(Newbie) Inherited my Grandfather's collection. What do I have and what is it worth?

Truzi · Sep 19, 2015

If it were me, I would keep them. If I did not intend to display or use them on occasion, I would sell or give them to someone whom I was confident would use them at least occasionally; as that is what my Grandfather would have wanted. If you are not in a hurry for cash, you may want to put some film through them just for the nostalgia. Not just to see how well they work, but to enjoy casually. I've a beat up Zeiss Contessa folding 35mm with a fungused lens that belonged to a long-dead 2nd or 3rd cousin. The photos come out soft, but it is fun to shoot with on occasion (and hopefully I'll get it fixed up in the future).

Enjoy the connection to your past.

Jfonzy · Sep 19, 2015

Truzi said:
If it were me, I would keep them. If I did not intend to display or use them on occasion, I would sell or give them to someone whom I was confident would use them at least occasionally; as that is what my Grandfather would have wanted. If you are not in a hurry for cash, you may want to put some film through them just for the nostalgia. Not just to see how well they work, but to enjoy casually. I've a beat up Zeiss Contessa folding 35mm with a fungused lens that belonged to a long-dead 2nd or 3rd cousin. The photos come out soft, but it is fun to shoot with on occasion (and hopefully I'll get it fixed up in the future).

Enjoy the connection to your past.

Alright Truzi, even if I get some film, how do I develop when I have no darkroom or developing equipment?

paul_c5x4 · Sep 19, 2015

Jfonzy said:
even if I get some film, how do I develop when I have no darkroom or developing equipment?

You can always send it out to a lab - A decent one will be able to do colour and B&W films from 35mm right up to 5x4. Some will even be able to scan for you and ship the negatives back with a CD.

shutterfinger · Sep 19, 2015

I goofed! 940458 is 1959 not 1962. The date code stamp started in 1960.

Truzi · Sep 19, 2015

Jfonzy said:
Alright Truzi, even if I get some film, how do I develop when I have no darkroom or developing equipment?

What paul_c5x4 said.

paul_c5x4 said:
You can always send it out to a lab - A decent one will be able to do colour and B&W films from 35mm right up to 5x4. Some will even be able to scan for you and ship the negatives back with a CD.

Sorry. I noticed your profile states you shoot Super8, so wrongly assumed you already had that part covered. I forgot that there is no option to NOT choose a format when setting up an APUG profile.

Jfonzy · Sep 19, 2015

shutterfinger said:
I goofed! 940458 is 1959 not 1962. The date code stamp started in 1960.

Aha! So what is "17" then?

Jfonzy · Sep 19, 2015

Truzi said:
What paul_c5x4 said.

Sorry. I noticed your profile states you shoot Super8, so wrongly assumed you already had that part covered. I forgot that there is no option to NOT choose a format when setting up an APUG profile.

Yeah I just randomly picked a format. I don't actually shoot super 8. Although I just missed out on winning an auction for a nice Super 8 camera for $26 or something.. I got distracted and time ran out. I was pissed at myself!

Truzi · Sep 19, 2015

Jfonzy said:
Yeah I just randomly picked a format. I don't actually shoot super 8. Although I just missed out on winning an auction for a nice Super 8 camera for $26 or something.. I got distracted and time ran out. I was pissed at myself!

Well, since you had tried to purchase a Super8 camera, you would have had to deal with processing at some point (yourself or mail-order, unless you were only looking for a display/collector item), so I say go for it with your Grandfather's cameras

shutterfinger · Sep 19, 2015

Aha! So what is "17" then?

A machining number. Sometimes it represents the person assembling the camera, sometimes it represents the fitting of parts that go together.

Jfonzy · Sep 19, 2015

Truzi said:
Well, since you had tried to purchase a Super8 camera, you would have had to deal with processing at some point (yourself or mail-order, unless you were only looking for a display/collector item), so I say go for it with your Grandfather's cameras

Well, I was hoping to resell on ebay. It also had some kind of editor. Here was the auction: Dead Link Removed

Kerosene Hat · Sep 22, 2015

My granddad left me (well his daughters, first) about 13 cameras, including some early Nikon autos, an Ikoflex, and several others. I didn't get them until 7 years after I had switched to digital, and have had them on the shelf for the last 2 years. Well, fast forward and I realized how cheap quality film cameras (especially medium and large formats) are these days and wouldn't you know it, I'm back in film and testing as many of his cameras as I can that will work. The Ikfoflex needs a CLA and will never leave my possession - if I'm fortunate enough to have a son one day, he can use the same camera that his great-grandfather did. Which is about all we have left, as his daughters discarded his old slides and negatives, leaving us with just prints.

You have a legacy here, and you may not realize it now. But think about the connection to your past, as another poster mentioned.

My $0.02 is to test the cameras (use sunny-16 rule, if necessary), and get an idea what would need a CLA and what wouldn't - and be selective about what to fix (at least one Rolleiflex, e.g.). Start to get them fixed and stock up on film - one day, you may get the bug and the ADD could subside and this would be SO COOL to be able to get back into. Every time I pick up my Ikoflex, I wonder what my granddad thought in post-war Germany when he bought it - as well as what he shot. Tremendous feeling.

Sirius Glass · Sep 22, 2015

Kerosene Hat said:
My granddad left me (well his daughters, first) about 13 cameras, including some early Nikon autos, an Ikoflex, and several others. I didn't get them until 7 years after I had switched to digital, and have had them on the shelf for the last 2 years. Well, fast forward and I realized how cheap quality film cameras (especially medium and large formats) are these days and wouldn't you know it, I'm back in film and testing as many of his cameras as I can that will work. The Ikfoflex needs a CLA and will never leave my possession - if I'm fortunate enough to have a son one day, he can use the same camera that his great-grandfather did. Which is about all we have left, as his daughters discarded his old slides and negatives, leaving us with just prints.

You have a legacy here, and you may not realize it now. But think about the connection to your past, as another poster mentioned.

My $0.02 is to test the cameras (use sunny-16 rule, if necessary), and get an idea what would need a CLA and what wouldn't - and be selective about what to fix (at least one Rolleiflex, e.g.). Start to get them fixed and stock up on film - one day, you may get the bug and the ADD could subside and this would be SO COOL to be able to get back into. Every time I pick up my Ikoflex, I wonder what my granddad thought in post-war Germany when he bought it - as well as what he shot. Tremendous feeling.

Welcome to APUG

Consider buying a light meter so that all the cameras will have a standard exposure device for a fair comparison.

(Newbie) Inherited my Grandfather's collection. What do I have and what is it worth?

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