The unimaginable has happened today: I found a Plaubel Pecoflex (and bought it)!!!

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medform-norm

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For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about (or who just want to drool together with me), here's a link to a Jap site with some pictures:

http://www.nsobject.jp/cameraPecoflex.html

The camera is a weird kind of wedding between a Makiflex and a Peco Junior. So it's a 9x9 SLR camera, which gives you plenty of front movements but no back movements. It has a focal plane shutter, so you can stick any lens of it that isn't interfering with the mirror reflex system. So no (extreme) wideangle lenses, but I seem to be swimming up the stream with my utter absence of lust for wide angle work.

Lensboards are easy to make at home, or I could use those of the Peco Junior. Curtain can be replaced if broken, but mine seems fine.

The bellows can be taken off quite easily, and they should too, for they are certainly NOT perfect. Saw some light leaks already.

You can use all international backs that you'd want. They fit fine. The back is revolving.

I have been looking for this extremely rare camera for quite some time now and was giving up hope of ever finding it. Or even being able to aford it when I did. And then the unimaginable happened today!

We were sauntering around on a large Dutch photographica fair, nosing around for smaller odds and ends. I was looking at some Gossen spot meter thingummy when my gaze happened to travel upward. I think my eyes must have fallen out of my sockets, my heart did a funny thing inside my breast, I gasped audibly and cried "A pecoflex!". Everyone at the stand turned their heads to see who was behaving so idiotic. Apparently I went red all over. That is because I realised it was really a Pecoflex, it was a in a decent shape AND one I could afford it as well. Needless to say, all my usual resistance to spending largish wads of money melted very fast. I could live on air now for at least a week - at least, that's how I feel right now.

As it came without lens, we later bought some dirt cheap older barrel lenses to test drive the camera. An extra-rapid doppel-anastigmat f8/195cm by Ica and a French Som Berthiot f6.8/250. I can't wait to start experimenting with it.

When someone is interested in hearing more about the Pecoflex experience, let me know, although it might take a while before you could see the results.
I have to be off now, to bid on a lens compendium for the Peco Junior - as these older lenses definitively need protection from the sun ;-)

A very intensely happy medform-norm

PS And I don't care a fig if someone here has something to say against it (that it's big and clumsy or old-fashioned or whatever) - it's all a matter of taste anyhow - to each his own camera!
 

bobfowler

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Great catch!

OUCH! I too have drooled over those for YEARS! How much, if I may be so bold to ask, did it set you back?
 
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medform-norm

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bobfowler said:
OUCH! I too have drooled over those for YEARS! How much, if I may be so bold to ask, did it set you back?

yes, you may, certainly since I think it was a bargain.... but correct me if it turns out I was utterly mistaken in thinking that.

ahem....

it was...

ahem...

on offer as well...

in the wee hours of the photog. fair it was 450 euro's...

but I got it for...

350 euro's.

Do you think that is too much?

(For dollar prices you could reckon the same, I guess, in spite of the fabulous & incredulous exchange rates we are experiencing in the Bush era.)

BTW: I have to correct my first post: the Ica lens is an extra rapid aplanat, not an anastigmat. But the eurigraph is a bit of a mystery lens. Till now, haven't found much on it on the googlie-hoop. It seems okay, though.

AND: it might need a wideangle bellows (no, not for wide angle lens), but I might get more out of the movements when focussing close to infinity.
 

Digidurst

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Well I don't how much those babies are worth but it looks really COOL! Congratulations :smile:

Besides, if you're happy and you think you got a bargain, then by golly you did!
 

David A. Goldfarb

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Very cool, indeed. I love my 5x7" Press Graflex, but a big SLR with lens movements to boot would be an attraction.

Now that you've mentioned it here, these things will be showing up on eBay and selling for $1600 in no time.
 

bobfowler

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medform-norm said:
<snip>
but I got it for...

350 euro's.

Do you think that is too much?
<snip>

Two words... STOP! THIEF!

Damn, that was a GREAT deal! Congrats!
 
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medform-norm

medform-norm

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bobfowler said:
Two words... STOP! THIEF!

Damn, that was a GREAT deal! Congrats!

Thanks everyone for sharing my glee - I'm still glowing.

That camera looks very cool. I assume you know how to read Japanese though!

Art.

Well, I wish I could read Japanese. It would save me trouble of seeing if Altavista's Babel Fish feature is up to translating it for me ;-)

Now that you've mentioned it here, these things will be showing up on eBay and selling for $1600 in no time.

Let's hope I start a trend - it might enable me to get more parts, accessories and gadgets for it...I just missed out on the compendium for instance. You just NEVER see a Pecoflex on eBay. At least, I haven't in the past year.

We've done some test driving with it, using makeshift cardboard lens boards, throwing an old black t-shirt over the leaky bellows and shot some 4x5" Polaroids that were left over. The shutter speeds are pretty accurate, like with a view camera one has to take bellow draw into exposure calculations, the movements are sufficient and even these ancient lenses are quite allright in terms of color and contrast - although they need very very good shades.
All in all, a very nice addition to our collection, I would say.

Now we will have to do some spring cleaning in the camera closet. Got some French 6x9 CRF folders that are ready to find new homes. You just can't keep'em all.... can you?
 
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Wow!! I'm happy for you! That looks like a gorgeous camera!
I'd never even heard of a Pecoflex. I'd love a Plaubel Peco but heck, i'd rather have one of those!

-phillip
 

Dan Fromm

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Cute. Interesting. Very reminiscent of the Arca Swiss reflex.
 

jimgalli

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Forgive the ignorance but what film does it use. 9X9 cm? Roll film? New one on me.
 

P C Headland

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Lucky you! Seems like you got it for a reasonable price too.

I was at the same fair, looking around. I got some 9x12 film holders for one of my old cameras, and some Efke 100 film. I nearly bought a Pentacon 6, but decided it was a bit large and maybe I wouldn't use it enough. I was just about to leave when I took one last look at a table full of TLRs.

The seller showed me through various cameras, then pulled out a mint Yashica TLR, complete in original box...Ah well, I didn't have a TLR ;-)
 
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medform-norm

medform-norm

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P C Headland said:
Lucky you! Seems like you got it for a reasonable price too.

I was at the same fair, looking around. I got some 9x12 film holders for one of my old cameras, and some Efke 100 film. I nearly bought a Pentacon 6, but decided it was a bit large and maybe I wouldn't use it enough. I was just about to leave when I took one last look at a table full of TLRs.

The seller showed me through various cameras, then pulled out a mint Yashica TLR, complete in original box...Ah well, I didn't have a TLR ;-)

What did you think of the fair? I was shocked to see how many digital cameras now apparently count as 'photographica'! I thought there weren't supposed to be digitals on that fair.

Congratulations with your Yashica? Loving it?


Now that you've mentioned it here, these things will be showing up on eBay and selling for $1600 in no time.

David, you must be clairvoyant: Here is the brother of my Peco: the Makiflex. Really a nice set, especially with the cable release and the recessed lens board, but keep your mouse away from the Buy Now button - or you might have a pricy accident! This auction started a mere three days ago - this seller might be an avid Apug reader...

Forgive the ignorance but what film does it use. 9X9 cm? Roll film? New one on me.
It uses plain 120 roll film, or you can shoot 9x9 cm on a large Polaroid or sheet film. The odd sounding 9x9 cm is because the camera has a revolving back, so you can shoot 6x9 in both landscape + portrait.

Cute. Interesting. Very reminiscent of the Arca Swiss reflex.
Yes, so I've heard. The Arca Swiss 6x9 Reflex. Another mythical camera. Never seen one in my life, only a small pic on the web. One of the stories I read is that people call Arca Swiss with offers of over $10.000 if ever one of these cameras comes back to the factory. Don't know if this is urban myth or not. Would be interesting to know if anyone on this forum has had hands-on experience with the Arca? Does it have front movements as well? Shutter speeds? Shortest focal length? Did it come with a retrofocus wide angle lens?
Would be nice to know.
 
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