Looking for ... m42

[Ian Grant]

There were a few Prakticas that could take, or were fitted standard, with waist level finders. Eg FX, FX2/3, and VLC types. Are they really that bad? What went wrong with yours, if you don't mind me asking?

My Prakticamat was erratic, the lens never stopped down consistently to the marked aperture. They aren't that bad overall, just in this day and age there are so many superb cameras for the same prices second-hand.

Ian

 

[Dinis Figueira]

One of the more pleasant M42 bodies that can take a waist level finder is the Zeiss Ikon Icarex 35 TM. You might need a bit of luck to find a working one within your budget, though. I paid around half that for mine but I had to do some repair work to it because it had been worked on badly, previously. If you can do your own maintenance they're not so bad to work on though.

I find that camera visually very weird. But still look's like a gem!

By the way, thank you guys for your help. Keep up the recomendations. I think this is a good thread for new people, since m42 Is a common mount.

 

[moto-uno]

My Chinon CM-3 is an easily recommended camera . Peter

 

[Dinis Figueira]

So I have received my Praktica FX 2.
The money was worth it. Completely new. Even with the original 1960 receipt and manual.
The only thing that I can't get used to is the viewfinder. I can't properly check if it's in focus or not. Only with the little magnifier.

 

[mynewcolour]

..... like many recent digital mirrorless cams then!

If you are still looking for ideas: I received an adapter this morning so I can use m42 lenses with contax / yashica bodies. These c/y cameras adapt properly due to a few crucial measurements matching, although metering has to be done at the chosen aperture.

 

[Dinis Figueira]

..... like many recent digital mirrorless cams then!

If you are still looking for ideas: I received an adapter this morning so I can use m42 lenses with contax / yashica bodies. These c/y cameras adapt properly due to a few crucial measurements matching, although metering has to be done at the chosen aperture.

Going to make that.. just need to find a proper camera for that..

 

[Dinis Figueira]

So I have burned a roll in the FX2 and even thought it's a beauty... I can't go with it . I'm always using the magnifier since I can't see if the image is focused or not. I can see the image being zoomed in or out but with both 50mm and 35mm I can't notice any focusing difference...
And since next month I'm starting to use glasses to rest on this cases, it won't help me on this if I'm always be going to use the magnifier...

So is there any trick to check properly, or I will have to admit that WLF, only for medium format? (BTW the WLF from TLR usually are how much bigger? Triple size?

 

[onre]

I just got used to it myself. If you have poor eyesight, you will need glasses to do it without the magnifier. WLF image is usually same size as negative, or slightly smaller.

 

[Dinis Figueira]

I just got used to it myself. If you have poor eyesight, you will need glasses to do it without the magnifier. WLF image is usually same size as negative, or slightly smaller.

Do you have any trick to show if It's focused? Cuz even If I switch my lens to the fastest aperture, I still can't see properly if it's focused or not..

 

[Brett Rogers]

My Prakticamat was erratic, the lens never stopped down consistently to the marked aperture. They aren't that bad overall, just in this day and age there are so many superb cameras for the same prices second-hand.

Ian

Right, thanks for that feedback, appreciated.

 

[Brett Rogers]

I find that camera visually very weird. But still look's like a gem!

By the way, thank you guys for your help. Keep up the recomendations. I think this is a good thread for new people, since m42 Is a common mount.

Perhaps you're referring to an example fitted with the metered prism, which is quite bulbous? The standard non-metered prism is more conventional in appearance, and as the metered prisms don't have a particularly good reputation for reliability anyway, I suggest you are better off with a non-metered one. Of course, a metered type is still perfectly adequate for viewing, whether the meter is functions or not (probably, not). You can see examples fitted with both types of prisms, as well as the waist level finder, at the following web page courtesy of Pacific Rim Camera:
http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/ziicarex35.htm

 

[onre]

Do you have any trick to show if It's focused? Cuz even If I switch my lens to the fastest aperture, I still can't see properly if it's focused or not..

I just fooled around with my Exa Ia and WLF for a bit. To my eye, things in focus just pop out. Then I can confirm focus using the magnifier. Do you use glasses? WLF is different from prism, because with prism the picture appears to be at infinity (very far distance), but with WLF it appears to be at the actual distance from your eye to the finder. What this means practically is that with prism you'd need the kind of glasses you'd use when driving a car, whereas with WLF you'd need reading glasses.

 

[Brett Rogers]

So I have burned a roll in the FX2 and even thought it's a beauty... I can't go with it . I'm always using the magnifier since I can't see if the image is focused or not. I can see the image being zoomed in or out but with both 50mm and 35mm I can't notice any focusing difference...
And since next month I'm starting to use glasses to rest on this cases, it won't help me on this if I'm always be going to use the magnifier...

So is there any trick to check properly, or I will have to admit that WLF, only for medium format? (BTW the WLF from TLR usually are how much bigger? Triple size?

I don't think there is any getting around the fact that a 35mm focus screen is substantially smaller than those fitted to medium format cameras. You can get the focus in the ballpark, or close, depending on the camera and lens combination in question, but for critical sharpness, you will usually need to use the magnifier for best results: that is, after all, what it is for. If you wish to compose without your eye to the magnifier (Eg. when shooting at chest or waist height), the best results are often achieved by prefocusing with the magnifier, before retracting it and using the waist level for framing. Alternatively, you can do what street shooters have done since time immemorial and stop down, zone focus, and shoot.

 

[Les Sarile]

So is there any trick to check properly, or I will have to admit that WLF, only for medium format? (BTW the WLF from TLR usually are how much bigger? Triple size?

Depends on how critical you are. I still use the magnifiers in my medium format to achieve what I consider to be critical focus.

 

[flavio81]

Last week I bought my first Spotmatic and I liked the machine so much, that I bought myself 2 more Spotmatics...

 

[AgX]

As I always say, 1 camera for to use, 1 as reserve and 1 for spares...

 

[baachitraka]

What should I do with the fourth one?

 

[Dali]

WLF makes sense for square format or rectangle format if you can flip both back and finder (like a Mamiya RZ). It is not a coincidence that 99% of reflex cameras use a prism especially in 35mm as these cameras are not modular.