bill_delehanty1

<p>I can't add much detail to what has been said about the X-700; but, I have found it to be a camera that is very pleasant to use and gives excellent results. Two features already mentioned that I particularly appreciate are the Auto Exposure Lock and the great viewfinder screen. Over 25 years or so of use I can't remember any particular downside to the use of plastic in the construction. I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned the flash system-- the 280px works well with the Minolta TTL system (though not at the output that they claim for it) and is very good for people photos, particularly with the diffuser that comes with it. I'm not familiar with the XE series so I can't compare with that; but, I do have some experience with the XD-5, little sister to the XD-11, and, aside from the AEL dedicated flash, & ease of holding with the X-700, I'd find it pretty much at the same level as the X-700, but older.</p>

<p>The second camera is a Canon Demi: the original Demi which, IIRC, came out in 1963.</p>

<p>I come up with two favorites, depending on conditions:<br>

<br />Condition 1: I have assured access to batteries and technical repairs-- Yashica Samurai.<br>

Condition 2: I want to be able to take photos without needing anything but camera and film-- Olympus Pen D .</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Even it's not a Hit it's a good hitter and hit a home run with that last photo of the building in Harvard, MA.</p>

<p>I've always enjoyed looking at the photos in your posts-- both the found type and your own takes-- and I look forward to seeing more. As some others reported, I found the right hand part of some photos on the Contax IIIA page was cut off.</p>

<p>Bill Delehanty</p>

<p>Thanks for the tour with the Jem Jr. I've read about it somewhere online, but it's great to see both pictures and how they were taken. Interesting place, too.</p>

<p>For the use of 120 in some cameras that take 616 film, electrical crimp connectors can work well. I made some posts with the details in APUG forums category "medium format" in February and June, 2012. (I give the dates because you have to be a member in order to use the search format in APUG). These posts relate to the Agfa (Ansco) Clipper. </p>

<p>For the use of 120 in some cameras that take 116 film, Mike Connealy has tips in his blog, Photography and Vintage Cameras. He also has a discussion of re-rolling 120 film on a 620 spool.</p>

<p>Maybe some of these references will be helpful. Sorry that I have none on 122.</p>

 

<p><cite>www.3106.net/photo/img/man<strong>Yashica</strong>-Guide.pdf<br /></cite><br>

links to a PDF of a Yashica TLR guide. By the way, I don't think that the Yashica A has a bayonet mount, though the other Yashica TLRs do.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Good question. The last photos I took a week ago were taken with a Kodak Duo 620 which was made in my birth year (± a year or two-- I haven't checked out the serial number) of 1938. It's still going strong and I'm tagging along pretty well.</p>

<p>I still have quite a few hf cameras, though I've started to move some out. For me the recent stars have been the Fujica Half and the Canon Demi EE 1.7-- both mentioned in earlier posts. Both of them make very high quality photos; IMO the EE 1.7 excels in sharpness and practicality (except that it has no strap lugs); the Fujica Half excels in picking up the feeling of a scene. For ease of use and sheer quality I doubt that the Yashica Samurai 3X can be beat by anything other than a later Samurai. Loading your own film makes a lot of sense for hf since you can make shorter lengths if you want them. Or, Ultrafine Online has 12 exposure rolls in different varieties that are about the right length for hf. </p>

<p>Thanks for this fine post about the Franka company and their Solida line of cameras. Maybe a personal reminiscence wouldn't be out of place here. Because I turned 16 in 1954, I was able to work at a factory in a seasonal job and spent some of the money I earned (@.94¢/hour) to replace my Spartus Full Vue, a 120 twin lens box camera, with a Solida ( I think it must have been a Solida II) from Montgomery Wards which had a large photo mail order catalog at the time. It had an f/3.5 lens from Ennawerk, a full range of speeds (1 to 1/300 as I recall), full focussing down to c. 3.5 feet, and like the one in this post took 12 exposures on 120 film. I used it a lot till I got a deal on an Aires III in 1958 which let me take 35mm slides. I still have many prints and negatives from the Solida and they were sharp and contrasty though most of the time I had to be satisfied with "Jumbo" prints (3.5 x 3.5 inches) with Deckle edges; but, I could occasionally use a relative's darkroom and made what I remember as "good" enlargements that my classmates paid a modest price for. An older brother, who was a very good photographer, even with the Baby Brownie that he used for many years, was impressed with my Solida and also bought one. He wasn't so pleased with his sample, because the viewfinder was badly out of whack. His widow gave it to me, but I have never taken a picture with it, always meaning to find a way to correct the viewfinder and never doing so. I suppose that my Solida cost about $30 with case in 1954; flash was extra. A focussing anastigmat lens that was fast enough to make good exposures even in poor light; a shutter with a wide range of speeds; enough resolution that would hold up in the occasional 5x7 or 8x10 enlargement: those were very desirable features for a high school student in 1954 and for many adults as well. In my case, it helped greatly to establish a hobby that I still enjoy.</p>

<p>Great photos. It was very pleasant to go along with your family on your Italian visit by way of your finely done pictures.</p>

<p>Congrats on your purchase; it's pretty likely that you'll have fun with it. Concerning the flash, if you browse around enough you'll find adapters that will let you use smaller bulbs in the Hawkeye Flash unit pictured in your post; some of them include a smaller reflector as part of the adapter allowing the use of smaller bulbs (which will be newer, most likely). I like to use AG-1 bulbs, partly because I have them, but also because they pack a good punch for a small size. If the bulbs you have access to come in a package, you've probably already found the recommended distances for different bulbs correlated with film speeds-- all you need to do is to keep within the listed range. Good luck!</p>

<p>Minolta made an adapter for Exakta lens to Minolta Manual SLRS (SR, MC, MD). Olympus made an adapter for Exakta lens to Olympus Pen SLR. Both are probably hard to find, though.</p>

<p>That is a great picture. It is quite fitting for anyone reading Classic Manual Cameras forum!</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I think that the "F" position is for a SM or SF flashbulb - discontinued long ago.</p>

<p><<why is it that the Canonet Q17 GIII is so popular>><br>

I've had a Canonet (QL17, earlier than the GIII) for about 20 years and I've used it quite a lot, lent my backup to people who want to take pictures at some event, and bought one for another person (not a hobbyist) who wanted a camera to carry around. Some of the qualities that I've found that may contribute to Canonet popularity are: high quality results with slides, color negative, or b&w film; reliabiity; usability as a near point & shoot while having capacity for full manual adjustments; size and convenience in use (compared particularly to the larger FL rf cameras like Auto S-2, Hi-Matic 7s, and Olympus 35 SP); excellent dedicated flash, the Canolite D, which extends the capability of the camera while still being very convenient to use. I suppose this could be summarized as -- desirable combination of features.</p>

<p>Hello,<br>

From your description, I am quite sure that you have a 120 version of the Solida II. The lens on mine reads just as yours does; its number is 98___, so a little later in production. I had a Solida ("I", I believe) from 1954 till 1957; I now have my deceased brother's Solida II which I recall he bought in around 1956, so I believe that you are correct in its date. Have you found a manual yet? If not, here are a few steps that could help you to get started with it:<br>

--To load film, open the back by pushing the catch at the left hand top (from photographer's perspective) upward and putting the new roll on the left and threading its leading end into an empty spool on the right; once it is firmly attached, close the back and move the red window cover to the left so that you can see the number "1" in the red window as you slowly turn the advance knob counterclockwise.<br>

--The front opens by pushing the small button at top left (from photographer's perspective) side; the spring is fairly strong so hold the front gently as it opens;<br>

--Set the focus by rotating the front ring of the lens by its knurled edge; the red "8" will give you adequate depth of field at f/11 from about 6 to about 10 ft; the red "25" from about 12 feet to infinity at f/11; or you can set it to a precise distance that you have estimated or measured;<br>

--Set the shutter speed by rotating the inner knurled ring;<br>

--Set the aperture by moving the small lever at the inner edge of the lens mount so that the small pointer points to the f/stop that you want;<br>

--Cock the shutter by moving the button at the center top of the lens mount all the way to the right (from the photographer's perspective).<br>

--There is a double-exposure prevention device, so you have to advance the film before the shutter will release; if your model is not some kind of variant there will be 12 exposures.<br>

--After exposing the 12th frame, dvance the film, watching the red window, till the tail is wound on to the takeup roll; remove and process.<br>

A couple of possible quirks: <br>

--My brother's Solida II has a misaligned viewfinder so that you have to allow extra space at the top or you will cut off heads etc. (My former Solida didn't have this problem, so you'll just have to test it.)<br>

--The double exposure prevention device can get confused; I removed the one on my current Solida.<br>

--Set the Synchro lever (left hand side of lens) to "X". I don't think you should use "V" (self-timer) as there's a good chance it won't work and will jam up the camera-- that's about the only thing I think you could do to mess up the camera (and that's repairable in a shop).<br>

I enjoyed my old Solida a great deal-- the lens is sharp and contrasty and the camera is handy to operate except for the lack of strap lugs so that you need the case in order to hang it around your neck. I hope that you will find the same for the Solida you have.</p>

 

<p><<aslo found EFKE 820 which from my begginers perspective i understand i can use in lieu of 620 ?>><br>

Hello, <br>

I'm not clear just what product that would be; but, I don't think it will fit 620.</p>

<p>The Fujica Half (the 2.8 model; there is also a Half 1.9)does have an exposure program which is set by the built-in selenium meter; the ASA-ISO setting goes from 12 to 200. Autoexposure, however, is easily cancelled so that you can set aperture and shutter speeds manually (1/30 to 1/300 sec.). There is an accessory shoe (cold) and a self-timer, neither of which is on the Pen D. I found the Fujinon 2.8 (28mm) to be a fine lens (when it was new, ads made much of the fact that it has 5 elements). The Fujica Half viewfinder is not as good as the D and the shutter releases so low in its mount that it can be frustrating at times to shoot (an old-fashioned soft release solves the problem, though). If the negative points don't trouble you too much, I think that a Fujica Half in good shape would give you plenty of good service. It probably was made for the middle range of HF camera whereas the D was at the top (features and price). I have both and use the D more, but that's due more to the viewfinder which doesn't work so well for my glasses than to anything else. I hope this helps you in your choice.</p>

<p>I'm surprised that you don't have 1600 on your X-700. I wonder if you'd find it if you lifted the ASA wheel and turned it all the way to the left; that's where it is on my X-700. </p>

There is a lot of information at:

 

http://www.vanveluwen.nl/eSIF/is-series/is-series.htm

<<...from 60s/70s. I'd like my photos to have that washed out look...>>

 

In my memory of 60's & 70"s "washed out" photos, it was the processing rather than the camera which produced the look: color prints processed by Kodak were quite "mild"; black and white sent out through the drugstore lacked contrast. The only washed out b&w I've had in recent times (I went back to developing my own in the 70's to get away from that) came from commercial processing of C-41 black and white films: maybe you could try that with whatever camera you have handy?

Yes, the MR-9 adaptor does fit into the battery compartment of the Minolta 7S rangefinder. It may be that the cover screws in another 1/2 turn or so with a 625 mercury battery; but, the MR-9 with battery installed fits nicely and the battery cover is very nearly flush with the bottom of the camera-- I don't think it's going to fall out. I can't say for sure about the accuracy for slide film; but, I just checked a room in the house which handles 400 speed film with an exposure of 1/30 @f/2.8 (7S reading of EV 8)and that is what the 7S meter read with the MR-9 adaptor installed.

The Bilora Bella was also sold in the USA as the Ansco Lancer. There is a picture of it at:

 

http://www.merrillphoto.com/AnscoLancer.htm