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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-05-2013, 01:54 PM
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Thanks for your appreciation of my posts,
With best wishes,
A.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-01-2013, 03:50 PM
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No one ever (OK, at least statistically) said a single bad word of Pentax P30t or the whole 3/30 series - except maybe for DX-only ISO entry. Since September this year I also know that it's light, solidly built, has a good grip and excellent meter topped with 2 auto + 1 manual modes, flash synchro with any unit at 1/100 and a really GREAT bright and large viewfinder with excellent focusing abilities, operating on LR44 batts available at every corner. I also know that Tokina SZ-X 3.5-4.8 28-105 means very high resolution, negligible chromatic aberrations, precise color rendition, small size and low weight at the only cost of rather noticeable distortions at focusing distance's extremities, that are easily corrected in Lightroom - and who's not correcting scanned films in LR nowadays?
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-01-2013, 03:35 PM
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Omitting a number of current digitals, let's get to a legend - Honeywell / Pentax Spotmatic F. Presumably manufactured in 1974, got to me in [outside] mint condition in April this year and matched another case of luck - MC Soligor C/D 3.5-4.5 28-105 mm never leaving a box or mounting a camera since it's left the factory.
Works fine with current LR9 batteries, however meter readings are sometimes too inconsistent with Sunny 16 that prevails in such cases. Shutter is also sometimes suspected to lag about a stop or at least a half. Anyway, when shooting slowly with thinking, this legendary camera with no less legendary glass delivers outstanding pictures.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-01-2013, 03:28 PM
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Did you ever snap photos with Zenit-E? Did you? Still remember those overlapping solid sounds of mirror and curtains, long crankling run of advance lever? Still feel how comfortably and ergonomically it sits in your palms? Then you understand why I bought [for peanuts not worth to mention] a 1984-made Zenit-ET to use instead safe-kept E. Another reason was that E was never equipped with strap lugs, and you could only carry it by a narrow leather belt fixed to shell and never use a house ZENIT strap that I always wanted.
Moreover, using Helios-44 of 58 mm for years I realized that it was too narrow for me, almost a telephoto. I was looking for a 35mm lens as standard and after lots of seeking found a MC Mir-24M - probably the best 35er ever built by mankind, radioactive stuff aside [and farther away, please].
Shutter works as a charm, ambient meter precisely follows Sunny 16 and therefore is trustworthy as one can be, - what else to wish? A wider viewfinder closer to real frame size? Maybe, but we'll come to that later.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-01-2013, 02:59 PM
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Didn't attach for some unknown reason. Still it's worth to be here:
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-01-2013, 02:47 PM
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My second SLR, KMZ Zenit-Auto, will be 20 in a fortnight and was bought for approx. USD 60 - rouble was sort of shaky those days, to the extent that nobody's able to recall rouble prices simply because noone had time to memorize 'em then.
Fitted with automatic Helios-44K-4 2/58 with K-mount, it is full automatic (Av) and has no manual gears except +/- 2EV correction. Heavily used as my primary tool until purchase of Pentax Optio SVi in 2005, it was always delivering exclusively excellent shots in slides, negative or BW, even using Kodak films, but tending to prefer AGFAchrome and Fujicolor. Most outstanding feature - free timing of exposures without any set limit, it can remain open for minutes - in Av! (P30t is limited to 1 sec whatever happens).
Pictured between current mainstay - EOS 600D - and already familiar Zenit-E.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-01-2013, 02:06 PM
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After 3rd year of university, in summer 1988, I was working as an interpreter of French with kids in international pioneer's camp Artek in Crimea on Black sea. Pay was enough to pay SUR 75.00 for a new camera - LOMO-Compact Auto with Minitar 2.8/32 mm, that same model that gave birth to Lomography trend. It was fitting into any pocket, thus traveled more than any of my cameras and got that upper corner broken in some lane of Hyde Park in November 1989. Surprisingly it cost the same 75.00 but in GBP there and then.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-01-2013, 01:49 PM
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Reason Smena was abandoned was another Soviet classic - my happiest SLR Zenit-E with Helios-44-2 2/58, both built in 1982. Happiest because it was gifted by my father in July 1985 after I successfully graduated from highschool and entered university - trench overjumped, mission accomplished, uncertainty ended, SLR photography started.
Still operates as a clockwork, but not used for everyday photography for safety's sake: would be silly to damage so sweet a memory of youth. Shown with kit Helios-44-2 2/58 and further below with MC Mir-20M 3.5/20 mounted and Helios-44-2 2/58 and MC Jupiter-37AM 3.5/135 on standby.
For readers of next thread about camera costs in various years: Smena-8M in 1981 cost SUR 15.00 (around USD 20-25 at slightly varying official rate).
Zenit-E built by KMZ (in suburbs of Moscow) with Helios-44-2 was at SUR 100.00 (divide by 0.65 to get USD figures), made by BelOMO in Belorussian SSR like mine - at SUR 90.00, if fitted with Industar 2.8/50 - at USD 75.00, body alone were not sold in regular shops.
For those who forgot: SUR - Soviet Union Rouble ;)
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-01-2013, 01:27 PM
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My first camera ever was Smena-8M, identic to the pictured one (my original is still alive, but not handy), gifted by my grandad to my 13th birthday in 1981. Millions in the USSR were starting photography with this simple yet capable and rugged tool, that was probably its most important virtue - my survived last 4 forms of highschool (!) plus countless trips, hikes, dacha seasons etc. Still working (presumed), but untouched since summer 1985.
(to be continued)
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