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on Nov 23, 2022 20:41:59 GMT
Posted: Nov 23, 2022 20:41:59 GMT
Here's an interesting TLR from the early 1950s, the DelMonta made by Montanus of Germany. DelMonta TLROn the face of it, there's not that much to talk about. It uses 75mm Pluscanar Anastigmat lenses - f3.2 for viewing and f3.5 for taking; it has a Velio shutter with speeds from 1/10s to 1/200s plus Bulb; and it shoots 6x6 images on 120 film. But it does have one feature which I really like and that's behind that large, black, metal cap at the base of the side of the camera: a compartment to hold a spare or used roll of film. Now, that is very handy; why did so few TLRs adopt this idea? I would think that the mechanicals would be in the way but after revisiting my 635 rebuild it looks like there could be some room. Winding Mechanism Revealed by P F McFarland, on Flickr PF
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on Nov 23, 2022 21:55:14 GMT
Posted: Nov 23, 2022 21:55:14 GMT
Hello ridgeblue99 I'm mightily impressed that you are rebuilding a 635! I truly wouldn't know where to start... I love the fact that Montanus identified redundant space within the camera and decided to exploit it. After seeing it on the Delmonta, it seems such a good idea; I wonder if any/many other TLRs incorporated a spare film chamber...?
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on Nov 27, 2022 1:41:46 GMT
Posted: Nov 27, 2022 1:41:46 GMT
Hello ridgeblue99 I'm mightily impressed that you are rebuilding a 635! I truly wouldn't know where to start... I love the fact that Montanus identified redundant space within the camera and decided to exploit it. After seeing it on the Delmonta, it seems such a good idea; I wonder if any/many other TLRs incorporated a spare film chamber...? Oh, I did that back in 2014 (click on the photo to see the complete album). I started with a busted up second series model and used parts from a third series to fix some things other than what was obvious. One of those was swapping out the lock pins in the bayonet mounts so I could use Rollie filters. The pins in the second series (and I suspect also in the first) have squared off tips, while the third series have cone shaped tips and are slightly shorter, so it is now easier to get other manufacturers filters, hood, and close-up attachments to lock in place. The only other TLR I know of that has storage space are the various Lubitel models, though that is on the other side of the camera and is for holding filters. Copied from the Voigtlander Brillant I think. PF
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on Dec 1, 2022 19:22:56 GMT
Posted: Dec 1, 2022 19:22:56 GMT
Now that 110 film is readily available again, it's a great time to get into the tiny format. Hot on the heels of a couple more Yashica atorons, this brace of Pentax Auto 110 cameras has just arrived. It's wonderful to have the flash and winder to accompany them plus a few more lenses. They also arrived with some Pentax 110 filters and close-up lenses. 110 funThe winder's certainly a good bit quieter than something like the FR Winder and would certainly make street photography easier with the camera - I do find it easier to hold with the winder attached. Probably the one addition I would make to this kit would be the Pentax 110 18mm f2.8 Pan-Focus lens so that you don't have to think about focusing with street work.
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on Dec 17, 2022 15:32:34 GMT
Last Edit: Dec 17, 2022 15:36:33 GMT by biggles3
Here we have a highly regarded leaf-shutter rangefinder from 1959/60 - the Aires Viscount accompanied by the Aires 8cm Tele-Attachment Lens. Aires ViscountThis is a very well-built camera and weighs over 470g (1lb). The lens is a 4.5cm f1.9 M Coral and the Viscount uses a Seikosha-SLV shutter. One unusual feature of the camera is that the viewfinder hosts two sets of bright-lines; one for the lens as fitted and the other to accommodate the accessory lens which alters the focal length to 8cm. This shows good planning as it's a much better solution than having to add an additional viewfinder via the cold-shoe which, if you're at all like me, gets lost quite quickly. The camera arrived with its brown leather case and lens cap; unfortunately, the accessory lens came without caps so it's time to go hunting...
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on Dec 30, 2022 17:15:28 GMT
Last Edit: Dec 30, 2022 17:20:19 GMT by biggles3
I'm a complete sucker for anything with art-deco styling and when I saw the Pronto shutter's housing, it was inevitably going to arrive in Wales... Kochmann Korelle 6x4.5 unknown model This camera is a bit of a mystery though. It's a Kochmann Korelle 6x4.5 127 film strut-folding camera, probably from the early 1930s. The lens number indicates it was manufactured in October 1934. It features a Pronto (not Prontor) shutter which only offers T, B, 100, 50 & 25 speeds but also has a self-timer. The lens is a Schneider-Kreuznach Radionar f4.5 7.5cm which appears to be very sharp. But, while I can find the occasional image of other Korelle 6x4.5 cameras, none has the art-deco styling and that shutter/lens combination. With the lens folded back into the body and the viewfinders in the down position, the camera is truly tiny. The only indication of the manufacturer is the name Korelle embossed on the leather covering; its leather carrying case has no name on it at all. The struts operate very smoothly, the shutter sounds right and when set to Bulb, looking through the lens from the back, it is blindingly sharp. The only element which needs some attention is the self-timer which feels like it was last used in the 1930s but after being activated a few times, it's finally getting to complete its cycle. I freely admit that I've fallen hook, line and sinker for this little gem.
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on Dec 30, 2022 20:56:12 GMT
Last Edit: Dec 30, 2022 20:57:48 GMT by lumiworx
Your Korelle reminds me of the 1937/38 Voigtlander Bessa Rangefinder I sold that shares 2 of the same things as your marvel... the collapsable clamshell like rangefinder view pieces, and the odd "AGC" ( Alfred Gauthier of Calmbach) logo on the shutter plate. That logo suggests that the shutter really is a Prontor underneath, but it's a rebranded version for this particular camera maker. Here's a review of the Bessa Rangefinder:- vintagecameradigest.wordpress.com/2015/08/02/voigtlander-bessa-1937 - and I'd certainly think that your assessment of the Schneider-Kreuznach lens is correct. I've yet to see a bad review for any lens they've made.
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on Dec 31, 2022 10:57:45 GMT
Posted: Dec 31, 2022 10:57:45 GMT
Your Korelle reminds me of the 1937/38 Voigtlander Bessa Rangefinder I sold that shares 2 of the same things as your marvel... the collapsable clamshell like rangefinder view pieces, and the odd "AGC" ( Alfred Gauthier of Calmbach) logo on the shutter plate. That logo suggests that the shutter really is a Prontor underneath, but it's a rebranded version for this particular camera maker. Here's a review of the Bessa Rangefinder:- vintagecameradigest.wordpress.com/2015/08/02/voigtlander-bessa-1937 - and I'd certainly think that your assessment of the Schneider-Kreuznach lens is correct. I've yet to see a bad review for any lens they've made. Wow! That's the cleanest example of that camera I've ever seen. Fabulous. Lucky buyer...
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on Jan 14, 2023 16:54:14 GMT
Posted: Jan 14, 2023 16:54:14 GMT
And yet another art-deco inspired camera... This is the Kershaw Eight-20 Penguin - a pretty basic, fold-out, 120 film camera; it offers a set f11 aperture and has very limited shutter settings: B, T, 1 (appx. 1/50s). However, it does have the ability to focus from 6ft to infinity despite the bellows assembly being fixed in position once extended. Kershaw Eight-20It's been very lucky to find a complete set: camera, instruction booklet, cardboard box and canvas case. BUT the icing on the cake has been the discovery of the original sales receipt from 1948 which scotches claims that this model was produced in 1950. Time to get to work....
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on Jan 15, 2023 1:22:25 GMT
Last Edit: Jan 15, 2023 1:23:14 GMT by lumiworx
It's been very lucky to find a complete set: camera, instruction booklet, cardboard box and canvas case. BUT the icing on the cake has been the discovery of the original sales receipt from 1948 which scotches claims that this model was produced in 1950. Time to get to work.... From this page on camerpedia, the attributed dates run from '46 to '55/56. Between the linked newspaper ads and your receipt, it seems the later dates were merely guesses. Unfortunately it looks like the wrong dates also ended up in McKeown's Guide too. The focusing you mention seems to have been shared among several of the 120 folders of the same period. The Voigtlander Bessa viewfinder models had it as 3 'zones', and your Kershaw and it's family predecessors had 2 or 3. From the Bessa manual... The camera being loaded with film, and 1 serving in the window (1) Open the camera (2) Set the lens to Landscapes, Groups or Portraits (3) Set the Shutter to the required speed (4) Observe the picture in the brilliant or direct-vision finder (5) Press the release (6) Turn on the film to the next number
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on Jan 15, 2023 12:23:06 GMT
Posted: Jan 15, 2023 12:23:06 GMT
Hi lumiworx Thank you for that. I like the fact that you can select any distance between 6ft and infinity although the only intermediate distance marked is 10ft. It got me wondering if Kershaw ever produced an export model featuring metres; perhaps on some of their more sophisticated cameras.
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on Jan 19, 2023 19:41:02 GMT
Last Edit: Jan 20, 2023 11:58:36 GMT by biggles3
This surely would be a top ten entrant in any cutest camera competition: the Agfa Karat 6.3 Art DecoAgfa KaratEverything about it is just right. The Art Deco front plate and the beautiful rounded, cast aluminium body finished in gloss black enamel is a joy to behold. Made in 1936, it features a 3 element Igestar 5cm f6.3 lens with aperture settings to f22; the shutter is an Agfa Automat with speeds of 1/25s, 1/50s, 1/100s and B. The shutter is interlocked with the film advance to prevent accidental double exposure. This tiny strut folding 35mm camera thankfully came with two Rapid cassettes inside so some film loading beckons. Protected by its leather case, this camera is in exceptional condition and just begging to be used.
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on Jan 26, 2023 11:37:42 GMT
Posted: Jan 26, 2023 11:37:42 GMT
Here's an unassuming little viewfinder camera - the Olympus-35 EC 2. Olympus-35 EC 2It features a superb 42mm f2.8 E.Zuiko lens of 5 elements in 4 groups - it's a real beauty! The shutter is a Seiko ESF (electronic) and exposure is automatically controlled. You can wrest a small degree of manual control by changing the ASA setting between shots. The viewfinder is large and bright and shows the indicators for the zone-focusing system employed by this little camera. The shutter won't work without batteries and this currently uses two LR44 batteries in adapters. What looks like a self-timer lever by the lens is actually the shutter lock switch, vital to minimise battery drain. The yellow light on the top plate is a battery check indicator as well as a slow shutter speed warning; it's also replicated by a yellow light in the viewfinder to remind you a tripod may be required. There's also a green light visible in the viewfinder which indicates that a flash has been connected and is to be fired automatically due to low light conditions. The camera is of metal construction and weighs about 410g (14.5oz); film advance is by the use of a thumb-wheel at the back. It dates from about 1970.
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on Jan 27, 2023 0:19:06 GMT
Posted: Jan 27, 2023 0:19:06 GMT
Those 70s era Olympus viewfinder/rangefinder cameras are all very nice. My preference is for the 35DC & 35RD which share a wonderful 40mm f/1.7 lens.
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on Jan 28, 2023 13:07:05 GMT
Posted: Jan 28, 2023 13:07:05 GMT
...It features a superb 42mm f2.8 E.Zuiko lens of 5 elements in 4 groups - it's a real beauty!... A real beauty indeed, very nice camera and in an excellent condition, congrats! I think it is the same lens used for the 35RC, here is a picture of the one I have, it is one of my favorites:
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