Old Cameras

[prime.lens]

Everyone who loves chemical photography should support this group:

http://www.filmferrania.it/#home-section

 

Thanks for this link. I didn't know about them.

[tryphon]

 

Thanks for this link. I didn't know about them.

You are welcome! Ferrania film was very popular in Italy. In the rest of the world it was sold under the 3M label (they owned Ferrania for several years) and they also sold their film in literally hundreds of private labels.

[ravantra]

I really miss Kodachrome. I still shoot film on vacations with either my Pentax MX or my Leica M6.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLsDxvAErTU

[Sasha Royale]

Trapizoid-body Exakta brings back fond memories. I also got an Olympus OM-1 because

API combat photographers carried them (two and three at a time.).

[takkun]

I really miss Kodachrome. I still shoot film on vacations with either my Pentax MX or my Leica M6.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLsDxvAErTU

The only camera I've ever loved more than the M5 was the M6.

[Charles Rice]

Talk about good deals these days - I walked in to National Camera in Edina, MN and picked up a Canon 50mm Macro FD for $40.00

Edited March 1, 2015 by Charles Rice

[Tasmith]

Talk about good deals these days - I walked in to National Camera in Edina, MN and picked up a Canon 50mm Macro FD for $40.00

Was at Service Camera in Baltimore, MD recently and a young photography student wanted to sell his Mamiya RB-67, with film back and 75mm lens. The store was going to give him a grand total of $75 for everything. He decided it wasn't worth selliing and kept his camera.

[comixfan]

I've still got my father's old Beseler SLR, which is the camera I learned to shoot on, but it won't shoot anymore--I just keep it for nostalgia's sake. Even if it did work, I doubt I would actually use it. While I may have a fondness and an appreciation for old film cameras, I can't say that I miss the darkroom days. It was a whole helluva lot of work and it smelled like the devil. It's amazing how far digital cameras have come in the last ten years. I'm shooting with a Fuji kit now that for all intents and purposes feels as close to shooting a real film camera as I can ever remember, and I'm reeeeeeally happy with the results. Plus, my "darkroom" is my laptop instead of a corner in my basement, and I can process my shots anywhere. When I was a kid, I would have thought that could only happen on Star Trek.

[Beechwood]

Was at Service Camera in Baltimore, MD recently and a young photography student wanted to sell his Mamiya RB-67, with film back and 75mm lens. The store was going to give him a grand total of $75 for everything. He decided it wasn't worth selliing and kept his camera.

I walked through a market on saturday, one stall had a dozen cameras or so including a Minolta SLR with several lenses for £15, about $30. including a leather shoulder bag.

 

OK Minolta may not be the most interesting of brands but the price is a sign of the times.

[comixfan]

I walked through a market on saturday, one stall had a dozen cameras or so including a Minolta SLR with several lenses for £15, about $30. including a leather shoulder bag.

 

OK Minolta may not be the most interesting of brands but the price is a sign of the times.

 

Minolta made some nice lenses back in the day, and I'm pretty sure you can mount them on modern Sony DSLRs, which is a plus. I've gotta admit that I love shooting legacy glass when I can.

[TXKat]

 

I have a few Spotmatics: the Spotmatic was my camera in the 1960s and I loved it. One word of caution: if you have the 50mm F1.4 (with the gold coating): these lenses are highly radioactive. I checked them with a Geiger counter and it scared the heck out of me. I am sure these days they couldn't sell them! The other lenses seem to be OK.

 

Geez, I leave the thread for a couple months and come back to learn I may have radioactive lenses in my closet! Sweet!

I haven't read the last couple of posts, so slap me if i've repeated something:

 

The old film camera lenses CAN be used on the digital cameras, but a converter ring is required. B&H (no affiliation) has them for order. I would love to use some of the old glass on the new cameras. (I have a not being used Rebel XT I could convert.) Has anyone done this and if so, what did you think of the resulting shots?

 

And another find.....Blue Moon Camera and Machine does film developing. They are somewhere in the NW part of the country. There are also a couple of places in Dallas that develop film. Hope someone can use this info....it sure helped me!

Edited March 12, 2015 by TXKat

[ac12]

 

It's not so much that I lack enough space, as that I lack an appropriate space. I'm an apartment dweller. There are lease issues. I've checked.

 

As for pouring the chemicals down the drain, that's not what I remember reading elsewhere, some years ago. That's not necessarily to say you're wrong. Just that your information conflicts with others'.

 

I lived in a couple of apartments and figured out how to turn the bathroom into a temporary darkroom.

- I put a sheet of 1/2 inch plywood over the tub, that was my enlarger counter.

- I made a short half sink out of plywood and 1x3 that I put over the toilet and the end sat on the counter. I put my trays in that.

So I did no physical alterations to the apartment.

 

As for chemicals, I guess it also depends on where you live. Some cities may be more strict than others, and if using a septic system it would definitely need to be researched.

[Beechwood]

The fate of old lenses.

[sakayume]

I wouldn't mind a camera lens coffee cup, just not out of one of my lenses!

 

I have an Oly Om-1n, and more recently acquired a Nikon S3 2000 (not sure if it qualifies for this thread?) when I was in Japan, but I'm probably the most amateur film user in existence. I'm still working on getting my exposures right! And being born firmly in the age of colour, I find it hard to "see" in b&w, even though I love the look of b&w photos.

 

I use the OM lenses (with an adapter) on my digital camera too sometimes (I have an e-p2), because I'm too stingy to get more lenses for it besides the kit prime. I'm not sure I'd bother doing so if budget weren't an issue though, it's hard manual focussing without the focus aids that manual film cameras have.

[Beechwood]

I wouldn't mind a camera lens coffee cup, just not out of one of my lenses!

 

I have an Oly Om-1n, and more recently acquired a Nikon S3 2000 (not sure if it qualifies for this thread?) when I was in Japan, but I'm probably the most amateur film user in existence. I'm still working on getting my exposures right! And being born firmly in the age of colour, I find it hard to "see" in b&w, even though I love the look of b&w photos.

 

I use the OM lenses (with an adapter) on my digital camera too sometimes (I have an e-p2), because I'm too stingy to get more lenses for it besides the kit prime. I'm not sure I'd bother doing so if budget weren't an issue though, it's hard manual focussing without the focus aids that manual film cameras have.

 

 

These lens cups are available commercially:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR7.TRC2.A0.H0.Xcamera+lens+mug.TRS0&_nkw=camera+lens+mug&ghostText=&_sacat=0

 

and also on Amazon

[sakayume]

I see. I was wondering whether you'd turned one of your own lenses into a coffee cup.

[basterma]

The mug is made by a Chinese company. I got one as a birthday gift from my brother. It has fooled many a student and colleague, who constantly wonder why I am attached to my lens and carry it with me everywhere. When you put the lid in it, you can really mess with people when they see you drink from it...

 

I have a FED-5C because it was the only way I could get Leica glass. I also had a Nikon FM-3A which was an amazing feeling camera. I went batshit crazy and bought a 30's vintage KW Patent Etui, which was a cool foldable bellows camera. After spending 10 minutes trying to set up and take a picture, I realized that it was quite a lot of grief for getting a few images on 120mm film which had to be taken on a 1 1/2 hour trip to be developed...

 

Alas, my corneas developed defects that mean I can't manually focus; the image looks crisp to my mind, but ends up blurry. So I had to sell most of the stuff. Kept the Fed-5C. Can't part with the brutish thing....

[tryphon]

FEDs and Zorki cameras are fantastic value for money and they will last forever.

[TorPelikan]

FEDs and Zorki cameras are fantastic value for money but need special attention.

I was a little bit careless so I've broken my Zorki-4.

So sad.

 

Now, I prefer my "modern" Olympus Pen F.

It's small and durable.

[cunim]

How about pics of pens with old cameras?