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Post by kamera on Jul 25, 2005 7:37:20 GMT -5
I have two folders that I frequently use. A Kodak Retina II and a Voightlander Vito II. They both are German made and just fantastic cameras to use.
Ron Head Kalamazoo, MI
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Post by herron on Aug 17, 2005 15:05:46 GMT -5
Ron, I also have some neat folders, ranging from some Zeiss Ikontas to some old Kodak folders...and including a Mamiya-6 medium-format (120 film) folder (c.1947) that I am still taking pictures with!
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Post by herron on Aug 19, 2005 14:39:43 GMT -5
Just thought I would add a picture of my neat old Mamiya-6!
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Post by Just Plain Curt on Aug 21, 2005 20:15:14 GMT -5
Wow Ron, great old Mamiya 6. Wish I had one like that. I have 73 folders not counting Polaroids. No slight to any Polaroid users, I just count mine separately. This week I hope to try out both a Balda Baldafix, and a Voigtlander Bessa RF model. Should be fun.
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David Silver
Contributing Member
"Will work for antique cameras..."
Posts: 20
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Post by David Silver on Aug 24, 2005 14:59:43 GMT -5
My favorite folder is a Voigtlander Bessa II with Heliar lens for full 6 x 9 exposures on #120 roll film. For smaller negatives I like my Krasnogorsk Iskra with Industar-58 lens for 6 x 6. I appreciate Ron's mention of the Mamiya 6, as I've shot with many of them and they're a lot of fun, but I think the Iskra is a better camera overall. If you want to run out and find one, make sure you check the film advance mechanism carefully before you buy. Some of them are prone to problems right out of the box. It's not something that develops later, it's a manufacturring fault, so if it works now it will most likely continue to. The camera is a pleasure to use, and the optics are dynamite! Nice "clone" of the Agfa Super-Isolette, another great folder worth getting and using, but built a bit heavier. For 35mm I'll gladly second a vote for the Vito II from Voigtlander, which folds small enough to slip in your back pocket! In the Kodak Retina series, my favorite is the IIc. All the benefits of the top of the line IIIc/C without the extra weight or bother of that selenium cell meter. The "sunny 16" rule, or a hand held meter when really necessary, is better!
Dave
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Post by herron on Sept 9, 2005 0:20:11 GMT -5
David: I also have a Voigtlander Bessa that I use occasionally. It has an 11cm Voigtar lens in a Compur shutter. I also have an Agfa Isolette, but never seem to take it out any more. I've never used the Iskra, although I have come close to picking one up on eBay a couple of times, just because I like the way it looks! Ron
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Post by herron on Sept 28, 2005 22:08:55 GMT -5
Well, I did it again...just added another camera to the collection from that insidious online auction site! Picked up a Kodak Retina I-a. It's described as clean and functioning properly...but we'll see when it gets here! Don't know why I do things like this! LOL herron.50megs.com/retina 1a.jpg[/img]
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Post by vintageslrs on Sept 28, 2005 23:08:31 GMT -5
Ron
you do things like that because you are a sick, sick man!!......................................................................... just like many of us here!! we are addicted and therefore sick!
and there is no cure......................................
so relax, enjoy and have fun til we take that dirt nap.
enjoy your new toy when it arrives.
Bob
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PeterW
Lifetime Member
Member has Passed
Posts: 3,804
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Post by PeterW on Sept 29, 2005 4:25:04 GMT -5
Hi Ron, Congratulations on the Retina 1a. I'm sure you're going to love it. I've got five different Retinas, including a 1a. According to Brian Coe's book the 1a was made from 1951 to 1954. The very early production ones had Compur Rapid shutters, but in the summer of 1951 they changed to Synchro-Compurs. The 1a was the first Retina to have built-in strap lugs, which I like because I never use my cameras in their never-ready cases. I find they get in the way. In my opinion the earlier model Retinas, up to around the mid/late 1950s have chunky, functional lines, a nicer feel to them and more character than the later non-folding models with their all-enclosed top plate, built-in meters and other 'improvements'. They lost their individuality and became more like half a dozen other small European 35mm cameras. Do watch one point, though. Make sure you retract the lens to its infinity position before you try to close the front. If you don't, the front of the lens hits the door. I've come across several folding Retinas which have been damaged by people trying to force them shut. A good website about Retinas is Chris Sherlock's rawhiti.tripod.com/index.htmlEnjoy it! Peter
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Post by Randy on Sept 29, 2005 6:27:12 GMT -5
As long as we are showing our folders, here are a couple of mine. First one is a Universal Roamer II, and second is my ANSCO Speedex Jr.
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Post by herron on Sept 29, 2005 10:35:24 GMT -5
Ron you do things like that because you are a sick, sick man!!......................................................................... just like many of us here!! we are addicted and therefore sick! and there is no cure...................................... so relax, enjoy and have fun til we take that dirt nap. enjoy your new toy when it arrives. Bob LOL! ;D How right you are, Bob! I'm actually VERY relaxed...my only stress point comes when the package arrives and my wife rolls her eyes and says, " Another camera?" =================================== and Peter, thanks for the heads-up on closing my "new" find...and for that link! It's interesting to find out that someone else feels the same way about never-ready cases! I have two large, plastic storage bins full of nothing else but camera cases that I have removed, because -- while they are perhaps great for camera storage -- they are always in the way when it comes to using them!
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Post by vintageslrs on Sept 29, 2005 11:12:22 GMT -5
Ron So we all here that same phrase from our S/O eh? Oops I'd better be careful as my fiance has just joined the board---gulp! LOL. Bob
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PeterW
Lifetime Member
Member has Passed
Posts: 3,804
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Post by PeterW on Sept 29, 2005 17:19:52 GMT -5
Ron, I'm not so sure about close-fitting cases being good for camera storage. They keep cameras clean and dust-free, but IMHO, with changes of temperature and humidity, and slight condensation that can't air out, they are ideal breeding grounds for corrosion and lens fungus. Fungus is like a werewolf, loves the dark and hates the light. Keeping the current users temporarily in large camera bags is better because they can at least breathe, and a small bag of silica gel in with them takes care of condensation.
Peter
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Post by kamera on Sept 29, 2005 17:46:39 GMT -5
Ron Herron,
All my everready cases are stored in box and very seldom do I use any of them, and if I do, it is only the bottom half. I prefer a strap when I am out shooting. It used to be I would not even use a strap for some of the smaller cameras, but with the arthritis in my hands I do now...except for the recent time I sent my Mamiya 1000DTL to take an underwater pic and it never returned...yeah...right, Krazee Ronnee...my nickname from many people I know.
My cameras that are not actually part of my collection are all stored in Lowe Pro bags mostly. I put a silica dessicant pack in the inside film back of each camera, each camera then goes into a Ziploc-type baggie which also has a dessicant in it and then I have a couple loose dessicants lying around in the main storage bag.
Have done this for years now with my cameras and lenses and have never had a problem. I periodically go through each storage bag if the equipment has not been used for awhile and do two things.
(1) Check and make sure all is clean and clear. (2) Work the lens and camera controls to keep things loose.
Prevenative maintenance!
Ron Head Kalamazoo, MI
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Post by herron on Sept 30, 2005 22:51:54 GMT -5
Peter and Ron: I keep most of my cameras that don't get used often in barrister cases...the kind of bookcase with glass doors at every shelf. There are dessicants behind the cameras on every shelf, too. The ones I use frequently are in aluminum photo cases, lined with foam. There are dessicants in those cases, too. I guess I misspoke about using them for "camera storage." Carrying maybe...or as extra protection when shipping them about...but never long term storage.
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