Topic: I just picked up...

[zapsnaps]

Thanks to johnha, I've just picked up a black Zenit EM, Moscow Olympics commemorative edition camera with matching black 2/58 on it. It's in really good condition and has a 'forged from tractor iron' build to it which means it could easily be used for self defense purposes in a street photography situation.

Snow is forecast in the UK for this coming weekend, so I hope to put it through its paces then.

[cs1]

François: yes, the 85mm is quite a nice lens and it's the one that has the silver ring where the lens mounts (not an nFD) so it feels sturdy and reasonably well built. I was quite happy because it tends to normally sell for ~200-220 € in Germany and I got it for 150 €. I'll test drive it this weekend (I hope).

[02Pilot]

I couldn't resist rolling the dice on this little thing. For the princely sum of $2.49 in As-Is condition, I had little to lose. It needed some cleaning, a shutter adjustment, and a battery (that cost nearly three times what I paid for the camera), and is now working just fine.

[cs1]

I'm glad that you made such a good deal. I've never had any luck with Minox 35s. One had a misaligned light meter, the other had a working light meter but a shutter that wouldn't fire. Oh well...

[02Pilot]

I'm glad that you made such a good deal. I've never had any luck with Minox 35s. One had a misaligned light meter, the other had a working light meter but a shutter that wouldn't fire. Oh well...

Yeah, they're not exactly known for their reliability; I read mixed things about the ML being better or worse than the earlier models. The shutter is quite a simple thing using electromagnets to control the blades - cleaning the magnet surfaces and adjusting the cocking arm (easily done from the back with two screws and virtually no disassembly) resolves the most common issues with it. Regardless, I'm not into it for much, so if it dies on me, so be it - I'll harvest the lens and hack it to LTM. For now, it's one more cheap camera to fool around with.

[Francois]

I don't know if it takes the same battery as my 35EL? On mine I ended-up taping together 3 button cells using scotch tape.

[02Pilot]

I don't know if it takes the same battery as my 35EL? On mine I ended-up taping together 3 button cells using scotch tape.

No, the ML is one of the few variants that takes the PX28, so there's no need to hack something together, as lithium and silver versions are readily available.

[Indofunk]

I couldn't resist rolling the dice on this little thing. For the princely sum of $2.49 in As-Is condition, I had little to lose. It needed some cleaning, a shutter adjustment, and a battery (that cost nearly three times what I paid for the camera), and is now working just fine.

Nice!! When you're ready to sell, let me know

[02Pilot]

I couldn't resist rolling the dice on this little thing. For the princely sum of $2.49 in As-Is condition, I had little to lose. It needed some cleaning, a shutter adjustment, and a battery (that cost nearly three times what I paid for the camera), and is now working just fine.

Nice!! When you're ready to sell, let me know

Sure thing. I recently cleared out a few items, so my purging instinct has been temporarily satisfied, but I'm sure it will come again.

[Kai-san]

....... a supernice Ikonta 35 522/24 from Germany. I also found a snazzy Medis Telemetre rangefinder to put on top of it. The Ikonta 35 is one of the nicest camera designs I know of, I love it already! 

[cs1]

Kai, wonderful camera indeed. What're the chances of knickerbocker and tweed self portraits with this lovely camera?

[Kai-san]

Kai, wonderful camera indeed. What're the chances of knickerbocker and tweed self portraits with this lovely camera?

Thanks, CS1! I'm afraid my selection of tweed is rather limited, but I will certainly show some pics taken with this. It's already loaded with Rollei Retro 400s which is a bit of a gamble; the recommended developing times leaves the film almost completely blank! I need to find a solution as this is a very nice film.

[Francois]

If the markings are OK, the exposure is way off.
If not, the development is way off.

[cs1]

It's already loaded with Rollei Retro 400s which is a bit of a gamble; the recommended developing times leaves the film almost completely blank! I need to find a solution as this is a very nice film.

I agree with François. I used Rodinal to develop the 400S and the film didn't strike me as being particularly "diva-like". Blank negatives might be caused by overexposure which could be evidence for a "hanging" shutter. If you time longer shutter times (e. g. 1s), do they seem to hang?

[Kai-san]

It's already loaded with Rollei Retro 400s which is a bit of a gamble; the recommended developing times leaves the film almost completely blank! I need to find a solution as this is a very nice film.

I agree with François. I used Rodinal to develop the 400S and the film didn't strike me as being particularly "diva-like". Blank negatives might be caused by overexposure which could be evidence for a "hanging" shutter. If you time longer shutter times (e. g. 1s), do they seem to hang?

I have shot this film with several cameras which give perfect exposure with other films, there is nothing wrong with the exposure. I'm not the only one with this problem, just do a search on the web with 400s and Xtol. I might have to use a different developer, but I do not want Rodinal grain. I'm looking into the Moersch Eco developer; sharp, fine grain and economical (diluted 1:50).

[cs1]

I'm glad that the shutter works properly. It's interesting that the Rollei 400S seems to react so differently to Xtol. Thanks for pointing out the Moersch Eco developer. It looks very interesting, I'm pretty sure that I'll give it a try. It seems like the undiluted developer stays fresh for at least 2 years which makes it ideal for occasional development. If you try it, I'd be very interested in your results.

[Pete_R]

Now that's your rational brain talking. But you'd never imagine how many times my 17mm got the shot I wanted!

I blame Francois for this. He made me do it. But I swear I won't buy anymore lenses, ever. Or at least until after Christmas.

[Francois]

Now, that's what I call being reasonable 

[p4portra]

I have now picked up a 35MM summicron for my Leica M4-P.

Whoop.

[John Robison]

After swearing that my camera buying days are over I bought a Olympus Pen FV body off of ebay. A deal I could not pass up. Already have a Pen F body and several Pen Zuiko's for it so this is a second/backup body. After all, every camera system needs a backup body don't you think?

[cs1]

Some uninformed people would say that you gave in to G.A.S.. Reasonable people would says that it's very wise to stack up on working bodies for your PEN system.

[Aksel]

I have now picked up a 35MM summicron for my Leica M4-P.

Whoop.

That´s a special feeling, enjoy 

[MiguelCampano]

A little PSA:

B&H is having a sale on "short-dated" Fuji Provia 100F (rolls expire on May 2018), for $6.99/roll. I had a gift card from my old job and after splitting the cost with my debit card, the 5-roll pack came up to only $15, which I thought was pretty good.

I checked today and there are more film stocks on sale, mostly (if not all of them) from Fuji. A few dollars off, but not short-dated.

Also, I picked up a 1L bag of Kodak D76. First B&W powder I'd be using, so I'm pretty excited to branch out from the Ilford liquids I've been using!

[Kai-san]

........ it's so cute, I couldn't resist it. 

[Bryan]

........ it's so cute, I couldn't resist it. 

That looks very much like the Minolta projector I just got.

http://www.filmwasters.com/forum/index.php?topic=6181.msg126685#msg126685

[Kai-san]

It's the very same. It came out grey in this picture, but it is brown. Must be the tiniest slide projector ever made.

[Indofunk]

A little PSA:

B&H is having a sale on "short-dated" Fuji Provia 100F (rolls expire on May 2018), for $6.99/roll. I had a gift card from my old job and after splitting the cost with my debit card, the 5-roll pack came up to only $15, which I thought was pretty good.

I checked today and there are more film stocks on sale, mostly (if not all of them) from Fuji. A few dollars off, but not short-dated.

Also, I picked up a 1L bag of Kodak D76. First B&W powder I'd be using, so I'm pretty excited to branch out from the Ilford liquids I've been using!

D76 is amazing and I love it, but it's just not as economical or as easy as a liquid like HC110, so I will suffer with HC110 

[MiguelCampano]

A little PSA:

B&H is having a sale on "short-dated" Fuji Provia 100F (rolls expire on May 2018), for $6.99/roll. I had a gift card from my old job and after splitting the cost with my debit card, the 5-roll pack came up to only $15, which I thought was pretty good.

I checked today and there are more film stocks on sale, mostly (if not all of them) from Fuji. A few dollars off, but not short-dated.

Also, I picked up a 1L bag of Kodak D76. First B&W powder I'd be using, so I'm pretty excited to branch out from the Ilford liquids I've been using!

D76 is amazing and I love it, but it's just not as economical or as easy as a liquid like HC110, so I will suffer with HC110 

Yeah, I am not sure how many rolls I get out of this 1L bag, but the next developer I'll try is the Arista Premium (liquid) that is supposed to be rebranded Clayton F76+

[Kai-san]

.......... the reward from my first ever kickstarter (true story!), the Intrepid 8x10 large format camera. It was 3 months delayed because they had to move the entire factory in the middle of the process. These days they are shipping out more than 400 8x10 cameras, who would have believed that to happen in 2017! I almost could not believe how light it was when I unpacked it; 2.15 kg. It measures 29.5x29.5x7.5 cm when folded. The Fujinon C 450mm f12.5 lens was not part of the package, I had purchased that while waiting. I'm afraid that cost me three times the price of the camera, but I wanted a lens with good coverage and light weight (270g).
Sorry about the bad pictures taken with a smartphone, my only d*g*t*l had a flat battery and the light was fading away fast.

[Francois]

Sweet!
And don't worry about the quality of phone photos. If you have doubts, I can ask Ed to reassure you

[MiguelCampano]

That's a beautiful camera!

[Bryan]

I just got my first Medium Format 6x4.5 SLR, a Zenza Bronica ETRSi kit with a PE 50mm f/2.8 lens and a Macro PE 100mm f/4 lens.  I got this in a trade, it's a very nice kit. 

Zenza Bronica ETRSi by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

I also just bought a Leica IIIa with a Summar f/2 5cm lens.  I mentioned the lens in the "I Just Made/Fixed" thread, the camera is going to need a little work as well but it should be fairly simple. 

Leica IIIa by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

[Francois]

Is it doing the 1/30 to 1/60 speed like it was bulb like my 1C?
When you decide to work on it, let me know... I want to know if this would turn into one of those "let the pros do it" type of job.

[Bryan]

The speeds all seem fine except 1 second and 1/2 second.  I'll try cleaning the slow speed mechanism to see if that helps.  I rarely use those speeds anyhow.  The film pressure plate needs some cleaning and polishing.  I have seen replacement plates online if I can't get it cleaned enough. 

[Francois]

My 1C doesn't have any slow speeds, just a factory installed cover where the dial would have been.

[cs1]

The Zenza Bronica ETRSi looks brilliant. I've had my eye on one for a long time. Need to sell some other gear first though.

[Kai-san]

.... Polaroid - The Missing Manual by Rhiannon Adam. The book has two parts, first a camera and film guide and secondly a creative guide. There is a lot of useful information for those who are new to the format and also troubleshooting tips for several camera types. The creative section covers every thinkable manipulation technique from Slow Burn to Polaroid Destruction! It also covers Fuji Instax and New 55. Recommended for all Pola lovers. 

[Nigel]

I 'picked this up' (with the use of a back-brace) just before Christmas. Rather shamefully I've only put one roll through it so far but I'm really smitten.

Yes, it weighs as much as a small car, but as someone who grew up shooting SLRs it works the way I work. Whenever I've tried medium format in the past whether with a TLR or the Hassy I've enjoyed the process but it just hasn't flowed, with the Pentax it seems right. I didn't get the 200mm lens in the picture, I'm not sure what I'd have used it for. To be honest, I'm not sure how much use the 75mm will get, it's the 105mm I bought it for. I've got a portrait shoot arranged for this weekend so I'll have the chance to properly put it through it's paces.

[Francois]

If I feel a small earthquake, I'll know it's you pressing the shutter button on it

[AJShepherd]

I do keep getting tempted to buy me one of those colossal Pentax SLRs.

[Pete_R]

Here's one I got earlier. It's a Kodak 2A I think.

I got it with the idea of converting it to a pinhole but thought I'd try it as-is to start. One of the viewfinder mirrors had come adrift and got stuck in the shutter and the mirrors and lenses needed cleaning but it works well now. And so simple; it's just nailed together. I've had it a few months but only just got around to trying it. Not easy to frame things in those tiny viewfinders though.

I've posted a couple of images in the weekend thread.

[cs1]

I just love box cameras. Their simplicity is so refreshing. I own an Agfa Synchro Box and an Agfa Clack. However, I prefer the Synchro Box because the Clack is "too sophisticated". Nice shots in the weekend thread.

[Francois]

I too have quite a few boxes. And some of them were really loved by their previous owners and it shows.
I have one where it's owner even installed a tripod mount on it!

[cs1]

And they're so cheap. I got the Agfa Synchro Box with its original leather case in excellent condition for 3 € on a garage sale. You can get those boxes for 3-10 €.

[Aksel]

.......... the reward from my first ever kickstarter (true story!), the Intrepid 8x10 large format camera.

Now that´s a nice reward! Congratulations with a very cool kit 
Wonder how it will handle your part of the world, needs to be soaked in wood oil and be fitted with it´s own umbrella?

[Kai-san]

.......... the reward from my first ever kickstarter (true story!), the Intrepid 8x10 large format camera.

Now that´s a nice reward! Congratulations with a very cool kit 
Wonder how it will handle your part of the world, needs to be soaked in wood oil and be fitted with it´s own umbrella?

Thanks Aksel! It's finished with a wax oil sealant, so it should withstand a few drops of rain. As for the cost of the umbrella and personnel to hold it I'm afraid I shall have to cover that myself.   I have acquired a nicely used Lowepro Vertex 300 to carry the kit, and it has a rain cover in addition to being "splash proof". The goal is to assemble a complete kit (camera, lens, 3 film holders, dark cloth, spot meter and tripod) that weighs in at around 10 kg, rucksack included. Still waiting for the film holders, they are delayed as well I suppose.

[jojonas~]

Here's one I got earlier. It's a Kodak 2A I think.

I got it with the idea of converting it to a pinhole but thought I'd try it as-is to start. One of the viewfinder mirrors had come adrift and got stuck in the shutter and the mirrors and lenses needed cleaning but it works well now. And so simple; it's just nailed together. I've had it a few months but only just got around to trying it. Not easy to frame things in those tiny viewfinders though.

I've posted a couple of images in the weekend thread.

a fun camera! as it's my largest neg camera I've used it for paper negs mostly.


but yeah, taking it apart and enjoying the internal design is easy https://www.instagram.com/p/BHzbud1DKLb/?taken-by=kollimatorn

[Francois]

So simple yet so elegant.

[johnha]

Whenever I've tried medium format in the past whether with a TLR or the Hassy I've enjoyed the process but it just hasn't flowed, with the Pentax it seems right. I didn't get the 200mm lens in the picture, I'm not sure what I'd have used it for. To be honest, I'm not sure how much use the 75mm will get, it's the 105mm I bought it for. I've got a portrait shoot arranged for this weekend so I'll have the chance to properly put it through it's paces.

It looks in good condition. I like the 75mm - gives a good moderate wide view (I haven't used the 105), the 45mm gives a very wide view (but needs huge filters). I find the left-hand grip gets in the way with shorter lenses - I prefer to cradle the lens with my left hand '35mm style' .

[Nigel]

Whenever I've tried medium format in the past whether with a TLR or the Hassy I've enjoyed the process but it just hasn't flowed, with the Pentax it seems right. I didn't get the 200mm lens in the picture, I'm not sure what I'd have used it for. To be honest, I'm not sure how much use the 75mm will get, it's the 105mm I bought it for. I've got a portrait shoot arranged for this weekend so I'll have the chance to properly put it through it's paces.

It looks in good condition. I like the 75mm - gives a good moderate wide view (I haven't used the 105), the 45mm gives a very wide view (but needs huge filters). I find the left-hand grip gets in the way with shorter lenses - I prefer to cradle the lens with my left hand '35mm style' .

You're right the left-hand grip is no good for when you're actually shooting but I found it's quite good to hang on to when you're walking around. If I use it a lot I might get one of these.


Pentax67 Custom Right hand grip by artit chotiboot, on Flickr