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podstawek

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    CMC Someday #18 - “Classics” - do they take 'great' pictures?

    in Classic Manual Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>Old Yashica A which I bought for nothing from an estate sale. Here photographed using another classic, Mamiya C3. The Yashica was very dirty, hadn't been used for decades, and smelled mold. All it needed was a thorough cleanup, and it was good to take pictures.</p>

    <p><img src="http://podstawczynski.com/zdjecia/yashicaA.jpg" alt="" /></p>

    <p>A few pictures taken with this camera (more, including color samples, can be found <a href="http://podstawczynski.com/blog/?p=162">on my blog</a>):</p>

    <p><img src="http://podstawczynski.com/zdjecia/1.jpg" alt="" /></p>

    <p><img src="http://podstawczynski.com/zdjecia/2.jpg" alt="" /></p>

    <p><img src="http://podstawczynski.com/zdjecia/3.jpg" alt="" /></p>

    A recognizable mirror pattern

    in Classic Manual Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>Thank you all for your kind responses.</p>

    <p>Dennis, I don't doubt one can get addicted to Topcons. I am already in awe of how smooth the advance mechanism is, and how delicate the machine seems when handled despite the bulky size and squarish design.</p>

    <p>John, thank you for the valuable input. I did not realize versions with mixed- and non-mixed-case beauty rings differed by rarity of occurence. The more happy I am to come into possession of this set (body + 58mm + 135mm -- the last item is aluminium, not black though). Everything for roughly $85. Also thank you for the cleaning instructions, they will definitely come handy. I received more advice from a kind contributor to mflenses forum, complete with pictures. That + your hints + some experience I have repairing cameras should suffice.</p>

    <p>I will start working on the camera in a week or two, then I'll post the results here. Thank you all again.</p>

    A recognizable mirror pattern

    in Classic Manual Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>Topcon RE Super it is indeed :)<br>

    <br>

    <img src="http://podstawczynski.com/zdjecia/IMG_2575.JPG" alt="" /></p>

    <p>I don't know if the black body is any more rare than the silver ones, but never mind rarity. I am happy to have this bit of history in my hands, and to be able to shoot with it soon. The 1.4 58mm lens, also black, needs aperture blades cleaning (they are a bit lazy when opening/closing). The 135 mm lens (aluminium) is good to start shooting with.</p>

    <p>The body itself, although cosmetically not very good, is in what seems perfect working condition, including the meter (checked with 1.5V battery for now, shows 2LV difference compared to calibrated light meters).</p>

    <p>Thanks for commenting :)</p>

    The Pentax ES – A Classic in Transition

    in Classic Manual Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>Louis, I found this almost 1.5-year old posting, and I really like your cameras, lenses, and the sample images.<br>

    I have a question regarding both ES which is not answered in their official manuals (neither ES nor ESII). Does it use spot, or average, or center-weighted metering? I found a claim on the Web that it is center-weighted metering, but there was no source given.<br>

    Once again, thank you for this informative posting.</p>

    Metal element below "Made in Sweden by..." plate in 500 c/m

    in Medium Format

    Posted

    <p>Hello everyone,</p>

    <p>I just purchased my first Hasselblad, 500 c/m in nice condition with 3-month warranty from the seller. I already shot 2 films, and everything is working like a clockwork. So far it has been the most elegant MF camera I have used (I worked with Pentacon Six, Yashicas, Mamiya C3, Mamiya RZ and other before). I don't think "user experience" could be any better than this; maybe with Rolleiflexes which I have not used. We will see about robustness and reliability -- but that needs time.</p>

    <p>I had read a lot about the camera before buying, but somehow no-one seems to mention the excellent weight balance of this camera (with standard A12 back and 80mm Planar attached) -- it sits safely in my hand, with the lens beautifully counterbalancing the back. Very much unlike e.g. RZ67 or C3 which would do their best to escape from the grip.</p>

    <p>Focusing is a bit difficult with my bright Acute Matte screen. When I "rock the focusing ring back and forth" as they advise in the manual, the subject seems to stay in focus on a too wide range of distances... but I guess that's the tradeoff I have to live with for the excellent brightness of the viewfinder.</p>

    <p>Anyway, to the point: there is a small metal part under the "Made in Sweden by Victor Hasselblad" plate which seems to host a flash connector and an opening (for cable release?). The plate is apparently not there in the 500 c/m shown in my manual. What is this? Why some 500 c/m's have it while other do not?</p>

    <p>Any other suggestions, hints or tips for a newbie highly welcome!</p>

    <p>Adam</p>

    My workplace...

    in Classic Manual Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>Beautiful.</p>

    <p>I think I saw the shop display when I was walking in Warsaw's Old City last time, but I did not realize there were so many old cameras inside... now I have a reason to step in the next time I'm there! </p>

    <p>Bardzo pięknie to wygląda!</p>

    "Ette" cameras

    in Classic Manual Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>Paul, your Citonette wins, it is the earliest example so far. I haven't heard of the camera before. That is a fast lens for a folder, too!</p>

    <p>Marc, a very informative read. I still have a lot to learn; you may laugh at me, but I didn't know Graflex ever made an SLR... as a matter of fact I didn't know large-format SLRs existed at all!</p>

    <p>Kozma, strangely enough the Soviet Silhouette is also male in Polish; probably because we harden the pronunciation and shift the stress from the ultimate syllable (as it should be placed for "ette" cameras) to the pre-ultimate one, making it sound more like "SiLUet". I have never heard of Fedette though, but from what you are saying it has been introduced before all the cameras I mentioned (but after Paul's Citonette).</p>

    "Ette" cameras

    in Classic Manual Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>Bonsignore, what a faux pas on my part. It's because I've never had a Canonet, only read good things about it. So it's an all-boy camera...<br>

    Rick, thank you! Also, it is true that in most cases "ette" ending means a budget version of a more advanced camera, but there is at least one exception that I know of, and that is Agfa Isolette which is definitely a more complex (folder) design than Agfa Isola which I have and which is one of the simplest-built cameras I've seen.<br>

    Louis, your images have so much less grain! I guess this boils down to the quality of film, development, and scanning. Not to mention the quality of the photographer :). I really like them.</p>

    The Herco Flex

    in Classic Manual Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>Kozma, I have a stinky old Polish camera Ami to give away. All you need to do is to collect 10,000 of these, and you'll get yourself a Hassy (body only).</p>

    <p>Gene, the ball sunset one is amazing. I'm going to my bank today, will inquire about $7,000 loan.</p>

    "Ette" cameras

    in Classic Manual Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>Walter, thanks God those time have been over for 20 years, and thanks God I'm old enough to remember! (I was a teenager when the communism collapsed).<br>

    <br /> Chuck, please don't do this to me. Even if you have some insider information about "ettes" being less feminine than I thought, keep it secret -- I don't want my infatuation for Retinette to evaporate just like this.</p>

    <p>Gene, I don't think this Pleshette was shot with Retinette (looks MF to me), but I still like the picture. And the subject!<br>

    <br /> Michael, to me Canon is a boy, and Canonette is a girl. Having the two names together on one camera's faceplate is a bit like having sweet and sour chicken -- weird, still good.</p>

    "Ette" cameras

    in Classic Manual Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>We Poles see men and women in things, everywhere. A "house" is him, "floor" is her, and "scisors" are two women. High gender dependance makes our language interesting in a synesthetic sort of way I would say, and very close to the heart, but it complicates things, too. Well, a camera, for example, is male in Polish, but only if it is just <em>a</em> camera. If it is a particular camera, then it depends on the brand, or even on the model. Nikon is still him, but Yashica is a woman. Canon – boy. Zorkij – girl. Lomo – neutral (the same gender as a "child" in Polish). And it could go on an on like this. Still, since a generic "camera" is masculine, the few cameras manufactured in Poland when the very limited Polish camera industry still existed, were all named like men. Druh, Ami, Start, Fenix (camera names you may never heard of and that is perfectly normal), they were all boys. The only example I can think of is the girl Alfa, but she is exceptional and obscure in many ways, and honestly it did not even look like a proper male camera. Alfa deserves a separate article anyway.</p>

    <p>Yet, even though I started with Polish because it is familiar to me, of course strong gender dependance is not limited to Polish language. All Slavic languages have it, and the French too. Which brings me to the actual subject, i.e. the cameras whose names end with the French feminine dimunitive ending "ette". When I realized just how many of these existed, I started by trying to figure out which was first. Out of those "ettes" I was able to find, Kodak Retinette seems to be the earliest. The one featured here is a 35 mm viewfinder camera, while the first Retinettes were folders, but the name was apparently catchy so Kodak used it for very different designs.</p>

    <ul>

    <li>AkArette (from 47)</li>

    <li>Arette (from 56)</li>

    <li>Beirette (from 58)</li>

    <li>Dacora Dignette (Ilford took it and made a man of it: Ilford Sportsman) (from 55)</li>

    <li>Kodak Retinette (from 39)</li>

    <li>Paxette (from 51)</li>

    <li>Regulette (?)</li>

    <li>Agfa Isolette (from 51)</li>

    <li>Agfa Silette (from 57)</li>

    <li>Zeiss Icon Continette (from 60)</li>

    </ul>

    <p>Please feel free to add to that list -- I'd be happy to know more.</p>

    <p>I have one Dignette, and one Retinette, plus an Ilford Sportsman based on the former, unfortunately without the diminutive ending. The example featured today is Kodak Retinette IA, a camera I bought for the equivalent of a few dollars, in very good condition. It was dirty and everything was stiff, but all it needed to get back to life was good cleaning, inside and outside. I did not need to disassemble the shutter; it started opening and closing properly after I worked it for a while.</p>

    <p><img src="http://podstawczynski.com/zdjecia/retinette_1.jpg" alt="" /></p>

    <p>The lens is not overly fast, and the selection of shutter speeds is not very rich. Also, this is just a simple viewfinder with no meter. But I must say this is one of the most aesthetically pleasing camera I have handled -- very well made, with all mechanisms working very smoothly (almost no force needed to wind the film -- I don't know how they did that), and above all very small design (the camera is smaller than it appears on photographs).<br /> The second viewing window you see is for "lightened" framing lines; it is not a rangefinder.</p>

    <p><img src="http://podstawczynski.com/zdjecia/retinette_2.jpg" alt="" /></p>

    <p>Not much more to say, really, apart from summing all up in "ette" terms: Retinette has a filigree silhouette, the lens casts pleasing vignette, and though the quality of images is a bit of a roulette (no meter + "guess" rangefinder), they are still good enough even for a gazette.<br /> All photos taken on cheap Superia 200, using only Sunny 16 for metering, and my best guess for measuring the distance. Developed in the cheapest chain lab, poorly scanned. I'm planning to improve at least on the last bit in my future posts here.</p>

    <p><img src="http://podstawczynski.com/zdjecia/retinette_4.jpg" alt="" /><br>

    <br /> Someone I met at our local car auction. 1/60 s, f/8, distance: 3 meters.<br>

    <br /> <img src="http://podstawczynski.com/zdjecia/retinette_5.jpg" alt="" /><br>

    <br /> Running in school corridor. I forgot to note the settings, but the conditions were suboptimal for ISO 200.<br>

    <br /> <img src="http://podstawczynski.com/zdjecia/retinette_6.jpg" alt="" /><br>

    <br /> Butterfly. 1/30; f/8; 1.7 meters<br>

    <br /> <img src="http://podstawczynski.com/zdjecia/retinette_7.jpg" alt="" /><br>

    <br /> Bus stop. 1/60 s, f/8, distance: 3 meters.<br>

    <br /> <img src="http://podstawczynski.com/zdjecia/retinette_8.jpg" alt="" /><br>

    <br /> Close distance. 1/125 s, f/8, distance: below 1 meter.</p>

    Bugs in my C3!

    in Classic Manual Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>You can clearly see in the first picture that it was a happy family once -- dad, mom, and kid -- living their modest life in the Machine whose ultimate purpose they had never found out, and whose irregular clicks and movements might have even formed the foundation of their religious rituals...</p>

    The Joys of a Computer Darkroom

    in Classic Manual Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>This picture is so beautiful. The models, the composition, the situation... and that poor dog apparently abandoned or neglected because of the new member of the family! I know this is not "critique" forum, but this is one of the best images I have seen recently, I could not stop myself from complementing.</p>

    <p>Some may laugh at the quality of a half frame, but it is not pixel quality that makes a photograph, it is the photographer.</p>

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