SHOW US YOUR CAMERAS!!

[stevemark]

[Doc Sharptail]

There's been an FM for sale here for about 10 days or so.
I can't get get past the L.E.D. display- other wise a fine fully mechanical camera that will still run without batteries.
The scaling down is not as extreme as later series cameras~ FG for example, which can be hard for me to control.
I think I'm going to stop on bodies for a while. The 2, F-2's , 1 F-3 daily carry sees all the others sit unused, which is a bit beyond original intent

-D.S.

[stevemark]

[stevemark]

Another Minolta which ist quite uncommon outside of Japan:



The XD-s basically is XD with built-in diopter adjustment for its viewfinder. While some claim it was sold only in Japan, I know firsthand that it officially (ie by Minolta Switzerland) imported to Switzerland as well. According to Josef Scheibel, a well known German Minolta book author, it wasn't sold in any other country. Every now and then a like-new XD-s appears on the market here, usually in like new condition. Here its is shown with the sought-after Minolta MD 5.6/250mm mirror lens - a rare combination, and probably not seen very often.



Another image of the XD-s, here with the MD-II 2.8/24mm lens. The MD-II shares the same optics with all previous versions except the early, heavy MC-X which seems to have slightly different glass. The later MD-III as well as the AF have a completely new computation, though.



Another pretty rare MD lens on the XD-s - the Minolta MD 4/17mm. Originally delivered as MC-X, the MD version shown here (as well as the later MD-III) share the same optical construction. It certainly is much better than the Tokina RMC 3.5/17mm, and as good as the Carl Zeiss Distagon CY 4/18mm. I have compared the Zeiss side-by-side with the Minolta 4/17mm, the Minoilta having a tad worse resolution in the corners, but also a slightly better contrast and colors. And if we acknowledge that the Minolta is wider than the Zeiss, its overall performance certainly is as good as that of the Distagon 4/18mm.

S

[stevemark]

Here we a few nice Rollei TLRs:



On the left there's an early post-war Rolleicord IId with a Schneider Kreuznach Xenar 3.5/75 lens. This version of the Rolleicord was manufactured between 1949 and 1951; totally a mere 2800 units were made. Note that only the taking lens is coated.

Next (mid-left) comes a Rolleiflex Automat 6x6 (Model K4A) with Zeiss Opton Tessar 1:3.5 f=75mm. This version of the Rolleiflex was made between 1951 and 1954 in large quantities. The camera shown here was in pretty bad schape when I got it, but after some cleaning it looks acceptable. Its shutter is working, and the lenses are clean as well.

Both these cameras come from the collection of Swiss-German entrepreneur who sold me some quite interesting stuff a few years ago. It's the guy who had been - when he was 16-17 years old - involved in V2 rocketry at Peenemünde (Gremnay), together with Wernher von Braun.

Then (mid-right) there's a nice greyish Rolleiflex T (Model K8 T1) with a Carl Zeiss Tessar 1:3.5 f=75mm lens. This one is very well preserved; I got it only about a year ago together with a Plaubel Makina and an old English large format SLR.

Finally there's the Rolleicord Vb, equipped with a Schneider Kreuznach Xenar 1:3.5/75mm. It's like new, and it did belong to my aunt who bought around 1975 to replace her earlier (f2.8??) Rolleiflex. She said she was never happy with it, always complainig how much better her previous Rolleiflex had been. I've been using the camera occasionaly when I was younger, but generally I did prefer the Mamyia 645 because it was more in line with my the Minolta SLRs.

I used to have also an early Rolleiflex from around 1930, originally belonging to my father. However it seems that one ended up with my brother after my father died ...

S

[cooltouch]

I've owned a couple of the one second from the left, or close to it. Automat MX/EVS is how I always referred to it. Fantastic shooters.

I also owned a 2.8 C and a 2.8 D. I really loved the character of those lenses.

[stevemark]

While I can't compete with Edgar's (DigiChromEd) beautiful black Konica T's, I recently got a nice T2 which complements my little collection of the large Konica T bodies.



The original Autoreflex T is at the left/back side, the Konica T2 in the middle, the T3 at the left/front, and the T3 (New) with its modified body shape and the integrated hotshoe is on the right.
All four cameras are shown with contemporary f1.4 lenses - the T and the T2 with 1.4/57mm lenses and the T3 / T3 (New) with the 1.4/50mm lenses.

All these cameras are beautiful, heavy and rugged beasts. All have a fully mechanical shutter, and all do rely on mercury batteries for metering.

I'd prefer to have those bodies in black - however they are pretty scarce in Switzerland. I have two of them (a black T and a black T3), but they look pretty battered. Unlike the Minolta XD (and the Leica, of course) which had a black chrome plating finish, the black T's were painted. And paint isn't as durable as chrome plating ...

S

[DigiChromeEd]

That's a nice collection Steve.

[kansalliskala]

Smena 7. Ugly but works.


#1

[DigiChromeEd]

Voigtlander Bessaflex TM

[DigiChromeEd]

Pentax SV (used to belong to Sir Harry Secombe)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Secombe

[stevemark]

I certainly don't collect Leica stuff - but from time to time a nice item at an irresistable price pops up, and then ...

My "newest" Leica here, the original Leicaflex, just came in yesterday. It seems to work fine, and it is a beautiful piece of mechanical craftsmanship for sure (camera on the very left). The others I had already before - a Leicaflex SL, a Leica R3, a Leica R4 and a Leica R5. With exception of the Leicaflex SL all of them are in working order, and all were in the CHF 50.-- to CHF 80.-- price range.

S

[Alun Thomas]

#1


#2


A Mamiya Sekor CPH from the early-mid 60s, with the other 2 available lenses, although there was possibly a 48/2.8 for it as well. It is a leaf shutter SLR, the second of two models, with the later model having a light meter.

[Alun Thomas]

#1


#2


Another leaf shutter SLR from Kowa, along with a selection of available lenses, some very large for the maximum aperture given. The 1.8 normal lens is said to be the largest for a leaf shutter SLR.

[Alun Thomas]

#1


#2


This SLR from Ropcon was a continuation of their UV mount, although for the last camera they moved from a leaf shutter to a focal plane cloth type. This allowed them to use an F/1.8 lens also, and was possibly mechanically simpler.

[Alun Thomas]

#1


#2


Yet another leaf shutter SLR from Fujinon, with it's 2 available extra lenses. A very quirky camera with both focus and exposure controlled from thumb wheels near the film advance lever.

[Alun Thomas]

#1


#2


A camera with a very convoluted lineage, the SL11 is a rebadge of the first model of the Ricoh Singlex, which was itself an almost exact copy of the Nikkorex F. All of which were made by Mamiya, and which was one of the earlier cameras to adopt a vertical metal bladed shutter from Copal. The Ricoh and Sears versions had a modified version of Nikon's F mount, such that the Rikenon lens cannot fit a Nikon camera, but a Nikon lens could fit the Ricoh and Sears versions. Sears sourced two extra lenses from a new company on the block known as Sigma for their version.

[Alun Thomas]

#1


A nice clean example of minolta's second SLR released, the lower cost SR-1. This is the earlier version marked Chiyoda Kogaku, and having the capability for the winder that Minolta never did release. I think possibly the 53mm lens is not the correct one for this earlier model, but that's how it got sold to me.

[Alun Thomas]

#1


The second and third version of Yashica's first SLR range.

[Alun Thomas]

#1


A somewhat less exotic camera, but in almost as-new condition such that I'm not sure it's ever had a film through it.

[Alun Thomas]

#1


This Wards camera is a rebadged Yashica J model, and the lens bears the makers name instead of the more commonly seen Yashinon badge.

[Alun Thomas]

#1


A quite clean example of the Porst CR-1 and lens, a rebadged Fujinon.

[kansalliskala]

Topcon set is really cool!

[stevemark]

Thanks for sharing all these images! Lots of rather unusual and/or uncommon cameras, for sure!

S

[tromboads]

Plus 1 to what Steve said. What a glorious scroll over some unusual things!