A TLR for my daughter.

jimgalli · Nov 16, 2004

She's not very big and I'm thinking Minolta Autocord. Did I read someplace that the lenses on these are a 5 element heliar type?

Peter Schrager · Nov 16, 2004

TLR

Jim-I picked up a little Ricoh Diacord. Not exactly a Rollei but I see them on Epay for about $75 which is what they are worth. Very good contrasty lens;
Regards Peter works well with APX100 and HP5.

joeyk49 · Nov 16, 2004

Jim:
I don't know about the autocord. I've been using Minolta 35s for years and love them.

I just bought a Yashica D over the summer. Its my entry into MF. I must say that I love the camera. A little on the heavy side (I don't know how old your daughter is), but shouldn't be too unwieldy. Its fairly easy to operate and lets you play with multiple exposures. AND I couldn't beat the price!

I also bought a 124G at the same time, but because of a loose fitting light meter, I haven't spent muct time with it. As it stands now, the only thing drawing me to the 124 is the fact that it has a Yashinon lense as opposed to the Yashikor on the D. I'm told the 'Non is better.

What ever you pick, if she's into the "process" of manual photography, she'll enjoy it.

Have fun!

eric · Nov 16, 2004

Oh, was that you who won the Diacord on E*ay? I was watching that. It looked like an interesting TLR. The autocords have a sort of cult following. Much like the Yashica 124's. I regretted that I sold my Rollieflex 2.8 15 years ago. I was young and what did I know about camera values. Dang!

Peter Schrager · Nov 16, 2004

TLR

Eric-no I've had mine for about 4 years now. The only thing is the shutters aren't so great.Sent mine to Essex camera repair and since then it's OK. I also picked up a litle Yashica 44 but you're limited to 127 film.
Regards Peter

jimgalli · Nov 16, 2004

Tina is 21, married with a beautiful son who will outweigh her by the time he's 8, and a fine husband. She weighs about 95 pounds. She longs to do some black and white nicely and she lives in a gorgeous spot. Coos Bay Oregon. I can't afford a Rollei, and I fear perhaps they're over-rated. I'd give her my Mamiya but it weighs more than she does.

photomc · Nov 16, 2004

Jim, said it before the Yashica 124's not the G's are some of the best deals going out there. Light, good lens and will take 120 or 220 (though I don't think that is a big draw these days). The one I have does have a meter, but it is not operational, and not a problem. Have seen several young ladies using these cameras and most can out shoot me any day of the week..seems to just fit them.

Konical · Nov 16, 2004

Good Evening, Jim,

I have an Autocord. Somehow I doubt that it has a five element lens, but it should, nevertheless, give fine performance. The only problem I have with mine is that the focusing mechanism froze up years ago; I've heard of other Autocords with the same problem.

Konical

Tom Hoskinson · Nov 16, 2004

Konical said:
Good Evening, Jim,

I have an Autocord. Somehow I doubt that it has a five element lens, but it should, nevertheless, give fine performance. The only problem I have with mine is that the focusing mechanism froze up years ago; I've heard of other Autocords with the same problem.

Konical

Jim, both the Autocords and the Yashica 124s and Gs have Tessar type lenses - not Heliars. The Minolta Rokkors are great lenses - as are their Yashica counterparts. I have a couple of Autocords (love em - the focusing helixes on mine are still ok) and a gaggle of Yashica 44s and 4x4 Sawyers.

A good used Rolleicord with a Schneider Xenar is a hard TLR to beat.

Doug Bennett · Nov 16, 2004

I'm a member of the Autocord cult. I also have a 124G, but much prefer the Minolta. Sometimes the focus mechanism can be a problem, typically on units that are overdue for service. But: when it's working properly, the focus lever on the Autocord is easily the most ergonomic and easy to use. The film transport is also superior, and as noted elsewhere, the Rokkor glass is top notch. All in all, a wonderful bit of gear.

mfobrien · Nov 16, 2004

well if she is in such a scenic spot...go with a mamiya 645... or a C220. She'll appreciate the closeup ability of the C220. And whe can alwys put on a wide-angle lens. But a Rolleicord in good shape might be okay, too.

photomc · Nov 16, 2004

Mark is right about the C220 - had one several years ago and let it go, have hated not having it ever since...nice camera and built like a tank.

Flotsam · Nov 16, 2004

The Mamiyas are heavier but nothing approaches them for versatility. Interchangable lenses, finders, close-up ability. I doubt if she'll ever find their glass lacking in quality. Fine cameras.

jimgalli · Nov 16, 2004

Had considered the Mamiya....but I think it is too heavy, and the limits of the Autocord appeal to me. Learn to be a good photographer by forcing yourself to learn the strengths and weaknesses of a single lens. I'm an out of control equipment-a-holic. The sins of the fathers........

127 · Nov 17, 2004

Baby Yashica!

The Yashica 44's (or 44a's) are perfect for smaller hands, cheap, great quality, and easy to get hold of. They're one of my fave's.

Film stock is a bit limited, but Efke 100 is great so it' s not a problem. One less thing to worry about. (Colour print and slide are also available).

Ian

Nicole · Nov 17, 2004

I love my 6x6 Hassy and am not that big either.
The X-Pan is one of my very favourites on my Christmas list.... (for 2006)

Glenn Mathison · Nov 17, 2004

My entry to MF was via a Yashica LM. I love it. Nice and light, pretty decent optics. I don't trust the meter though so I use a handheld meter with it. Reasonably common even here is Oz, and quite cheap. You could do worse.

Glenn
(Currently in Tokyo...)

Elox · Nov 17, 2004

My vote would be for the Yashicas. Prices can be very reasonabble and the weight is right. My Yashica 24 was the first medium format I ever used and I still love it.

JeffW.

jimgalli · Nov 20, 2004

Well, never a person to do anything in moderation, I bought a 124G and an Autocord with Seikosha. I'll have some fun playing with them both. The Autocord's seem to have a little cult thing going that drives their prices higher than similar Yashica's.

rbarker · Nov 20, 2004

jimgalli said:
. . . I bought a 124G and an Autocord with Seikosha. . . .

I can hear you talking to your wife, now, Jim, "I'm just testing them for the daughter, dear."

jovo · Nov 20, 2004

jimgalli said:
Had considered the Mamiya....but I think it is too heavy,.....

If you can get a hand grip for the Mamiya, it's a lot easier to wield, thus the weight is less of a factor. They're available as much as any other long out of production accessory is.

edz · Nov 20, 2004

Yashica 124

photomc said:
Jim, said it before the Yashica 124's not the G's are some of the best deals going out there.

Better than the 124 is the Yashica-12. These seems to have a better build and better QC then the 124s. Their meters are, of course, worthless-- like all of them-- so one can ignore them.. The 124 has over the 12 the ability to take 220 film but given that 220 film is going the way of the DoDo bird I don't think its anything of an issue anymore.. the other advantage of the 124 and 124g over the 12 is that they are never.. given, however, that the 124g cameras were made over a very long period of time and tended to use inferior materials, had less than stellar quality control and ended up being popular cameras I'm not quite sure that these newer cameras will have less wear on them then a nice 12.. The downside to the 12 is that they are relatively rare.. The upside is that most people think the 124g is the Rolleiflex contender and so while they are overpriced, the 12s go for small change... Between even a Rolleicord Vb and a Yashica-12 I'm not quite sure which the better camera is.. only which is probably easier to use (the Yashica) and which is a better (in the current market) value.. If one wants something "better" than the 12 I'd look to the Rolleiflex models starting with the T.

darinwc · Nov 23, 2004

rbarker said:
I can hear you talking to your wife, now, Jim, "I'm just testing them for the daughter, dear."

Ha! And I can imagine the 'yeah right' look he would get. Ah how we junkies justify our addictions.

jimgalli · Nov 23, 2004

Well, I think it's only forthright and fatherly of me to order them both and do a few tests. It's the least I could do. My bride of 29 years understands this. Or....she's a hell of a good sport.

elekm · Nov 24, 2004

A well-maintained Rolleiflex is a thing of beauty and precision. They certainly deserve any accolades they receive. A Rolleicord also is a well-made camera. Look for the model with the Xenar lens, rather than the Triotar. Although now that I think about it, if your daughter wants to mostly shoot photos of her child, a Triotar would be fine though maybe a bit too slow, as I think it's an f/4.5 lens.

A TLR for my daughter.

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