Universal Mercury II

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  greybeard

• May 20, 2011

I had one of those once (the camera, not the woman...) bought for about $2 in a pawnshop in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I wanted the lens for a science project (it was very short focal length, as I recall; wasn't the Mercury a half-frame 35mm?) but the camera itself was something of a dead branch of the evolutionary tree of camera design. Sadly, mine succumbed to a broken pipe in the darkroom. The cast aluminum body just disintegrated from corrosion.

Do you have any pictures made with this camera? It looks to be in really excellent shape. (Okay, both the camera and the woman in this case!)

 

• JohnMeadows

• May 20, 2011

I haven't had the chance to run a roll through it yet (but it does sound healthy when i click the shutter)

 

• 

  David William White

• May 20, 2011

Nicely done. Can't wait to see more...

 

• JohnMeadows

• May 20, 2011

Thanks David! Two more shoots scheduled for this series next week.

 

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  JohnArs

• May 20, 2011

I prefer the woman over the camera in any respect;--))) I did almost not see the camera! Nice portrait so.

Cheers Armin

 

• JohnMeadows

• May 20, 2011

It's true this is not universally (pardon the pun) regarded as the most beautiful camera ever. I have a further image planned for this series that will feature a Kodak 35, with the rangefinder that looks like a cancerous growth. Now THAT was an ugly camera!

 

• 

  greybeard

• May 20, 2011

I seem to remember that the unique shutter design allowed really fast speeds at the top end, faster than were really useful given the film speeds of the day. Is that correct? (You have the Mercury II, and I may have had the original Mercury).

Lovely model, by the way. I like the look of serene concentration, as though she actually knows what she is doing...

 

• JohnMeadows

• May 20, 2011

True -- these go to 1/1000.

I like the expression "serene concentration"!! Thanks

 

• 

  Guillaume Zuili

• May 20, 2011

JohnArs said:

I prefer the woman over the camera in any respect;--))) I did almost not see the camera! Nice portrait so.

Cheers Armin

Click to expand...

Same !

 

• JohnMeadows

• May 21, 2011

I still think that cameras of this vintage are more interesting to look at then the generic black plastic DSLR's we see today