micah_henry

Gee folks,

 

This nostalgic talk makes me feel like a mere kid (which I guess I am, in a way). Don't get me wrong--I love hearing about the past--but 1969 was ten years before I was born! For instance, that summer my mom had just finished her freshman year in college.

 

Using old cameras (and wristwatches) and listening to period music is my way of time travel, though--I can use them and try guess what it might have been like to live during the 1940s, 50s, or 60s.

 

--Micah in NC

DUH! That should read "meniscus lens."

 

By the way, the Super Slide (a color transparency size, not a water toy) was apparently all the rage when the Twin-20 was made. The little bracket marks in the viewfinder denote the size of the image if you wanted to shoot for Super Slide format in 2x2" mounts.

 

--Micah in NC

Gene,

 

Nice work, very nice. I especially like the fourth B&W photo on your page. The lens, with its effect of soft corners, seems to give the trees movement, whether or not the wind was blowing their branches.

 

I, too, have a Twin-20. Mine is missing its chrome trim ring on the front of the lens, though (which doesn't hinder its shooting ability). I got it in original (worn) box with matching flasholder (though the flash's reflector was AWOL) in the local Goodwill thrift store for only $7. I ran a roll of color film through mine and was very pleased with its performance.

 

According to the Brownie Camera Page at http://www.brownie-camera.com/48.shtml the Twin-20 has a menisus lens. Depending on the year, it might have made two trips across the Atlantic--from early 1960 to 1964, these were manufactured in the US but assembled in the United Kingdom. That page also has a link to the owner's manual, if needed.

 

Keep up the good work, Gene!

 

--Micah in NC

Wesley,

 

Hey, you mean Asheville, North Carolina? I'm from N.C. as well, up in Wilkes County (a good two hours away).

 

Hope you have fun with the "Speed." I have a Pre-Anniversary Speed in 4x5" size--it's a blast!

 

--Micah in NC

Robert,

 

Excellent work. I think you and the Fujica did especially well on photo 2, because that looks like a tricky metering situation.

 

Is this the camera? (spotted by a Google search at Pacific Rim Camera)

http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/images/90824.jpg

 

--Micah in NC

Gene,

 

I love these photos, especially the first and last images. I gotta build me a pinhole camera! In my 'camera stable' is an old C-44R with bum shutter--that's what I'm eyeing to become my first pinhole cam.

 

Keep up the good work!

 

--Micah in NC

Raid,

 

Classy photos from a classic camera. I think black-and-white sets these apart and heightens the interest, too.

 

By the way, I have a C-44. I had a lot of fun carrying it around at a musical festival in my hometown earlier this year:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00CX3O

 

--Micah in NC

Adam,<br><br>See my reply to <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00DyVo">your post on the Classic Cameras forum</a>.<br><br>--Micah in NC

Adam,<br><br>Sorry, I didn't put the URL in the correct place in that HTML code. The Brownie Camera Page has camera info <a href="http://www.brownie-camera.com/69.shtml">on this page</a> and <a href="http://www.brownie-camera.com/manuals/six20andsix16bjunior/index.shtml">an owner's manual here</a>. I hope that works for you!<br><br>--Micah in NC

Adam,<br><br>More like f/11 at 1/30 to 1/50 sec. Using 400 speed film, you will have overexposure on sunny days. Overcast days will be OK.<br><br>For more info, see <a href="www.brownie-camera.com/69.shtml">http://www.brownie-camera.com/69.shtml</a> and <a href="the owner's manual here">http://www.brownie-camera.com/manuals/six20andsix16bjunior/index.shtml</a>.<br><br>--Micah in NC

Jon,

 

Thanks for the link! sounds like just the place to send the old 135mm Zeiss lens in dial-set Compur shutter which my '39 Speed came with.

 

--Micah in NC

Jim,

 

Hi there. Nice work! I like to see Speeds in use. I got one about two and a half years ago and have s-l-o-w-l-y been getting up to speed (no pun intended) in the large format vein of photography. Mine is a Pre-Anniversary 4x5 Speed Graphic, ca. 1939 (last year before Anniv. Speeds debuted).

 

I shoot with a 127mm Ektar, and use the Synchro-Compur shutter, not the focal plane shutter. The Ektar is the only lens I have for the Speed actually on a lens board (hopefully, that will change). I usually focus using the ground glass because I haven't adjusted the RF yet.

 

A wonderful resource for me in my Graflex quest is www.graflex.org and I suggest giving it a look when you have a few minutes.

 

Keep having fun with that Graflex!

 

--Micah in NC

Bill,<br><br>I vote for Tri-X, too. It is said to have a double-coating of emulsion, similar to the type Kodak Super XX had, with a "fast" and "slow" emulsion on the same film. That means you're more likely to get an image, even if exposure is not spot-on, which is just the ticket for a beginner!<br><br>This URL has more info:<a href="http://groups.google.com/group/rec.photo.darkroom/browse_frm/thread/2db9bba82e647eee/1ed27d2f9027c747?tvc=1&q=Tri-X+film+double+coat&hl=en#1ed27d2f9027c747">Click here.</a> Scroll down to the paragraph which begins "It was a fairly common practice"<br><br>--Micah in NC

Mark,

 

I know this may not help much, but I bought my Vito CL for $12, I think, from a local antique store a year or so ago. Granted, this didn not have the leather case and the top plate was badly pitted and scratched, but camera and meter work just fine.

 

--Micah in NC

Matthew,

 

Hurray! I'm glad you were able to scavenge the guts from my junk XA2. Looks like the Olympus rides again! I thought all was lost after I felt the thump, thump of my car backing over that little black lump and then seeing the camera case lying there in front of me. That's a sickening feeling.

 

But all it needed was some TLC! Thanks to you, it's a' shootin' again.

 

--Micah

Kenneth,

 

Excellent work! My favorite is the police station picture. You gotta love those arches!

 

--Micah in NC

Gene,

 

Ah, the Praktica! I am another Prakica user (mine is same model as John's). I love that Zeiss Tessar 50/2.8 that my Praktiflex came with.

 

I need to use my Praktiflex more often so I can get warmed up to that WLF.

 

Great pictures, Gene, simply wonderful stuff. The photo of the yellow birch sapling leaves just jump out of the screen at me! It's like 3D! I can't wait to see what you'll do this winter...

 

--Micah in NC

Gene,

 

I agree with Larry. I think the "focus vignetting" (if that's a term) really contributes to the ethereal view of the scenes. I like the building shot (second picture) the best. And that's a spooky-looking figure carved on the tombstone!

 

--Micah in NC

Keith,

 

I emailed you regarding the Yashica Atoron.

 

Thanks,

Micah in NC

Raid,

 

You will need an adapter to be able to plug a modern PC (Pronto-Compur) style flash cord into the Argus proprietary bi-post design. There is an adapter made for this.

 

According to the ACG website, it's described as a "Small molded plastic device. Prongs stick out to fit the C3 flash sockets. On the opposite side is a PC connector. Used to convert to a flash with a pc cord."

 

I bought one from Manfred Schmidt (based in Chicago, I believe) and it is a similar item, but the pins which fit into the camera are rather too small and the adapter can fall out of the camera if you're not careful. Cost is about $12 or so.

 

After all of this talk about adapters I must advise you that your C3 might not even synchronize correctly with modern electronic flash. If the shutter shows five speeds on the dial, then it is X-sync at 1/30 second and can be used with electronic flash (as long as it's the older type which has a flash duration of 1/750 second or longer). Check your flash owner's manual. Even some new flashes have duration this long in manual (full power) mode. I have used a unit with 1/1000 second duration sucessfully, though this is shorter than what Argus advised.

 

If your C3 has more than five shutter speeds on the dial, it's an older unit which has M-sync (for flash bulbs) will probably need to be re-synched to have X-sync flash correctly with electronic flash. They were designed for flashbulbs, which must actually get current (read "get a closed circuit") from the shutter just before the shutter is open so that the bulb achieves peak brightness by the time the shutter is fully open. Flash bulbs are fun to use, but are hard to find becase they have not been made in smaller sizes for many years. An exception are a few LARGE, screw base flash bulbs being made by Meggaflash in Ireland (very expensive).

 

--Micah in NC

Evgeny & Raid:<br><br>I am chiming in late in this thread, but I wanted to let you know that there are several web pages regarding C3 repair/adjustment. Many of them are by members of the Argus Collectors' Group (ACG), which has members in the USA, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and elsewhere; home page is located at:<br><br><a href="http://arguscg.tripod.com/">http://arguscg.tripod.com/</a><br><br>The page on C3 repair is:<a href="http://arguscg.tripod.com/id93.html">http://arguscg.tripod.com/id93.html</a><br><br>Some other links are below.<br><br><a href="http://www.daniel.mitchell.name/cameras/argusa/argusa.html">Argus A2F link</a><br><a href="http://theargusa.com/Models.htm">Argus A series</a><br><a href="http://argus.mark-wilson.net/">Mark Wilson's Argus pages</a><br><a href="http://www.wilkes.net/~saabman84/Argus/ACGHolidayLightsMainGallery.htm">Gallery of Argus photos from last year's Holiday contest</a><br><a href="http://yandr.50megs.com/argus/c3/c3.htm">Argus C3 instructions</a><br><a href="http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-86.html">Our own Rick Oleson's Argus C3 repair tips</a><br><br>I hope these help you in case you decide to inspect/clean/repair your Argus cameras or are interested in other models, too.<br><br>I think Mark O'Brien here is someone I've noticed on the ACG mailing list/site at Yahoo! Groups. That address is <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arguscg/">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arguscg/</a><br><br>--Micah in NC

Folks,

 

Thanks for looking. Mr. Currie had first email, so he gets the XA2.

 

--Micah in NC

Hi folks,

 

I have a camera to give away (not working) for the cost of shipping.

It's an Olympus XA2 in black. Camera only, no flash. Was working

before it fell out of the car when passenger opened the car door to

get in (it was dark). Camera tumbled, unseen, to the ground and I

proceeded to back the car over the camera. Ouch!

 

In a testament to Olympus plastic, the camera is not cracked, at

least not on the outside. You can turn the film advance knob and

press the shutter release and the shutter still works fine. The film

advance knob turns the film winding spool, but not if there is any

light bit of tension on it--if film is loaded the knob just spins

freely without turning the spool. Knob has apparently lost firm

connection to the film advance spool. Also, film door has two dents

on the back now.

 

Lens is clean and clear, also nice clean viewfinder with framelines,

low-light green LED works, focus slider moves the lens. Slider for

focus moves. Battery chamber clean.

 

I know, I know. This is not really pre-1970, but here it is anyhow.

First EMAIL to saabman84 (at) yahoo (dot) com can give it a new home

and maybe fix it.

 

--Micah in NC

Well, I'd have to say I'd like a longer lens (with lensboard) than my 127/4.7 Ektar for my 1939 Speed Graphic 4x5 camera. And a 85mm f/4 Schneider Tele-Arton OR the 90mm Tele-Arton lens for Kodak Retina Reflex IV mount would be nice. And I'd love to get the Retina IIIS which can use the same lenses as the Kodak SLR.

 

While I'm at it, I long to have the 200mm/4.8 lens for the Retina Reflex, too.

 

--Micah in NC

Nancy,

 

Wonderful use of curves, leading lines, and smooth tones.

 

--Micah in NC