|
Post by dee on Jul 18, 2010 10:11:27 GMT -5
I guess that I am in the enthusiast domain .
I bought Dinky Toys 'cos I like them , and was shocked , but content , as to how much they sold for to finance my Kiev / Contax obsession ... hundreds of £s , happily wasted on cameras !
My 1st , late 1970s Kiev 4 and Kiev 4m ex-Oleg CLA , perform perfectly at £43 each but they just don't have that feel and look of quality .
My Contax III , collapsible Sonnar , and Contax IV , rigid Sonnar , rebuilt Kiev shuttered Contax II with gifted Jupiter 3 with Sonnar body , cost an average of £190 each inclusive . Utterly unreasonable , as a fine Kiev 2 with CLA is around £150 , but for me , they are ultimate Klassic Kontax experience !
|
|
|
Post by dee on Jul 17, 2010 7:36:12 GMT -5
Drako has brought up the point that an original camera will fetch more return than a modee'fied , [ OK - messed with ] version . Which I wholly agree with .
But how can we predict the market for mechanical film cameras in even 10 years as digital takes hold and becomes a way of life ? Plentiful Leica IIIc s are now cheap to buy , if not to service , my lovely 32/33 Leica IIs are ' worth ' less that I paid 3 years ago . Servicing a KNeB III of 1954 , probably won't be cost effective a Kiev 4 even less so - if considerably more sensible than a KNeB III / IV which is pure indulgence !
My good original examples may not be dee'valued , but the Kiev shuttered Contax II , Tan and silver Contax II , KNeB III/IV , Contax III/IV are ' worth 'much more to me than any original camera .
dee
|
|
|
Post by dee on Jul 17, 2010 5:45:16 GMT -5
I anticipate not being here when my valueless Kontaxes come up for dee'sposal ! Hopefully , there will be no incentive to sell them , so one or two will see me out . Leica IIIc prices have dropped dramatically , so maybe some of those classics may not be so desirable in this digital age . dee
|
|
|
Post by dee on Jul 15, 2010 4:59:52 GMT -5
I guess my Minolta SRTs were , and are the cameras which were most automatic to use - I actually part exchanged an Olympus OM1 for an outdated , but less fiddly SRT 201 ! My Rokkors have now been pressed into service with a 4/3rds Leica Digilux 3 .
|
|
|
Post by dee on Jul 14, 2010 17:15:31 GMT -5
Following on from the restore / original etc topic -
I created my perfect pre war style Kontax courtesy of a dying Contax III chassis and Kiev 4 compact meter and controls from a period when quality was still the goal of the Soviets . This looks most balanced , but maybe I have been influenced by SLRs with a bump on top !
I even used a rareish early K4 with plain meter top , when almost all had ridges to prevent the thin metal dinting , sourcing a ' frame ' style meter window ,and removing the self timer [ which was broken anyway ].
I grew up using a Weston selenium meter , and the Kiev meter is a good enough in normal light .
This may not be ' My Perfect Classic Camera ' but it's pretty close ...
I guess it's like a modified classic 30s car , with 50s additions .
Does anyone dream of the perfect combination of features which one camera cannot provide ?
dee
|
|
|
Post by dee on Jul 14, 2010 17:00:13 GMT -5
Hmmm - so everything goes maybe .
I admit that modifying a Contax is a touch extreme , but three broken cameras have a new lease of life - and none have been broken up for parts . [ though a couple of Kiev 4s died for the cause ! ]
ASD loves ' sets ' but Kiev cameras are divided into Kiev II / III type chassis and modified Kiev 4 ... and Contax , which I can read / resolve is much easier . Because of this , I bought a good Contax III for restoration , but it needed a rough second body for meter spares as I wanted it perfect [ most meters are long dead ] and Kiev parts won't fit . It's wonderful , with age and patina .
I also bought a box of Contax II parts which the Arsensal Kiev Techs rebuilt with a Kiev II shutter . I love it 'cos it is all New with no history and looks great .
The headless Contax III was mated with the early Kiev 4 top plate / compact meter , controls etc . I love using a Kiev 4 , but the shear quality of a Contax, or early KNeB even a tired one , is special - and I will now have a set of profiles in Contax style and another with KNeB name plates as a Kiev IIIa has been coaxed to mate with another Kiev 4 LOL .
Other than a near mint KNeB II bought in error [ terrible e-bay pic and cheap ] I would not buy a mint classic , unless a 1979 UK sourced Kiev 4a in box with all paperwork qualifies as a somewhat compromised classic . It's too much of a responsiblity !
dee
|
|
|
Post by dee on Jul 13, 2010 16:45:58 GMT -5
What is your preference in camera collecting ? I admit to prefering cameras in good or restored condition , whilst loving the patina of my twin black Leica IIs ...and seeing a 1930s Contax III restored with the help of another example . I would also wish to clean , polish and recover a tired camera , rather than cling to originality .
Conversely , I love the opportunity to reinvent a camera to my unique specification , such as a 1930s Contax body [ from the spare ] with Kiev 4 meter and controls , even selecting a specific meter cover and door , with self timer removed .... Oh , and new leather ...
Is this interference Ok ? Or should I leave well alone ?
dee
|
|
|
Post by dee on Jul 11, 2010 14:28:50 GMT -5
less than t/rusty camera ?
|
|
|
Post by dee on Feb 18, 2010 10:40:00 GMT -5
Yes a TOE camera is a good bet for those of us in UK - my mint boxed Kiev 4a was £50 and the Kiev 4 was £27 and they work perfectly , though a Zorki 4 is a lot more flexible concerning lenses .
|
|
|
Post by dee on Feb 17, 2010 5:41:17 GMT -5
What consitutes a ' budget ' - cost effective Rangefinder ?
Obviously , I could keep trying on e-bay , buying cheap cameras hoping for one that works , or is it better to spend more on a camera which has been serviced with a warranty ?
Would it be a later Olympus etc , a classic Leica IIIc , or a cheap , and hopefully , cheerful ex USSR gem ?
Were I to have just one camera , it would be a restored and serviced classic - such as my Contax II , body revived with a Kiev shutter by the Kiev techs , or my KNeB II , bought CLA from a respected ex USSR dealer . Both costing around £ 120 , plus an additional £40 for a clean rigid 50mm f2 Sonnar . With warranty , of course .
Compared to a properly serviced Leica IIIc , this , in UK at least , is inexpensive .
But compared to any 1970s/80s Japenese SLR - Canon , Nikon , Minolta , it's undoubtedly indulgent .
It is also possible to buy a working camera for a fraction of this outlay - I have a couple of exquiste Faux Leicas from Moscow Photo at £60 Zorki S and £70 Zorki 1 which work beautifully , but even this could be considered expensive for what could be considered cameras recreated from unwanted parts .[ they look superb and new though LOL ]
Paying less than £60 shipping incl seems rather a lottery - some are great - mint Kiev 4a UK sourced , boxed with all paperwork - others terrible - smart black Zorki S ,suposedly cla , which is c..p .
How do you all work out the equation twix cost and useablity / reliability ?
|
|
|
Post by dee on Feb 16, 2010 10:52:05 GMT -5
It's when the need dee'sipates I guess . When I can open E-bay and not feel desperate to buy . When my digi-boxes are right for me and when my ' toys ' keep ASD chaos at bay . Maybe it's when that one in a million drops in and really feels like it's MINE !!! LOL - Kontax Too rules OK !
|
|
|
Post by dee on Feb 12, 2010 13:13:58 GMT -5
My best find is a 1952 KNeB [ Kiev II ] with very clean later lens for £60 inclusive . I anticipated a poorish camera for restoration as the pics were awful , but it looks as if it has never been used and works flawlessly .
Prior to this I took a punt on a 1956 Kiev IIa from Spain which looked great in the single picture - especially the case . It never arrived and the vendor gave excuses of sending it and having it returned . Unfortunately , it was too late once I had waited trustingly to inform Pay Pal , so I gave up on my £50 , and bid for the above Kiev II It arrived no less than 3 months later , and is indeed in fine condition - not quite as good as the K II , but close .
In this condition , these Contax clones of similar quality are genuine bargains .
|
|
|
Post by dee on Feb 8, 2010 15:05:04 GMT -5
Phew - at less than 100 , it seems that I have hardly started but do you have DUPLICATES ? I like them in twins or threes !
|
|
|
Post by dee on Feb 6, 2010 13:38:59 GMT -5
I have an autistic glitch , which equates to constant lostness , like being a child [ with experience ] in an out of phase world .
I was always fascinated by ' pictures on the wall ' - slides - the magic of cameras , and the reflection from lenses .
I need sameness , constancy and continuity and like to surround and ground a fragmented , unresolved ' me ' with either my Leica IIs and derivatives , or my Kievs .
Even though I stumbled upon Leica II in late 2006 and Kiev some time later , no other camera from my past has ever been so ' real / tangible / known . [ I can only surmise that a child was allowed to play with a Leica II and Contax , as safe toys have all been fixed twix 1947 and 1957 ... when the hard drive became full - and I can't dee'lete and add new files !!! ]
It takes just the slightest detail to change safe to sorry - Leica II is right , Leica IIIc is wrong / broken / not real / creates anxiety . I can use a Leica IIIc , but there is ever a hesitation ... as there is with even my Minoltas and 1st SLR - Prinzflex STTL . Ironically , Zorki 1 / Fed 1 - even Zorki S / 2S and Zenit 1 / S are fine , especially those Russian Leica - likes ... so , fakes are real and real is not LOL .
Even more wierd , I find myself ' correcting ' details which are correct - an early Kiev II / III has just the number on the accessory shoe , and simple KNeB block logo . Later Kievs have ' Made in USSR ' either in Russian and or English and a dual Russian / English logo . This means that my mind goes round and round trying to resolve the cyrillic writing and / or the cluttered accessory shoe . Contax and plain shoe are easiest of all .
' I ' also seem imprinted upon Contax / KNeB II and III in respect of the original body with ' foot ' , yet Kiev 4 is actually more ' correct ' in profile !!!OOPs ! I have an early Kiev 4 1957 , with non ridged meter cover [ like Contax IIIa ] and that is more comfortable than the later versions .
I blame this on my Dad's Praktina a sample of which I have just bought - very much Kiev 4 profile with it's waist level finder !
This all came about through selling my previous comfort zone - 1950s Dinky Toys for silly money on e-bay - think one toy = one camera , and I had 50 or so .
With Kiev , I intended to go for repaints without logo and filled access shoes , but finding several broken Contax cameras , I decide upon both the original KNeB II / III and 4x Contax baged cameras . One KNeB III / IV hybrid , may end up in a lovely metallic Bluebell colour , and one Contax II rat , will have silver body paint and tan covering , but I am now staying with near standard .
Taking considered snapshots means that I can contain and frame a confusing world , I can also hide behind the camera and not be made to ' join in ' . This has also helped over the years to think 50mm - so even without a camera , I can often edit input .
ASD is disruptive - new shoes means learning to walk again - no almost instant accomodation , even new mug can mean wet tea shirt [ pun ] if care is not taken . Common Sense does not work for us as our minds work other-wise , formerly other-stupid .
But cameras and snapshots can be a life saver - it may mean that my head is going round and round like that little wheel on my Laptop , trying to resolve , but better someting safe and familiar , than the distress or working out ' people ' or Common Sense .
Thanks for ' listening ' , I guess this could be called Cameras and dee'sability . I love puns !
|
|
|
Post by dee on Jan 27, 2010 18:41:10 GMT -5
The Contax IV [ true Contax III body with 1958 Kiev 4 top plate / meter / controls should be with me shortly . The early Kiev 4 had a plain meter cover without ridges AKA Contax IIIa . It was to be charcoal covering , but Mike has found more of the 50s Kiev leather shown on the Kontax II ... am I getting conventional all of a sudden ! It seems that a friend of Mike is bringing it into UK . This will complete my set of Contax profiles - II / III / almost IIIa LOL ! Mike says that it looks great and works exquisitely .
|
|