OFFICIAL I HAVE A NEW (FILM RELATED) TOY THREAD!!

Strappy said:
Not a new toy, strictly speaking, but the return of an old favourite. :D

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This is the Yashica Electro 35 GX that I bought back in 2011. After a few years and with a burgeoning collection combined with no time to use them, I decided to sell. Suz ( @srichards ) bought it and I thought I'd move on to using my Canon P when I needed a rangefinder fix.

Fast forward and it turned out that this is one camera I really missed. Even after I lost my photo-mojo, I regretted not having this little thing. I'd put in a lot of research before buying as I was looking specifically for a rangefinder with aperture priority, something of a rarity back in the day. The Yashica gives cracking images despite my fat fingers and it's small, light and robust enough to pop in a bag and forget until needed.

A couple of weeks ago I contacted Suz and asked if she still had the camera and whether she'd be interested in selling it back. I think you can see how the story ends. ;)

Suz generously included a roll of film too, a Washi ISO500 I've never used before. Thanks again, Suz!
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I think I have one of these in a job lot of cameras somewhere. From memory it seemed to work but takes a strange sized battery no longer manufactured. How did you get around that?
 
PX640A: (see our web page http://www.smallbattery.company.org.uk/sbc_pc640a.htm)

Yashica TL Electro (most but not all)

Yashica Electro 35 FC

Yashica Electro GX

Yashica Lynx 14-E

Yashica Lynx 5000E

The substitute battery is 1.5V rather than the 1.35V of the original mercury cell. I'm not sure whether the camera's circuitry can accommodate the difference without compromising the auto-exposure. There is an adapter which takes care of the voltage difference, an MR52.

Anyway I should get out and take some pictures with your camera, you won't be disappointed, especially in low light.
 
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Jakemico AE-1P said:
I think I have one of these in a job lot of cameras somewhere. From memory it seemed to work but takes a strange sized battery no longer manufactured. How did you get around that?
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I have a couple of LR44 adapters that I bought off ebay. Mine came from a chap in Japan but I think there are many selling the same thing closer to home now. There's no corrective circuitry (an option on some more expensive button battery adapters) so it's a choice between 2 x LR44 and adjusting the film speed or using 675 hearing aid batteries, which are the same shape and give 1.4v but run out a lot sooner (and require a breather hole). I'm currently using a pair of LR44 that I took out of my FE2 which measured 1.35v on my multimeter. Another alternative is the PC640A sold by Small Battery Company (when it's in stock), which is a direct replacement in size but is also 1.5v so the same thing about the meter applies.

That said, I think most modern consumer negative film has enough latitude to cope with the meter reading a little out. I've never noticed a problem (though I'm hardly a prolific photographer, especially recently) and I've read plenty of anecdotal evidence on forums that the GX meter electronics cope just fine with the additional voltage; as long as the battery check lights up then it's good to go.
 
It's been a while since I've bought, rather than built, myself a 'new' camera but when I saw this available for a good price I could't resist.

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It's a Thornton Pickard quarter plate All Weather Press Camera, made in this version for 1 year between 1920-21. The original leather bellows are a few folds away from dust, so I stripped those on Friday and used them to make a new template out of my standard bellows PU nylon and laser cut fold guides. I've built a first test set by hand to make sure the folds all work, so I'm good to go with a proper set.

The focal plane shutter was pretty seized when it arrived, but after an hour or so of gentle working it's now cocking/firing petty smoothly. The fact it runs up to 1/1000th is one of the reasons I bought it, along with the folding front lens plate design, as they're both features I'd like to add into future SnapShots ;0). The shutter still needs work, as the curtains are overlapping slightly, but I've been speaking to Graham Burnett (Graflex Parts) as he's the go to man for all things shutters, and he's given me some tips on resolving that.

Once I've got the shutter working properly, I need to design/print a mounting plate for my 6x12 rollfilm holder (although it will be cropped at around 108mm wide), as well as printing a new sliding lens board (already drawn up) and integrate a helicoid. I'm not 100% sure what lens I'll mount yet, but I keep looking at an Auto Ektar that's in my workshop and wondering if it's a really stupid idea to mount such a heavy lens to the front, or a really good one...
 
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Jakemico AE-1P said:
Well… impulse bought a 300mm lens.

Something told me I needed it.
Canon FD 300mm F4 L.
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I have one that I sometimes use on my Fuji X-T2 even with a 2x converter. Great lens, I had one back when I shot Canon F1ns when there was no digital, wish I'd never sold it. Now I have it back again (not the same one) and still have one of my F1ns to put it on if the mood takes me. (y)
 
I've got one of those somewhere. Quite an impressive bit of kit, especially the colour, I keep meaning to run a film through it and you've inspired me to dig through the cupboard and try it.
 
freecom2 said:
Phenomenal. Which one do you like the most? I've had a longstanding itch to upgrade my 80mm Planar C to a CF.
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In truth, I just picked up a new 503cw.
I like the CF as the EV's are not coupled unless you press the button.

In my opinion the CF lenses are the best, the CFE and CFI types have cheap plastic hood bayonets and the lettering wears off the barrel too easily.
 
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My winder CW plus remote arrived today so I'm good to go.
Just need to learn how to take good pictures now.
 
Two recent finds...

A Koroll II in almost unused condition, hardly a mark on the case even. Takes 24 3x4 pictures on 120 film.

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An another Mamiyaflex, a C330f, with the most modern 80mm f2.8 lens. Novelty value over the C2 and C220? It has a self cocking shutter!

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I just received a small "pancake" lens, a 150mm f/9 G Claron which some people say will cover 5x7. Probably about half the size of an OM 50mm f/1.8 lens. Most of the size is in the Copal 0 size shutter.
 
I have been a bit under the weather lately so I did what any sane person would - I made a large pot of tea and perused Ebay. The result was a mere three cameras (it would gave been more but finances, you know).

First, the VP Twin by E. Elliott Co. It dates from the late 1930s and is in usable condition - not that I will use this one.
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Next is this Finetta 88 from Saraber in Goslay, Germany. This one is in very good condition and will certainly be used.16388785743674380073421057271886.jpg16388787104395839382979924622420.jpg

The third one is this Canon AL-1. Also in good condition - electronic fully functioning but with a dodgy battery door which I have had to tape closed - a common fault, it would seem. This uses the Canon FD lens mount. The AL-1 was just pre-autofocus but has a focus confirmation system which seems to work at least OK. This camera is also going to be used. The camera came with a Sunagor lens which I have never heard of before.
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I had a VP Twin once, originally it had a label round the lens. The label fell off so it became an anonymous VP Twin, like yours.
 
Been looking for one of this since my M7 passed away. Then one appeared. In Chester. With 6 a month warranty!

It's very minty...

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The online reviews are right: This is a very usable camera.
 
Pardon my ignorance of small matters :p, but what it is? A 35mm camera from Zeiss with a Leitz lens but model?

Otherwise new camera = good thing. (y)
 
StephenM said:
Pardon my ignorance of small matters :p, but what it is? A 35mm camera from Zeiss with a Leitz lens but model?

Otherwise new camera = good thing. (y)
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Zeiss Ikon. 35mm rangefinder with aperture priority, mahoosive finder and half the price of an M7.
 
@ Ian.

I see you left a comment in the thread regarding my Hasselblad saying you were still after one.
You might want to start a new thread as the old one is dropping of the bottom of the list.
 
soupdragon said:
@ Ian.

I see you left a comment in the thread regarding my Hasselblad saying you were still after one.
You might want to start a new thread as the old one is dropping of the bottom of the list.
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Thanks Tony.
 
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I've been thinking of getting back into film photography for a while, so ended up buying a Bronica ETRsi, haven't had chance to try it out yet, as I need to buy some 120 film and battery for it, I was lucky to find one that looks like its hardly been used, I'll photograph it when I get a little more time to myself.

I'm looking forward to trying it out, the last medium format camera was a Mamiya C330s, I really shouldn't have sold it.
 
This Eastman Negat.ive Album of postcard (3 1/4" x 5 1/2") negatives is very intriguing, I'm looking forward to scanning them, perhaps 50 decent negatives in total. I've already looked at them on the light box (ex portable X-ray viewer). To scan them I will have to make a mask for the viewer and use my DSLR or a mask for the flat bed scanner.

I like the negative format, just imagine being able to take negatives of this size on roll film.

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Here are a couple of frames, by no means representative of the whole set, showing a front line picket and the camp. Looks like they are expecting something to kick off.

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The second shot above has an interesting vehicle in the background.

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So when could these pictures have been taken? I did find a reference to a Third Afghan War in 1919?
 
From the same source, a couple of albums of 35mm negatives.

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On face value, the negatives are from the 1950's but, looking at a few examples, they might be jumbled up with some more recent films. I don't think that Ilford XP1 was available in the 50's.
 
Ladha (bottom right top photo) is in Pakistan in the Khyber region so quite near to Afghanistan and the vehicle certainly looks like it's from the right era.
 
dmb said:
Keeping it at distance focus that would work for the FFFSFA challenge.
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Yes, I can set it to 10 foot to infinity with the lens pushed in. It's also probably only effective with the shutter on INST at approximately 1/30 second. The TIME setting, which is actually B, is effectively useless as the camera has neother a tripod socket nor provision for a cable release. So, on that basis, does it qualify?
 
PeterSpencer said:
Yes, I can set it to 10 foot to infinity with the lens pushed in. It's also probably only effective with the shutter on INST at approximately 1/30 second. The TIME setting, which is actually B, is effectively useless as the camera has neother a tripod socket nor provision for a cable release. So, on that basis, does it qualify?
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Absolutely :clap:
 
My sister is chuffing awesome. A few months back I posted about the mode dial on my EOS 5 going bananas. I mentioned it to my sister at the time (cos I basically have no friends) and yesterday she presented me with a camera case containing... an EOS 30. I am so utterly happy as I was almost at the point of being brave enough to take apart the 5 to see if I could follow instructions to fix it but miles from being able to afford to replace it.

Oh, and a load of film to go with it, bless her.
 
My 75yr old neighbour said "you like cameras, I might have couple for you". Anyway he popped round today and said these were his dad's and could I use themIMG_20211228_105621128_HDR.jpg
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So it's a Zeiss Ikon Contaflex with a Compur shutter and a 50mm lens plus another 35mm lens and numerous filters, case, box etc.

The shutter operates at all speeds, focus is clear and the selenium meter has life in it. I'm not sure which model it is and can't figure how to get the back off. Anyone have any ideas on the model so I can download a manual for it?

The other one is this
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Shutter works too. Would this Coronet be 120? As best I tell it's basically a folding single speed camera - in essence a box camera but easier to go in a pocket,

I've got 35mm and 120 films at home so assuming I can open the Contaflex and the Coronet is 120 they'll both have films run through them.

As he was leaving, and I'd of course thanked him profusely he pulls a Coronet Midget out his pocket saying "you can't have this, it was my brothers and he died in 1959".

Anyway they both support a certain charity that is close them so I'll make a suitable donation. It was very kind of him to give me the cameras and very touching to hear about his brothers Midget.
 
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auntiemaryscanary said:
My 75yr old neighbour said "you like cameras, I might have couple for you". Anyway he popped round today and said these were his dad's and I could I use themView attachment 339164
View attachment 339166

So it's a Zeiss Ikon Contaflex with a Compur shutter and a 50mm lens plus another 35mm lens and numerous filters, case, box etc.

The shutter operates at all speeds, focus is clear and the selenium meter has life in it. I'm not sure which model it is and can't figure how to get the back off. Anyone have any ideas on the model so I can download a manual for it?
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To get the back off, you turn the two keys on the base - the base and back come away as one.
 
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