john_bear

<p>Maybe someone on this forum will buy a copy and look-up stuff for us? Otherwise, I think I'll need to wait about 20 years for an affordable copy to find its way on to eBay.<br> Having said that, I've never seen inside a McKeown's, and it might be a bit of a holly grail (as in the not very impressive cup - if you believe that Indiana Jones movie).</p>

<p>Have you seen this?<br> A new edition is being produced for 2016 publication.<br> <a href="http://mckcamera.com">http://mckcamera.com/</a><br> It's such a shame it cost more than my entire camera collection is worth. :-(</p>

<p>In 1971 I was eleven, so I would have bought a Halina Paulette, because that's all I could afford (and it's what I did buy when I was thirteen). It got the job done, and taught me how to use a camera.</p>

<p><strong>Paul</strong> - an interesting twist. Yes I'd forgotten it's got a leaf shutter while the others are FP.</p>

<p><strong>Rick</strong> - that's exactly what I thought, but I'm not in my era here (I was 2 when the Kowa was born), so I thought I'd ask. I just love these old manuals with their spelling mistakes, clumsy grammar, and fantastic boasts. They hark back to a bygone age when things were not so polished as today, and it's quite charming.</p>

<p>The latest camera in my collection is a Kowa E.<br> I've been reading the user manual, and found this claims the camera featured "the world's first instantaneous return diaphragm" (meaning it automatically closes and re-opens when the shutter is tripped).<br> I was just wondering if anyone had insights into this. Was the 1961 Kowa really the first camera to do this?</p>

<p><strong>Peter</strong> - you are just the "dogs" on Miranda. I expect our friends across the water wont understand that comment, which is why I feel safe to make it!!! Excellent answer, and I hope the zig-zags didn't get you while you were typing it.</p>

<p>Thanks for the explanations - especially <strong>Q.G</strong>. I hadn't realised (with an "s" because I'm English) that the speed of the of the shutter is determined by the curtain gap, but it makes sense when you think about it. We hear a sort of cluck/click when a shutter trips, with the space between the clunk and the click being longer and shorted depending on the shutter's open time. I suppose the clunk is the first curtain, and the click the second.</p>

<p>I recently acquired a 1972 Fujica ST801. This has a horizontal cloth focal plane shutter, with a maximum speed of 1/2000th, and made me wonder how Fuji were able to achieve that.<br> I thought such a high shutter speed had previously been unachievable with a horizontal travelling cloth focal plane shutters, due to their inability to withstand the shock of such acceleration, along with other timing and image distortion related technical troubles. The solution had been the use of a vertical travelling metal blade shutter, which was not only more robust, but moved along the shortest side of the film making faster speeds possible.<br> So how did Fuji do it? I managed to find a French magazine advertisement that said the shutter was self-lubricating Teflon. Maybe that's the answer?<br> Just wondered if anyone had any insight into this? I know some of you will consider this a "modern" camera, but it is over 40 years old.</p>

<p>Excellent post Rick. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks.</p>

<p>I think I know where you are coming from, as I too have left forums in the past for similar reasons, and if you are no longer getting any pleasure from the experience, then walking away can be the right thing to do. <strong>But</strong>, before you do, I'd like to say that although I haven't been here very long, your name is one of those that has stood-out - as a contributor who has something to say, and valuable knowledge to share. Whatever you decide - <strong>be happy</strong> - that's all that matters!</p> <p> </p>

<p>This doesn't look anything like fungus to me. I would have guessed at separation of the elements, but the grouped elements in this lens design are at the middle and back, not the front, so it can't be that. It's a nice lens, and I would not be inclined to return it if you got it for a good price. </p> <p>I hope some of the "old timers" are looking at your post, as I'm sure one of them will know exactly what it is.</p>

<p>Happy Birthday Bill, and thanks for making feel so young at a mere 55 :-)</p>

<p>Good one <strong>Gordon</strong>, but <strong>Rick's </strong>Lord Martian (according to my research) was the first.</p>

<p>Oh well done <strong>Rick</strong>. Never heard of it! </p>

<p>Some time ago there was a post asking what was the first camera to have a CdS meter located at the perimeter of the lens. Sometimes things just stick in your head and pop-out when you least expect it.</p> <p>I was looking at an old camera magazine from 1960 that had a guide to all the cameras available in that year, and I suddenly noticed there was only one that had a Selenium cell around the perimeter of the lens. It was the Beauty Beaumat. The text even offered an explanation of the cells' placement.</p> <p>So to get to the point, my question is - was the Beauty Beaumat the first camera to have its selenium meter cells placed around the lens, or did some other model do it before 1960?</p> <p><img src="http://www.camera.portraits.srv2.com/pictures/beaumat2.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="300" /></p>

<p>I don't have the 50mm f/1.7, but I have four other ML/MC lenses, and none of them do what you have described. Sounds like a fault to me.</p> <p>I don't want to take your posting off on a tangent <strong>Jeff</strong>, but I wonder if anyone knows which came first; was it the MCs or the MLs?</p>

<p>I'm firmly in the camp that says use the correct materials, and avoid substitutes (like open cell foams that are not made for the purpose of blocking light) and adhesives. I'm in the UK (and assume you are not), so I can't recommend where to buy materials as the shipping will likely cost more than the material, but a typical price for an 8" x 5" sheet of 1.5mm closed cell material is the equivalent of just over $4 (including UK postage). That'll do quite a few cameras, even with cutting errors. Things here are typically more expensive than in the wonderful USA, so no excuses - get the right materials, and get that camera back to as new condition on the light seal front. </p> <p>PS: Yes I've been to the States (Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico), and absolutely loved it !</p>

<p>Thanks for all your suggestions.</p> <p>I've looked at the specifications for each, and drawn the conclusion that the first example of a 35mm SLR that offered two different open aperture light meter readings (one of which we can call spot metering), and therefore preceded the Topcon Unirex specification was ......</p> <p>the Mamiya DTL series cameras - first introduced in July 1968. </p> <p><a href="http://herron.50megs.com/DTL.htm" rel="nofollow">Ron Herron's Collecting Mamiya 35mm</a> site actual says:</p> <p><strong>The Mamiya 500- and 1000-DTL were the only cameras of their day to offer these dual metering patterns!</strong> </p>

<p><strong>Kenneth</strong> - that's a very good question. I think of spot metering as being in the range of 1 to 5% of the viewfinder area, but (and it's a big but) that's on the basis of the here and now. When spot metering was first introduced there would have been no definition, so the first manufacturer of a camera that metered a small area would have been the first to offer what we now know as spot metering.</p> <p><strong>JDM</strong> - I think you're right about the Spotmatic, and a last minute change to the metering specification didn't allow time for a new name. It any event, Pentax decided not to do it first. It does however point to the concept being considered around 1964.</p> <p><strong>John and</strong> <strong>Kenneth - </strong>yes I did wonder about the Mamiyas, but it's a brand I know very little about.</p> <p>Where I'm coming from with this is that I've just acquired a Topcon Unirex, and wondered if it was the first camera to offer a spot metering option. So to be clear, I'm looking for a camera that offered spot metering in addition to some other form of light evaluation (rather than a single metering system that used only a part of the viewfinder illumination). From what I can find (or should that be cannot find) on the Internet, the introduction of spot metering doesn't appear to be a claimed milestone in camera development. Please keep the suggestions coming.</p>

<p>The 1969 Topcon Unirex had a spot metering option. So did the 1971 Miranda Auto Sensorex EE.</p> <p>Does anyone know of any other cameras of this period (60s/early 70s) that also had spot metering as an option, and most especially, which was the first 35mm SLR to offer spot metering?</p> <p>I'm just curious!</p>

<p>I grew-up with 35mm, and larger formats were always a bit of a mystery to me. I thought the only serious panoramic camera was one of those Russian Horizont things - with the swiveling lens and it's consequent image distortion. So it was a bit of a revelation to me that someone could make a large format panoramic camera in their (metaphorical) shed. I'm even more amazed to find that some of you guys are doing this sort of photography, and think it's normal :-)</p> <p>You live and learn! But I still think the camera in the first post is super cool. I'd be very proud if I could make something like that.</p>

<p>I just discovered this, and thought I should share. </p> <p><a href="http://cameramill.co.uk/camera-born-f-c-ii/">http://cameramill.co.uk/camera-born-f-c-ii/</a></p> <p>It's marvelous! It may be new, but it's old technology.</p>

<p>There was recently a post about George Harrison of the Beatles using an Canon 7, and it made me wonder whether the members of this forum can think of any other camera models that have been associated with famous people, or that have been featured in films?</p> <p>I can think of a few. There's the Yashica Electro 35 used by Spiderman Peter Parker. The Argus C3 Matchless in Harry Potter, and used by Ruth Hussey in "The Philadelphia Story" (1940), Max Showalter in the 1953 film "Niagara" and Gwyneth Paltrow in "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" (2004) ... I looked these up! </p> <p>Off screen I've seen photos of Arnie (Terminator) Schwarzenegger with a Yashica TL Electo X, and of course the Beatles were often photographed with Pentax Spotmatics. President Jimmy Carter was known to be an Argus C3 owner. </p> <p>There must be countless examples, but I can't personally think of any more!</p>

<p>I am doing it again! As a boy I collected cameras "in my head", because they were totally beyond the reach of my pocket money income. Some 40 years later, I'm slowly gathering the collection I once lusted after, and mainly paying pocket money prices. It's very satisfying to own these things after wanting them for sooooo long.</p>