SHOW US YOUR CAMERAS!!

Doc Sharptail · Joined: 23 Nov 2020 Posts: 608 Location: Winnipeg Canada

There were match needle metering finders for the Nikon F-2, which are by far the most common, and were slightly cheaper.
It is still my preferred nikon finder.

The M/D-4 for the F-3 may have been an ergonomic wonder, but it sure was not a fully thought-out design.
There was no such thing as taking the winder off mid-roll. It could be done with a changing bag- otherwise the film on the take up spool would be re-exposed. The thread-in motor drive cap on the camera body was a poorly conceived work-around.
Mine with full battery pack made for a heavy, and bulky camera.
I really don't miss the F-3 at all.

-D.S.

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 2864 Location: Switzerland

@ cooltouch:

Thanks a lot for - again! - sharing your vast experience. It's always a joy to read your stories, and I hope you'll continue Wink

.

Sadly, I'm too "young" to have real experience with these most beautiful SLRs from the 1970s and early 1980s. Back then when the New F-1 came out I was barely 12 years old, and using my father's Mamiya ZE ... the only "real" thing back then were the advertising brochures for the New F-1 and the Leica M6, which I both kept with me all the time (and especially during boring high school lessons)! The brochure for the Nikon F3 didn't really convince me, and so I never really thought of getting one when I was 16 (and considering buying my first professional SLR) ...

Of course these days I can play with all those nice SLRs, but your experience is way more profound - either having used them as a professional photographer, or having sold them as a camera dealer.

Thanks again!

S

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9107 Location: Houston, Texas

Thanks for the kind words, Steve. Back in the 80s, when I was most heavily involved with Canon gear, my chosen cameras were 10 years old or more. My first F-1 was the first version, and I bought it because of positive experiences I had with an FTb. I bought it used, and it looked like it had seen hard duty as a hockey puck. But everything worked and continued to work for as long as I owned it. I bought my first F2 in 1989, and it was a "71", so it was almost 20 years old. I still own that camera, and like the F-1, it has never missed a lick. So I guess what I'm saying is, I wasn't playing with cutting-edge gear either. If anything, I was being intentionally anachronistic.

Doc, when I refer to "match needle metering" I'm referring to a specific metering type, where two needles are brought together to indicate correct exposure, such as is found on the Canon FTb, F-1, Pentax KX, Nikon FE, and others. I too own a couple of F2 DP-1 finders, but they have a single needle that is centered to indicate correct exposure. In the end, both systems accomplish the same thing. For me, I think it's what I got used to early on, and I just preferred to stick with it.

The F3 was hardly the only camera that couldn't have the motor removed mid-roll without exposing the film. With the original Canon F-1, the entire bottom plate of the camera had to be removed to mount the motor. And the New F-1 didn't fare much better. It's been quite a while since I've removed the drive from my New F-1, but as I dimly recall, there are at least three caps that must be removed to mount the drive, so chances are it wouldn't survive that test, either. But I don't recall ever having a situation where I needed to remove any drive mid-roll anyway, so that's been a non-issue for me. In terms of motor drives in general, when it comes to simplicity of use, I find the Nikon MD12 and I believe also the Minolta MD-1 to be really hard to beat. Just mount and go. Canon's MD MA (for the A-1 and AE-1 Program) is almost as easy, but it's a two-step process to mount and dismount that drive.

Heh, I've never regarded the F3 with MD4 as a heavyweight. Not after spending many a day with an old F-1 with motor slung around my neck.

Doc Sharptail · Joined: 23 Nov 2020 Posts: 608 Location: Winnipeg Canada

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 440 Location: New Zealand

#1

#2

One of the lesser known DKL leaf shutter cameras, this one has a working shutter but a dead meter. I was thinking of trying a repair, but usually my nerves fail me on anything rare or valuable.

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 2864 Location: Switzerland

titrisol70 · Joined: 14 Dec 2021 Posts: 73 Location: State of Denial

I learned abut this camera in the early 2000s and was curious about it. The lines for 35-50-90mm lenses are bright and work great.

Here is with the 130/4 Telinear lens that needs a special viewfinder

Ambi-Silette and 130/4

titrisol70 · Joined: 14 Dec 2021 Posts: 73 Location: State of Denial

After several years of negotiating my father in law agreed to pass-on his SP-F
He bought it new in the mid70s and has used it a lot, has some lovely brassing
The 35/3.5 is a wonderful piece of glass!

ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars · Joined: 03 Nov 2021 Posts: 136 Location: Austria

My OM-2N and the two silver noses I own.

ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars · Joined: 03 Nov 2021 Posts: 136 Location: Austria

This OM-2SP ate batteries like candies, luckily of the LR-44 type. So supply is still good, I might try a color negative film with it once the Ilford in the OM-3 is spent. I bought this camera in the 90s, when everybody was keen on autofocus, for very little money.

ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars · Joined: 03 Nov 2021 Posts: 136 Location: Austria

My Konica Autoreflex TC. It misses some of the features of the Autoreflex T and T3, but it is in weight and size comparable to an Olympus body. According to konicafiles.com, TC´s with capital written "KONICA" were the first version and produced from early 1976 until September 1977, and about serial number 380.000 the inscription on the viewfinder changed to small letters after the K. This camera has production number 378.324.

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 2864 Location: Switzerland

starbucklover69 · Joined: 27 Nov 2022 Posts: 6 Location: Swiss

This is my little Olympus Pen F Collection.
With Pen FT in Chrome and beauty Black Version and Lenses 20mm f3.5 , 25 f2.5 , 38 f1.8 , 40 f1.4 , 42 f1.2 , 60 f1.5 , 70 f2 , 100 f3.5 , 150 f4 , 250 f5 and the 50-90 f3.5 Zoom.

55 · Expire: 2022-06-15

starbucklover69 · Joined: 27 Nov 2022 Posts: 6 Location: Swiss

starbucklover69 · Joined: 27 Nov 2022 Posts: 6 Location: Swiss

55 · Expire: 2022-06-15

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 440 Location: New Zealand

These two cameras are both rebadged Petri cameras, marketed by Ihagee West, after they won a court case with the East German company of the same name. Their first release was the Exakta Real, using a new bayonet mount. Following that was the Twin TL, a Cosina Hi-Lite rebadge, still using the new mount. Then it was released in M42, and then following that, these two Petri cameras, based on the Petri 1/1000s M42 chassis, were released. The 55/1.8 lens on the left is a Petri made lens with a decent reputation. The one on the right looks to be made by Sankor, possibly based on previous 55/1.4 designs from other manufacturers.

The cameras are almost identical apart from the omission of the 1/1000s speed and the timer from the left hand camera. Actually there is a further difference, in the metering system. On the TL-500, the metering works anytime the stop down button is used, exactly the same as any other M42 stop down camera from that period. On the TL-1000, the meter turns on when the camera shutter is cocked, and off when the shutter is released. This setup was first featured on the Petriflex 7 camera, and is retained here. You still have to stop down manually with the same lever as on the TL-500.

This caused me some confusion when I received the TL-1000, I though the meter was defective. When I took the top cover off to try and fix the perceived 'fault', I noticed the camera is quite nicely made, despite the lowly reputation (not) enjoyed by Petri cameras.