What's your latest new old camera ? (Part 2)

[4season]

Nice looking camera. Have fun shooting!

Thanks! It's control layout feels a little bit strange, but I could probably get used to it if I used it often enough.

 

[elcabezagrande]

I have just bought an Asahi Pentax SV - basically a Spotmatic with no meter.

Not always without a meter. The H3v is the US market version of the SV. The meter will also fit on the S1a/H1a, which explains the unmarked (and uncalibrated) "hidden" top shutter speed on the latter.


Honeywell Pentax H3v with a Pentax meter, and a 55/1.8 Super Takumar lens. by Mike Novak, on Flickr

 

[magkelly]

I scored a GAF/Chinon Memotron and a Chinon 50 1:1.4 last night. I got one of these several years ago, but ended up selling the lens because I needed to pay a bill. I regretted it almost immediately. I'm very pleased to finally have the lens back and I don't mind having two of that body. As Chinon's go it's an excellent and fun body to use. $38 bucks, plus a few to ship. Considering what that lens is going for lately I did REAL good, grin.

 

[4season]

If need be. Probably needs a rangefinder beam splitter as well. Sent it off today to Youxin Ye. Turns out, it is not a IIIc but a IIIf based on serial #'s. The box has a IIIc manual in it so I just assumed. Ran a roll in it and the shutter is sticky below 1/100 so definitely needs a lube job. Probably hasn't been used in 20-30's years.

Ye handled my 3F overhaul as well and it works great. Nice size and shape to the camera and very much the classic Leica look.

 

[mehguy]

Mamiya 135EF

 

[ColColt]

After snagging this nice M2 gone over by DAG I had to get some lens for it. I settled on a chrome Zeiss 50f2 Planar *T ZM and a 90 f2.8 Tele-Elmarit M. I think I may be set.

M2 by David Fincher, on Flickr
90 f2.8 TeleElmarit by David Fincher, on Flickr

 

[cuthbert]

First decent Fujica AX 5 I got:

Excellent platform for the Fujinon 50mm f1.2.

 

[f/16]

Today I looked at KEH site and they had a LN- Canon EF so I got it. Let's just hope it works as good as it looks.

 

[f/16]

This Kiev 4A + Jupiter 8M arrived yesterday. I thought it was in good shape overall but flea-market grimy, top plate seemed to be sitting a bit askew, and the leatherette was peeling pretty badly. And so, a bit of disassembly, cleaning, de-gunking and re-adjustment later, I had this:

Nice! I also have a Kiev 4.

 

[Bobkins]

OM1 and OM10..
trying to sell, no one buying..

can't get how to make uploaded pics be in normal size..

 

[cooltouch]

Today I looked at KEH site and they had a LN- Canon EF so I got it. Let's just hope it works as good as it looks.

Congratulations, you have a great camera. I'm just gonna pass along a bit of info that might save you some headache's. Unlike most cameras that take button-cell batteries, the EF picks up the + voltage from the side of the compartment, and not the cap. I've been using 675 hearing aid batteries on my Canons that used to take the PX625 1.35v mercury batteries. They work great as is on cameras like the old F-1 and the FTb -- and this is because the + voltage is picked up from the cap. But they don't work at all on the EF because of the way it picks up its voltage. Fortunately, unique among the older Canons, as near as I've been able to determine, the EF has a bridge circuit, so it will operate and meter correctly when the new alkaline or silver oxide 1.5v 625 batteries batteries are used (the silver oxide is the better choice because it has a better discharge profile).

I learned all this the hard way, so I thought I'd just pass it along, in case you or others might not be aware of this. In my case, it was good news. I'd bought an EF to replace one that I thought its electronics had failed, when it turns out it just needed the right batteries. So I wound up with two functioning EFs! Now I need to decide if I should keep one as a spare -- or perhaps sell it. So far, I'm leaning on keeping it.

 

[TheToadMen]

Congratulations, you have a great camera. I'm just gonna pass along a bit of info that might save you some headache's. Unlike most cameras that take button-cell batteries, the EF picks up the + voltage from the side of the compartment, and not the cap. I've been using 675 hearing aid batteries on my Canons that used to take the PX625 1.35v mercury batteries. They work great as is on cameras like the old F-1 and the FTb -- and this is because the + voltage is picked up from the cap. But they don't work at all on the EF because of the way it picks up its voltage. Fortunately, unique among the older Canons, as near as I've been able to determine, the EF has a bridge circuit, so it will operate and meter correctly when the new alkaline or silver oxide 1.5v 625 batteries batteries are used (the silver oxide is the better choice because it has a better discharge profile).

I learned all this the hard way, so I thought I'd just pass it along, in case you or others might not be aware of this. In my case, it was good news. I'd bought an EF to replace one that I thought its electronics had failed, when it turns out it just needed the right batteries. So I wound up with two functioning EFs! Now I need to decide if I should keep one as a spare -- or perhaps sell it. So far, I'm leaning on keeping it.

Good to know, thank you for sharing!

 

[BradS]

After snagging this nice M2 gone over by DAG I had to get some lens for it. I settled on a chrome Zeiss 50f2 Planar *T ZM and a 90 f2.8 Tele-Elmarit M. I think I may be set.

M2 by David Fincher, on Flickr
90 f2.8 TeleElmarit by David Fincher, on Flickr

drool.... :0

 

[TheToadMen]

I got me a nice used Nikon F (not mint, but in good condition). The Photomic meter is supposed to be working so I'll get me some batteries to test. I shot my first roll with the NIKKOR-N Auto 24mm f/2.8 lens.

I love using a Nikon F camera.

 

[frank]

Congratulations, you have a great camera. I'm just gonna pass along a bit of info that might save you some headache's. Unlike most cameras that take button-cell batteries, the EF picks up the + voltage from the side of the compartment, and not the cap. I've been using 675 hearing aid batteries on my Canons that used to take the PX625 1.35v mercury batteries. They work great as is on cameras like the old F-1 and the FTb -- and this is because the + voltage is picked up from the cap. But they don't work at all on the EF because of the way it picks up its voltage. Fortunately, unique among the older Canons, as near as I've been able to determine, the EF has a bridge circuit, so it will operate and meter correctly when the new alkaline or silver oxide 1.5v 625 batteries batteries are used (the silver oxide is the better choice because it has a better discharge profile).
.

This is correct. (Fellow EF owner)

 

[4season]

Just took delivery of this a few hours ago:

Really in nice condition too, though the leatherette was a little sticky, and the film wind lever wasn't returning under it's own spring power. So I took it apart (this is becoming a really common occurrence), gave it a quick cleaning and lube (it didn't need much) and wiped down the leatherette with a bit of naphtha in order to wipe away the stickiness.

But it turned out that the real reason the wind lever wasn't returning was because somewhere along the line someone lost a brass washer or two, and the wind lever was rubbing against the cap screw as a result. Fortunately I had some thin brass stock on hand and was able to fabricate a new washer and all was good.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

The unmarked Leica IIIc "K" arrived last week. It's only 37 units apart from it's brother on the right.

 

[Cycler]

Olympus AF10 compact £5 in a charity shop! Complete with, somewhat tatty, instruction book. Which told me to insert the lithium battery upside down. I've put a film in and sorted a better case than the one it came with.

 

[f/16]

It's here and looks great. It even came with the hot shoe cover/eyepiece cover. Yesterday I picked up a pair of Duracell 625a alkaline batteries and will get silver oxide later. I have not put film through it yet but everything I tried works.

 

[Toyo]

My all time favourite camera.
Congratulations
Tom

It's here and looks great. It even came with the hot shoe cover/eyepiece cover. Yesterday I picked up a pair of Duracell 625a alkaline batteries and will get silver oxide later. I have not put film through it yet but everything I tried works.

 

[Peltigera]

My Pentax SV arrived today. Someone has "repaired" it at some point and left a brass plate hanging down in the mirror void (I suspect it was intended to go upwards in front of the pentaprism). I didn't think much about it until I fitted a lens - the diaphragm pin fouled on this plate and I could not remove the lens without seriously distorting the brass plate. The fact that someone had been inside the camera was signposted by the fact that all the screws holding the base plate and fascia were - not loose - but very easy to remove on a 52 year old camera. I would expect at least a bit of initial resistance here.

Hoping that the brass plate does not do anything too critical (it is too mangled to replace) and I shall try a test film tomorrow.

 

[flavio81]

Bill,

Your EF looks just great. I sold mine, it was a nice honeymoon but a failed marriage.

 

[f/16]

Bill,

Your EF looks just great. I sold mine, it was a nice honeymoon but a failed marriage.

What happened?

 

[cooltouch]

That EF's a real beauty, Bill, and it looks to be in marvelous condition. Enjoy!

 

[flavio81]

What happened?

I'll do a copy-paste of what I wrote elsewhere in APUG:

But I find it overrated when comparing it to other Canon cameras. I sold my Canon EF, and mine was in very good shape. And this after looking patiently for a 2ndhand, good shape Canon EF ** for three years!!**
I have written more comprehensively about this, but the reasons, for me, were:

- Can't turn off the meter without locking the shutter button
- You forget to turn off the meter -> then the battery drains in a matter of days
- Do you want to keep the camera always ready, that is, unlocked? -> then the meter stays on -> battery consumption increased
- If you are holding the camera, the wind lever must stick out. This is sometimes uncomfortable.
- Screen/viewfinder was too dim for my standards. A cheaper AE-1 has a brighter viewfinder.
- The square vertical shutter is noticeably rougher (less smooth, has more vibrations) than the horizontal shutter on the A-series, FT/FTb/FX/TX and F-1 series.
- It's nice to be able to see both aperture and shutter speed in the viewfinder, but in the way this is implemented, it becomes difficult to see them in low light. In this regard the A-1 and F-1N viewfinders are the best.

In short, the EF would have been my perfect camera if...

- it had an horizontal shutter
- separate shutter button lock from meter on/off button
- better visualization of aperture/speed

I find the A-1 and the F-1N nicer cameras. The A-1 is not as bad as some say. And it's not the ultimate Canon, as other say.

AND ALSO
(another post of mine)



I lusted for the EF for YEARS and YEARS until I got one. At the end i liked the F-1 and the New F-1 much better. The problems i found with the EF was:

1) you had to keep the camera in "off" at the max amount of times otherwise the battery gets drained quickly
2) focusing screen was dimmer compared to other Canon cameras
3) turning the camera "off" locks the shutter button which means I can't just use the battery for metering the exposure and then turn the exposure meter off while i wait for the "crucial moment" to take the picture (which can take minutes)
4) shutter was noticeably harsher (vibration-wise) compared to the FT-series, F-1-series, and A-series cameras (which are among the smoothest ever)
5) the New F-1 was nicer overall, in fact the best 35mm i've ever used.
6) even if turning off the camera before storing, the battery gets drained quickly (in one or two months). Ok, perhaps mine needed some electrical troubleshooting. But it's terrible compared to the battery frugalness of the Canon AE-1, Nikon F3, Nikon FE, and, apparently the Canon F-1N.