Any CHINON Users & Chinon Unboxing!

Acere · Aug 7, 2022

I just a got my first CHINON model SLR in good condition. It has some brassing but the internals are spotless, no dust, clean viewfinder, clean 50mm 1.7, meter is accurate and shutter speeds look good vs theShutter Speed app. Today I installed new light seals and loaded some fresh Kodak Color 400 film for a test run.

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BAC1967 · Aug 8, 2022

I bought this one from a roommate in college in the 1980’s and have been using it off and on ever since. It’s been extremely reliable until a few months ago, its not advancing the frames properly. I think I paid the guy $20 for it including a Chinon lens, I think I got my moneys worth out of it. Hopefully I can get it sorted out.

Chinon SLR by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

Les Sarile · Aug 8, 2022

A friend of mine gave me her Chinon CE II Memotron . . .

Chinon CE II B by Les DMess, on Flickr

What a name! And the shutter release has as long a travel as it's name!

It's a good camera and the lenses I have are excellent performers. The leatherette was starting to peel but easy to fix.

Magazine ad for it

Chinon CE II magazine ad by Les DMess, on Flickr

Paul Howell · Aug 8, 2022

I have a CE and CM3, the CE had a electronic shutter and aperture preferred exposure with single pin M42 lens. When the shutter is fired as the lens closes down the meter read the light and sets the shutter speed. The CM is all mechanical with a 3 diodes for the meter, red and green, not in the viewfinder on the outside edge of the read viewfinder, just visible in my right eye. Both take a 2 FPS motor drive. My third is the CE7, KA mount. The top plate is large, it is a pressure switch to select manual, program or aperture preferred exposure. Built in motor drive, F stop read out in the viewfinder, integrated motor drive, uses AA batteries. I use it with a M42 to K mount adaptor in A mode. Last is now my favorite point and shoot, the 35F MA, Infrafocus AF. It has a scale in the viewfinder that give a sense of where the AF is locked on. As a first generation it is not DX coded so I can fool the meter if I'm shooting in a back lite situation. Takes 46mm filter and lens hood. The lens is 35mm 2.8, I assume a 4 element. I have not found one with a working flash, likely faulty capacitor.

ic-racer · Aug 8, 2022

In the early 1970s, all my lenses were m42 single pin, so when the Chinon came out, I really wanted that. I recall it being sold as a GAF LES too.
Even today I think that would be an excellent camera with all the old m42 lenses out there.

Paul Howell · Aug 8, 2022

The GAF had the same metering and auto exposure but as I recall did not take the film winder, which is no great loss, one of the worst winders I have have ever used.

Acere · Aug 8, 2022

So I placed a bid on this package not expecting to win it but you know how that goes. A few days later it arrives very well packaged Let see what's inside...

Acere · Aug 8, 2022

Its a CHINON CS with three CHINON lenses, the main reason I bid in the first place. The 135mm f/2.8 Auto, 55mm 1.7 Auto and a 35mm f/2.8 Auto as well. After close inspection the lenses are in excellent condition with no fungus, haze or coating issues along with buttery smooth focusing. The lens cases are in excellent condition as an added bonus. The CS body is clean with slight peeling of the leatherette. Compared with my SLR model the CS & SLR look identical. Anyone know what the difference is?

ic-racer · Aug 8, 2022

Very nice to have the original Chinon lenses!

Paul Howell · Aug 8, 2022

Here are links to the manuals,

https://www.butkus.org/chinon/chinon/chinon_slr/chinon_slr.pdf

Chinon CS camera manual, instruction manual, PDF user manual

Chinon CS instruction manual in PDF format.

www.butkus.org

I have the same lens, all are pretty good performs, coating is good, resolution is on par with my Pentax M42 lens.

Acere · Aug 8, 2022

Paul Howell said:
Here are links to the manuals,

https://www.butkus.org/chinon/chinon/chinon_slr/chinon_slr.pdf

Chinon CS camera manual, instruction manual, PDF user manual

Chinon CS instruction manual in PDF format.

www.butkus.org

I have the same lens, all are pretty good performs, coating is good, resolution is on par with my Pentax M42 lens.

I have a roll of ISO 400 in the SLR now so I will test all the lenses and see how the pics turn out. The CS looks good for a test roll. Light seals are good, meter is accurate and shutter speeds check out well with the shutter app. I'm familiar with the Butkus site. Its been very helpful with these old cameras.

Acere · Aug 8, 2022

ic-racer said:
Very nice to have the original Chinon lenses!

It sure is! This stuff isn't worth much but its therapy to me. After 7.5 years on dialysis and a rough transplant two years ago this hobby helps to keep me going,

waynecrider · Aug 9, 2022

CM4 owner years ago so I could shoot my K Mount lenses. Unfortunately it needs servicing and it’s just not worth it nowadays. Simple stupid and light camera makes for an easy carry.

Huss · Aug 12, 2022

I had two Chinon Bellamis. Nice super compact cameras. Sold them as I had too much stuff and decided to keep the Ricoh FF1s intstead.

Bazza D · Aug 12, 2022

I just got an Albinar branded Chinon CM-5. I am not through a roll yet but I like it so far. It fells like a Nikon FM in an EM body. The exposure meter is odd. It is on the outside of the viewfinder. I am thinking it might be a good camera. If I keep it, I am thinking about taking the batteries out and just using a handheld meter. My first thoughts were, this camera is better than it looks.

Paul Howell · Aug 12, 2022

The CM 3 M42 version has the same odd LED for exposure on the outside, takes a little getting use to, my example meter is spot on.

Acere · Aug 13, 2022

Bazza D said:
I just got an Albinar branded Chinon CM-5. I am not through a roll yet but I like it so far. It fells like a Nikon FM in an EM body. The exposure meter is odd. It is on the outside of the viewfinder. I am thinking it might be a good camera. If I keep it, I am thinking about taking the batteries out and just using a handheld meter. My first thoughts were, this camera is better than it looks.

I'm currently film testing a Chinon SLR, a Model CM, a Nikon F and Nikkormat FTn as well from a roll of 36 exp. Hopefully will be posing some test shots next week.

AZSkip · Aug 25, 2022

I just bought a CM-5. My first impression is that is is a lightweight, smaller 35mm SLR, that seems to have a lot of plastic. Side-to-side it is slightly smaller than a Nikon FG. The body weighs 450g on my scale and with the 50mm 1.9 lens it weighs 600g. Compare that to a Canon A-1 which weighs 622g and 790g with a FDn 50mm 1.8 lens. Focusing is easy and the viewfinder seems bright. I was very skeptical of the light metering with three LEDs on the outside, to the left of the viewfinder, but my peripheral vision picks them up just fine. The lens has the Pentax K mount rather than the earlier models that have the M42 mount. The batteries are easy to obtain LR44 or 357. I think I am going to like this camera.

Paul Howell · Aug 25, 2022

I have the CM-3 version, like you I find the 3 LEDs out the outside somewhat odd, still metering is spot on. The CM-3 is metal, perhaps better build quality than later models, then again the lighter body may make it more desirable.

Acere · Aug 26, 2022

AZSkip said:
I just bought a CM-5. My first impression is that is is a lightweight, smaller 35mm SLR, that seems to have a lot of plastic. Side-to-side it is slightly smaller than a Nikon FG. The body weighs 450g on my scale and with the 50mm 1.9 lens it weighs 600g. Compare that to a Canon A-1 which weighs 622g and 790g with a FDn 50mm 1.8 lens. Focusing is easy and the viewfinder seems bright. I was very skeptical of the light metering with three LEDs on the outside, to the left of the viewfinder, but my peripheral vision picks them up just fine. The lens has the Pentax K mount rather than the earlier models that have the M42 mount. The batteries are easy to obtain LR44 or 357. I think I am going to like this camera.

My CHINON SLR is a tank. Body is 756g and with the 55mm 1.7 a whopping 988g

joelbolden · Sep 3, 2022

I have a CPM-7 that I shoot occasionally that works really well. I like the way I can switch modes almost instantly.

Paul Howell · Sep 3, 2022

I just got a CM5, I bought at an auction as it was bundled with a 400mm prime. Mechanical shutter, top speed 1/2000th of a second, flash syn is 125th. Unlike the CM4 does not take the winder, the exposure readout are 3 LEDs inside the viewfinder. Basic no frill camera, came with 2 Chinon branded zoom kit lens. The CM5 is K, all 3 lens I got are KA. Meter takes 2 batteries, I will pick up a couple sometime in the next few days and take it for an outing.

gone · Sep 3, 2022

Here's a wiki below on all the different Chinon models, there's a lot of them. The only Chinon I ever owned was a new, old stock camera w/ a kit zoom lens, and it was sold it to a member here. Since it was new, everything was tight, and the film advance was as smooth as a Leica. My cameras are usually 20,30,40 years old or older, so this was a revelation.

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Chinon

Acere · Sep 3, 2022

momus said:
Here's a wiki below on all the different Chinon models, there's a lot of them. The only Chinon I ever owned was a new, old stock camera w/ a kit zoom lens, and it was sold it to a member here. Since it was new, everything was tight, and the film advance was as smooth as a Leica. My cameras are usually 20,30,40 years old or older, so this was a revelation.

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Chinon

Great info, thanks

Kevin Ekstrom · Sep 3, 2022

I have a few Chinons in my collection.

Any CHINON Users & Chinon Unboxing!

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