Uploads from Paulo J Moreira, tagged germany

Kodak Instamatic S40

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:05:32 -0700

A quality German made Kodak pocket 110 camera. A far cry from the later plastic cheapo 110 cameras. This one has a Reomar lens from Schneider or Rodenstock origin. 2 shutter speeds and manual aperture selection. The viewfinder is neat and makes part of the advance system.

Contax 139 Q

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:33:01 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

An outsanding little camera by Contax. Its size is almost the same down to the mm to the Olympus OM2. It features the world's first quartz timed shutter. Wonderful to look at and a joy to look through that magnificiently bright viewfinder. The secret of superbly bright viewfinders wthout any high tech involved as died with the brand. Film advance is butter smooth, noise free, on par, if not better than my M6. This is a trully outstanding camera. The wonderful OM2 seems like a cheap toy when stepping down from this 139 Q.

You can watch my video of this camera here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KxWGYO9MLw

Konica Hexar RF

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 05:12:12 -0800

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

The last attempt to modernize the Leica M concept, but, oddly, it was done by Konica, not Leica. We can say that for over 50 years, the M series changed very little, except for the (in)famous M5. Same type of exposure, same body or almost, very little innovation that cost money. The reason why Konica would take a fancy at building a M camera from scratch defies my imagination, but they did it and this is the result, the Konica Hexar RF. Contrary to most people, I think the Hexar RF does not resemble a Leica M, it has some styling cues from the M series, but also from the Contax G series, but I think the design works very well, specially the large ergonomically formed rubber covering.
I also have a M6 TTL .58 and I quite like this Konica. I wish they had scrapped the frame lines system and adopt a real zoom finder like in the Contax G series. That said, the viewfinder is very much like the M6, perhaps slightly dimmer, but also more heavily coated. Where the Konica excels is in the exposure information department. Good to know what speed you are using without taking your eye from the viewfinder. Also, the aperture priority system is my preferred exposure mode, and speeds up picture tacking, without any loss of “control”. Another difference is the auto winder. Although I could live without it, one has to recognize that it is very quiet, in a busy street, the winder will pass unnoticed. Of course, the Hexar RF has a modern vertical run shutter, from speeds form 16s to 1/4000th (in auto mode), which is nice and can make the difference in some situations.
I really don’t care about the detractors of this camera, as to me, this is a homage to Leica. Cosina “rangefinderized “(!) an old CT-1 model, being crude, unrefined and not moving forward one iota of camera design and nobody cried, there were no riots on the streets. Strangely, the Hexar RF advanced the M concept considerably and it was considered an outrage, a cheap and meaningless imitation. Ah well, at least history has come full circle, as today, a bells and whistle Hexar RF costs about the same as the Leica.

Revue AC5 Digital (Chinon CP-7 M based)

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 10:51:55 -0800

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

Ugly, big, angular SLR, made by Chinon for the German retailer Revue. The camera is a simplified version of the Chinon CP-7 M, featuring multi-mode exposure and a Pentax K bayonet mount. Frankly, it is basically like the unloved Nikon F-301, but this camera makes the Nikon shine and remind me why I like it. The point is, it wasn't expensive and let you in the Pentax K world with a multi-mode body and film motor advance. The unsual feature present in this camera is the multi-exposure in the same frame, very neat

KODAK INSTAMATIC 500

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 05:47:12 -0800

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

One of the very few desirable 126 cameras, at least to me. Very clean and advanced design for 1963. The Instamatic 500 reminds me of the Bauhaus design, form follows fuction. The advance lever is placed in the bottom and has a very short stroke. Thelens is collapsible and supplied by Schneider, a Xenar 38/2,8, quality stuff. Quality might not be the first word associated with Kodak or class, but this camera ooozes quality and class. The sellenium meter is made by Gossen and metering is done through the viewfinder, with an arrow and + and - signs.

Shame about the film format, I would love to try out this camera.

Leidolf Lordox 24 x 36

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 11:42:26 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

The best thing about this very simple camera is the fine engravings and the word Wetzlar on top! This is a very simple viewfinder camera, cheaply but decently made. The design emulates the Leica a bit, but I think it just happened, no way you could fool anyone with this camera.

Rollei Giro 90

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 13:59:56 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

A brand new, unwanted Rollei branded Samsung or Ricoh. The camera is attractive and has all the specs that can be expected rom a camera o the 90's.

Voigtlander Vito C

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 04:20:20 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

A Voigtlander that isn’t a Voigtlander at all. By this time, we were more than used to see the famous label put on third party cameras, like Zeiss or Rollei. This Vito is from the post Rollei era and it is a rebadged Balda CS 35, at least it is German made. In fact, I think it is the last Voigtlander camera to be made in Germany.
Although by no means uncommon, this Balda or Voigtlander could have had a fantastic commercial career. In my humble opinion, had this model more metal, an aperture preferred exposure system and a less Germanic styling (read utilitarian), it would have been a cult camera. It is obvious that they targeted the Minox (Balda built the bodies for Minox), but in my opinion, they beat them in 2 things, the viewfinder is truly wonderful and light years ahed of the Minox. True, it does not show the shutter speed, but it is big, bright, distortion free, projected lines and a funny OK message that appears after the exposure. The camera is also capable of huge slow shutter speeds.
I suspect the lens is of Japanese origin, the focal length of 38 mm is a give a away, but let me tell you that it honors the Skopar name very well, it is very sharp.
So much writing for an ordinary plastic camera, indeed, but hardly anything that involves the Voigtlander is ordinary…

Franka Solida III

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 10:58:15 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

A folding camera in my collection! The world must be coming to an end! I kinda never liked the formula, great for compact big negative cameras, but terrible to handle. There have been a few exceptions, namely the 6 x9 format cameras, but rarely for a folding 6x6.
After reading the blog of my friend Raul Sá Dantas, I was a bit curious about these Frankas and then I spotted this one at a flea market. The devil was working hard, as from nowhere came Raúl, Mister Franka in person to encourage me to buy it, and I did! Thanks Raúl!
This Franka is really beautifully built, it might not have the Voigtlander name, but the build and finish are far better than Voigtlander’s equivalent, the Perkeo. The chrome work is bright and thick, the covering is real leather, the case is superb in brown leather with Made in Germany US Zone stamped. Nice, big viewfinder with coupled rangefinder, easy to measure the distance, as the rangefinder is not coupled to the lens. The lens is a simple Schneider Radionar 2,9/80, a triplet, but very nice looking. The shutter is a Synchro Compur with 9 speeds, the best at the time. There is a safety for double exposure, but no frame counter.
I always thought that Franka Cameras belonged to the German little league cameras, not worth much attention, but this Franka III proved that I might be wrong.

Voigtlander Vito CSR

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:01:13 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

A Voigtlander is always a special camera. This Vito just manages it. Gone is the charm of the Vito 2nd chassis, with it the fabulous build and finish. Still, this is not all bad, the camera is far from being flimsy, but it is no beauty either. The finish is exemplary and we finally get a cds cell. The camera is fully manual, the cell is not there to take the work out of selecting the aperture and speed, all for the best. What is still there is the wonderful Skopar lens, always a mystery how such a simple lens could deliver such high quality images.

Voigtlander Bessamatic (Deluxe)

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:57:14 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

I really must confess that writing about this Voigtlander Bessamatic Deluxe is like watching a video on perfumes and fragrances. There are no possible words for the level of quality of this camera. Everything seems to be made the most expensive way. Metal surfaces and turning are flawless, the chrome is thick, and the leatherette coverings especially appealing. The Septon 50/2 is an work of art, heavy, with complex shapes and being made from a mix of metals.

The aperture is controlled via a knob on the left, the user does not touch the lens, except for focusing. This method is great for fast needle and circle match in the viewfinder, as the aperture and speed are project to viewfinder. However the mechanics to do this must be terrifying, coupled to the automatic depth of field indicators on the lens that move as you turn that knob.

So much complexity, such a high quality and spoil it all by choosing a central leaf shutter. This was a terrible technical choice, as it added more complexity and prevented the camera from accepting wide angle lens below 35 mm. If this camera had a focal shutter from the beginning, I am convinced that the Leicaflex would only have appeared much later, if at all, as it seems like something produced by Zenit when compared with this Voigtlander Bessa Deluxe.

Still, about a quarter of a million were made, I wonder if this is a good news, as I don't see how Zeiss/Voigtlander could have made a single Mark with this camera.

AGFA Super Solinette

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 10:37:25 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

A rather nice rangefinder from AGFA. Very much in the spirit of the Voigtlander Vito. This Super Solinette is on par with the Vito, same size, same excellent build quality, same lens design and en even better shutter, a 9 speed Compur Rapid.

The camera is very compact with the lens collapsed and can fit into a pocket (large all the same!).

Praktica BX20

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 09:47:41 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

Ah, me and my Prakticas! After a while, a decent fully functional BX20 arrived at my camera home! This one came with the rather noisy winder, but fast, more than 3 fps.

For the rest, this is a normal BX20, very plasticky, poor plastics quality, the camera feels a notch below the B series that came first. Nice things include the still great viewfinder, very informative and the TTL flash, courtesy of Olympus, that is why the BX20 has a cell facing the film.

The only slightly unsual thing is the lens serial number: 0102

Voigtlander Vitoret

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 06:34:41 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

The keep it simple Voigtlander Vitoret. No meter, no rangefinder, no skopar lens, just the very basic. Somehow, by now,the Voigtlander spirit was already gone.

Voigtlander Bessy S

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 04:09:31 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

A very simple and basic 126 camera from Voigtlander. Adorable name, but perhaps Vitty would have been more appropriate, since there is no connection here with the Bessa line!

Rolleiflex 3,5 F

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 23:32:47 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

I always said that I did not like TLR cameras, although I had quite a few, including a Rolleicord. Now I know why I did not like TLRs, I did not have a Rolleiflex! Snobbery apart, it is true, none of the others that I have compares with this. The moment I felt it in my hands, I did not want to put it down and I didn't!.

The camera is fantastically well finished, machined, a superb instrument. This is the 3,5 F version, fitted with the Xenotar, Scnheider's clone to the Planar. For some reason, this camera has a wonderful screen with split image, non standard, but is a joy to use.

This F has a coupled sellenium meter with exposure compensation for filters, up to 3 stops.

I will soon post some images made with this, I hope I will not be disappointed.

Rolleiflex SL 26

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 13:47:17 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

Another Rollei flop. One of the very few SLRs made for the 126 film cartridge. It seems compact, but it is a chubby little thing. No interchangeable lenses, but optical accesories like the Contaflex were available to transform the Tessar into a wide and tele lens.

Same old German recipe to disaster with a central leaf shutter. Even so, the camera isn't particularly quiet.
The lack of perfect flatness of the 126 film stopped this and other cameras to reach their potential. This is a German model, production continued in Singapore, much to the indifference of buyers, as it still is the case with collectors.

Voigtlander VF101

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 11:26:26 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

From the series 21st Century Photos by Old Cameras

Voigtlander VF101 with Skopar 40/2,8

Franka Frankarette

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 04:46:21 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

Simplicity and elegance from Franka. Just all you need to take a sharp picture, an Isconar 45/2,8 lens, a Pronto shutter with 5 speeds, scale focusing ang a big, clear viewfinder. The camera even looks nice in its symetrical design and in spite of being a budget model, it still works and has stood the time test rather well. Made in Germany U.S, Zone, smile...

Lumière Cilmatic Electric 500 S

nobody@flickr.com (Paulo J Moreira) — Sat, 26 May 2012 11:35:44 -0700

Paulo J Moreira posted a photo:

Cilmatic is the result of CIba and ILford, the matic just sounds good.
This Lumière rangefinder is nothing but a rebadged Dacora Super Dignette SR Electric from Germany. anyway, this was the top of the range Dacora, with a rangefinder and cds cell, not bad. The Rodenstock triplet tries to emulate the Voigtlander Color Lanthar, I don't even know if they share some DNA. Still, after 40 years this Dacora works, hurrahh, something rare. A run of the mill camera, a last effort to stand up to to Japenese invasion I guess.