tony_lockerbie

<p>No.10</p><div></div>

<p>No.9</p><div></div>

<p>No.8</p><div></div>

<p>No.7</p><div></div>

<p>No.6</p><div></div>

<p>No.5</p><div></div>

<p>No.4</p><div></div>

<p>No.3</p><div></div>

<p>No.2</p><div></div>

<p>You can see the dreaded separation in the lens at the top left, doesn't affect it's performance though.<br> First pic.</p><div></div>

<p>Further to my musings on the Bessamatic, I decided that it needed an airing, and a recent stay in the keepers quarters at the Greencape lighthouse seemed like a good opportunity.<br> For this outing I took my Bessamatic deluxe, which is the second version of the Bessamatic and differs from the first in having a little mirror on the pentaprism housing so you can read the speed and aperture through the viewfinder.<br> Another feature of the "deluxe" is that the chrome got shinier...and I like that! This camera was first made in 1962, and continued on until 1967 when the battery powered CS appeared.<br> The Bessamatics, as I have said before, are my favourite leaf shutter SLR, just nice to handle and they look a treat, with that lovely quality finish that Voigtlanders had before the bean counters started to ruin them.<br> The viefinders are really bright too, but like most LF SLR's you can only focus with the central split image spot, makes it a bit slow, but you do get used to it.<br> I used the 50mm Septon lens, which as the name suggests, is a 7 element design, and a truly lovely thing. It has that slight softness with good detailing that sets good German lenses apart. The only downside is that it is very prone to flare, and like a lot of German lenses of that period, a tendency to have balsam separation.<br> Now for some pictures....</p><div></div>

<p>First, welcome back! Wow, that is a serious piece of kit, scary even.The only mirror lrns that I ever used was a Minolta one, 250mm I think, just a baby compared to that.<br> Also great to see that water tower again, seriously missed it.</p>

<p>Lovely Rick, wonderful tones as usual, and the light on the church is just luscious. The Konicas do have a real heft to them, and are much bigger than most of the apposition around that time. The wind and release action are also a mechanical delight.<br> I have just finished cataloging my Konica stuff, and I have the original Autoreflex plus the T and T3....what happened to the T2? Crazy assortment of standard lenses with the 50mm 1.4 at 57mm and 50mm. The others vary between 52 and 50mm, F2, 1.8, 1.7....got them all covered!<br> I feel that I might get out the original and shoot a roll with it, does half frame too.</p>

<p>Thanks again Mark, great look back, and I really hope that behind the lens metering thing really comes off :) The film article was a good one, and the Anscomark....never even heard of it!<br> I liked the Bessamatic ad, as I have been using mine recently, will post some pics soon.</p>

<p>Lovely results Rick, particularly like the old "silverware", really looks great in B&W. I think we all appreciate the qualities of Minolta lenses, they certainly made some nice glass, and the cameras are always a treat to use.<br> I don't think that I have a 50mm 1.7, but I do have a 50mm 1.4MD, plus the older 58mm 1.4, both great lenses.I wonder how many million 1.7's they made? I bet there is still a lot around, and hopefully finding a place on the new mirror-less cameras.</p>

<p>Nice ones Bruce, I have just been using my Bessamatic too, post some pics soon.</p>

<p>Hi Brad, it's an Elite oven, made in Western Australia...comes in bits, and we had just finished building it. Serious weight though....400 KG!</p>

<p>Last one...</p><div></div>

<p>Whoops, bad cropping there! Next one...</p><div></div>

<p>A couple from me, freshly developed!</p><div></div>

<p>Lucky escape, but of course here in Australia we are very used to jumping over snakes, doesn't make it pleasant, just a fact of life, especially this time of year.</p>

<p>What wonderful pics, and of something that I can only imagine in the 30 degree Celsius heat over here! I'm really loving the tones that you have from a simple camera, and also impressed by your resilience!<br> Fine post, and just shows that you don't need sophisticated gear to turn in fine pics...the Brownie does look cool though.</p>

<p>Love the road close up Mike, and Rick, it will be interesting to see how you go with the Konica. I have an original Autoreflex (the one with the half frame) that I put away some years back because it had jammed.<br> Just got it out, and lo and behold...it seems to have repaired itself!</p>

<p>Thanks Brett, your help is much appreciated!</p>

<p>Turned into an interesting thread, thanks all, especially Brett. The 11 is still my favourite, both of mine work well and have that Contax like smoothness to the controls.<br> There is no doubt that the later Tessar on the Super B etc. is a jewel of a lens, but I still found that all of the Tessars are very good.<br> Brett, I have noticed that the mirror moves very slightly on my Super B when you half press the shutter release, this changes the focus a bit....hard to know where the correct focus is. Have you seen this problem?</p>