bruce_z._li2

@Niels - NHSN very handsome brass and nickel on black!

Hi Chuck @chuck_foreman1 , you have certainly been busy plugging away. And the photos from the Biogon 35/2.8 look lovely. I have only used its poor cousin Jupiter-9 and was not totally impressed. But your Biogon was well worth your wait.

The Canonet QL17 is a difficult camera to take apart and repair, because it is difficult to reach the aperture and shutter from the front. I had different problem: slow speeds are sluggish. I stripped to what I can, but the service manual shows some part can only be reached by working from the back and disassemble quite a lot of parts. So in the end, I decided to live with the slow speed problem. A 90% working camera is better than a 100% dead camera. ;-) On the other hand: you might still be able to strip one or two more layers down by looking at your photo. Hopefully you can reach some parts that you can clean.

Hi Jason, the Ektar 44/3.5 on my Signet 35 performs really well and I have shared some photos a year ago. Sadly, I suffer from "too many cameras" syndrome and have not used the Signet 35 recently.

Recently I have been using another German tube camera: Braun Gloria 6x6 with Braxar Bayreuth 75/2.9 lens (by Steiner). The lens is the same as those on Goldeck as @rick_drawbridge wrote about in the past. It is a surprisingly good triplet lens: soft glow when wide open, and plenty sharp when stopped down. I have to take apart the lens to do some cleaning of the elements, as well as cleaning up oil on the shutter blades so they don't get stuck. But thankfully the shutter itself is quite clean and all speeds seem to work well. Below is a photo of the camera next to the Agfa Isola, my lightweight champion. Gloria is a tad shorter, but much heavier due to the higher spec lens and shutter combo, heftier construction, as well as uncoupled rangefinder. I hope to get a Goldeck soon to complete the collection of German tube cameras. They do have a few pros and cons compared to folders of the same era, which might be topic for another article.

A bit late to the party, and enjoying everyone's fine submissions. Here are a few fresh out of the darkroom: Braun Gloria tube camera with Bayreuth 75/2.9 lens. I believe @rick_drawbridge and @John Seaman have discussed about this lens. Wide open, it renders rather nicely. Film was Kodak T-Max 100, developed in Adox FX-39 II. Please wait, we will be right back A bird cage in sunlight Two bright chairs Shining leaves Plants on the window sill

Remote cousins: Left: Nicca 3-F with Leica Summitar 50/2 Right: Zorki 1 with FED 50/3.5 They are both great carry-everywhere cameras: capable of producing excellent images, and smaller than most 70s' "compact rangefinders" such as Canon QL17. But they are definitely dense, and not for flimsy pockets.

Nemours Estate (by the DuPont family) in Wilmington, Delaware. Voigtlander Bessa L, Snapshot Skopar 25/4, Wolfen NP100 film in Adox FX-39 II.

It seems there must be product improvements by Argus over the model's lifetime. I have an "Argus 40" (as shown on front plate) which has a matte (and almost rubber coated) surface inside. I guess Argus discovered the "bafflingly" reflection problems themselves or from their customers. In my use, the Argus 40 is one of the best "cheap" boxy cameras with an excellent triplet lens and very usable aperture/speed ranges. I typically use black velvet fabric (with self adhesive back, designed for jewelry boxes) for my cameras. For example, many Holga cameras benefit from added baffles due to their shining plastic interior.

I think partly is due to faster speed film (ISO 200) and bright sunlight leads to smaller aperture, which provides more Depth of Field. I did practice zone focusing quite a bit, since I have too many zone focus cameras. :-) I even lined up my living room with 5 gym mats, each 3 feet wide. So I can practice 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 feet. If something falls in between, I just move myself so I can get to those "magic numbers".

The little Olympus XA2 just sings. Fujicolor C200, Bellini C41 home processed. And pretty proud of my scale focus / hyperfocal skills. :-)

Who likes 44mm normal lens? On the left: Topcon 35-S with Topcor 44/2 lens. On the right: Kodak Signet 35 with Ektar 44/3.5 lens. Both are of excellent quality.

A few photos from the US East Coast. Voigtlander Bessa L, Snapshot Skopar 25/4, Orwo Wolfen UN54 film in Adox FX-39 II. UN54 (a East European cine film) is a new film to me, and this first roll seems either over-exposed or over-developed. The other two rolls from the same tank seems ok (Orwo/Wolfen NP100, Ilford Pan F+ 50). Will try Kodak D96 developer as recommended by the manufacturer. Pure reflection The bridge The kiosk

Four 35mm compacts clockwise from top right: Yashica Electro 35 GTN, Minoltina AL-S, Canonet New QL17, Fujica 35-ML. Yashica GTN (GSN's darker cousin) is excellent for low light shots, and have perfect ergonomics despite its largest size. Minoltina is the lightest and most compact with the best all-around lens. Canonet is the most capable, albeit weak RF patch on my sample (thus the blue filter). Fujica has the most 3D looking lens, and slightly different operations.

My second roll of Harman Phoenix color film in the Filoli Gardens. Camera was Contarex Bullseye with CZ Planar 50/2 lens. Most Contarex lenses can focus quite close for macro shots. Bellini C41 home processed. Rusted scooter Tulip with jagged edge Yellow Golden

Sabrina custom ultrawide 4x5 point and shoot camera: In action in Pacifica:

Recently I took my custom 4x5 ultrawide point&shoot camera to the Pacifica beach. Schneider 65/8 lens, expired EPP100 Ektachrome cross-processed in C41. There are some vignetting on all four corners. California golden poppy on Linda Mar beach Driftwood logs and Rockway Beach And two B&W photos shot on Ilford HP5+ with orange filter, developed in Adox FX-39 II. Coastal pine and Linda Mar beach A view to the Pacific Ocean

Hi Rick, I happen to have the darker sister Yashica Electro 35 GTN loaded with Ilford HP5+. It is new to me so that will be a test roll. Many years ago I was in Stockholm with the silver 35 GSN, and a young man asked me if it was a Leica. Pretty camera you say? 😂

The Sabrina 4x5 custom camera with Super Angulon 65/8 near Pacifica, California. It seems the lens does not cover the entire 4x5 frame, or it could be the filter vignette. With the Grafmatic film holder, I can shoot fast like Wee Gee.

@Niels - NHSN Hi Niels, what a coincidence. I just picked up a N80 (F80) for the price of a good burger. It was in its original box with manuals, but the rubber is a bit sticky. Just cleaned that up with 91% alcohol and microfiber cloth. Initially the camera has a bit of hesitation in shutter and mirror, probably been sitting idle for too long. But after 50 shutter release or so, it is now back to good service! I was also planning to find a cheap and good lens like the 28-80 G you have there. For now, it is comically light with a "pro" lens like 18-35/2.8.

Hi @chuck_foreman1 I'm happy to see your high quality photos out of the Contax/Sonnar: they really shines even in today's standards.

Hi @rick_drawbridge February was a good time to explore North Island, a bit off peak tourist season. In addition to Tutukaka, we also visited Rotorua and Aukland. With the family I need to travel light, so only brought Nikon EM and 55/3.5 macro lens. I wish I had more manual control for challenging lighting conditions. 4x5 or 6x12 will do its justice if I were to travel alone there for photography.

I don't often use 28mm focal length, but it is important to exercise them once in a while. On the left is Nikon F3HP with Nikkor 28/2 Ai'd, while the right is the diminutive Pentax ME Super with petite 28/2.8. The Pentax combo will be really sweet for some street photography.

I finally processed and scanned some photos from our New Zealand trip. These few are from Tutukaka on the North Island. I only brought the humble Nikon EM with a 50/3.5 macro lens, very light and capable travel combo. Film was Fujifilm C200 (Japan version), Bellini C41 home processed. Sunset towards Tutukaka harbor Rainbow over Pacific Ocean Tutukaka harbor right after sunset

Thank you Rick. In addition to the quality, I really enjoy the methodical and even therapeutic pace of making one sheet of film at a time.