Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Advertisement (gone after registration)

A very popular thread on the German side let’s you display and talk about Classic Cameras that are not Leitz products.  Let’s bring that thread here!     From Niepce to Instax, here’s where to show and tell!                  

 

                            

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

The Contura Stereo Camera, designed by Brooks Stevens and engineered by Seton Rochwite (who also invented the Stereo Realist).   Only a few are known, the company went bankrupt and was Forced to build a few to satisfy investors.    This camera is #12, and was purchased from the grandson of the original owner, who was an investor in Stereo Corporation.  The covering is Walz California Saddle Leather. Edited by Ambro51
  • Like 11
  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Here's an odd one of mine. This is a classic British tailboard camera/lens/film holder. I think that the camera is probably post WWI and was made in Louis Gandolfi's time, but it is very difficult to date these cameras. The back looks original and is for something around quarter plate. So far the roll film holder shown is the nearest fit I've found albeit a bit tight. So it might have been for sheet film holders. Lens is a slightly earlier 1890s Taylor, Taylor and Hobson Cooke Series III with the rear replaced to provide a slightly longer focal length - the cap is probably later but fits perfectly. I'd hazard a guess that this was a customer ordered 'portrait' camera. [photo: M9 with 50/1.4 aspheric]

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 7
Link to post
Share on other sites

Nothing wrong with an Oreston

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 8
Link to post
Share on other sites

Three Replicas I’ve built that go back to the birth of photography.   The Niepce Camera, The Wolcott mirror camera and a Talbot mousetrap.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 9
Link to post
Share on other sites

I like this game. Paul's roll film back reminds of this one which I have in my collection. Contessa-Nettel Adoro Tropen with an 18cm f4.5 Zeiss Tessar in a Dial Set Compur. It is for 10x15 cm plates, but it came with a Rada roll film back. I may test it out soon with Tri-X 120 as the weather is starting to improve. Definitely a camera for a tripod.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

The lens on this shows stunning images on the glass screen. Maybe this is even a Caviar and Champagne camera.

William 

 

 

 

 

  • Like 9
Link to post
Share on other sites

Advertisement (gone after registration)

vor 11 Stunden schrieb willeica:

I like this game. Paul's roll film back reminds of this one which I have in my collection. Contessa-Nettel Adoro Tropen with an 18cm f4.5 Zeiss Tessar in a Dial Set Compur. It is for 10x15 cm plates, but it came with a Rada roll film back. I may test it out soon with Tri-X 120 as the weather is starting to improve. Definitely a camera for a tripod.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

The lens on this shows stunning images on the glass screen. Maybe this is even a Caviar and Champagne camera.

William 

 

 

 

 

Really a nice camera and Tri-X is a good choice so I agree on all statements except the tripod-only-use. Back in those days even when film was slow and fast lenses essential and shot wide open people were eager to take some snapshots holding cameras free with their hands. Contact printing for albums was common and if you look at such pictures you can see some flaws even I one could hold 1/25th sec exposure time free.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The title of this thread is a little bit misleading as one should not divide cameras in caviar vs non-caviar or Leica vs the rest. When I was young [no further comment on this here] Leica was expensive, used by old men - who admired my Linhof I used to carry around because it was a reminisence to their younger days.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

I've used this to shoot without a tripod, had the second handle, a universal-finder and a 3.5/135 Xenotar for that which I sold long ago.

this was a setup for tripod-use only

  • Like 9
Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, romanus53 said:

Really a nice camera and Tri-X is a good choice so I agree on all statements except the tripod-only-use. Back in those days even when film was slow and fast lenses essential and shot wide open people were eager to take some snapshots holding cameras free with their hands. Contact printing for albums was common and if you look at such pictures you can see some flaws even I one could hold 1/25th sec exposure time free.

Thanks. You should try hand holding that camera with my shaky hands😭. This one is quite large. You could, I suppose, use preset distance and either the small viewfinder at the front or the aiming and framing set up. However, I also have 116 and 120 versions of the Contessa which are much nicer to use handheld. I will post a picture of that pair later.

William 

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

My homemade wooden cameras weigh no more than a Leica and can be used hand held. They are fixed focus which helps. These two are 5x4 and 5x7. They are left handed with the dark slide loading from the left and the handle at that end so that when they are being carried the dark slide opening is in the up position so that nothing can fall out while walking. One has a 135mm Xenar and the other a wide angle 120mm Congo, which on 5x7 is about the equivalent of a 28mm on 35mm format. The viewfinder is a V shaped line inscribed on the top and side which is accurate enough and was marked by viewing the coverage on a ground glass screen on the back before fitting the back door.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Edited by Pyrogallol
  • Like 6
Link to post
Share on other sites

 •  Never say the "C"-word in this "L"-forum...😎   •

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Link to post
Share on other sites

vor 6 Minuten schrieb romanus53:

I've used the FTb a lot as it was the one I could afford, friends had the A1 ...

After many years of shooting with the A-1, I preferred the more precise exposure metering of the FtBn, especially in portrait format.

Link to post
Share on other sites

vor 26 Minuten schrieb mnutzer:

After many years of shooting with the A-1, I preferred the more precise exposure metering of the FtBn, especially in portrait format.

Yeah, 18% metering is nice but back than the LED-display was way cooler 😉 and sucking the battery

Link to post
Share on other sites

My 2 Contessa Nettel Luxus cameras which I mentioned above. 116 format on the left, 120 format on the right. The red circular items are water or spirit levels. The camera on the right has a 10.5cm f 6.3 Zeiss Tessar lens which should be a familiar set of numbers to Leica collectors. 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

William

 

  • Like 7
Link to post
Share on other sites

Contaflex IV w Tessar 50mm F2.8

A common camera in its day I think, and still not unusual to find, but totally weird with modern eyes. It seems unnecessary complex when you contemplate on how it works inside. I doubt I could justify the cost of having it serviced, but luckily it works great and besides my love for the Tessar, the viewfinder is also extremely pleasant to use.

I hope to find out if I can remove the lens to access the mirrorbox. lots of small pieces of deteriorated foam (i guess) is pollution the mirror and focusing screen - and it would be cool to blow them out.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 8
Link to post
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, mnutzer said:

 •  Never say the "C"-word in this "L"-forum...😎   •
 

I thought you meant a different 'C'-word entirely!

I don't have many snaps to hand but here's my Contax II with collapsible 50mm f2 CZJ Sonnar. Both body and lens date to 1938;

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Philip.

  • Like 10
Link to post
Share on other sites

vor 40 Minuten schrieb nitroplait:

Contaflex IV w Tessar 50mm F2.8

A common camera in its day I think, and still not unusual to find, but totally weird with modern eyes. It seems unnecessary complex when you contemplate on how it works inside. I doubt I could justify the cost of having it serviced, but luckily it works great and besides my love for the Tessar, the viewfinder is also extremely pleasant to use.

I hope to find out if I can remove the lens to access the mirrorbox. lots of small pieces of deteriorated foam (i guess) is pollution the mirror and focusing screen - and it would be cool to blow them out.

I don't know the Contaflex inside but the Voigtländer Bessamatic, same shutter and similar construction apart from interchangeble lenses. To take such beasts apart you have to peel off the leathering, take bottom and top off, unscrew nearly everything to pull the mirror-box out, shutter is accessible from the back than. First I don't recommand that, second if you really want, get a cheap one for spare and try before you ruin some heritage.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, nitroplait said:

Contaflex IV w Tessar 50mm F2.8

A common camera in its day I think, and still not unusual to find, but totally weird with modern eyes. It seems unnecessary complex when you contemplate on how it works inside. I doubt I could justify the cost of having it serviced, but luckily it works great and besides my love for the Tessar, the viewfinder is also extremely pleasant to use.

I hope to find out if I can remove the lens to access the mirrorbox. lots of small pieces of deteriorated foam (i guess) is pollution the mirror and focusing screen - and it would be cool to blow them out.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Does it have a device for unlocking the winding spool before winding on? This was intended to avoid double exposures. My father's Super Baldina and my Welta Weltini from the late 1930s both have this feature. In the case of the Welta the winding spool actually cocks the shutter as well.

10 minutes ago, pippy said:

I thought you meant a different 'C'-word entirely!

I don't have many snaps to hand but here's my Contax II with collapsible 50mm f2 CZJ Sonnar. Both body and lens date to 1938;

Philip.

Great photo, Philip. I must show this to my friend Tony Hurst whose photographs for Grays of Westminster in the Amateur Photographer over many years are the stuff of legends. Yours has the same type of presentation. I love the reflection at the bottom. 

William

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, willeica said:

...I must show this to my friend Tony Hurst whose photographs for Grays of Westminster in the Amateur Photographer over many years are the stuff of legends...

Thank you for the compliment, William. I remember Mr. Hurst's photographs from those days very well.

Here's a slightly odd-ball camera which I snapped at the same time as the Contax. A Nikon F2 Soviet-made Almaz 103 from the early '80s c/w MC Volna 50mm f1.8. This one seems to be quite rare as it actually works!...

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Philip.

Edited by pippy
  • Like 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...