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Post by johnbear on Dec 20, 2016 15:49:43 GMT -5
Apologies for the late response, and commenting on a "Q" when we are at "Y" ... but folks asked about that Qingdao 6.
It's a Chinese version of the 1981 Agfa Optima Sensor Electronic Flash. Agfa stopped producing their camera in 1983, and the Chinese took-over. Briefly it's a point and shoot viewfinder with zone focusing and fully automatic exposure where the aperture and shutter speed are both set automatically. The exposure system is fairly sophisticated, and operates in the range of f/2.8 to f/22, plus there's a step-less shutter with speeds from 1/45th to 1/1000th sec. In low light, moving the flash to it's open position sets it charging, and again all the user has to do is zone focus.
Like all Optima Sensor Electronic models, it has a switch on the top plate which reverses the wind gearing so the film advance lever also rewinds too.
Unlike the Agfa, the Qingdao-6 apparently had lenses made of radioactive lanthanum glass (and rumor has it that the target market was tourist!).
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Post by johnbear on Dec 20, 2016 11:22:09 GMT -5
Progress!
The Graflex Journal - issue 3 of 2016 - has a comprehensive feature on the Graphic 35 (push-button-focus).
This says nothing about Kowa making later examples, nor the shutter being changed to a Seikosha MX.
I do not wish to offend anyone's excellence of knowledge, but I am convinced the Kowa made Graphic 35s were in fact Graflex Graphic Century 35s, and not push-button-focus Graflex Graphic 35s: two completely different cameras. If anyone has a photo of a bush-button Graphic 35 with a Seikosha shutter, I would love to see it.
The article acknowledges that ... as I suspected ... production did not cease in July 1957 (as stated all over the Net). Another 4000 were possibly made in 1958.
olddocfox ... I thought your body serial number (1,111,489) was incredibly high, when compared to mine (592,629) ... mine apparently being one of the last according to its specification, but the mystery is solved. The serial numbers went from 550,000 to 599,000, and then re-started from 1,100,000 to 1,118,269.
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Post by johnbear on Dec 18, 2016 7:19:44 GMT -5
Take a look at this page on the Japanese Topcon Club website. www.topgabacho.jp/Topconclub/lens4.htmThe translation is pretty dire, but the text does reveal that these lenses with a plastic window were made for the 1960 Topcon R II. The description talks about the direction of rotation of the aperture ring being different, but claims that it will work on an RE Super (well that's how I read it). This is a great site for all info Topcon, but exactly what it is saying is often hard to fathom.
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Post by johnbear on Dec 17, 2016 16:04:17 GMT -5
Hans: Perplexed by the question of what was and wasn't a Contina II or IIa, I recently researched this. I found several book references where an opinion was offered, but the most sensible answers came from looking at original instruction manuals for the II and the IIa.
These highlight the differences are that the IIa has: • small slots in meter cell flap, • dual range meter with scoop cut from outer meter dial, which reveals a scale (green for flap closed, and black for flap open), • EV number scale in meter window, • lens mount front plate has very shallow horizontal grooves, and • smaller viewfinder window with no frame around.
The II has: • no slots in meter cell flap (its just a cover), • single range meter, • no scale in meter window because its a match-needle system rather than a pointer, • lens mount front plate is smooth, and • larger viewfinder window with surrounding frame/trim.
Apparently, the IIa was produced between 1954 and 1956, and had the "a" in its name to differentiate it from the earlier folding (524/24) camera also called the Contina II. The II was produced between 1956 and 1958 with some logic to Zeiss dropping the "a" from its name, because production of the 524/24 folding Contina II had ceased in 1953.
I was happy with all this until I found the "Snabb" Contina manual ... which was the Swedish version of the camera (can't remember whether it was a II or a IIa). I decided not to look any further !!!!!
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Post by johnbear on Dec 17, 2016 12:20:35 GMT -5
I normally keep quiet when I don't own and have hands on experience of a model, but ... that doesn't look like any Topcon lens I've ever seen (but I only have UV types). The window thing is way too modern.
Logically, if things turn in the opposite direction, I can't see anyway it could possibly work.
Conan is right ... we need more photos, because this is a mystery that needs to be solved.
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Post by johnbear on Dec 17, 2016 12:14:47 GMT -5
Isn't that a IIa rather than a II?
Just call me "Mr. Pedantic".
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Post by johnbear on Nov 27, 2016 6:12:28 GMT -5
Has anyone performed a view-screen clean as part of a mirror damper replacement procedure as described here? - www.kyphoto.com/classics/seal/Nikon_EL.pdfI was just wondering how fiddly you found it? It's that spring removal/replacement that bothers me slightly. Springs can be extremely uncooperative. I recently acquired an EL off Evil Bay for £8.50 - details here.
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Post by johnbear on Nov 15, 2016 8:17:57 GMT -5
Haha ... must have had one of these maps.
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Post by johnbear on Nov 14, 2016 13:36:27 GMT -5
Wow ... interesting post. I'm not sure whether I am more impressed by the effect on the lens, or shocked that an Ikea lamp can produce more UV than the winter sun.
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Post by johnbear on Nov 6, 2016 9:55:12 GMT -5
Ooooh ... the anticipation.
I bet it's not a camera ... it's a phone!
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Post by johnbear on Nov 6, 2016 9:51:40 GMT -5
One of the best features of Yashica and Contax cameras ... you get to pimp them with a swanky new skin. Nice!
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Post by johnbear on Nov 6, 2016 9:47:58 GMT -5
I'm feeling like this is a trick question. Wasn't Honeywell the US importer of Spotmatics, and the deal was they just wanted their name on the product? ... in which case the answer is there was no difference other than the name ... unless there were some particular model variants that were only made for Honeywell.
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Post by johnbear on Oct 30, 2016 15:43:14 GMT -5
I'd love to see these in 3D. What sort of glasses do I need? Those things with a red and green lens? I am stuck in the dark ages as far as these sort of things go.
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Post by johnbear on Oct 30, 2016 15:39:30 GMT -5
That's just like mine (f/2.8 with universal band). Lovely isn't it ... like something Buck Rogers would have used. My lens serial number is not far away (3517192), but the body serial number is way off (592629).
I'm totally convinced these were never made in Japan.
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Post by johnbear on Oct 30, 2016 15:28:18 GMT -5
I think I might be in the frame for the most trashy first camera!
What was your first 35mm camera .... a Halina Paulette (the basic one without the meter).
What was the reason ... it was the best I could afford. I got it from my mum's mail order catalog, and paid for it in installments ... over 20 weeks ... the cash coming from a paper delivery round. It took fab pictures compared to my parents' Ilford Instamatic thing, which had no controls at all.
What year did you get it... I was about 13, so I guess it was 1974.
Do you still have it? No, but I did buy a replacement recently ... for about £1.
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