ADOX cms20Sorry, the images I have from the camera aren't family-friendly. Generally, I would say that the Sonnar performs as you would expect of any other prewar uncoated Sonnar. The drawback to the 24x24 format is that grain becomes prominent so you are better off shooting a tablular grained film unless you really like golfball-sized grain in your images. There is a Flickr group that features photos from the camera, available here:
Zeiss Ikon Tenax II
Welcome to the group! Post photographs taken with this exciting camera. Please do not post any Tenax I / Taxona etc shots, Thanks and enjoy, Tejawww.flickr.com
What Are Your Favorite 35mm Manual Focus Fixed-Lens Rangefinders? (Looking For Recommendations)
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Sorry, the images I have from the camera aren't family-friendly. Generally, I would say that the Sonnar performs as you would expect of any other prewar uncoated Sonnar. The drawback to the 24x24 format is that grain becomes prominent so you are better off shooting a tablular grained film unless you really like golfball-sized grain in your images. There is a Flickr group that features photos from the camera, available here:
Zeiss Ikon Tenax II
Welcome to the group! Post photographs taken with this exciting camera. Please do not post any Tenax I / Taxona etc shots, Thanks and enjoy, Teja
Thanks for the link, though I could not see the pics in the square format, I'll look elsewhere.
Godspeed
35SP has a good lens, but it isn't exactly compact and has two quirks: 1. its automatic mode couples slow speeds with wide apertures and high speeds with small apertures. 2. manual mode is slow. Like, sloooow, because the light meter is uncoupled and it uses EV numbers instead of conventional readout. These two factors were so annoying that I sold the thing. I would go for QL17 GIII, one cannot notice the difference in sharpnesa anyway, unless one prints a wallpaper sized photos. As a bonus, that Canon has parallax-corrected viewfinder, as opposed to drawn lines you should use as a guide when shooting closer than 3 m in Olympus.
Can't say anything about Minolta, for I haven't had it.
OP
OP
After hearing what everyone has mentioned, I’m now leaning towards the Minolta 7, Olympus 35 SP, Agfa 1535 Optima (the one with the rangefinder), Olympus 35 RD, Konica Auto S3, and the Canon Canonet QL17 GIII.
Does anyone know if the Olympus 35 RD is “better” than the Olympus 35 SP? Considering that the Olympus 35 RD is the last of the Olympus 35 compacts, I can see how this might be the case. Someone here also said that the Minolta 7 is considered “better” than the Minolta 7SII. I know this is a subjective question, but which of these camera I listed in bold has the very sharpest lens in your experience. Also, which camera has the best metering system (even if uses a 1,3 volt mercury battery? I’ll likely get a Wein cell battery for it). Ideally the meter would work in automatic AND manual mode, but I’m not counting on it.
if I’m much better off just getting the medium format Fuji GS645S with a 60mm f/4 lens or even the Fuji GW680 III with a 90mm f/3.4, I’ll likely just get that per your recommendation.
Does anyone know if the Olympus 35 RD is “better” than the Olympus 35 SP? Considering that the Olympus 35 RD is the last of the Olympus 35 compacts, I can see how this might be the case. Someone here also said that the Minolta 7 is considered “better” than the Minolta 7SII. I know this is a subjective question, but which of these camera I listed in bold has the very sharpest lens in your experience. Also, which camera has the best metering system (even if uses a 1,3 volt mercury battery? I’ll likely get a Wein cell battery for it). Ideally the meter would work in automatic AND manual mode, but I’m not counting on it.
if I’m much better off just getting the medium format Fuji GS645S with a 60mm f/4 lens or even the Fuji GW680 III with a 90mm f/3.4, I’ll likely just get that per your recommendation.
It has almost certainly been mentioned but my vote goes to the Kodak Retina IIIC.
The Canonet gIII meter is reported to be just fine with a 1.5 volt battery, so no Wein cell needed.
Otherwise, id recommend a proper Shottkey diode installed and a good silver cell.
Otherwise, id recommend a proper Shottkey diode installed and a good silver cell.
Once again my favorite is the Konica IIIa.
It has better ergonomics. It's a tad smaller than 35SP, viewfinder readout shows you selected aperture value (handy when using its semi-auto shutter priority mode), but its meter won't work at all in manual mode. The lens is six-element instead of seven-element that was on 35SP, but I very much doubt you can see the difference in sharpness unless you enlarge a lot.
P.S. As for the metering, these (35SP, 35RD & Konica Auto S3) are all rangefinders with rather old CdS metering cells. But 35RD and Konica have them mounted around the lens while 35SP has it on the body, so it's less accurate, regardless of that camera having a spot meter means somewhat better chance to nail exposure.
In use with negative films, their meters are accurate enough. Haven't used a slide.
OP
OP
Hi all,
So I went ahead and jumped on a pristine Minolta Hi-Matic 7sII. It’s coming with the flash, boxes, and original reading instruction materials - basically everything that originally came with the camera. The camera itself appears flawless and I was told that everything works flawlessly. Who should I take it to, if anyone, for a CLE and repairs. (I’m currently based in CT, right near NYC.)
The camera as a whole, should I be expecting anything great out of it? -On that note, should I be expecting to face any problems, issues etc. ahead of time?
And if it all works out, I’ll want to carry it in a nice small bag/carrying case so I’ll happily take recommendations here.
Many, many thanks ahead of time to everyone here!
So I went ahead and jumped on a pristine Minolta Hi-Matic 7sII. It’s coming with the flash, boxes, and original reading instruction materials - basically everything that originally came with the camera. The camera itself appears flawless and I was told that everything works flawlessly. Who should I take it to, if anyone, for a CLE and repairs. (I’m currently based in CT, right near NYC.)
The camera as a whole, should I be expecting anything great out of it? -On that note, should I be expecting to face any problems, issues etc. ahead of time?
And if it all works out, I’ll want to carry it in a nice small bag/carrying case so I’ll happily take recommendations here.
Many, many thanks ahead of time to everyone here!
Hi all,
So I went ahead and jumped on a pristine Minolta Hi-Matic 7sII. It’s coming with the flash, boxes, and original reading instruction materials - basically everything that originally came with the camera. The camera itself appears flawless and I was told that everything works flawlessly. Who should I take it to, if anyone, for a CLE and repairs. (I’m currently based in CT, right near NYC.)
The camera as a whole, should I be expecting anything great out of it? -On that note, should I be expecting to face any problems, issues etc. ahead of time?
And if it all works out, I’ll want to carry it in a nice small bag/carrying case so I’ll happily take recommendations here.
Many, many thanks ahead of time to everyone here!
I suggest a good, leather men's shaving kit bag.
Brown, in fact, as black often has a negitive 'vibe' and be questionable, IMO.
While not a 'camera' bag, it'll hold the rangefinder safely, plus plenty of room for your meter, flash, film, filters, including close up filters, a small measuring tape, for using close up lenses, a tabletop tripod, lens cleaner and tissues, cable release, pen & pad, etc.
It's not too uncommon to see men carrying these bags, and it does not scream "Camera!", like a small video bag or typical still camera bag, and is easily overlooked on the street, IMO.
These bags sometimes are available with a single shoulder strap, which allows you more mobility with hands and arms.
Pair this with a good, unassuming, friction stops, aluminum monopod and you're off with a great start to your day.
Cheers and Godspeed.
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Interesting idea. I'm most familiar with shaving kits which have, at the most, a loop for carrying. Can you suggest sources for such with a shoulder strap or such?
A Google for "brown leather shaving bag" brought up many choices for bags of different shapes and designs, but at least one of the makers offers a leather lanyard, in "short" or "long" lengths.
The straps are narrow but I think they'll make a wider strap as they are makers of leather goods.
It would be good to take that Minolta out to Walmart or some other place that has generic shaving bags in disply and test fit for depth and size, just in case you do order a bag online (bring a small tape).
I suggest you not buy less than $65 for a leather bag, if you do get one, as it'll be given a good workout.
Vinyl is ok as well but does not breath as a leather bag does and you don't want a mold starting up in a camera bag.
Cheers,
Eli
l
The straps are narrow but I think they'll make a wider strap as they are makers of leather goods.
It would be good to take that Minolta out to Walmart or some other place that has generic shaving bags in disply and test fit for depth and size, just in case you do order a bag online (bring a small tape).
I suggest you not buy less than $65 for a leather bag, if you do get one, as it'll be given a good workout.
Vinyl is ok as well but does not breath as a leather bag does and you don't want a mold starting up in a camera bag.
Cheers,
Eli
l
YES! Bummer. After reading your warning, I put the battery back into my 35CC, which I had not used in about 3 years. In my office at night, I saw the shutter open for several seconds, which is right. Then abruptly, all shutter speeds were a quick click. No changes, no difference with the battery in or out of the camera. I suppose the pad of death died.
Well, that's another nice little 1970s camera out of commission. I got several good years of use out of it, and it was handy on trips. Time to find another compact fixed-lens travel camera? Maybe I'll just use my Leica IIIC......
Some Texas examples of the 35CC:
Small Towns in the Texas Panhandle with Ektar 25 film (Panhandle 2019-01)
worldofdecay.blogspot.com
Hope you still have the 35CC. Pad of death soud now be called pad of maintenance. There are many youtube videos on replacing it yourself and getting camera back operating.
The other gripe about the mercury batteries, their are now some very nice drop in coin cell adapters.
Sorry for the late response.
None of these. >95% of all Minolta/Leica CL (these have ALL being build by Minolta, despite "Leica CL" into 73-76 anyway) have a defective, disfunctional lightmeter. And the film loading mechanism is being complicated, one does have to put the camera into half, literally 2 parts, to load film, same behaviour as with all Minox 35 iterations.
FYI, i'd go with the Minolta CLE (81, introduced at photokina 1980, germany)...and that's what i do, too. I've bought a CLE 2 weeks ago, but would receive it during the next ca. 2-3 weeks. And yes, my CLE (with original box) was 1K.
I'll second that. I have one and it's one of my favourites. I've been mssing in action here for a while - still no darkroom - it's the project after next....I retire in 2 years so should have some more time then..
The 35CC went to a new home. I did look at some of the videos showing the repair process, but I decided to pass. I can substitute because my closets have too many cameras in them, all waiting for exercise.
I have 2 fine copies, working condition, into my collection, and the same issues like you. Damn G.A.S. from time to time... next time, when the lens is being serviced, i try to make pictures with my Canon VI L 6L & Voigtländer Color Skopar 35/2.8 combo...but the lens needs being serviced first, it's slightly decentered, and the focus ring turns un-even...and not smooth after all.
I guess you have received it by now. I found also one cheap (much below market prices these days) a few months ago.
I would just check: Does the rangefinder seems aligned? Shutter looks reasonable timed, meter reacts with meaningful values? Do the lightseals need replacement (if it was not done earlier, likely this means yes, and is done easily with a pre-made kit)? If all looks ok, shoot a test roll. If something comes up, look for a repair person. Use a zinc-air hearing aid battery type 675 with some aluminum rolled as spacers (remove the sticker and let it 3min or so open to activate the battery).
I still have to replace the lightseals on mine, but the rest seemed to be working good...
Best repair shop in Manhattan is Nippon Photo Clinic. They do first-rate work and are scrupulous in their recommendations.
My favorite small bag is a Domke F-5XB. Just big enough for a Rolleiflex, a light meter and a few rolls of film. It is sturdy and unobtrusive and just right for one small camera.
OP
OP
So...
I was almost screwed over. I thought I'd be getting a nice Minolta 7SII that might need a little work (if any), but the seller sent me garbage:
-The viewfinder was completely fogged up.
-You simply could not see the frame lines in the viewfinder, nor anything else, unless the camera was held at a certain angle. The frame lines were practically completely faded.
-There was some grease (yes, grease) and a bunch of scratches on the front lens element.
-When I put in the Wein 1.35V battery (specifically made for older cameras using mercury batteries) into the camera, the light meter first went haywire and then just wouldn't work at all.
-The Minolta flash didn't work at all.
-The lightseals disintegrated into a powder that covered the whole interior.
-The leather case wouldn't lock because the locking pin fell off the leather case somehow.
There was even more that was wrong with it, but those were the main issues.
I was incredibly upset about this because I privately messaged the seller and asked him some basic questions before buying the 7SII, and he reassured me that the camera was "in great shape."
Anyway, the seller didn't accept returns, but I messaged him and eBay and told him that the camera was junk, explaining in great detail why. After a day, he issued me a full refund and I returned the camera.
I don't know if there's a lesson in here; I did my due diligence as best as I could. If anything, I'm now skittish about all cameras built before 1990.
The hunt continues...
Look again at the Canonet QL 17, which can handle a 1.4-5 volt battery for the meter, as reported here many times, (I have two, one Taiwan one Japan made, I like silver cells) but I suggest you look here as a primary market place and buy from a member with a good history of buys and sells.
Chances are, you'll find a nice camera at a good price and can return it as part of your buying agreement.
IMO.
Into the meanwhile, earlier this week my CLE arrived. It looks like new, never used, into original box.
I had a hard time to decide between the Voigtländer Nokton 40/1.4 MC, or the original M-Rokkor 40/F2 lens,
but went for the Nokton. The reason was - 1) avialable 2) good deal (like 99% new, for 385 bucks with DHL shipping,
cost new 549 EUR, and it's absolutely like new) and 3) the YT video from "Mr. Leica" Matt Osbourne, the Nokton
is basically a 3in1 lens, and should being used from F2 on, whileas F1.4 is only a faster emergency stop,
for avialable light, or night photography.
The original M-Rokkor 40/F2, which was *the* CLE standard prime, is not avialable into my country, germany here.
And when i have to order from Japan, it doesn't cost me only some 500-550 EUR, but also customs, and that adds
a lot extra money, into the end - it's not worth it, for myself, this lens isn't really better, than my Nokton MC, and
it's a 1980 lens design from Minolta, simple like that. OTOH, i do know, that the Nokton is based on a 60's 'cron
design...but with never multicoatings...go figure.
For reference, see this Matt Osbourne video via link here:
Voigtländer Nokton 40/1.4 MC vs Voigtländer 40/2.8 Heliar vs M-Rokkor 40/F2 vs Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL
So for sure, i could've bought a M2 for 1K, but instead, i went with "just" the CLE, which is perfectly fine for my taste,
together with my little Nokton, which doesn't protude the viewfinder.
I had a hard time to decide between the Voigtländer Nokton 40/1.4 MC, or the original M-Rokkor 40/F2 lens,
but went for the Nokton. The reason was - 1) avialable 2) good deal (like 99% new, for 385 bucks with DHL shipping,
cost new 549 EUR, and it's absolutely like new) and 3) the YT video from "Mr. Leica" Matt Osbourne, the Nokton
is basically a 3in1 lens, and should being used from F2 on, whileas F1.4 is only a faster emergency stop,
for avialable light, or night photography.
The original M-Rokkor 40/F2, which was *the* CLE standard prime, is not avialable into my country, germany here.
And when i have to order from Japan, it doesn't cost me only some 500-550 EUR, but also customs, and that adds
a lot extra money, into the end - it's not worth it, for myself, this lens isn't really better, than my Nokton MC, and
it's a 1980 lens design from Minolta, simple like that. OTOH, i do know, that the Nokton is based on a 60's 'cron
design...but with never multicoatings...go figure.
For reference, see this Matt Osbourne video via link here:
Voigtländer Nokton 40/1.4 MC vs Voigtländer 40/2.8 Heliar vs M-Rokkor 40/F2 vs Voigtländer Ultron 40mm F2 SL
So for sure, i could've bought a M2 for 1K, but instead, i went with "just" the CLE, which is perfectly fine for my taste,
together with my little Nokton, which doesn't protude the viewfinder.
Buy a used Leica IIIf in decent condition, and a collapsible 50mm f/3.5 Elmar. If needed Youxin Ye, can service them both. Cheap? No. Very high quality? Yes.
BTW, Ye's turnaround right now is over 5 months. However, for a 30% premium he will do the work in a few days. He just overhauled my IIIf and turned it around in less than a week. All in, including CLA, premium service, and return shipping, it was just under $300. I can't wait to get it back
The original Minolta for CLE “second version with better coating” is a great lens. I find myself using the Leica Sumicron 40mm with a collapsible hood the most… And without pixelpeeping images look great. Coating is not as good as the minolta 40 v2.
But most of the time I am on a 28mm. The reason why IMHO minolta CLE is better than leica is that big bright 28mm wide viewfinder.
P.S. there is a great MINOLTA CLE service person who broad back to life one of my CLE that a reputable LEICA repair man said it can not be fixed.
642 Hi Tech Parkway, Suite A
Oakdale, California 95361
209-543-1989
I am talking from the 2nd version, that was clearly obvious, since the CLE had the later 40/2 M-Rokkor Design, with multicoatings.
The original Leica CL, or Leitz Minolta CL (Japan only mostly) was with Version 1 of the 40/2 M-Rokkor, and featured only singlecoatings,
just like the original Summicron-C 40/2, but that Leica "Made in Canada" lens had a way odd Filterthread design...The CL was 1973-76
as Leica - Minolta had a joint venture agreement, whileas the CLE was being introduced at our german Photokina 1980, and released into
1981, it was being avialable for sale up into 1985. I do know that all, FYI.
The 40/2 M-Rokkor isn't better than the Nokton 40/1.4 MC,only ca. 80grams lighter from weight.
PS: Great that your CLE could've been repaired, for this little jewel! I am from germany, and my CLE is like NOS, out of the box, like new.
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