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

A interesting camera. US-made Kodak cameras were not offered here since long time ago, except for their instants.
 
AgX said:
A interesting camera. US-made Kodak cameras were not offered here since long time ago, except for their instants.
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I think that the military Signet 35 is among the best looking cameras ever made. I have been looking for a good example for some time. This one was purchased from the original owner, who has had it since he served in the Korean War.

The black on black USAF version is proving impossible to find, and seems much less common.
 
Contax 167MT w/ Zeiss 45mm F2.8 Both were mint condition with original boxes and paperwork
 
Contax IIA color dial with Sonnar 50mm f2. Nice find at a thrift store.
It was really dirty, had a big dent in the rear, and was not working when I bought it.
Cleaned up nicely. Need some more lenses for it now. =]

 
darinwc said:
Contax IIA color dial with Sonnar 50mm f2. Nice find at a thrift store.
It was really dirty, had a big dent in the rear, and was not working when I bought it.
Cleaned up nicely. Need some more lenses for it now. =]

View attachment 168437
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Very, very nice. The models without the aging selenium meter, such as yours, are more sought after. The color dial version is very elegant - you just don't see detail and machining like that today.

How is the rangefinder and the shutter? With age, the top 1/1250 speed is usually off quite a bit. However, your shutter slats are actually driven by a gear train rather than belts, which is an improvement over Leicas of that era.
 
Took delivery today of a very clean Agfa Super Silette, the earlier version. Everything seems to work and I've started a test roll. I've actually never owned a rangefinder camera before.
 

The 1/1200 is more like 1/700 iirc. But then most vintage cameras that have a1/1000 are quite a bit slower. I don't know if any made 1/1000 even when new.
The shutter sometimes will not fire. As in, I push the button and nothing happens. But can advance to next frame. Reading online, it appears this is common. It can be fixed by a cleaning but it takes quite a lot of disassembly to get to the problem.
The rangefinder appears spot on.
 
Going to be another boomerang...



Last time I owned it was in July-August 2010. Traded it in on a Leica R4 body at Camera Clinic in Shoreline, WA. It has sat in their cabinet since then. Overhauled a couple months before I traded it, so it's still in good working order. I do need to find a decent top cover that's in the 7364xxx-7366xxx serial range, though. It currently wears one from a December 2000 build FM2n that met its untimely demise when a high school student spilled Coke on it, then the instructor decided to wash it with water. Instant parts camera.

-J
 
Why do you bother about the serial number?
 
I replaced the same top piece on an FE that got all mashed up. I was just elated that I found a clean one on eBay. I didn't give a moment's thought to the change is s/n's. The camera was eBay bound anyway. It's an FM or FM2n or whatever and at this day and age, the s/n just ain't gonna matter.
 
I picked up a Lomo 135M a few months ago, before that was a fix me upper non functioning Stereo Realist 2.8 with no leather. I have yet to develop a roll from the Lomo yet, I had been shooting other cameras and have not finished the roll on it yet.
 
This little Canon wonder was waiting for me when I got home. Sourced from a Japanese seller for the princely sum of $5 plus $15 postage, I thought it would be an ideal display mate for the Canonets I do not shoot.

Turns out it is in a far more better condition than described. Even has minty fresh new light seals. Just need to sort out a battery for it now.

 
The Canon Datematic is unique in that it shows the set numbers even in the finder.
 
AgX said:
Why do you bother about the serial number?
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Here's why... I prefer to have my bodies at least somewhat stock. So, having the serial being close to matching the camera, would be nice. Also, if you look at the prism in the photo I posted, there's an "X" that the school had scratched into the donor camera when it was in their camera pool. If the "X" hadn't been there, I probably wouldn't mind as much. I've had some Nikkormat bodies that were true frankensteins when I owned them. Late model FTn with early advance lever, self-timer lever, and an early top. Heck, my first Nikon, a Nikomat FTn which my father bought new, was a frankenstein when I got it. Apparently, he dropped it at one time, and it either was replaced with a later body, but using his old top cover, nameplate, etc, or received a less-damaged 1st version FTn top with his shutter release collar installed. So, I'm not against shooting with frankenstein cameras, but sometimes it's nice to have a camera that has most of its parts from the same month and year.

With respect to FE bodies, I did the same. Had a really beat FE that I bought for $15. Worked fine, but major impact damage to the prism area. Serial was in the 2xxxxxx range. When I was done with it, there was a nice top on it with a 4xxxxxx serial. Sold it off.

-J
 
My most recent thrift store find
A Olympus Mju II for 2$

 
I got back an 'Old Friend' the other day -- my ORIGINAL Asahi Pentax S3 bought for £87 in 1961 in a Camera Shop in Barking, Essex !! I had sold it to a bloke over 40 years ago and he said " It was not Working any more" -- when he brought it round it looked Very Sad -- the lens was COVERED in DUST ! I cleaned up the body with Cotton Buds ( 'Q-Tips' for you Yanks -- but we still LOVE you ! ) I brushed off the lens dust and cleaned with lens fluid and tissues and it was NOT SCRATCHED !! Then I took off the base-plate and with very small amount of Sewing Machine Oil lubricated all the Cogs and Levers -- then gently wound on and LO !! and BEHOLD !! It creaked into life again !! I took a few frames on Fuji Acros processed in my Home-Made Microphen at different shutter speeds and mostly at full aperture and shutter seems accurate -- lens is a bit 'soft' at f1.8 compared with my Super-Takumars and the 50mm f1.4 SMC Takumar of my Spotmatic F but not bad for 55 years old camera !
I did some of my first PRESS Photos with this when I was with Breda Studios at Barking -- I had a Zeiss Contax III and was always chopping off heads of VIP's as the viewfinder was so small -- then one day CLIVE SIMPSON one of the partners showed me HIS camera he had got in Singapore while in the RAF --- this strange sounding 'Asahi Pentax K' with a strange-sounding lens an 'Auto Takumar' -- nobody had ever HEARD of such cameras -- all we knew were Leica, Contax, 5x4 plate cameras etc and the lenses we knew were Leitz Elmars, Zeiss Tessars etc -- but the RESULTS from this weird Jap camera were wonderful -- no parallax as it was an 'SLR' with Pentaprism , . One day I saw a small crowd of 'Camera -Starved Brits' with their noses pressed to the window of the Barking Camera Dealers -- I went over and in the window in pride of place was ONE ONLY Asahi Pentax S3 camera priced £ 87 -- a fortune as Breda Studios were only paying me £ 7 a week!
well- I rushed IN offered my Zeiss Contax III in part exchange and rushed OUT- the proud owner of an ASAHI PENTAX -- and THAT ( so they Say ) is where the story Begins ----
Asahi Pentax S3 03 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr

Asahi Pentax S3 02 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr

Asahi Pentax S3 01 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr
 
I did a trade through a Facebook photography group. I'm getting a Minolta CLE. I'm wary of electronic cameras and their unrepairability should a discontinued circuit board break, but I've always wanted to try one.
 
pentaxpete said:
I got back an 'Old Friend' the other day -- my ORIGINAL Asahi Pentax S3 bought for £87 in 1961...
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Wonderful story - the camera looks nice. Glad you got it back!
 
I suck at photographing equipment, but like to blame my equipment photography equipment.

 
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