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Post by belgiumreporter on Nov 7, 2019 8:24:13 GMT -5
Finally found a pentax electro spotmatic, the first production camera with an electronic shutter. The electro spotmatic was launched in 1971 and was only available on the japanese market in '72 it was replaced with the ES version wich was then launched world wide, 2years later the ES became replaced by the ESII. So now i've got all three versions (four if you count the chrome ESII) and this part of the collection is finally complete :-) I've got a special bond with this camera , when i as a young man went to our local foto dealer to buy my first Nikon F he showed me the ES and i was blown away with the it's specs wich where in '72 quite sensational. Still i had my mind set on the F and the F it was. To cut on the hefty price tag i settled for the plain prism one and an vivitar 35mm 1:1.9 light was measured with the sixtar (once again no money for the lunasix) If i remember correctly the ES was also more expensive than the F. Still got the F and the brochure in wich the F, the "new" F2 and the ES were featured.
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Post by belgiumreporter on Nov 7, 2019 3:11:27 GMT -5
I recently aquired some leftover NOS robot stuff. For Most of the things it is easy to know what they are, however i can't find out what this Robot SF marked "thing" is or what it is for or even on wich camera it belongs. So my question is: does anyone know what it is?
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Post by belgiumreporter on Nov 6, 2019 8:34:32 GMT -5
Some years ago i was dragged into the yashica range finder hype. The electro 35 was only and by a small margin rivalled by Leica. Diffrent websites all sang praise of the yashica's and prices on Ebay and such went through the roof. Even though the electro's battery problem wich was a major let down, has diffrent easy solutions now, the hype's over resulting in downward spiralling prices. The situation's so bad we're talking about scrap metal prices, despite a lot of these cameras turning up for sale at a fraction of the price they use to fetch, non of them seems to get sold. Because of me lacking the space to keep on piling up cameras wich don't fit in my main collection they'll have to go on the next garage sale next summer. My loss will be somewhat compensated with the yashica TLR's of wich prices keep rising (maybe another hype?) This is the current situation in Belgium, wich is a small market, maybe in other parts of the world things might be better? PS. this is the first time i use the add image to post function, is the pic visible for every one?
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Post by belgiumreporter on Nov 6, 2019 5:35:07 GMT -5
You should try an early Leicaflex though, i think they could be held as a "smootness of transport" reference. But still, on a scientific note, would it be possible to measure the torque force of shutter cocking/film transport throw on a camera? or has this ever been done? And would it be possible to make a fair comparison of a camera with say a 100° degree throw to one with a 130° throw? Could smoothness be defined in numbers or do we need to say one is a bit more "geary" than the other? Anyway these are just questions that come to mind, they don't keep me awake at night! ;-)
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Post by belgiumreporter on Nov 6, 2019 5:11:58 GMT -5
I had completly forgotten about the Westlicht auctions but when i had a look on their webpages i was amased of what was on offer. What Paulofseth said in a previous post is oh so true, these exclusive classic camera's do fetch prices wich can be compared with what fine art goes for.But then i wonder if these cameras are bought by (very whealty) collectors or as with so many exclusive collectable items, bought by investors who know(or speculate) that such items give a higher profit (when re-sold) than money in the bank. I'm in doubt if these people will find their way to the camera collector forum (would be nice though if someone would come forward and made a posting on the 500.000€ black low serial Leica MP he or she has just won at the Westlicht auction :-) ). So who's (still) collecting cameras on a more down to earth level and is willing to share their thoughts on the diffrent subjects discussed in this forum? and what prevents people from doing so? I'm under the inpression the forum has grinded somewhat to a halt mainly because of it's own succes, it seems like allmost everyting is said and every possible camera had been covered in postings and discussions. Afterall, what can be said once more about for instance the pentax spotmatic, nikon F, minolta srT,and so on wich hasn't ben said before? Am i putting the finger on the wound or am i seing things just to pessimistic? Anyway, Rachel thanks for the warm welcome back! Let's hope the forum will keep inspiring people to talk (and post) about this lovely hobby we share.
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Post by belgiumreporter on Nov 4, 2019 5:16:15 GMT -5
I've noticed my last post was some 2 years ago. A lot of things happened since, conquering cancer, depression, travelling the world, working the bucket list and so on... The camera collector meanwhile had become a "why am i bothering" thing, mainly due to the lack of response i felt like i was shouting in the desert. I wasn't looking for praise or admiration, but just some response would be welcome to know posting isn't a waste of time.The older you get the more precious time becomes,so one becomes inclined to choose how it is spend. The thing is i am strongly under the impression "hard core" camera collectors are a dying race. Whenever i go to (classic) camera fairs the little folk wich still attend those are either "older people" (excuse me the phrase) looking for that one missing piece, or an occasional young person looking for a SLR that's usable for their photography study or just out of curiosity, mostly they'll end up with a canon AE1 or a pentax K1000, but it is very unlikely they'll become the next generation of camera collectors.To put this in perspective it has to be said that in all branches of collecting (be it coins or stamps or whatever...)the next generation isn't coming forward at least not in large numbers. With all this said and the fact i don't hold a grudge against the camera collector forum, i promise to make some time to put up s posts and see what happens. Kind regards to all "camera collectors" François
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Post by belgiumreporter on Jan 29, 2018 8:19:32 GMT -5
The compact nikons never were very popular, and so EM's FG's and FG 20's sometimes can be found very cheap. Most of them have become odsolete because their (original)lenses,because of their exeptional qualities, have been re-used on later or digital bodies . The one to go for is the FG it has all the goodies, flash OTF exposure, manual,aperture and program modes and has one mechanical shutter speed in case of battery failure. Because many people dont know the diffrence between the EM, FG and FG20, FG's can be found at the same price as the others. I was (very) lucky to find my FG with original nikkor for a mere 2€. The good: (FG) -It's a Nikon! -all exposure modes possible -OTF flash exposure -Compact -Motor and winder capability -Self timer - +- 2EV exposure compensation -Large supply of lenses and accesoires The not so good: -No DOF preview -No MLU -No matrix metering -Good but not real Nikon quality Conclusion: The FG leaves little to be desired in the compact class slr range. With some nice Nikon glass it can be more versatile and cheaper than many other Nikon body (Mat, FE,....)Surely there are better Nikons but not at FG prices. EM and FG20 are lesser well equipped, but can still be fun!
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Post by belgiumreporter on Jan 29, 2018 3:39:35 GMT -5
And another Cosina, the C1 all plastic and lightweight, nothing much in the "extra" departement, but still e very usable range of all mecanical shutterspeeds up to 1/2000th sync at 1/125th. The good: -K=mount -All mecanical -Lightweight The not so good: -Very basic featues -All plastic. Conclusion: these all mechanical Cosinas can be found very cheap and seem to be rather reliable it simple construction has little to go wrong.Very straightforard camera wich could be a good alternative for a Pentax K1000. The all plastic issue won't be a problem unless you're shooting ten rolls a day and change lenses every 15 minutes.
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Post by belgiumreporter on Jan 27, 2018 8:53:46 GMT -5
Now with so many rebadged or cloned Cosina's one tends to forget Cosina makes cameras under their own name. This EC-1 solar is a strange beast though as it's fully mechanical but has a solar powered light metering system. The light meter circuit needs light in order to operate and take readings, now in the old days selenium meters didn't needed batteries, but the one in this Cosina is a cds meter. Cosina claims the camera is equipped with a "solar" battery but us normal folks would call this a capasitor. It is able to store a charge for 10 minutes of light metering, though in day light the solar panels provide enough current for continuous operation.Metering is indicated left in the viewfinder with a non illuminated +0- LCD panel. The good: -Broad range of shutter speeds up to 1/2000th -Flasch sync of 1/125th -DOF preview -Possibility for double exposures -K-mount -Light weight -No batteries needed even for the meter The not so good: -Meter needs light to operate -body covering detoriates easely -winder or motordrive not possible -All plastic( exept for the lens mount) Conclusion: probably hard to find,collectiblend rates this one between 60 to 180$ but not many people know this and garage sale finds could be possible, maybe you could be lucky... . All in all a very interesting and usable camera, i found this one for 25€ with the cosina 50mm 1.7 on it. And yes the solar circuit still works fine.
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Post by belgiumreporter on Jan 24, 2018 6:42:47 GMT -5
Petri has allways been an underdog in cameraland, even though their history dates back to 1907 theres very little to be found on the net concerning Petri. The GX-1 is the last camera to bear the Petri name, but it isnt a "real" Petri as it is a rebadged Cosina. Unlike some other Cosina's this one has only the very basic features. Because of it's low profile these are the ones that mostly turn up in garage sales, charity shops and such, mine came from a charity shop and cost me 2€ with the vivitar 28mm. The good: -Fully mechanical -It's a Cosina -Led +0- meter readout -Easy to find LR type battries only needed for the meter -K-Mount The not so good: -Very basic -No double exposure -No DOF preview -No self timer Conclusion: they don't come cheaper than this.While the original Petris have a limited range of lenses due to their specific bayonet mount, the GX-1 with its K-mount dosn't have that problem. A great thing about this Petri: after who knows how long it was on the shelve, when i picked it up everything worked just fine, wich is something i can't say about some of my Contaxes costing 100 times more!
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Post by belgiumreporter on Jan 22, 2018 9:35:37 GMT -5
I was able to buy a Olympus ECEBi binocular microscope at a fair price, so it is now my new microscope set up. It came with build in illumination and a coaxial stage, wich made it cheaper than upgrading my monocular Olympus microscope. Ive looked into the problem of using a specific ocular for photography, but turns out i dont need one for my type of photomicroscopy as it is mainly used to correct ca.(fringing) that occures with certain objectives and to photograph the complete (projected) image if youre using smaller than FX sized camera sensors. More than 100x is useless for me and the only thing at this moment i would need is a 5X objective (to get to 50x) lower magnification i can get with my Bauch and Lomb 10 to 40x stereo microscope or bellows straight on the camera.
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Post by belgiumreporter on Jan 18, 2018 2:48:37 GMT -5
The Nikon V and J's are great cameras indeed, with lightning fast shutter and AF response, endless posibilities in tuning them to your specific needs, great lenses and (to me) an even greater FT-1 adapter to put any nikon F mount lens on the V or J with all functions working. I used the V2 on my trip to the isle of Réunion it allowed me to travel light while providing a long reach with the FT-1 in combination with the Sigma 50-150 2.8 ( with the crop factor this became a 400mm equivalent at the long end) Here's a few shots i made taking advantage of the long range: It's not all good though, the small sensor has it limitations the image quality, no matter how good it is still isn't up to DX or FX standards( wich in many cases it dosn't have to be) and (extreme) wideangle isn't possible.
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Post by belgiumreporter on Jan 17, 2018 3:59:17 GMT -5
This Pentax P30n is the last of the P series, it is interesting as it is also the last with manual film transport so the LR44 batteries are only used for the meter and shutter, wich means theyll go a long way. over the years Pentax had lost some of its A brand shine and the all plastic P and later series didn't rank high on the desirability list. what's good: -aperture prioruty,shutter priority,fully programmed auto-exposure, or metered manual exposure -info in viewfinder -Manual film transport -large bright viewfinder (typical Pentax) -Self timer -DOF preview -K-mount -A-brand Whats not so good: -All plastic made in China (though no issues are known) -Shutter fully battery dependable, no batteries, no shooting! -Manual wind only. -No EV compensation. -Somewhat limited range of shutterspeeds. Conclusion: maybe not so much a "collectable" but surely a good user camera with all exposure possibilities you can think of. At the prices they can be found real bargains, especially with one of the 50mm takumars mounted. The center weigthed metering may be a little dated compared to today's matrix metereing, but still very capable in most situations, in combination with some good Pentax glass, top results can be achieved. I paid 15€ for this P30n with the takumar 1:2 50mm, it dosn't get much better than this!
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Post by belgiumreporter on Jan 16, 2018 6:25:45 GMT -5
Praktica's are good examples of undesirable cameras, most of them are very low on specs, the main reason they are around in such great numbers is they where in the lowest price range, but did provide (some) value for money. Today they can easely be picked up for little or no money. Prices however are a bit on the rise, not because people all of the sudden realised the virtues of owning a praktica, but mainly because the 1:1.8 lenses perform very well on digital. So as with so many of these cameras, they are being scavenged for the optics, and the bodies become landfill. This MTL3 is one of the better as it has a few more features. The good: -Exept for the meter , no batteries needed -Great 50mm pentacon lens -self timer -dof preview -Straight forward operation -M42 mount The bad: -Relative dim viewfinder -Not very sophisticated finish and operation -Limited range of shutter speeds -Limited range light meter -M42 Mount (even though lenses are easy to be found, shorter than 28 or longer than 200mm focal lenghts won't be that easy to find and if you find one they are likely not to be cheap) -Some models known for reliability issues. Conclusion: not my favourite M42 mount camera, for the same or a little more money a lot of japanese M42 mount cameras can be found, that are just better.
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Post by belgiumreporter on Jan 16, 2018 3:58:01 GMT -5
Inpurities in Zaïrese diamond seen in transmitted light, (iron, carbon and a crevice) made with the Olympus/pentax setup at 100x stack of 20 shots.
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