i LOVE it colin..i have so much fun with it. i learned about it from andrew moxom last summer and i came home and picked one up on ebay. the ONLY problem i have with it is a dust issue now and then. particles seem to fall inside it rather easily whilst loading the film. the film can be rather difficult to get in as well..a VERY VERY tight fit. but even with those minor issues, it has become my favorite camera.
You may want to try an anti-static cloth to wipe it down with regularly. I made the offer to Andrew so I'll make it to you -- I picked up a reference book on Chinese cameras...everything from Seagulls to Great Walls to stuff nobody'll probably ever see. It's very comprehensive, basically a reference book. Pretty sure I'd have your make and model there, if you want a photocopy of its page.
Marianne, what you say about dust is absolutely the main reason I adapted the GW lens to fit onto my hasselblad. The Great Wall DF-2 is a great tool, except the way the guillotine shutter works moves a lot of dust around. I had to make sure I blew out the camera EACH time a film was changed and I belive that the camera is a dust magnet just by way of how you have to open it up to get film into it. The guts are wide open for the elements. Even after blowing and brushing EVERY time a film was loaded, I still got dust on my negs. It was to the point that often a whole roll was toast. Since adapting the blad to take the GW lens, No dust issues what so ever and more shutter speeds too!!
Colin, It's not a TLR, it's actually an SLR. It's based upon the German Pilot SLR camera of old.
I love it! Very dynamic as if a storm is blazing though the image. But with the unmistaken punctum laying in the middle of the image on the table, it works very well; not too busy at all.
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