathered bricks or lumber are perfect material for old pre-War cameras. It's great to see that these old Rolleis are out and about getting exercise.</p>

<p>Cameras and lenses from the firm that was formally Chiyoda Kogaku Seikō are usually underrated by adherents of the Nikon Canon duopoly. The SR/SRT series are an excellent value, period.</p>

<p>I missed out using Minolta gear when I was an SLR shooter - mainly because my lenses were M42 screw mount. Minolta wisely had a proprietary bayonet mount - that seems to have served them well.</p>

<p>If you were in New Orleans, the magazine racks would be stock with current copies of OffBeat. </p>

<blockquote>

<p><a href="/photodb/user?user_id=2071652">Rick Drawbridge</a> <a href="/member-status-icons"><img title="Frequent poster" src="/v3graphics/member-status-icons/1roll.gif" alt="" /></a>, Aug 31, 2014; 08:39 p.m.</p>

</blockquote>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Just as a litmus, how do you feel this post fits in CMC, rather than the Nikon Forum?<br>

<a href="/classic-cameras-forum/00cnby" rel="nofollow">http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00cnby</a></p>

</blockquote>

<p>That's a tough one Rick. The Nikon FM series represents a genre of classic manual cameras with one foot in the door in the door of the Modern Era with regards to metering. The FM3a is definitely a FM/FE hybrid. I feel the question would have reached a wider audience in the Nikon forum.</p>

<p>In other words, it may have reached a broader numerical sample of FM2 and FM3a owners. On the other hand, maybe that forum is now populated with digital users that might be oblivious to an FM2 question.</p>

<p>The slippery slope is full of examples that cross into the modern era of film photography. For example: the Yashica Electro 35 predates 1970 - but it definitely relies on a battery to operate the shutter and really doesn't tell you what that shutter speed actually will be. Should someone post their Electro 35 question in the Leica Forum or over here in the CMC Forum?</p>

 

<p>Have you ever tried to buy 120 roll film while on the road these days?</p>

<p>You folks that only shoot 135 are very lucky. Although, I must say that a couple of years ago I tried to find a 35mm roll of Tri-X in the Ft. Lauderdale area. There wasn't any to be found in Broward County. I eventually settled for a roll of XP2 Super - from the soon to be closed Ritz on US 1 @ Sunrise. Not even Dale Photo, a local Leica hang out, stocked Tri-X.</p>

<p>My Leica II from 1932 is in the overlap territory. It's a user versus a shelf queen - which may mean its use is of more interest to readers in in this forum. Yet, for that camera, I post over in the Leica forum.</p>

<p>One other 35mm rangefinder that I use is the Olympus 35RD - I wouldn't even consider posting regarding that camera in the Olympus forum. It doesn't really fit the purview of most visitors to the Leica forum. So, I'm more likely to post comments in this forum under the Brownie category. </p>

<p>The same holds true for my Olympus 35RC - Is it closer to a Brownie or a Leica M3 through M7?</p>

<p>Fortunately - the rest of my cameras are vintage medium format from the early Fifties - which to there is also a forum for - but truly, I'm far more likely to get more comments with regards to an Agfa Record III and Zeiss Ikon Ikonta III - if I post in this forum.</p>

<p>Just some rambling thoughts.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Back in the late Seventies - I made the discovery that it is nearly impossible to tell whether a photo like the fountain above was made using a compact 35mm rangefinder with a decent lens or a SLR with its kit 50mm - when both are loaded with the same film.</p>

<p>In some cases, I believe the little 35mm rangefinder produced sharper images - as was the case when Nikons were sold the then new E-series 50mm lens. The compact Konica S3 and Minolta 7S II definitely had the edge over the Nikkor E-series. So, I'm not surprised how well the diminutive Prinz rendered the above photos. </p>

<p>This comparison was evident even before the rush to zoom lenses with slower apertures - which by 1990 became the new normal.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Off topic - but I had to look up the Konica Aiborg. Whoah! Definitely a camera from the Delta Quadrant. I'll stick to my rangefinder cameras. I'm afraid to ask about the racket an Aiborg makes when shooting in quiet room.</p>

<p>An Asian import to Britain with a German title. I like that. The camera looks to be a clean survivor of a genre of compact 35mm RF cameras that began in the Fifties and whose swan song was the during the late-Seventies. </p>

<p>My guess is that the Prinz still uses a mechanical, spring driven, Copal leaf-shutter. Focusing is a straight forward beam splitter and rotating mirror for the RF patch. Just curious - is there a shutter preferred AE mode?</p>

<p>All in all - a simple to operate, compact 35mm with a very capable 40mm lens. </p>

<p>We are in a stage 2 drought where I live, but I do have to make note to do some more rainy day shooting.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Just looked up black eyed Susans on the internet. The best origin I could find was a poem.</p>

<p><em>All in the downs, the fleet was moored,</em><br /><em> Banners waving in the wind.</em><br /><em> When Black-Eyed Susan came aboard,</em><br /><em> and eyed the burly men.</em><br /><em> “Tell me ye sailors, tell me true</em><br /><em> Does my Sweet William sail with you?”</em></p>

<p>Superb images, Louis. I admire the fill-the-frame, front to back use of depth of field you chose for two of the flower shots and again for the bench covered in Lichens. You are definitely a master of composition.</p>

<p>Best Regards,</p>

<p>A FED 2 is an interesting evolution of the Leica II design. I like that the Soviet/Ukrainian designers decided to go for a removable back for easier film loading. It also has a wide RF base length between the two windows.</p>

<p>Here it meets up with American cars from Golden Era of the Fifties. The old US Army M-715 was designed by Kaiser Jeep Corporation to replace the older Dodge M37 Power Wagon.</p>

<p>Best Regards,</p>

 

<p>That North Coast Photographic scan looks real good to me. A nice example of what the diminutive Perkeo can do in capable hands as well.</p>

<p>Folks - The Perkeo is aimed towards compactness and portability. </p>

<p>Whether the sharpness of the lens equals a TLR with a Tessar-type lens misses the point of what this camera offers.</p>

<p>* The Perkeo is a tourist's medium format camera and its original price is reflective of it second tier status.<br>

* It fits into the front pocket of my cargo pants with room to spare and is lightweight.<br>

* The Perkeo offers a sufficient range of shutter speeds and aperture settings to get a good exposure.<br>

* Like the tourist for which the Perkeo was designed for - I rarely enlarge past 8x8 or 8x10.</p>

<p>No doubt a well made TLR with its unit focusing Tessar-type lens will yield a negative that is higher up on the MTF food chain - but that type of camera isn't something you would slip in and out of a pants pocket.</p>

<p>Best Regards, as always</p>

<p>Rick is correct. The 80mm/f3.5 Color Skopar is a coated, front cell focusing Tessar-type design. Coated Voigtlander lenses have a blueish reflective hue.</p>

<p>Dan, I don't know how the 80/3.5 was computed - but it is a front cell focusing lens and and the lens may not be at its sharpest at its infinity setting. Most of my shooting is at 12 feet or less.</p>

<p>I do know that the Color Skopar is somewhat flare resistant. The shot of the roasting chiles was shot while standing in the sun and facing the sun. To make matters more interesting, I had to overexpose the highlights in order to capture some of the shaded areas. The shadows were still way too thin on the negative for my liking. I hate thin negs.</p>

<p>In the image below, I moved over a tad - but the shadow areas were still underexposed.</p>

<p><img src="http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~yue/misc/Perkeo2/ChileR5.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="693" /><br /> I lightened the shadows a bit in Photoshop and black apron on the guy manning the roaster was full of grain.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that the expiry on this film was 8 years ago in 2006.</p>

<p>No pun intended - but I really should look into acquiring a Kontur 6x6 finder. My other 6x6 folder is an Agfa Super Isolette which has coupled RF focusing. Although the camera has twice the heft of a Perkeo, the Agfa's viewfinder is also tiny.</p>

<p>Thanks for the suggestion.</p>