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Post by dee on Feb 1, 2017 17:36:06 GMT -5
Time to move on from film , so my excellent Chrome Leica IIIc bought from a respectable London Dealer, Len at R.G.Lewis some years back is for sale . It was part of a Continental Collection and the best on show .
If I were to return to film , it would be a Minolta SR/SRT or a Contax/Kiev - or combination of the two LOL
I am offering it here in case someone is looking for a genuinely excellent 1950s IIIc in perfect sharkskin with a clean Elmar used on my M8 .
No. 484 895 , 1949-50 batch . Minor bracing to acc shoe and minor scratches to base . Rangefinder clear . Shutter speeds seem OK , BUT I HAVE NEVER TRIED THE SLOW SPEEDS .
£300 ?
Photos from deeslexia@icloud.com.
Thanks
dee
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Post by dee on Jan 22, 2017 15:11:11 GMT -5
The Canon 60D is much more advanced than my older cameras - maybe the Pentax KS1 will bring me a little closer ! The X-Pro 1 is the carry all camera .
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Post by dee on Jan 22, 2017 7:07:41 GMT -5
My awaited VW Beetle , shades of Porsche , is denigrated in the press for being less than a Golf . But it's a coupe at a sensible price for me .
It was the same with the Leica Digilux 3 , also considered to otherwise , let alone the price . Mine was one year old , probably swapped for a proper high end Nikon/Canon . A second PanasonicL1 body was just £250 plus a cheap 4/3rds Olympus zoom . I would not part with them , using one on a trip to Malaysia .
Recently I bought a Pentax K-1S which lacks a left hand grip , but I tend to cradle a camera with left hand anyway . Another failure for Pentax , but I like the style and solidity .
I guess I don't do conventional !!
Have you ever gone for style over the ultimate capability of an item ?
dee
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Post by dee on Jan 22, 2017 6:57:45 GMT -5
Thanks, Dave - I can't quite match 400 , maybe 200 , but 12x Digitals , 10 being DSLR or mirrorless , maybe overKill !!
dee
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Post by dee on Jan 21, 2017 16:35:39 GMT -5
I guess it's confirmed - I simply love playing with a 'new' camera and NEEDING some permanently on display - black Minolta SRT , Leica IIIc , Contax II silver\tan and Contax III modified Kiev 4 top plate/meter , both ex Arsenal restorations.
I bought that £3.50 digital Panasonic DMC-LZ2 for it's wrist strap , but the truth is that , having found that it is working , I am a pleased with it almost as much as my £350 Fuji X-Pro 1 . Like most Panasonic , it has style and simplicity which fits with my designer ethos .
I have to have a camera with me at all times , heaven knows why , but it helps with the anxiety from 'dee'realisation and dissociation [ dee'sasociation ? ]' not to mention gender dysphoria meaning I can't relate to anyone . Cameras have been my comfort zone/focus/escape since the magic slide shows as a dislocated child , so I guess no change there then. It's as if I can see as if looking through a camera , which helps with focus somehow, cutting out the confusion surrounding - a car windscreen has the same effect .
It's opened a new avenue that I can still find a cheap camera to play with post film .
I am just gonna go with it and stop worrying about why , which plaques me in may areas .
dee
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Post by dee on Jan 21, 2017 9:42:49 GMT -5
I still have my Canon G2 , but just bought a charity shop £3.50 Panasonic DMC-LZ2 5mp for a wrist strap for my Panasonic G1 . It works fine and takes SD cards , quite well regarded at the time . i will probably play around with it dee
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Post by dee on Jan 19, 2017 18:22:29 GMT -5
That modest 2014 20mp Pentax KS1 , mid range , simply leaves my 2011 16mp Sony A35 in the dust in respect of IQ ,the crystal clear pentaprism finder/rear screen . Especially as the quirky styling and solid build really appeals to me. If I had the finance , i would invest £220 in another body for mono and colour consecutively [new/discontinued] . I did this with the Leica Dig3 / Panasonic L1 AND the Sony A290/A390 , because i admit that the quirks of ASD call out for a pair ... I won't go into it , but 'another' seems to reinforce the fleeting reality of any item ...[ NOTHING is fully tangible in ASdee land ]
I don't NEED the IQ etc , after all I am content with a kit zoom and some 1990s lenses for both Minolta and Pentax , but it makes me wonder what, in the past , I have been missing in not saving for a top quality DSLR or similar , and the rate of improvement in digital cameras .
The ' holiday camera ' Fuji X-Pro 1 of early 2013, bought mid 2016, is excellent as an alternative to a DSLR and has fine IQ , but did not jump out at me compared to the Sony A35 .
It's impossible to ascertain the advancements of a camera from playing in a store - I would look at later models ,but it did not click .
Retirement has forced to kick the habit of new 'toys' in whatever field - cameras , teddy bears , model Buses , Sindy Dolls , comics , records etc , so that heavily reduced , Pentax and Fuji X-Pro were a gift which I am now content to accept as my final fling ... though a couple of Barnacks could finance one more !!!
Have you experience this realisation ?
dee
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Post by dee on Jan 8, 2017 3:48:17 GMT -5
Ok , its established that cameras and snapshots are a comfort zone against serious ASdee glitches and the relentless lostness/dee'sruption of girl/guy/me stuff , Just carrying a camera helps me see in snapshots cutting out the periphery which I can't ignore.
The budget Fuji X-Pro 1 [ about £320 with 27mm ] proved ideal in Malaysia and now fits in my shoulder bag . I am content with treating it as a fixed lens camera - advanced compact ? The clear finder option helps too .
However , I still love SLRs and DSLRs - The Sony A290/390 with 35mm f1.8 being somewhat oversize and outdated ! I am not comfortable with the EVF of the Sony A35 which is one camera I would happily part with . Retirement signalled the end of dreaming of an up to date camera , although not many appeal to me .
I chanced upon a Pentax K-S1 at John Lewis clear out . Boxed , unused warranted , ultra clear 100% finder , 20mp Sony sensor , kit zoom @ £136.50 previously £450 . A failed Pentax attempt at those moving from a compact , ignoring the march of mirrorless perhaps ? It's an odd camera with boxy hand grip and little purchase for the left hand , and unbalanced with the kit zoom ,
My wife actually surprised me by buying a new 35mm f2.4 , £90 ,reduced by £25 which transforms the compactness and handling . I have some 1990s AF lenses including a 35-80 [ 52-120] which , like my Minolta 35-80 is perfect of me .
There is no way I could justify a Sony or Nikon with that sensor , but I LIKE the quirky nature and styling of the K-S1 and am awaiting a wrist strap which proved so correct for the X-Pro 1 .
Frankly the miss- matched pair will be the perfect companions with nom 41mm and 52mm lenses which I am familiar with from my Minolta days .
Only today , have I realised that the outlay of around £550 could have bought me a latest Nikon / Canon , but I much prefer the flexibility of these two brand new rejects .
dee
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Post by dee on Oct 20, 2016 6:53:56 GMT -5
I was considering a 16-50 zoom for the X-Pro 1 , when I realised that the very compactness of the 27 [ nom 41 ] mm lens is the attraction . It was cheap enough to be used as an advanced point and shoot , I just think that the zoom spoils the concept somehow , especially as I don't really like an EVF .
I am thinking of a Leica branded 25mm for the vintage Panasonic L1 to energise me to use it more , it's like a bigger X-Pro somehow . I know that buying a lens for a 7mp camera seems odd , but I am fine with the IQ and colours .
dee
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Post by dee on Oct 10, 2016 3:55:58 GMT -5
Looks like a keeper !
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Post by dee on Sept 27, 2016 16:32:52 GMT -5
Hmmm ... most buy one camera , or a couple of bodies and add lenses ... I did this in film days with Minolta SRT/XD7 ... but could not afford to replace everything for Autofocus 7000i .
Digital advances so quickly , that it's easy to buy into a system which become obsolete - my 1st experience was with lightly used ,Leica Dig 3 / Panasonic L1 4/3rds . Cameras which I love using with a pair of inexpensive Olympus zooms. They persist . I had to change systems to an ex-dem Pentax K10D , but bought only cheap manual lenses ...it's a touch heavy for me now . I added a compact Panasonic G1 , but it was never seen as more than a pocket camera for legacy lenses . I thought I was safe with Sony A290/A35 , but Sony are now concentrating on mirrorless .I do have a few Minolta/sony lenses , but find that around 45-100 suits me perfectly ... My 1st compact is an exquisite Fuji XF1 which was my smart phone substitute , but I bought it inexpensively simply because I love the style ! The surprise find of a new X-Pro1 @ £168 threw a spanner into the works as this is the only camera where I would seriously expand into a system ...
Each of my cameras loses value so rapidly , that , in theory , it has not been worth selling ... BUT each is evocative of a time and place , which is priceless to me.
I find it almost impossible to let go of any in the family , It has kind of evolved , from differing requirements , and I still select different cameras for mood or convenience - and I love doing so .
The case to find a certain camera has faded , thank goodness , I am content with my 'toys' which 'locate' 'me' somehow - ASD and GD dislocates and disorientates , which is why I wondered if real people have a similar response ... and I did get that Spotmatic which I could not afford in 1972 when I bought my 1st Prnzflex STTL instead !!
dee
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Post by dee on Sept 24, 2016 17:41:35 GMT -5
A simple subject , but one previously fraught with concern ...
In theory ,I don't NEED so many cameras , both film and digital. it has been suggested that I clear many of them to finance a zoom lens for my X-Pro 1. Which is sensible in of course ... but the comfort of having them around me seems to help ground me somehow . Currently , I can't override this . i have not had much luck with other things - Teddy Bears / Sindy Dolls [ miss-ed out as a kid ] Dinky Toys ...records ... Maybe people substitutes as I can't do socialising and people ? Oddly enough , I have two Leica IIIc and am less attached to to one of them than the FSUs , so one may go to finance a 16-50 of the Fuji [ again ]
At times , I seek out my Minoltas , my Prinzflex STTL [ 3 off now ] the Kievs/Contax with a Kontax ever near at hand . Those FSUs , so many camera bags in the cupboard , a strange reassurance .
It seems OK to state this here because the title of the forum says it all , but there has been criticism elsewhere .
Since Malaysia , I am much more OK with the situation , all stimulating memories of time and place in a bewildering world .
dee
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Post by dee on Sept 22, 2016 17:18:29 GMT -5
Since my Malaysia holiday , I am no longer apologising inwardly for the basic Sony A290/A390 twins, made for just a year in mid 2010 . In some respects , aimed as beginners , they don't seem to be 'serious' DSLRs - certainly , other than pixel count , behind the opposition at the time . It appears obvious that Sony stripped out cameras with minimal size and pixel count screens , as a stop gap when developing the new fixed mirror cameras [ whatever they call them ] - and to use up remaining stocks of the 14mp CCD sensor . The build quality is lightweight plastic, adequate ,but perfectly functional . A DSLR does not rely upon a screen anyway ! I am however dee'lighted that they did as I was able to buy a new camera with a CCD sensor with outstanding colour rendition rather than used. i was also able to take advantage of the lack of interest in these cameras to find an A390 on e bay with two lenses [ knowing precisely how old it must be and strictly beginner usage only ! ] I used the A390 on holiday and became more and more comfortable with it - aided by so the simplicity of operation and light weight . Now I just have to tape up the cameras so that they could be mistaken for an expensive Canikon !! [ but that would be dee'srespectful ] LOL
dee
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Post by dee on Sept 22, 2016 16:49:41 GMT -5
Thanks .
It's weird how the I look around , there is a tiny flicker of confusion and hesitation - which is why i seem to see in snap shots , rather than a continuous film .
Somewhat dee'sconcerting/dee's orientating . it does mean that I can't tune out dee'tails which helped with my career as an interior designer .
I must try to post some photos ... Can I do it from the i-mac ? dee
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Post by dee on Sept 20, 2016 16:46:10 GMT -5
We don't do holidays , but were invited by my Chinese wife's sisters to meet up in home town Ipoh. It did not work out well for photographs as we were dependant upon others to drive us around . When invited by the sisters to follow then into town , it was still keep up .
I used the Panasonic L1 , Olympus 14-42 to shoot buildings , lorries , buses , mopeds from the car plus the new X=Pro1 27mm [ nom 41 ] for street , market and restaurant shots . I could hold it guess framing at low level and above my head - dee's cretely returning it into my handbag .
On viewing the results on return , I was initially dee's appointed by the inconsistency of the snap shots ... no change there then ...
ASD is weird - some stuff is lost , but early experiences seem more imprinted as our visit in 1974 all came back to me like yesterday .
The photos captured this atmosphere in a way the perfect , non blurred shots would not ... it was MY ASD coloured / awkward experience with all the glitches .from schooldays , I am ever concerned about not keeping up with others ... I thought that everyone was a s out of phase as I am .
I began revisiting other 'stories' through my snapshots which exhibited the same inconsistencies , but that atmosphere and separation from people and 'reality' was all too clear . The emotions they conjured up perfect for my fragmented memory where ' now/before/pretend pictures ' have equal prominence messing with context and continuity .
There are some who have said that if a person continues to fail at something , then they should give up .
I will continue to forget settings , the photos will not always be straight or perfectly focused because I am too quick and unbalanced with glitches hand/eye coordination , but I can't go out without the comfort of a camera , or hiding behind it .
However , by getting away from 'the norm' I seem to have shed the anxiety about not keeping up with real people and will continue to create my fragmented stories with cameras old and new ... although the 'new' X-Pro 1 , is probably the last toy I will afford !! I shall also enjoy my many cameras collected when I was going through the trauma of recognising and encompassing those glitches plus the growing collection of digitals . Cameras as therapy ? Believe it !!
It sounds crazy , but it's such a relief to accept how it is .
Thanks for being here
dee
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