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

Theo Sulphate · Jul 24, 2016

macfred said:
...
Does this FM come with the unlocking ring around the shutter button ?

Yes. The locking collar was what caught my attention initially and why I bought it. The lenses that came with it were a very pleasant surprise. Apparently, the original owner bought the camera and those lenses when new, used it lightly, and now I'm keeping the set together.

Nikon's later adoption of using the wind lever to unlock the shutter surprised me when I bought a new FM3a in 2004. I played around with it before reading the manual and thought my new camera was broken! My "muscle-memory" from using cameras for decades just causes me to push the lever in.

cooltouch · Jul 24, 2016

Jeff Bradford said:
I picked up a Nikon F3HP the other day. I don't really need another Nikon, but the price was right. I hope to test it tomorrow with the pre-AI lenses for my F. If all goes well, it can be my backup while the F goes into the shop for CLA. I still have a perfectly functional FM I have never even put film in, so this was completely a compulsive acquisition.

I suspect you will become like most other Nikon users who transition at some point to the F3 from an earlier Nikon design. Most folks admit, perhaps even grudgingly, that there's just something about the F3 that feels right. It's not a particularly heavy camera, but it's built to Nikon's pro standard. It is very flexible with countless accessories and has an excellent motor drive option. It's auto exposure mode actually works, and works reliably, even with slide film. In short, it simply grows on you and, if you're like most others, you'll find that you begin to reach for it first more and more often. Its appeal is subtle yet tenacious.

frank · Jul 25, 2016

PeanutNore · Jul 27, 2016

I scooped up an Olympus OM PC (OM40) yesterday because I can't help myself around OM system stuff. It came with a Winder 2, a 50mm f/1.8 and a 50mm f/1.4. The winder needs some TLC to get it working, but I'd love to try it on my OM-1 MD.

Fraunhofer · Jul 27, 2016

I've gotten a Super Ikonta B with an uncoated pre-war Tessar. I am very impressed! This is indeed a portable MF camera and travels well.

puderse · Jul 27, 2016

Got a '59 F in yesterday's mail.

Antonio Marques · Jul 27, 2016

MIOM Photax III (June 2016)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/143217750@N07/tags/photax/

Peltigera · Jul 27, 2016

Was given a Zenit E that had not been used since 1974. The poor storage conditions have caused the aluminium in the lens to start delaminating and I needed to partially disassemble the lens and clean the focus helical before I could focus the lens. Camera seems to be OK but test film will confirm or not.

anfenglin · Jul 27, 2016

New cameras? Hmm...let's see...

From the last two months:
Lomo LC-A x2 - cleaned, new seals
Revue 400 SE - cleaned, defungused
Agfa Billy Record I 6x9 with Schneider Radionar - needs new bellows
Kiev 6C - name engraved, with plain glass prism
Carl Zeiss Jena Werra IV - Cleaned lens (Tessar) and the cocking mechanism
Agfa Isolette III with Solinar 4.5/85 - got it a new bellows, unstuck the lens, serviced the shutter
Praktica IV - took the whole damn thing apart to clean the finder, just to find out, that there's an easy way. Nevermind, it is fine now.

and lenses, accessory range finder etc.....
I just can't help it, if I find a camera I like and it is in bad condition, I take it in and repair it.

fstop · Jul 27, 2016

puderse said:
Got a '59 F in yesterday's mail.

Wow the PO has sped up their service.

Theo Sulphate · Jul 27, 2016

fstop said:
Wow the PO has sped up their service.

ROFL!

Ricardo Miranda · Jul 27, 2016

Theo Sulphate said:
Yes. The locking collar was what caught my attention initially and why I bought it. The lenses that came with it were a very pleasant surprise. Apparently, the original owner bought the camera and those lenses when new, used it lightly, and now I'm keeping the set together.

Nikon's later adoption of using the wind lever to unlock the shutter surprised me when I bought a new FM3a in 2004. I played around with it before reading the manual and thought my new camera was broken! My "muscle-memory" from using cameras for decades just causes me to push the lever in.

Theo,
The first Nikon made SLR with the advance leaver to unlock the shutter was the Nikkormat EL. That model didn't have a motor drive option, so the lever was pulled to standby position to unlock the shutter and turn on the meter.
The next model, the Nikkormat ELW, introduced the unlocking switch around the shutter button to enable operating the motor driver without having to pull the advance lever.
The Nikon EL2 and FM were the last 2 models to have the switch.
When the FE was introduced Nikon found a way to switch on the meter without having to pull the advance lever nor having to turn a switch. That was incorporated on the FM at the same time.
Later the FM2/FE2 and the FM3A had a meter switch on the shutter itself and so they didn't have a switch on the advance lever even though that one still locked the shutter as in the previous models.

Theo Sulphate · Jul 27, 2016

Ricardo Miranda said:
...
The Nikon EL2 and FM were the last 2 models to have the switch.
...

When I bought the FM3a in 2004 I had no knowledge of Nikon's tradition of using the lever as a shutter lock.

My very first Nikon was an F3/T bought new in 1988. This was followed by a few F2's found at camera shows. Those cameras don't use the lever to lock the shutter. The lever being used as a shutter lock was something I'd never heard about or experienced with other cameras.

That incident was actually the second my-new-camera-is-broken sweat experience with Nikon: when I bought the F3/T, I followed the manual page by page. However, I started pointing the camera around the room and the indicated speed kept showing 1/80. Only by accident did I eventually advance to frame 1 and get accurate readings. That little misfeature was mentioned only later in the manual.

CMoore · Jul 27, 2016

[QUOTE="Theo Sulphate, post: 1818216, member: 69596"....... the camera around the room and the indicated speed kept showing 1/80. Only by accident did I eventually advance to frame 1 and get accurate readings. That little misfeature was mentioned only later in the manual.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, why Does That happen.?
Or rather, why did Nikon design it that way.?
Thank You

Theo Sulphate · Jul 27, 2016

CMoore said:
...
Yeah, why Does That happen.?
Or rather, why did Nikon design it that way.?
...

According to the MIR site (which I enjoy and respect very much), Nikon did this as a courtesy:

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonf3ver2/f3manual/basic/basic3.htm

the idea being youre probably loading film in a dark environment and, as you advance the film probably with the back open, you don't want very long exposure times.

However, I think that's flawed. You may not have the dial set on A. Or, more likely, if you have an F3 you know what youre doing. I hate it when manufacturers of products put a twist in normal simple operation because they think they know better than you what youre trying to do.

onre · Jul 27, 2016

The F3P does not have that feature. I've understood it was removed at professional users' request.

Theo Sulphate · Jul 28, 2016

onre said:
The F3P does not have that feature. I've understood it was removed at professional users' request.

Aha! Apparently Nikon have learnt their lesson, as I believe they've not employed that misfeature since.

Ricardo Miranda · Jul 28, 2016

Theo Sulphate said:
Aha! Apparently Nikon have learnt their lesson, as I believe they've not employed that misfeature since.

Errr...no.
Every Nikon AF with the integrated motor drive has an auto load to frame 1: you put the film in until a certain mark, close the back and press the shutter once and the camera will advance to number 1 past these 2 first frames.
I don't remember anyone ever complaining about loosing those frames in a F4.
It is only with the Manual Focus cameras that some have complained.
That feature was introduced with the EM as part of Nikon trying to simplify the film loading for amateurs and specifically for beginners.

Theo Sulphate · Jul 28, 2016

Ricardo Miranda said:
Errr...no.
Every Nikon AF with the integrated motor drive has an auto load to frame 1: you put the film in until a certain mark, close the back and press the shutter once and the camera will advance to number 1 past these 2 first frames.
I don't remember anyone ever complaining about loosing those frames in a F4.

I'm not complaining about autoload to frame 1, nor am I complaining about using "the frames" prior to the indicated frame 1.

The misfeature I'm complaining about is the shutter speed and shutter speed display showing a fixed value prior to frame 1.

Even if I don't have film in the camera and the frame counter is on 0, I want to be able to get accurate readings.

Ricardo Miranda · Jul 28, 2016

Ok Theo, understood.

elcabezagrande · Jul 31, 2016

Nikkormat FTN with Nikkor H 50/2 by Mike Novak, on Flickr

4season · Aug 1, 2016

Alitix V with 50/2.9 Meyer Trioplan:

Theo Sulphate · Aug 1, 2016

4season said:
Alitix V with 50/2.9 Meyer Trioplan...

That's pretty nice. I've never seen one before.

elcabezagrande · Aug 1, 2016

4season said:
Alitix V with 50/2.9 Meyer Trioplan:

How did you get yours to sit up so nicely? Mine always wants to tip over.

4season · Aug 2, 2016

elcabezagrande said:
How did you get yours to sit up so nicely? Mine always wants to tip over.

Blu-Tack or something similar works for me. I have it and my camera angles arranged so that it's totally concealed, that's all.

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

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