John Smullen

Sekonic L-38 Auto Leader is a compact match needle design that still works well. Booster cell gives three levels of sensitivity.

My first camera was a Kodak Instamatic 104 that I got in 1966 not long after getting married and starting college. It documented plenty of family events, trips and good times together. Those flash cubes sure seemed expensive. Sometime I either figured out or was told that leaving an expended flash cube in would slow the shutter speed enough to improve exposure on back-lit pictures. I suspect that was what triggered an interest in photography that carried forward. My second camera was a Pentax KX acquired in Japan during a visit with my brother-in-law in 1976. I so enjoyed the pictures and slides he created with a Pentax K2 that I took a step up from that Instamatic.

<p>A Retina II model 142 would be a fine addition to your rangefinder collection. It came with 2.0, 2.8 or 3.5 lenses. A hood should be used to control flare from that vintage lens.</p>

<p>What a great idea for a thread. My first camera was a Kodak Instamatic 304 that captured a lot of memories as a newly married college student. During a business trip to London in the early 1970's I learned that the exposure meter could be manipulated by just leaving a used flash cube in the turret. The result was some decent late afternoon shots of Big Ben.<br>

That 126 cartridge camera is long gone. However it got me started on a long love of amateur photography with a Pentax KX and other cameras.</p>

 

<p>Yes, the pictures of the Baldessa and the pictures it made are equally enjoyable. Thanks for an informative review. I had forgotten about the little 1b tucked away in a drawer behind a couple of Retina folders. I smile at the design every time I hold the little guy. </p>

<p>A belated response to a fascinating thread. I am 67 years old and enjoy Kodak Retina and Agfa rangefinders. The SLR's are resting for the time being. I stumbled into photography in the early 1970's when I discovered that the exposure could be manipulated on a Kodak Instamatic by using a dead flash cube. That led to a Pentax KX purchased in Tokyo and a long love affair with things Pentax.<br>

And yes I do also enjoy a Canon G7 digital.</p>

 

<p>Nice catch. I've enjoyed it's slightly younger relative the Vt Deluxe with the 50 1.2 lens for a few years.</p>

<p>Well...lets see if I understand the question: Is there a bad camera that we don't like.<br>

There are certainly some homely ones - the Fed5, Kodak Signet and Argus brick come to mind, but they redeem themselves as decent picture makers. The 126 Instamatic cameras certainly were popular and they filled a niche. And many of us got our start on those simple plastic boxes. <br>

The disc camera and the little 110's (Pentax SLR, etc) were well-intentioned but ended up being a solution looking for a problem to solve. Those two would be my choices of the poorest designs when considered through a perfectly focused hindsight lens.</p>

 

<p>It takes two parties to complete a sale. So far I see one seller and no buyers for that camera. <br>

If a seller is not realistic in his price then buyers will move on because it's a buyers market. We see unrealistic sellers every day in real estate - why not cameras as well. The seller of that Argus will either reduce his price, put the camera back in inventory or continue to support Ebay via relisting fees. What's to be gained by second-guessing his motivation?</p>

<p>Nice camera - I owned one for a few years. Camera Wiz in Harrisonburg, Va has done excellent work for me in the past. I'm not sure which focusing screen you have, but the standard split image fresnel screen is the best for all around work. I wonder if you don't have a sticky mirror. That could case difficulty focusing and make it seem like the shutter was sticking.</p>

<p>An older Life magazine should cover all but the largest of film cameras. For very large cameras a full newspaper should provide complete coverage.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Camera Wiz in Harrisonburg, Va. There is nothing unique about servicing an Agfa Karat so any good camera shop should be able to do it.</p>

<p>It's cute, but would become another dust collector.</p>

<p>Having owned a Vitomatic II I know it had one of the biggest finders out there. But even it couldn't be used two feet away. Wait - I know what he's doing...using the accessory shoe as a poor mans sports finder!</p>

<p>The way I see it there are lots of other cameras to choose from. He either takes your price, makes an offer you like or you move on. Your seller may remember the collectible camera market as it one was.</p>

<p>Check with Frank Marshman of Camera Wiz in Harrisonburg, Va. They did excellent work on Agfa and Kodak 35mm folders. You will get the most accurate pricing information by contacting these shops directly for an estimate. From there you can determine the cheapest.</p>

<p>I'm no Olympus expert but there are a couple of odd things about that camera. Is the lettering Olympus Tokyo corect? From the picture it looks like a sloppy paint job. Also, the name on the body does not seem consistent - looks like Zeitax or something similar?</p>

<p>From your message I'm not sure if you are truly running out of space or not. A serious collection of bicycles will inhale a lot of real estate. If you are indeed running out of space the then it is time to reassess your collecting habits.</p>

<p>Peter, the point to be made is not whether one camera company copied the work of another...that happens all the time. In the face of innovative competitors the german and american camera and sport optics industries continued to produce what sold well in the past. They may have originated some of the features used by Pentax/Nikon/Canon, etc., but they were unable or unwilling to do anything with them. And within 15 years the japanese overwhelmed companies that were once industry leaders.</p>

<p>I read and re-read that wordy first message and cannot decipher it.<br />Statements like this are oversimplified nonsense:<br />"Let's face it, the Japanese camera manufacturers in the 1960's saw a niche, and that was people who wanted to look like professional photojournalists, but couldn't tell an f-stop from a bus-stop."<br />The german and american camera businesses failed because they continued to deliver products that had worked in the past. When the competition from Japan introduced new designs the german companies simply re-invented what had sold well in the past. As a consequence new products were hobbled by aging designs with inherent limitations. Rather than asking what consumers wanted they somewhat arrogantly continued to produce designs they assumed would be demanded by consumers.</p>

<p>I use and enjoy the results from both digital and film cameras. It's impossible for me to ignore the considerable benefits of digital photography though. </p>

<p>I acquired my KX in Tokyo in 1976 as a way of keeping up with my brother-in-law who had just purchased the K2. By way of background my previous camera was a Kodak Instamatic 304 so I had a lot to learn! I found that having all of the exposure information in a well designed finder allowed me to quickly learn how shutter and aperture were interrelated. It used a true match needle system that I found intuitively easy to learn. It was not long before I mastered the basics and was moving able to move on to advanced tricks for more creative pictures. I tried a Pentax Super Program and an LX for a while, but found myself going back to the KX.</p>

<p>I can't think of a reason anyone would hate the X700. It is a good camera just like all of it's predecessors. I owned a couple of it's older XD brothers and made a lot of pictures with them. When the X700 was introduced it competed well with other early auto program cameras and was produced well into the 1990's. However, the X700 is a 30 year old design and there is simply more supply than demand for widely produced aging film cameras. I would enjoy it for the good pictures that it can still deliver.</p>

Olympus Pen was a bit smaller than the Rollei I think. Agfa, Fuji and several others made 35mm half-frame cameras in the 1960's that were in the same league.

<p>Pentax KS and Kodak Retina IIa</p>