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Post by daveinpasadena on Jan 25, 2011 2:55:03 GMT -5
I'd say Topcon's are a little on the pricey side, but some other SLR's are way more expensive. Most Swiss Alpa models, the Olympus OM-3, the Pentax LX, many Contax Y/F bodies, and so forth will break my bank!
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Post by daveinpasadena on Jan 25, 2011 2:42:52 GMT -5
"I finally found the cameracollector again! Did you guys change your domain name at some point a couple of years ago??? I missed this place!!
I am pretty active on RFF, and sometimes they are a pretty rough crowd, but for some reason it seems to have toned down in the last year or two. It's also getting a bit too digital oriented for my tastes, but I still like it. I also frequent APUG and Nelson Foto Forum."
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Post by daveinpasadena on Jul 8, 2007 17:48:52 GMT -5
Peter I have owned most if not all of the FL and FD mount Canon manual bodies, and while they are of course all quite similar, it's been my experience that the Pellix stands somewhat apart. It just has a finish that is especially fine. If I could line them all up next to each other perhaps I could give you a more scientific explanation. One thing I do remember is particular care on machined surfaces -- e.g. that some of the metal parts had sort of a superfine bead blast that gave handling surfaces a satin-like feel that was distinct. Machined surfaces not for handling had a particularly smooth finish free of tool marks and perhaps brightly chrome plated. Maybe someone can back me up on this!
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Post by daveinpasadena on Jul 4, 2007 1:35:40 GMT -5
The best made Canon FD mount SLR I've seen was the Pellix. It reminds me of the Leica M3 in terms of build-quality -- simply exceptional.
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Post by daveinpasadena on Mar 1, 2008 3:56:41 GMT -5
I used to own a Sensorex II and it was a pretty solid camera. It's main drawback was its weight -- very heavy. They are pretty to look at. I never shot a full roll of film with it, so I sold it. Some of the lenses command reasonable $ on eBay. One in particular, the 25mm F2.8 is sought after, but not real expensive in the big picture of photographic items. Miranda had close linkage with Soligor and Soligor made many if not all Miranda lenses. In fact, some lenses are labeled both Soligor and Miranda. It's all pretty well made stuff -- at least from what I've seen!
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Post by daveinpasadena on Feb 21, 2008 0:39:56 GMT -5
Yeah, nice shot. I love the FM2. I can't afford an all AI/AIS lens line up however -- maybe someday! I still marvel at the 1/4000'th mechanical shutter speed.
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Post by daveinpasadena on Feb 8, 2008 23:51:22 GMT -5
Reijo,
Thanks for the interesting link. Your article seems to imply the Icarex has some reliability issues. Sometimes these are hard to sort out from a badly designed camera or just an old camera if you know what I mean. For instance, many SLR's from the same era need work (perhaps most). Nikkormats, Nikon F's, and Spotmatics seem to hold together better than most of their bretheren.
Do you know if there was a T, T4, or TX for the Icarex BM?
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Post by daveinpasadena on Jan 28, 2008 1:52:08 GMT -5
Anyone here had experience with the Zeiss Icarex? I saw one at a camera show recently and was favorably impressed -- I think it was the M42 version. I know the word "build-quality" is pretty subjective, but I think most experienced camera users would say if they'd handled it that this SLR had it. I regret not buying it!
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Post by daveinpasadena on Jan 20, 2008 12:01:20 GMT -5
Nelson Foto Forum and APUG are happy hunting grounds
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Post by daveinpasadena on Jan 20, 2008 11:31:33 GMT -5
I've had a couple of ST605's and both had mechanical issues. The really great advantage is that they are quite compact -- perhaps the smallest, lightest M42 camera ever made. I recommend servicing them first if long term serious usage is planned. The ST701 and ST705 are much better machines in my opinion. The Olympus FTL is another M42 compact favorite that comes to mind (but expensive).
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Post by daveinpasadena on Jan 20, 2008 12:04:00 GMT -5
I don't use SLR's with electronics, but if I did it would probably be an AE-1. They are pretty impressive -- so much so that an old-school reactionary photographer like me might just be caught using one!
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Post by daveinpasadena on Jul 4, 2007 1:16:20 GMT -5
OK, thanks for the advice. I enjoy the relative obscurity of Praktina! As you say, based on eBay sales, there are certainly more than just a handful collecting Praktina. I think the number of Mamiya 35 collectors is similarly high -- just sell a faster, rarer Mamiya lens on eBay to find that out! (many of these guys are in Japan)
Praktina is very much like Exakta to me: I love the lenses, but almost fear the camera bodies (although I fear Exakta bodies more -- you just never know when they will jam). Praktina bodies are just OK for use, but I have not found any bad lenses yet, and many that are just incredible. Of course they are admirable simply as machines regardless of actual use.
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Post by daveinpasadena on Jun 16, 2007 17:46:37 GMT -5
I happen to be a casual collector of Praktina cameras and lenses. As we must be a fairly rare bunch (in fact I don't know any other Praktina fans yet!) I decided to start a Yahoo group called "kwpraktina" to bring us together (I hope!). Everyone is welcome of course. Thanks - David
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Post by daveinpasadena on Jan 20, 2008 11:55:47 GMT -5
I too have noticed some price "inflation" on certain cameras and lenses (certainly the 124G is a good example). I think this is really good however, since it may lead to new production of film cameras as manufacturers take note of it. For instance most recently the infamous "Diana" camera is now being made again. At the higher end, we see the Nikon rangefinders and the new Zeiss rangefinder -- I hope more will follow. If Yashica ever brought back the 124G it would fly off the shelves's if sold at any reasonable price. One explanation I've heard for these film camera price increases is that the digital revolution has simply drawn more people into photography, or reinvigorated a latent interest in the hobby for some.
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Post by daveinpasadena on Mar 28, 2008 23:45:30 GMT -5
I have several Vivitar and Soligor T/TX lenses and I'm quite happy with them. Vivitar in particular bought many of their lenses from small, high-quality Japanese optical houses in the 60's and 70's.
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