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04-06-2017, 11:45 AM - 2 Likes   #4861
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04-06-2017, 01:32 PM - 1 Like   #4862
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QuoteOriginally posted by WPRESTO Quote
1) Good luck finding a Contax in good working order, or getting one fixed if it isn't working.
Depending on where one lives*, getting a good Contax rangefinder is not as hard as might be imagined. Getting Zeiss lenses may well break one's bank however.

QuoteOriginally posted by WPRESTO Quote
But the question is: does the shutter function properly? Neither the most reliable FP shutter, nor the easiest to repair.
The shutter are fairly reliable except for the silk ribbons that drive them. If the shutter fails, a broken ribbon is usually the cause. Those are "wear" parts by design and not any harder to replace than the ribbons on a cloth focal plane shutter. Replacement ribbons are available through aki-asahi, fedka, microtools, and probably other places. Rick Oleson's instructions are a good reference:

http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-29.html

Ribbon replacement on Kiev is the same.


Steve

*...there is a certain well-known Contax repair person in my region who supports a certain little-known vintage camera shop...

Last edited by stevebrot; 04-06-2017 at 01:40 PM.
04-09-2017, 01:01 PM   #4863
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Depending on where one lives*, getting a good Contax rangefinder is not as hard as might be imagined. Getting Zeiss lenses may well break one's bank however.



The shutter are fairly reliable except for the silk ribbons that drive them. If the shutter fails, a broken ribbon is usually the cause. Those are "wear" parts by design and not any harder to replace than the ribbons on a cloth focal plane shutter. Replacement ribbons are available through aki-asahi, fedka, microtools, and probably other places. Rick Oleson's instructions are a good reference:

Contax Shutter Ribbons

Ribbon replacement on Kiev is the same.


Steve

*...there is a certain well-known Contax repair person in my region who supports a certain little-known vintage camera shop...
Yes. Thanks.

I'm more bewildered by the Nikon S2 comments... I am admittedly the least versed in those bodies, but I seem to see them for sale fairly regularly in quite decent condition and while not cheap, they're certainly below the monstrous amounts that Leica and Rollei seem to flit about with.
04-09-2017, 03:29 PM   #4864
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QuoteOriginally posted by chickentender Quote
I'm more bewildered by the Nikon S2 comments...
Perhaps because of the current body at KEH: BGN $3,962.00, marked down from $4299


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04-09-2017, 05:10 PM   #4865
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Perhaps because of the current body at KEH: BGN $3,962.00, marked down from $4299
Wha whaaaaaaaaaaat? Really? So what is with the many on Ebay in the $300-800 range?? (again, I've only passing knowledge of these. I've never even shot one.)
04-09-2017, 07:19 PM   #4866
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QuoteOriginally posted by chickentender Quote
Wha whaaaaaaaaaaat? Really? So what is with the many on Ebay in the $300-800 range?? (again, I've only passing knowledge of these. I've never even shot one.)
Nikon S2 35mm Rangefinder Camera Body | KEH Camera

It is black body + chrome dial, that is probably part of the price. Steve Gandy says they are rare.

https://cameraquest.com/nrfs2bl.htm


Steve

Last edited by stevebrot; 04-09-2017 at 07:26 PM.
04-09-2017, 07:23 PM   #4867
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Nikon S2 35mm Rangefinder Camera Body | KEH Camera

It is black body + chrome dial, that is probably part of the price. Steve Gandy says they are the rarest of the rare.

Nikon S2 Black


Steve
Ahhhhh. Yes. That most certainly is it. I prefer black bodies and I recall over a year ago I first priced S2 bodies on ebay and went looking for that combination. I promptly aborted that search.

04-11-2017, 09:03 AM - 4 Likes   #4868
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5 TLR cameras, They all work, and I use them all.

04-11-2017, 10:38 AM - 6 Likes   #4869
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From yesterday's outing with fellow forum member GerryM.

04-12-2017, 09:36 AM - 2 Likes   #4870
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A few recent posts here have nudged my recall and creative bent some. Enough for me to pull some gear out of my photo cabinet and set up a background.

This first one is a pic of my two oldest SLRs, a mid-to-late 60s Spotmatic and an early 60s Nikon F with the original non-TTL Photomic finder. The meter sorta works on the Spottie, and on the Nikon F, not only does it work, but it's accurate. There were two types of this finder. The first model has a semaphore used to turn on and off the meter. Essentially it just moves a patch of darkness in front of it to deactivate it. And the second one actually has an on-off switch. This is the first type with the semaphore. As for the Spotmatic, I know there have been a host of different models. This one just says "Spotmatic" and I'm assuming it's one of the earliest since it doesn't say SP or SP 500 or SP 1000 or some such. Its shutter speeds range from 1 sec to 1/1000. You'll note that I have an accessory cold shoe attached to the Spottie. I just leave it on the camera. That way I know where it is in case I need it.





I bought both camera bodies without lenses. For the Spotmatic, I hunted around on eBay a bit and found a clean 50/1.4 to fit. It isn't the 8-element one, sadly. For the Nikon, I already owned a couple of 50s with the prong, but at that time, the 50s I owned were all AI or AIs. Nowadays I own one 50/1.4 that is pre-AI, but it is a very late pre-AI with the rubberized focusing collar, which just doesn't seem appropriate with this early camera. I grabbed the next best thing for this shot. My trusty old 55mm f/3.5 Micro Nikkor that I've dated to 1964. I've owned this lens for over 25 years and it's one of the sharpest lenses in my collection. It's a bit scruffy looking, but at least it's from the period.
04-12-2017, 05:03 PM - 2 Likes   #4871
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Workhorses of the 1970s -- and beyond . . . way beyond. Clockwise from the left rear: Nikon Nikkormat FT3, Canon FTbn, Pentax KX, Pentax Spotmatic F.

04-12-2017, 09:08 PM   #4872
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QuoteOriginally posted by cooltouch Quote
A few recent posts here have nudged my recall and creative bent some. Enough for me to pull some gear out of my photo cabinet and set up a background.

This first one is a pic of my two oldest SLRs, a mid-to-late 60s Spotmatic and an early 60s Nikon F with the original non-TTL Photomic finder. The meter sorta works on the Spottie, and on the Nikon F, not only does it work, but it's accurate. There were two types of this finder. The first model has a semaphore used to turn on and off the meter. Essentially it just moves a patch of darkness in front of it to deactivate it. And the second one actually has an on-off switch. This is the first type with the semaphore. As for the Spotmatic, I know there have been a host of different models. This one just says "Spotmatic" and I'm assuming it's one of the earliest since it doesn't say SP or SP 500 or SP 1000 or some such. Its shutter speeds range from 1 sec to 1/1000. You'll note that I have an accessory cold shoe attached to the Spottie. I just leave it on the camera. That way I know where it is in case I need it.





I bought both camera bodies without lenses. For the Spotmatic, I hunted around on eBay a bit and found a clean 50/1.4 to fit. It isn't the 8-element one, sadly. For the Nikon, I already owned a couple of 50s with the prong, but at that time, the 50s I owned were all AI or AIs. Nowadays I own one 50/1.4 that is pre-AI, but it is a very late pre-AI with the rubberized focusing collar, which just doesn't seem appropriate with this early camera. I grabbed the next best thing for this shot. My trusty old 55mm f/3.5 Micro Nikkor that I've dated to 1964. I've owned this lens for over 25 years and it's one of the sharpest lenses in my collection. It's a bit scruffy looking, but at least it's from the period.
Thanks for posting a photo of those two together. Much is made of the F-Photomic's bulk, but your photo rightly shows that the actual body size is not particularly massive in the same sense as the Topcon Super D. Likelwise, the Spotmatic is not particularly tiny.*


Steve

* FWIW, the M-series Leica are not particularly tiny either.
04-12-2017, 09:21 PM - 2 Likes   #4873
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Two warhorses from the 70s (as in the press corps wars) with an LX tossed in just because these are the Pentax forums.
Featured are a Nikon F2 Photomic with DP-1 finder and MD-2/MB-2 motor drive and a Canon F-1n, the second version of the original F-1, with the Motor Drive MF.


Last edited by cooltouch; 05-17-2017 at 01:17 AM.
04-13-2017, 03:13 AM   #4874
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For a short time I had a Canon EF*, the amateur version of the Canon F1, and thought it was akin to carrying a brick. The F1 with motor drive must be like trying to hold a cinder block with one hand.

*FYI: Purchased used so I could use a Canon 24mm TSS. Canon seems always to have offered the best TSS lenses.
04-13-2017, 08:17 AM   #4875
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A lot of folks prefer the F-1's Winder F because it is much smaller and lighter than the Motor Drive MF. But it is noiser than the MD MF and it's just plain slow. The reason why it's noiser is because it is slower. You hear the winder grind away as it slowly winds film at a leisurely 2 fps. The MD MF cranks film at a better 3.5 fps, and since it's quicker, it's noise occurs over a shorter period of time.

I have used the old F-1 with Motor Drive MF for years and I'll grant you that the combination is hefty, but I've developed a couple of techniques that make it easier to use. When shooting landscape orientation, I definitely always use my left hand to help support the weight. When I shoot in portrait orientation, I hold the motor drive with the handle at the bottom, and hit the shutter button with my thumb. This is a very stable position with the camera/motor drive resting directly above my forearm, which is also in a vertical position, plus I keep my wrist straight, so it's all in a straight line and the weight I feel is negligible. This technique works with other large, heavy motor drives as well.
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