What Cameras Can, and Should, Be Brought Back into Production?

[alanrockwood]

Wishful thinking, but how about Rollei 35 in some form or other, either with the f/3.5 Tessar or f/2.8 Sonnar lens?

 

[Huss]

Wishful thinking, but how about Rollei 35 in some form or other, either with the f/3.5 Tessar or f/2.8 Sonnar lens?

Yup give it a rangefinder so you can actually focus it accurately at 2.8, add AE and a very cool bauhaus design - boom! - bring back the awesome Agfa Optima 1535.

 

[Donald Qualls]

Wishful thinking, but how about Rollei 35 in some form or other, either with the f/3.5 Tessar or f/2.8 Sonnar lens?

Yup give it a rangefinder so you can actually focus it accurately at 2.8, add AE and a very cool bauhaus design - boom! - bring back the awesome Agfa Optima 1535.

Well, if you're going to try to put a rangefinder on a Rollei 35, you'll wind up with a Canonet -- might as well include the basic auto exposure the Canonets have, too. Heck, I'd consider buying one of those, if it was anything like affordable (and it wouldn't be, not if it had to be reinvented from scratch in today's world -- I'd guesstimate that a recreation of a Canonet or similar compact metering and simple auto exposure RF with excellent lens and manual capability would run above a thousand bucks).

That's the real "business decision" problem with all this -- beginners in the hobby won't want to pay what it will cost to recreate a capable camera; they'll want auto exposure and autofocus, but they'll have a budget for something like a Smena 8M. Meanwhile, experienced, knowledgeable folks like most of us already have multiple very capable cameras, so we don't need the new product (though some with deeper pockets might buy it just to have).

On the other hand, consumers learned to use cameras that, despite advertising, did not do everything for you back when film was so expensive that it was a real selling point to have masks that let you double the number of exposures on a roll. Triplet lens, scale focus with zone icons, three or four apertures, two or three shutter speeds -- effectively, genuinely a Smena 8M (not even a meter, just a "weather icon" setting system), if hopefully a little better quality controlled. I think there are good reasons that was the most produced camera model in history...

 

[images39]

Nikon FM3a and Minolta SRT 202. But the prices would probably be silly.

Dale

 

[Huss]

Well, if you're going to try to put a rangefinder on a Rollei 35, you'll wind up with a Canonet -- might as well include the basic auto exposure the Canonets have, too. Heck, I'd consider buying one of those, if it was anything like affordable (and it wouldn't be, not if it had to be reinvented from scratch in today's world -- I'd guesstimate that a recreation of a Canonet or similar compact metering and simple auto exposure RF with excellent lens and manual capability would run above a thousand bucks).

That's the real "business decision" problem with all this -- beginners in the hobby won't want to pay what it will cost to recreate a capable camera; they'll want auto exposure and autofocus, but they'll have a budget for something like a Smena 8M. Meanwhile, experienced, knowledgeable folks like most of us already have multiple very capable cameras, so we don't need the new product (though some with deeper pockets might buy it just to have).

On the other hand, consumers learned to use cameras that, despite advertising, did not do everything for you back when film was so expensive that it was a real selling point to have masks that let you double the number of exposures on a roll. Triplet lens, scale focus with zone icons, three or four apertures, two or three shutter speeds -- effectively, genuinely a Smena 8M (not even a meter, just a "weather icon" setting system), if hopefully a little better quality controlled. I think there are good reasons that was the most produced camera model in history...

I keep thinking about getting a NOS Smena 8M from fedka, but his way inflated shipping charges turned me off.
Plus I’d only use it once, then it would gather dust while I use stuff like a Konica c35 ef3 instead.

 

[alanrockwood]

... a Smena 8M (not even a meter, just a "weather icon" setting system), if hopefully a little better quality controlled. I think there are good reasons that was the most produced camera model in history...

And sad to say, I don't even know what a Smena 8M is. I guess I have a bit of research to do.

 

[KerrKid]

An Argus C3. An new one would drive the high prices of original ones down to reasonable levels. Like $5 instead of $10.

 

[Slixtiesix]

Hasselblad classic V-System, at least the 501CM. I hope they have not yet scrapped all the machinery.

 

[film_man]

Weird. Mine works great with the 90mm as well. And I don't remember the CL having AE as well as most of them now having broken meters. But sure, just like a CL..
p.s. the build quality of the titanium Xpan is quite a bit better than the plastic with metal 'paint' CL..

My bad, should have said Minolta CLE

 

[Cholentpot]

An Argus C3. An new one would drive the high prices of original ones down to reasonable levels. Like $5 instead of $10.

What'll I do with the three that I already have? They're worth like, $25 all together.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Hasselblad classic V-System, at least the 501CM. I hope they have not yet scrapped all the machinery.

+10,000

 

[Huss]

My bad, should have said Minolta CLE

I had two CLEs. Excellent little cameras until they break, as the electrics die... Which is why I now have zero CLEs.

That would be a great camera to bring back, especially seeing that Voigtlander currently makes three different 40mm lenses!

 

[KerrKid]

What'll I do with the three that I already have? They're worth like, $25 all together.

Oh my. It looks like you're upside down already.

1) Hope that for some odd reason, Bakelite becomes the new gold.

2) Send one to me for the price of shipping. My dad had one and it's the first camera I ever used. If you do send me one, I'll make sure you receive total consciousness on your deathbed.

 

[Cholentpot]

Oh my. It looks like you're upside down already.

1) Hope that for some odd reason, Bakelite becomes the new gold.

2) Send one to me for the price of shipping. My dad had one and it's the first camera I ever used. If you do send me one, I'll make sure you receive total consciousness on your deathbed.

Does he want a broken one? I have 1 working and 2 dead.

 

[Huss]

Konica C35 EF3. Feels great in hand, perfect size - not too big, not too small - super easy to use, super fun to use.

 

[KerrKid]

Konica C35 EF3. Feels great in hand, perfect size - not too big, not too small - super easy to use, super fun to use.

I wondered about those. I have the auto S2’s and C35 Automatic. Is the EF3 sized like the Auto SE?

 

[Sergey Ko]

The ugly truth about the Xpan is if you crop a regular 35mm shot to the Xpan format, and are not going for a very big print, you would not be able to tell the difference.

One of these pics was taken with a TX2, the other with a Rollei QZ 35 P&S







The give-away is when you show the film rebate:

You need 15mm wide lens to make the same picture on cropped 24x36 as 24x65 with 30mm.
There is few poin&shoot cameras that provide cropping the viewfinder. This option also was used in APS format cameras. The P mode that cropped only viewfinder & marked frame for print in panorama dimensions.

 

[Ernst-Jan]

That would be about when Kodak was producing 70 master rolls each day of Kodacolor - enough to fill 3.4 million spools each day.

How long does a master roll last these days? / how many spools can they make a day?

 

[Huss]

I wondered about those. I have the auto S2’s and C35 Automatic. Is the EF3 sized like the Auto SE?

I think it is about the same size as a c35. The shutter range is limited - slowest is 1/60 sec! But works fine in daylight as it has a 2.8 lens.

 

[MattKing]

How long does a master roll last these days? / how many spools can they make a day?

I don't know, and they are unlikely to tell us.
I believe though that one of the modifications that were made to make film production more competitive in these times of much reduced usage was the capability to make smaller master rolls.

 

[KerrKid]

Does he want a broken one? I have 1 working and 2 dead.

My dad is dead so a dead camera would be fine for him.))

I was just kidding about sending one. I was thinking of getting a C3 just for the memories, but I know I probably wouldn't use it if I got one.

 

[Cholentpot]

My dad is dead so a dead camera would be fine for him.))

I was just kidding about sending one. I was thinking of getting a C3 just for the memories, but I know I probably wouldn't use it if I got one.

You need one. It anchors the collection.

 

[KerrKid]

You need one. It anchors the collection.

LOL. That pretty much describes it.

 

[Huss]

You need 15mm wide lens to make the same picture on cropped 24x36 as 24x65 with 30mm.
There is few poin&shoot cameras that provide cropping the viewfinder. This option also was used in APS format cameras. The P mode that cropped only viewfinder & marked frame for print in panorama dimensions.

I don't have the 30mm lens, but I do have the 45 and 90. In pano mode w the 45 you need a 28mm lens to crop to make it look the same. My Fuji Work Record and Nikon LiteTouch AF both have 28mm lenses, and both have a pano switch. Or you can just use any old 28mm lens on any 35mm camera and crop the result. It will look the same as the Xpan w 45mm lens until you start making really big enlargements.
I think to also do that w the 90mm lens you would use a 50mm lens on a regular 35mm camera.

 

[Donald Qualls]

And I have a 50 mm on my RB67, which is close to that 45 mm -- but then I've got a 0.45x filter, letting me go even wider than the Xpan (I get 22.5 mm vs. Xpan's 30 mm). Or I can put the 0.45x on my 90 mm and get 43 mm.