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Another relic from the cold war. Welta was a well respected German manufacturer that came up with some smart camera designs befor the war, like the Perfekta or even the the Welti with a f2 lens, the very first 35 mm compact camera to offer it, before the Kodak Retina.
Speaking of Retina, it's quite clear that these cameras were aimed at the Retinas, features, price, build, everything was nearly identical. Sadly the war came and Welta was in the other side, with no one to rescue it form the communists. They began producing a slightly revised version of the prewar Welti with Zeiss Jena lenses but the build quality remained quite the same.
The camera feels very sturdy, the bellow's struts are as rigid as it gets and the lens focus as a unit, not by the front element like in some cheap rivals (Contina!).
This one came with a Zeiss Jena Tessar T 50/3.5 and the famous tilting viewfinder that corrects parallax at normal and infinity focus. Quite redundant really as it is so small, one can hardly see a thing, much less see any difference in framing!
Check out my Camera Album for more of the grand old cameras...Note that on the bottom of the right side page an illustrated book..."How to Make Good Pictures"...for only 50 cents...and we thought it was difficult...
Legendäre Technik in seltener Hülle – die Minolta X-700 in Chrom.
Diese exklusive Version der ikonischen SLR war nur in Japan erhältlich und ist heute eines der begehrtesten Sammlerstücke der analogen Kamerawelt. Die Kombination aus seltener Chrome-Finish und der bewährten X-700-Technik macht sie zur perfekten Fusion aus Ästhetik und Funktionalität.
Mehr zur Geschichte, technischen Details und Sammlerwert jetzt im ausführlichen Review in der Rubrik GEMS auf www.fujicolours.com
#MinoltaX700 #MinoltaChrome #MinoltaJapanOnly #RareFilmCamera #VintageSLR #SLRClassic #AnalogPhotography #35mmFilm #FilmCameraCollectors #FujicoloursGEMS #CameraCollecting #FilmCommunity #CameraHistory #Fujicolours #GEMSbyFujicolours #ClassicCamera #ChromeCamera #JapanExclusive #VintageGear #MinoltaLove #RetroKamera #Fotografiegeschichte
A Nikon F made in 1964, and a Pentax Spotmatic SPII, introduced in 1971.
The Nikon (including the lens) weighs in at 1006g. And it would be even heavier fitted with the Nikon T Photomic prism finder on top. The Pentax plus Takumar lens weighs 885g. Unlike the Nikon, the top prism finder doesn't detach.
Back in the day, I always enjoyed using this Spotmatic. A beautifully engineered and reasonably small SLR, with excellent lenses. Good reasons for the camera being the top selling SLR world-wide at the time, plus it was less expensive than the F. But I think I'd have enjoyed the Nikon just as much. It has such a solid workmanlike feel.
Me and the Vito from Voigtlander! I can't get enough of them! This is the final incarnation of the Vito B. Same chassis as all previous Voigts, but the taller housing makes the camera a lot less elegant than the previous Vito B with small viewfinder. Still, it's a 1:1 viewfinder, so no complaints about it being small and dinky.
I also think this was the last time when the little Skopar 3,5 was used, replaced by the faster 2,8. Still, some people sware by it, saying it's sharper than the f2.8 version.
The Nikon FE is an upgrade to the earlier generation Nikon EL-2 in the same way that the FM was an upgrade from the earlier generation Nikkormat/Nikomat FT-3. For both upgrades, the change, from the point of view of the user, is more in external design rather than camera features. The biggest change was the move from the large compact form factor Nikkormat design to the medium compact FM/FE design. In terms of actual features, both new cameras are very similar to their predecessors. Like the FM2N, the design of the FE2 was highly refined over two generations and some other upgrades. Thus, the original FE was Nikon's first effort at an electronic camera in the new medium compact form factor.
Actually, I became a constant user of the original FE soon after it came out in 1978 as a backup body to my pro-level Nikon F2 Photomic AS. Back in the days of the Nikon F and Nikon F2, the pro-level cameras were all-mechanical designs. When electronic shutter SLRs started to come to the market, many photographers, including myself, were not ready to give up our super reliable all-mechanical cameras for the newfangled electronic shutter bodies. However, the FE, being much smaller and lighter than the F2AS, was the perfect size and weight as a second body. How strange to think today that the mechanical body would be the main one, and the electronic camera would be the backup! Anyway, even though the FE was supposed to be a backup, I used it often over the F2AS due to is Auto Exposure convenience, as well as smaller size and weight. Back then, we never dreamed of still undeveloped future advances such as TTL auto flash control, other exposure modes, and other exposure metering methods. We just knew that the FE had all of the manual control features of the F2AS with the added benefit of Aperture Priority exposure metering for use in hurried situations.
The FE was in production from 1978 to 1983, when it was replaced by the upgraded FE2. The FE2 was a much modernized version of the FE and remained in production until 1987. There was actually one additional major upgrade after the FE2, which was the FM3A (2001-2006). The FM3A is the most advanced of the FM/FE Series, with a hybrid mechanical/electronic shutter, an FE2 style readout, and all of the other features of the FE2. One other sibling of the FE that I have not yet mentioned is the FA, which coexisted during the same product life as the FE2. The FA had much more advanced exposure measurement and metering modes than the FE/FE2 and even the FM3A. Both the FE2 and FA were replaced by the F801 in 1988 after Nikon and the industry moved to auto focus and built-in power winders for most of their electronic cameras.
The FE was available in silver chrome and black paint. I have the black paint version, and the finish still looks great today in 2013, with only a bit of very minor wear and tear. Indeed, when I compare the black finishes on the FE and FE2, the finish on the FE's black metal plates and dials is significantly more matte than the relatively shiny finish on the FE2. Comparing side by side, the matte finish on the older FE is definitely cooler. Definitely the FE has aged well. Although my FE has been into the shop a few times for minor maintenance, it has thankfully never had a major breakdown. Some might argue that all mechanical FM series is more repairable than an electronic camera like the FE over a multi-decade lifespan, and that may be true. But the FE is relatively simple compared with later advanced electronic cameras, so I am hopeful that my favorite camera technician will be able to keep my FE running for a long time to come.
If I had to choose today between the FE and FE2, I would go with the later generation FE2. However, if you came across an excellent condition FE body, it would still work great today with a wide variety of old and modern Nikon F mount lenses. In fact, some people prefer the FE over the FE2 due to its ability to shoot more images per roll, its slightly more convenient battery check, and most importantly, its ability to mount pre-Ai lenses with its retractable meter coupling lever.
Unlike the single large 6 volt battery in the prior Nikon EL-2, the FE takes either a 3V lithium battery, two 1.55V silver oxide batteries, or two 1.5V alkalines. Quite standard for Nikon bodies of that era. I usually prefer to just go with a single 3V lithium to enjoy the long shelf life, but of course the other two types work fine too. Even though the small batteries control both the light meter and electronic shutter (but obviously not film advance or any autofocus), they still seem to last forever. I really like the battery check lever on the back left of the FE. Just push the lever down with your left thumb, and if the batteries are good, the red diode will light; no need to look through the viewfinder to check the batteries. The battery check light disappeared on the FE2; you have to check battery power by movement of the viewfinder needle instead.
The FM/FE series is built with a copper-aluminum-silicon (copper-silumin) alloy body. I find the size and weight of the FE to be perfect, especially with wide-angle through medium telephoto Nikkor manual focus prime lenses. The body size is not too big or too small. Its size is large enough to hold securely, but still smaller than full size professional bodies like the F2AS or F3HP. It is not as small as the (mechanical) Contax S2, Pentax MX, or even the Olympus OM-3, which are considered small compact bodies and sometimes feel a bit too small to get a good grip. The FE weighs in at only 590g without lens, and of course the weight of the batteries is insignificant, compared with the multiple AA batteries or other larger batteries in future electronic bodies. The FE fits great into a dedicated case, or a spongy snug-fit case, or a small camera bag with a few lenses. It is an excellent size for travel use.
The FE body by itself, like all those in the FM/FE Series, feels a bit light and even insubstantial when held without a lens attached (although the FE is slightly heavier than the FM2N). However, once a lens in the wide-angle to medium telephoto size range is attached, especially those AiS Nikkor manual focus primes, the lens/camera combination has the perfect balance, size and weight. It has a highly luxurious and precision feel and sound when held in your hands and used, although the sound is perhaps not as pleasing as that of the FM2N. I most often use Ai-S primes from 20/2.8 to 200/4 and the system is wonderful to operate with all of those lenses. However, once you start getting into bigger and heavier lenses such as, for example, the 80-200/2.8, the camera feels a bit too light and out of balance. Also, on fatter lenses, you may need to use a rubber tripod spacer ring to keep the lens rings from touching the tripod head.
Operation of the FE is really smooth. The shutter speed ring is large and has an easy to turn knurled grip, although it is not quite as tall as that on the FM2N. The shutter speed dial on my FE turns noticeably more smoothly than the dial on my FE2. It is easy to grab with thumb and forefinger when the film advance lever is pulled out to turn on the camera. For safety purposes, you need to push the central button on the shutter speed dial to turn it off of "Auto". The film advance lever motion is amazingly smooth, although the lever is single-stroke only, unlike the levers on the F, F2 and F3. But the stroke is not very big, so a quick easy stroke quickly winds to the next frame. ASA/ISO setting is set by a ring that surrounds the rewind lever. The exposure compensation setting is located on the same ring as the ASA/ISO setting, and has a range from -2 to +2 EV in half-stop increments. Shutter speed and ISO markings are clear and easy to read. The ISO range of the FE (and also the FE2) is 12 - 4000, wide enough to handle virtually all situations, though slightly narrower than the FM2N, which reaches up to 6400. The small multiple-exposure lever is located under the film advance lever, out of the way but easy to turn when you need it. The shutter release button is located at just the right location near the front of the body. It takes a standard mechanical cable release. The shutter release button is narrower than that on the later FE2 and FM2N, but still works fine. Indeed, the shutter release button on the FE seems to have a slightly shorter travel than the FE2 and FM2N, and therefore feels slightly more instantaneous. It works well with just the right amount of resistance to allow you to half press for an exposure reading, with just a short continued push to achieve an immediate shutter release. The electronic shutter on the FE has about the same loudness as the mechanical shutter on the FM2N, but the character of the sound is different. The film counter is just in front of release crank and is easy to read.
One of the biggest advantages of the Nikon film SLR lens mount (the "F mount") is that it is the only SLR camera mount that has stayed virtually the same from the time of the first Nikon F and Nikkormat FS/FT through to the most current small and full frame Nikon digital SLRs. Except for the requirement that relatively newer Nikon film SLRs require Ai or Ai-converted lenses, all manual focus Nikon F mount lenses can be used on autofocus bodies, and most full-frame auto-focus Nikon F mount lenses can be used on all old manual focus bodies. I don't know of any other SLR manufacturer that can make such a claim. Thus, it is convenient to use the FE together with a modern Nikon autofocus film or digital SLR because you can often use the same lenses on both bodies.
The FE and FM were the last bodies in that line to directly accept unmodified pre-Ai lenses because they included a retractable meter coupling lever. Of course, with pre-Ai lenses, you still need to use stop-down exposure metering. Still there are many excellent pre-Ai lenses on the market, and to use any such lenses that have not been converted to Ai, the FE and FM cameras would be a good choice.
Loading Nikkor lenses onto any FM/FE Series is quick and positive. Just line up the black dot on the lens with the dot on the camera body and twist the lens counter-clockwise. Of course, there is no need to line up the claw on Ai Nikkor aperture rings with an exposure meter pin on the body; this old system became obsolete after the Nikkormat FT2/EL-W generation. To remove a lens, just press the lens release button on the left front of the body and twist clockwise.
To load or unload film, twist the back opening lever counter-clockwise and pull the rewind crank upwards to open the camera back. Film loading is traditional style and almost foolproof. Like many Nikon and other cameras of this generation, you need to stick the film leader into a slot on the take-up spool and insure that the sprocket in the spool engages a film perforation. In my experience, this system is slower but more reliable than that on newer Nikon bodies where you simply lay the film leader flat next to an index line. If you are careful when you load the film, you can get a few extra exposures on the film before frame 1 because the camera does not prevent you from doing so (unlike the FE2).
The focusing screens of the FM/FE Series were improved and brightened with the release of the FM2/FE2. The original screens on the FE are about 1 stop dimmer than the later second generation. (Note: first and generation screens are interchangeable with exposure compensation). A slight disadvantage of the FM/FE series viewfinder is that, unlike the 100% frame coverage of a pro-level Nikon F series camera, the FE's frame coverage is only 93%. This is not unusual in a prosumer level camera, but you need to be aware that objects that are outside the field of view will be captured on your film. The viewfinder contains all of the information that you need for convenient camera setting. There is an aperture direct readout (ADR) at the center top of the viewfinder, same as on all FM/FE series cameras. The exposure meter uses a match system on the left side of the viewfinder. I actually prefer the three red light emitting diode system of the FM series, which is easier to see in all light conditions. However, the match needle system on the FE is perfectly fine and is just as easy to see most normal lighting conditions.
I often use both Manual exposure measurement and Aperture Priority exposure measurement on this camera, depending on the situation. In Manual metering, you simply adjust the shutter speed and aperture until the green and black needles line up. The black needle indicates the recommended shutter speed for the given aperture, and the green needle indicates the set shutter speed. In Auto metering (Aperture Priority) you set the shutter speed dial to Auto which causes the green needle to lock on "A" in the viewfinder. The camera automatically selects the appropriate shutter speed, and the black needle indicates that speed in the viewfinder. While the match needle system is nice and clear in bright light, it is almost impossible to see the display to adjust exposure in dark environments. On the other hand, an advantage of the match needle system is that you receive direct visual confirmation of a wider range of exposure divergence, compared with the LED system.
The FE, like the FE2, FM2 and FM2n exposure meters uses a pair of silicon photodiodes (SPDs) for exposure measurement. This is the latest generation of exposure meter technology, after Cadmium Sulfide (CdS) technology in the Nikkormat FT (1965) through the FT3 (1977) and gallium-arsenide-phosphide photodiodes in the FM (1977). Silicon photodiodes provide quick response and stability, and apparently lower manufacturing cost for Nikon, compared with the prior generation. Exposure measurement range of the FE is the same as all FM/FE series cameras, i.e., EV 1 to EV 18 at ASA/ISO 100 and with a 50mm f/1.4 lens. This supports an aperture/shutter speed range of 1 sec. at f/1.4 through 1/1000 sec. at f/16. That range is pretty good for most situations, and a step up from the Nikkormat FT - FT3's range of EV 3 - EV 17. The FE is exactly on par with the Nikon F3HP. However, it is not as sensitive as the EV -2 to EV +17 range on the F2 Photomic AS, or the EV 0 to EV 21 range of the later Nikon F4.
Exposure lock is one thing that is slightly inconvenient on the FE/FE2. I sometimes find it easier, even on these cameras with aperture priority mode, to just use manual exposure mode and set the exposure directly. I find it quicker and more comfortable than pointing the camera to where you can measure the proper exposure, pushing the exposure lock button and holding the button in while recomposing and shooting. However, exposure lock on the FE series is certainly usable. On the FE, however, while locking the exposure locks the shutter speed at the time the lock button is pressed, the black shutter speed needle in the viewfinder continues to move. This situation was fixed in the FE2, where the black shutter speed needle locks in place when the exposure lock is pressed. By the way, I am more apt to use Aperture priority exposure measurement and exposure lock with electronic Contax SLRs, which allow you to turn on the exposure lock by turning a switch after you achieve the proper exposure setting, and it stays on at a fixed EV until you turn it off. In other words, in the Contax world, after locking the exposure, changes in aperture affect the shutter speed and vice versa in order to keep correct exposure. The Nikon exposure lock only locks the shutter speed, so any changes to the aperture after the shutter speed is locked will change the exposure.
The center of the viewfinder display, with the standard K-Type focusing screen, contains a small central horizontal split image, surrounded by a microprism collar, which is further surrounded by a large matte donut and a 12mm diameter circle. But utilizing both the split-image and microprism collar, you can manually focus on almost any subject very quickly. Turn the camera at a slight angle when focusing if necessary to find a straight line. I can't resist pointing out that with well-maintained manual focus Nikkor primes, such as Ai-S lenses, focusing ring operation is buttery smooth, with just the right amount of viscous resistance. With the no-slip knurled focusing rings on the Ai-S lenses, focusing is quick and accurate. The FE provides three different interchangeable focusing screen types for various applications. I never needed to use any except the standard K-Type screen. The B type screen removes the split image and microprism focusing aids, while the E type is the same as the B, except with horizontal and vertical etched lines. As indicated previously, FM/FE series focusing screens were improved (from the "K" series to the "K2" series) to provide a brighter viewfinder image starting with the later FM2/FE2 generation. (The FM3A screens are even further improved, and its split image focusing aid does not darken with lenses with maximum aperture of f/5.6 or less).
The outer circle in the viewfinder encloses the central area which carries a 60% exposure meter weight, with the area outside the circle comprising the remaining 40%. The most important thing to know about an exposure measurement system is how it weights various areas of the viewfinder image so that you can determine how to use it in each situation. The 60/40 system works fine for most situations. It is vast improvement over the classic full-frame averaging system, which was used on a Pentax Spotmatic models, the earliest Nikkormat FT, and other cameras. For these averaging systems, if you wanted a proper exposure, you could not include a bright light or big sky in any area of the frame. Still, with the 60/40 system, you need to determine where to point the camera when manually setting the exposure. Find an areas that is representative of the subject, but which is not overly influenced by a bright light, a bright sky, a dark background, etc. Also make sure to select an area that approximates 18% gray, such as a dense area of green trees in a landscape image. If you cannot find an area that is equivalent to 18% gray that fills the 12mm circle, for example, inside the Haleakala volcano crater on Maui, HI, or a bright snowscape, then you need to compensate the exposure by appropriately changing the aperture or shutter speed in Manual mode, or by changing the exposure compensation dial in Auto mode.
Two contemporaneous Nikon bodies with the FE/FE2, the F3HP and the FA, had different exposure metering patterns. The F3HP, with its 80/20 heavy centerweight, makes it easier to find an area that is 18% gray, without surrounding high-contrast areas influencing the exposure reading too much. The FA is the first Nikon body to include, in addition to 60/40 centerweight, a multi-segment metering pattern (called AMP or "Automatic Multi-Pattern" in the FA; in later Nikon bodies, this metering pattern is referred to as "Matrix Metering"). The 5-segment pattern on the FA and its first generation software were the first Nikon attempt to correct the weaknesses of the traditional center-weight averaging system. While early multi-pattern systems on cameras such as the FA, F4, F800 and F90/F90x did a pretty good and steadily improving job in most low contrast situations, in difficult situations, they still didn't work as well as the center weight system with appropriate exposure compensation, as is utilized on the FE. Of course, you have to know what you are doing in such situations! Nnewer cameras, such as the F5 and F6, with their advanced color matrix systems, finally do a good job even in difficult lighting situations. Modern Nikon bodies generally use a 75/25 weight as the default in their center-weight metering modes.
The FE incorporates a vertical-travel, metal focal plane shutter with aluminum curtains. Shutter speed range on the FE is a relatively limited 8 sec. through 1/1000 sec, which at the time was considered luxurious at the slow end and standard at the fast end. Usually the 1/1000 maximum shutter speed did not feel like a limitation since we were generally using fairly slow film. Still, I did need a neutral density filter on a very few occasions. On the slow end, the longer shutter speed was a convenience to those of us who were used to using a shutter release cable for any exposure longer than a second. One advantage of the FE's electronic shutter over the FM2n's mechanical shutter is that when in Auto (Aperture Priority) mode, the FE can select any intermediate shutter speed. In manual mode, you can only select the standard shutter speeds that are indicated on the shutter speed dial. The FE has one mechanical shutter speed, 1/90 sec., which is a selection on the shutter speed dial. The single mechanical shutter speed on the later FE2 is 1/250 sec. Users might argue whether it is better to have a backup speed of 1/90 sec. for available light, or 1/250 sec. for bright daylight. In any event, given the FE's great reliability and long battery life, I have never had a need to use the 1/90 sec. mechanical shutter speed.
There are just a few more features that I want to mention. On the right front side of the body are located a depth-of-field preview lever and a self timer lever. Like many other cameras, you can check actual depth of field at the set aperture by pressing the depth-of-field lever. The image darkens if the lens is not set for maximum aperture, but you can get a good idea of the expected DOF with your lens/aperture combination. Actually, this lever is not really required with manual focus Nikkor lenses, because such lenses include an easy to read DOF index on the lens barrel. Many AF Nikkor lenses also have DOF index marks. The FE bodies have a mechanical self-timer with a delay of up to approximately 8 - 14 seconds. While these cameras do not have a mirror lock-up switch per se, you can simulate MLU by using the self-timer lever. When the shutter release button is pressed after the self-timer is set, the mirror swings up at the start of the timer count.
Finally, a hot-shoe contact is installed on top of the prism housing for flash photography. The FE does not support automatic TTL flash control. You need to use an FE2, an FA or an FM3A if you want that feature. (If you know how to use guide numbers and manual flash, you can still do full-flash or fill-flash photography without any problem, of course. You can also use electronic flash devices in Auto (non-TTL) mode.) The FE has a maximum flash synch speed of 1/125 sec. This is significantly better than all prior Nikon bodies except the FM, but still not as good as the 1/250 maximum synch speed on the later FE2, FM2N, and FM3A. There is an extra contact on the hot shoe that communicates the flash charging status to the camera and lights a red diode "ready light" in the viewfinder when the flash is ready to shoot. Of course, the FE works with any Nikon flash unit. I use my SB-24 and SB-26 and they work great. However, if you will be doing a lot of flash photography, the FE2, FA or FM3A, with TTL flash support, are probably better choices.
In addition to the vast selection of Nikkor and third-party lenses that are available for the Nikon F mount, the FE also accepts various other useful Nikon accessories. One of the most useful is the MD-12 motor drive (and also the earlier MD-11). This motor drive unit works on all FM/FE series bodies (and even the Nikon FA) and allows rapid fire or remote shooting up to 3.2 frames per second. Back in the day, I used to keep it attached to the camera and carried it around much of the time. However, the MD-12 is quite heavy, especially when loaded with the eight required AA batteries. These days, it would obviously be better to use a more modern camera is you want portable and higher-speed motor drive. Other useful optional accessories (which work with all FM and FE series bodies) are the MF-16 data back, the DB-2 Anti-Cold Battery Pack, the DR-3 and DG-2 viewfinder eyepieces, and various eyepiece correction lenses.
Copyright © 2013 - 2016 Timothy A. Rogers. All rights reserved.
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Everybody knows about my fondness for Contax cameras, from the original Zeiss Ikon models to the Japanese reincarnations. The Contax G was my dream camera back in the 1990’s, when the G2 came out in 1996 it carved the words “I love you” in my heart. Trouble was, the G2 was deliriously expensive for me and I never got the chance of owning one, until today. I am a patient man, I’ve waited 20 years for my camera and I was rewarded with a black version, the exact model for a black camera fetishist.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not any richer than I was 20 years ago, quite the opposite. These cameras cost know a fraction of what they cost back then and I decided to trade in most of the cameras that I don’t like or want. So gone were all my SLRs except for the Nikons, Prakticas and Contaxes. I needed to free some space and this Contax G2 was the perfect excuse for getting rid of cameras that I will not use.
I got the whole set, the body and the Biogon, Planar and Sonnar lenses plus a nice carrying metal case. Holding the camera is like holding any other Contax camera, just the feeling is a warning of the things to come. For a compact AF camera, the G2 is substantial, not too heavy, but heavy all the same. Now, this is no M camera ersatz, it’s an AF compact with interchangeable lenses and a real changing viewfinder according to the focal length, not some framelines. The viewfinder quality concerning brightness, sharpness is not up to the M standards, but again, it offers a completely different concept. I immediately fell in love with the idea of the camera showing inside the viewfinder the precise focusing distance and on top of the camera, making hip level shooting a breeze. This is one camera thought out for people who like street photography. I will not bother you with tech details, but having 1/6000th of top speed in a compact is unheard of. The camera is extremely refined, bearing in mind that it is autofocus, auto advance and auto rewind. There is a nice touch, although not very efficient that is the manual focusing system. That front wheel, mimicking the great Contaxes of old is the manual focus control. It isn’t very good, plus it robs the photographer of the experience of turning a lens barrel.
The Planar 45/2 that equips the camera has an outstanding reputation, some people say it’s the best ever lens produced for a film camera. I really don’t expect less from Kyocera/Tomioka/Zeiss, apparently some stomachs didn’t feel very well in Wetzlar, achieving such a performance with an AF lens was always a Leica tabu.
Time will tell if the G2 lives up to my 20 year old dream or not. I soon will let you know.
Yes, we got the message Leica, but we will not go away without a bang, so that it is clear that we can beat you at your own game. This seems the reasoning for the last luxury L39 rangefinder from Canon. Often called the dream lens, the Canon 50/0,95 was for 40 years the unchallanged queen of high speed 50 mm for 24 x 36. The camera is still based on th Canon P, but it is far bigger, heavier and complicated. The shutter speed sports another position for T and there is a built-in sellenium meter, coupled if you may. The viewfinder is commanded by a disc on top where you manually change the frame lines according to the lens in use and each frame is labelled. The viewfinder is not Leica M bright, but much better than anything coming from Russia. The time for these rangefinders was over, but Canon managed to sell about 130.000 units of these, largely because there was no competition anymore, except for Leica.
This is a class act camera, there isn't one single bit of plastic to be seen, the fit and finish are better than my Leica M6 TTL (ok, no great compliment, I admit!). The camera is all about the "feeling", it is heavy, gives you confidence, it is a serious tool, do something serious too, not happy snapshots.
A foggy Christmas Eve at the Washington Harbour Georgetown 2014. Taken with my vintage Nikon F3 and Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AI-S and Kodak Ektar 100. Some of these scenes were so overcast, foggy and dreary, they looked like Black & White!
The Film Photography Channel is UP on YouTube! tinyurl.com/ydftxu2z
Everybody knows that I have a soft spot for ugly ducklings and cameras that nobody likes or cares for. Admittedly, I am not Leica’s greatest fan, not so much because of the cameras, but because of the image of Leica users in nowadays, the rich and bored with precious little inclination for photography. Still, there was one Leica that fitted Paulo’s criteria of an unloved and trashed camera, the M5. I must confess that I too had little sympathy, the thing seemed like an overgrown ugly rangefinder with the Leica name. Of course, the number of times that I had a M5 in my hands were very few and brief. Since those contacts, my sympathy for rangefinder cameras has grown exponentially to the point that I practically stopped using SLRs. The fact that I already own a M6 TTL made me somewhat curious about the camera that nearly killed Leica.
These days, camera values seem to be regulated by a couple of sites or blogs that sell cameras as a side business and they have a huge number of readers that believe every single word that they write. The idiot part of it that cameras like the Olympus Mju:II or the equally plastic fantastic Yashica T4/5 sell for more than high quality classic cameras. However, there is a good side to this idiotic practice, cameras deemed unworthy (read not sold by them) are suddenly relegated to oblivion and sit unwanted on shelves, no matter how low the price is. It was the case with this Leica M5, dirty, worn looking, with a price tag lower than the asking price of a Yashica T5. In fact, I didn’t have to pay one cent to have it, the vendor was quite happy to accept some unwanted cameras in my collection in exchange like the Minolta SRT and the Cosina-Nikon FM10 for the M5. Such is the world we live on, a high quality Leica camera costs far less than a plastic compact of dubious reliability.
Back to the M5, what is so fundamentally wrong with it then? Well, after reading one of those blogs trashing the M5 I can safely say that there isn’t anything wrong with the model, just the users and bloggers. In that blog I read that the M5 didn’t feel like a Leica, that ergonomics were poor, anti-Leica and all sorts of idiotic remarks (notice how I like this word!). I noticed that the author was against having a well dimensioned shutter speed dial or to have the shutter button combined with the shutter dial. We can all surely sympathize with this horrific disposition, never seen in a camera. Then I also read that the M5 had another capital sin, the rewind crank was in the base plate, how much worse could it get, remarkable camera designs used this disposition like the Rollei 35 or the Werra, but apparently it wasn’t tolerable in a Leica. The more I read about the lack of “Leicaness” of the M5, the more I became interested in the M5, you see, size apart, that sort of thing only comes from people who actually don’t use their Leica M cameras.
So here I am profoundly disappointed with the M5, that big shutter dial (as big as the one fitted to the last M6 TTL) works a treat, being slightly over the top of the camera allows for one finger operation and it has a sweet and precise action, terrible really, they should have adopted the mechanicals of the Leica II, with a rotating shutter dial and all. The shutter button, in spite of being in the middle of the shutter speed dial works perfectly and I have never confused it with any other control of the camera, terrible really. I sadly have to report that the flushed rewind crank at the bottom works, it actually does a good job at rewinding the film back to its cartridge, how they have managed that without the Leica heritage I have no idea.
There is another source of deep frustration for a Leica user, it has a TTL meter! This is really the last straw, Leica owners obviously use external selenium meters to take pictures of their lovely flowers, so what’s this nonsense of a TTL meter? The thing isn’t really discrete as Leica marked the metering area in the viewfinder (it’s a sort of wide spot meter)and even had the audacity to devise one of the most elegant metering info found in any camera, no vertical needle, no plus or minus, just two needles that intersect horizontally, simple , effective and with the selected shutter speed always visible. I was becoming very frustrated with this M5, it really was more Canon 7/7s then Leica M4, the size is the same, the weight is the same and the viewfinder has some info, heresy really.
However, when I depress the shutter button, the sound is the same as the M6, with my eyes closed, I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. Also, the advance lever is very similar, quiet, super smooth. Surely there must be some Leica heritage there.
I have been parodying with the Leica users snobbery, but the truth is, the M5 is really a Leica M and it feels like one. I’ve failed to detect any Japanese influence in it, it’s very Germanic in feel or action. Granted, it’s not perfect, it’s not the most beautiful camera in the world, it’s fat and big and it has one of the most complicated (mechanically) metering systems ever. However, for the price of a Yashica T5 you get a high quality mechanical camera, gifted with a superb viewfinder and one that accepts the vast majority of Leica M or L39 lenses. I really can’t help feeling sorry for those people choosing to fork out huge sums of money for the hyped plastic cameras instead of buying and helping to preserve classic cameras…then again, no I don’t!
I was never known for being a Zenit lover, quite the opposite. The world’s most proliferous SLR only recently managed to find its way into my collection, a Zenit 12 SD and then the 19, a completely different beast.
This Zenit B has the honor of being the only Zenit that I actually bought because I think it looks very nice. I have a thing for black cameras, I had never seen this one in black and for a good reason, they are rare birds. Don’t ask me why, but it seems that the Soviets didn’t like this look or it was too chic for them. I also love SLRs without a hotshoe and this one, with its removable coldshoe fits the bill perfectly. It might not have the classic good looks of the Spotmatic, but 40 years one it does have this air of being a true machine, not just some chip and circuits.
There is no meter, so it is up to the photographer to judge exposure. The viewfinder is curious, no focusing aids but it is relatively bright, not difficult to focus with the Helios 44-2. However, it is small, it´s the consequence of the small prism and mirror. The camera is basic at best, but this is 1972, so I can forgive most of its outdated features, like the absence of a rewind crank. It is reasonably well put together, the chrome is still shiny, the paint job looks fresh, there is a very posh quality leather case (not the usual smelly poor quality case). The standard lens must have been the Industar 50-2 as this camera came also with the Helios 44-2 that is super smooth to focus.
Everybody knows that I don’t like TLRs much, at least it used to be true until I got my Rolleiflex 3.5 F some years ago. I had a sort of epiphany with it, it seems that I liked TLRs, but not the ones that I had (the Yashica-mat, the Flexarette, the Ikoflex, Pearl River and the likes). So I got rid of them all and opted to for the Rolleiflex. I like the camera so much that when I have this urge to shoot medium format, it’s the first camera that springs to my mind. Anyway, I was quite happy with my Rolleiflex 3.5F and it’s superb Xenotar lens when this Rolleiflex 2.8 C popped in at my flea market. This time I knew what was waiting for me, this was a wanted purchase.
This is the Rolleiflex 2.8 C. The “C” stands for the third type of f 2.8 lens fitted to Rolleiflex. The A was a disastrous Tessar 80/2.8 that showed the limits of the Tessar formula, the B had the Zeiss Jena Biometar 80/2.8 that you might have seen on the Pentacon Six TL and the C had a Xenotar or Planar lens. So, this is the first model where the famous Xenotar/ Planar f2.8 lens made its debut.
The camera is almost identical to the 3.5 F, minus the selenium meter and the depth of field indicator. Opposite to my 3.5F, the 2.8 C accepts 35 mm film via the Rolleikin adapter.
What attracts me in Rolleiflex cameras is the level of engineering and workmanship. This 2.8 C, although well used, works with diabolic precision. There is no play anywhere, from the diaphragm and shutter speed controls to the advance lever or the focusing knob. There is a world of difference between these cameras and the Yashicamat or the likes. I find it amazing that a 64 year old camera can still operate with this level of smoothness and precision.
I have just finished my first roll with it, but I find it very difficult to better the Xenotar 3.5, I would be rather content with “just” the same level of performance for the Planar 2.8.
Everybody knows how I like Zeiss products, not all of them, but Contax in particular. The trouble is cost and the fact that all modern Contax SLRs are electronic and so, subject to the sudden death phenomenon. My dear friend Dan James has caught the Contax bug and started to build up a very nice Contax outfit, including this Contax 159 MM. You read it right, precisely this 159 MM that ended up in my collection. Sadly, this Contax contracted the fearsome sudden death virus and Dan decided to sell it for parts. I asked him to sell it to me, even as a paperweight, it’s a lovely camera to look at and a perfect addition to the 139 Q, 167 MT and the G2. Dan, always kind, shipped the camera to me and here it is.
The camera is similar to the 139 Q in size and styling, though it is slightly more macho looking. Gone is the dreadful peeling leatherette, replaced by rubber coverings, problem solved. The viewfinder is something special, as in all Contax cameras. You get the usual bright viewfinder, but here it is a High Point version, no need to squash the eye against the viewfinder to see the image. Viewfinder info is a curious mix of old and new, you get LEDs for shutter speeds and a digital display for the apertures. I like it, it´s simple and clean.
This camera is one of the very few manual focusing cameras to have an ultra fast shutter going up to 1/4000th and flash synch at 1/250th. This is Nikon FE2 and FA territory, in fact, the camera is very similar in feeling to the FA. No fancy metering system, but the shutter seems the same, same high quality viewfinder, same rackety film advance lever with multiple exposure capability. Also, the 159 MM is the first multi-mode Contax, yet, not fully developed, there isn’t a proper shutter priority mode, replaced by a high speed mode.
Trouble is, as appealing this camera sounds on paper, it fails to preserve the high quality aura that the 139 Q exhibits. The camera is very light, so light that I thought it had plastic top and bottom covers, it doesn’t, but it doesn’t feel very robust. The feeling of a precision instrument is no longer present in this model, too much Yashica in it (read too much like other Japanese cameras).
This is the last major evolution of the Contax rangefinder system presented at the beginning of the 1930's. After the still born Nikon SPX that brought a major redesign to the Contax rangefinder system, the Soviets took note of some ideas of the SPX. Like the Nikon, gone is the focusing wheel on top, a trademark feature that was never consensual, replaced by one (and only) external mount. Gone is also the super wide rangefinder base that forced the photographer to become a contortionist if he wanted to use the top focusing wheel.
You might find odd to find Nikon, Contax and Kiev in the same text, but these companies did share the same basic DNA, the Contax rangefinder system. However, this Kiev is far from being a Soviet Nikon or Soviet Contax, like its forerunners were. The Kiev 5 is ugly as sin and it's not in the same quality league as the first Kiev's. The camera is rougher to operate than other Kievs. The advance system is a curious mix of knob and lever, it's up to the photographer to choose, this is also the reason for the ungainly design.
However, there are some nice things, like the rewind crank moved to the extreme left side, truly one of the most complex and beautifully engineered cranks out there. The camera is the first Soviet focal plane rangefinder to have projected frame lines in the viewfinder. The viewfinder is nice, miles away from the Zorki/FED brigade, but it's no Leica M. In my camera there is no auto parallax correction, no big deal. There is a selenium meter, totally uncoupled that is useless and contributes to the camera's awkward design.
In spite of some good ideas, the basis of the camera remained the old Contax II, you get a super quiet shutter, but no hinged film door or take up spool. I am a bit curious about the Helios 94 50/1.8 lens that seems to have been developed only for this model. I will let you know soon about my findings.
This Fuji rangefinder shares its name with a famous German guided bomb and it fits it like a glove, this camera is a bomb. I confess I had seen it on the internet, but it wasn’t until I hold one in my hands that I got hooked.
The V2 is a magnificent built and engineered camera, very German in its approach, hence the justifiably V2 name! Fit, finish, everything is high grade, very Voigtlander. The camera is large and terribly heavy, yet it isn’t cumbersome or uncomfortable to hold. In terms of features, it is hard to believe that it was launched in 1965. It has a large, clear viewfinder with speeds and apertures. The rangefinder base is also large. You get projected viewfinder frame and automatic parallax correction. In manual mode there is no metering, but you don’t have to remove your eye from the viewfinder because the selected shutter speeds and aperture continue to be displayed, very neat. The meter is by means of a CDS cell and is shutter priority with memory lock, yes, memory lock.
Focus is by means of a thumb wheel on the right side, like the Vitessa, it has a very short stroke. There is no rewind crank where you would expect one, instead, as you can see from the picture, It is located on the left of the camera, so that the viewfinder could be positioned at the extreme left. This solution is much more elegant than Leica’s tilted rewind lever.
The lens is a super sharp Fujinon 45/1,8 that focus from 90 cm. I wish I could convey all the little quality touches that this camera has, the lovely engravings, the serial number on the cold shoe, the superb leather case. The only thing out of place is the plastic lens cap
I have always been very fond of Contax cameras, from the original rangefinders to their Japanese reincarnations. However, their first Japanese effort, the RTS never ticked my fancy. I went to acquire other models and wrote off the RTS from my mind.
Then, in my usual flea market thete was this wreck of a RTS II, filthy, tired, worn out, junk really. I thought it wasva regular RTS until I read RTS II in the back. I cleaned, polished, corrected the infamous mirror slip and voila, the camera is back from the dead or the undead.
I read a lot about it and it bears little resemblance to the original RTS in technical terms, this camera is in the Nikon F3 territory, not Yashica: titanium shutter curtains, two mechanical shutter speeds, mirror lock-up, huge 97% of coverage viewfinder with exceptional brightness. The camera is a silky smooth operator, the shutter doesn't sound like a Yashica anymore, winding is smooth and quiet too. Like the F3, it features a digital readout, only much better presented, easily readeable and more complete.
You know I am very drawn to small details and this RTS II has some nice touches. The battery cover, reminiscent of the door locks of the rangefinders is beautifully machined and engineered, a far cry from the usual cover that needs a coin to work. The mirror lock-up button, almost all dials and buttons are made of metal.
I can't help to think of how much thought and money Kyocera must have invested in Contax. These cameras are not modified Yashicas, they were designed to be at the very top and knew what distinctiveness meant, at leadt to me they do.
I like to have cameras with a story behind them. This F2 came quite by chance. A person mailed me if I would be interested to swap my Nikon AF 70/210 for a an old, battered F2, a dog really. Well I agreed and sent my Nikon zoom by post and got this F2 in the mail yesterday. Although it did not come with this lens, it had the Micro P auto 55/3,5, after some washing (yes!) and TLC, the camera works perfectly, the meter meters perfectly and does not look that battered. It will join my other black F2. Sometimes life is stranger than fiction.
When I bought my Konica T3 I wasn’t prepared for what I got. I never expected it to be such a magnificent piece of engineering, easily surpassing any camera in its range. Today fate put an Autoreflex T (unofficially known as T2) that came before the T3. This time I was ready for it! Same superlative build, classic design with that lovely triangular shaped prism housing and removable hotshoe. Don’t be fooled, this is a large and heavy camera.
For a 1970 camera, the viewfinder is a delight, relatively big, bright and, heresy Mr. Dan James, full of information! The viewfinder information is truly amazing considering that it is all done mechanically. Konica called it the Polymechanical viewfinder. This viewfinder deserves a moment of glory, let’s see what it shows:
-Shutter speed
-Maximum aperture of the lens in use
-Aperture selected in auto mode
-M for manual mode
-Metering range (changes according to the ASA setting)
-Battery check
Bear in mind that all this is done mechanically, no Leds, bulbs or electronics, it is truly amazing.
The camera is not short on features either. It is a fully mechanical camera with a shutter priority mode. No battery means no shutter priority, but a 100% fully functional camera. It also features mirror lock-up (with self-timer), depth of field preview, full open TTL metering and it features the AR lens, here it is an early example of the famous Hexanon 50/1.7 still with the EE in the lens ring diaphragm instead of the normal AE. In Konica tradition, the shutter is in metal and vertically run. It is a bit loud, but the hefty build muffles most of the excess noise.
I feel a bit sorry for Konica, I have some of their cameras that are truly outstanding and second to none in build quality. They lost the direction at some point with fatal consequences, but their legacy is not to be ignored.
Behold, an historic camera. It doesn’t look much of a landmark, yet this Praktica was the finest that Europe had to offer in the SLR world. Launched in 1965, it was the first European SLR with TTL metering, arriving a year later after the Spotmatic.
Unfortunately, this Nova chassis proved to be a nightmare for Pentacon, the cameras quickly got a very bad reputation, especially the shutter. In an effort to improve the camera and the brand’s image, they decided to launch an upmarket version, even daring to call it a professional camera, the Prakticamat.
Not a lot of camera of european camera manufacturers were left in 1965, but to have this Prakticamat as Europe’s most sophisticated offer speaks a lot of how far behind were the SLRs from Zeiss Ikon or Leica. Let’s not trash the Prakticamat too quickly, its design is original, balanced and served as inspiration to design the real professional Pentacon Super and almost 20 years later, Porsche would incorporate into the design language of the Contax cameras some Prakticamat styling cues, like the shutter speed dial on the left, or the big button on the the front to activate the meter.
The camera is well finished and has stood the test of time rather well, bearing in mind that this unit is nr.1400, it must have been one of the earliests. Not a lot of them were built, just about 25.000 units,a drop in the sea of 9 million Prakticas produced. I think that no one got convinced about the Pro side of the camera. Apart from the TTL metering, the specs are ordinary, although this model has all the standardized shutter speeds from B to 1/1000th, something absent from the lower siblings. The viewfinder is rather small, but surprisingly bright. The split image rangefinder is simply huge, one of the biggest I have ever seen. The viewfinder is far from uncluttered, with a yellow colored rectangle on the right with the needle indication and a red flag on the left to warn you that the shutter is not coked, a feature that would stay right to the last Praktica built in the 90’s. The shutter might be trouble prone, but it’s relatively quiet, compared to the next generation of L cameras.
This rather poor proposition of a professional camera prompted Pentacon to massively invest in a true alternative to the Nikon F, the Pentacon Super and to come up with a range of highly innovative and reliable cameras in 1969, the L series. There is nothing like the bitter taste of defeat to spur revenge!
You all know that I don’t like half-frame cameras, it was the Pen D2 that made me walk from the format and never look back. As usual, destiny is ironical and there must be this superior being wanting me to like half-frame at all cost, the cost this time was 10 € for this Pen FT with the 20/3.5 and 40/1.4.
I had played with a Pen F in the past, but the dark viewfinder really was a letdown . This time I have a mint looking Pen FT that has the same fault, but I have had time to get to know it. The camera has nothing to do with the cheap 10 million Pens that were made. It is a class act, from the build to the design, I have to admit it. This is no longer toy camera territory. In spite of appearances, this unit has had a very hard life and possibly will be my most beautiful paper weight as the shutter rotating fan is stucked, although the mirror works correctly in all speeds. Sadly, the camera has only half the mirror and miraculously one is still able to focus and see the entire image, even if part of it looks stained!
The metering system is really bad, as it isn't connected to the lens, so you have to transfer the values to the lens, one might as well shoot without one. The PX 675 is no longer available, but the camera reacted well to the PX625, although I think I will never get to use this camera-
Sadly, this is a camera that I would like to try and there is little chance of that happening. True, it’s big for the format, but this is 1966. A Rollei 35 is much, much smaller and capable of better images, but it lacks interchangeable lenses or reflex viewing. The Pen is also noisy as hell, a loud, dry clack, I think my Nikon F is more refined and muted in this area. Even if I don’t get to use the Pen FT, I will be able to use the lenses in my Sony Nex, as the diagonal is a match and sensor coverage assured. The lenses being so tiny, it will be nice to have a 30/3.5 and a 60/1.4, not terribly far from a standard lens
A nice M42 camera that hides it game well. It is quite small, almost Olympus OM-1 small, but it was developed at the same time as the OM series. To be honest, I did not have a particularly good vibe concerning these M42 Fujicas, but I was wrong. The ST-801 is an all mechanical camera that features a horizontal run focal plane shutter with speed from 1s to 1/2000th, a high class shutter, matching the very best at the time. Also, it is very quiet and vibration is not an issue. The all bells and whistles OM-1 is noisy and vibrates more, not to mention a lower spec’d shutter.
The viewfinder is nice, bright, but not very crisp. In fact, either it is my battered unit that has an issue, but its viewfinder is not brighter than my Revueflex SD-1 (Chinon CS-4) or the last M42 Prakticas (MTL 50). Still, it is nice, it features for the first time in a camera (I think!) a LED exposure system in the viewfinder that I find really intuitive and well designed. The shutter speeds are also visible in the viewfinder, again, the OM-1 feels old with its match needle system .
The camera accepts all M42 lenses and it also does not need to take readings in closed down mode. All this is courtesy of a little pin, however, no pin, no open TTL reading, back to the old stopped down mode, but at least, all M42 lenses can be used, just like the Praktica LLC.
It doesn’t feel as sturdy and well built like a Spotmatic, but then few cameras do. The camera is light, the advance lever transmits to the hand all the efforts that it is going through, hardly Spotmatic quality, but it works.
Many thanks to my friend Filipe Mendonça for this donation!
Yes, I know that I love Voigtlander cameras! They made all sorts of cameras, but the Vito line up was their true Zenith hour. It is one, if not the most successful German camera ever. This Vito II is a post war version of the original Vito, the very first Voigtlander for 135 film. This one is in superb condition, it is almost 70 years old, yet, as usual, it works a treat. This one comes with the top of the range CumpurSynchro Rapid shutter, not often seen in a Vito, given Voigtlander's affection for Prontor shutters.
This Vito II is a scaled down version of the Bessa I, still very cute. The camera is truly diminutive, being a folding camera has its advantages. The lens is the famous Skopar 50/3,5 recalculated for color photography and with an acclaimed reputation.
The camera is really sweet in its commands, everything works smoothly and precise, this a high qualitycamera. Needless to say, the fit and finish are top notch.
This one came with some accessories that are really cool, the original Voigtlander yellow filter (to enhace contrast in B&W), a lovely metal lens hood, a clip on selenium meter and a Focar lens that bings the minimum focusing distance down form 1 meter to 0,5 m. Yes Dan, this is the Voigtlander for you!