Vintage Cameras for Film Fanatics: Camera Picks and Buying Tips for Ardent Analog Addicts!

Cascadilla said:
Thanks for a good summary of what's out there--I've used a fair number of cameras over the years but no where near what you have. My only slight quibble with your suggested 35 mm SLRs would be leaving out the Pentax MX, a camera I used professionally for many years with almost no breakdowns. I owned 4 of them and wore them out over 15 years and thousands of rolls of film but a less used example would be a great film SLR for someone. It would be a less than ideal choice for someone with glasses, but otherwise it is small, light and reasonably quiet for a 35 SLR, and the Pentax K mount lenses are generally excellent.
Click to expand...

The glasses point is well made - I wore glasses until a detached retina, followed by a cataract in shooting eye left me with - amazingly - perfect vision for the first time since I was about 5! I can now use 28mm framelines in my Leica and use the FM2 and MX without having to peer around the gf too much. It’s been transformational!

And yes, FM2 and MX both feel better than my (owned from new) AE-1.

Jason, thanks. A long list and I’ve only a few of these. I did recently think of selling my Rolleicord Vb, but decided against it when I saw a couple of portraits I did of my brother sitting in his living room a few weeks ago.

Mike
 
I feel as though I'm Rip Van Winkle in the photo world, having gotten started about 40 some years too late.
 
Thanks, Jason -- glad you mentioned the Diacord, and the Kalloflex. And I would love a Koniflex, but I've never even seen one!

Now you need to do medium format folders.... :)
 
Fantastic summary and severely GAS inducing Jason, thank you for sharing so much knowledge and experience.
 
A trio of Plaubel Makiflexes by Nokton48, on Flickr

The final Swan Song of the Plaubel Camera Company, (in the early 1960's) was the reflex-SLR version Plaubel Makiflex. Here is my collection of Makiflexes, the two on the left, are the Automatic "Makiflex". Very similar to a European Auto Graflex, with automatic diaphragm mechanism. You cock the lens, and it stops down the lens right before exposure (hence "Automatic"). The Plaubel original lenses are the 180mm Schneider Xenar, and the 210mm F4.5 Schneider Xenar. On the right, is the "Makiflex Standard" with 150mm F2.8 Schneider Xenotar. This model has a more restricted range of shutter speeds, and no auto-iris provision. These cameras are from what I call "The Golden Age of Photography".
 
Nokton48 said:
A trio of Plaubel Makiflexes by Nokton48, on Flickr

The final Swan Song of the Plaubel Camera Company, (in the early 1960's) was the reflex-SLR version Plaubel Makiflex. Here is my collection of Makiflexes, the two on the left, are the Automatic "Makiflex". Very similar to a European Auto Graflex, with automatic diaphragm mechanism. You cock the lens, and it stops down the lens right before exposure (hence "Automatic"). The Plaubel original lenses are the 180mm Schneider Xenar, and the 210mm F4.5 Schneider Xenar. On the right, is the "Makiflex Standard" with 150mm F2.8 Schneider Xenotar. This model has a more restricted range of shutter speeds, and no auto-iris provision. These cameras are from what I call "The Golden Age of Photography".
Click to expand...
I love the look of these. It's the same ugly duckling charm of my older Mamiya TLRs. Of course, I'm totally shallow and have been known to buy cameras entirely on the basis of looks, rather than practicality. Hello, Bronica S2A!
 
Doug said:
Gowlandflex? ;)
Click to expand...
Ah the Gowlandflex. Peter Gowland was an outstanding photographer and his 4x5 SLR was a fascinating, well made, limited production exotic, but well beyond the scope of this article. I never shot with a Gowlandflex, but if you must have a 4x5 SLR I can recommend the Super D Graflex with its great hulking focal plane shutter that makes a sound like no other--except for the 5 x 7 Graflex with 36-inch f/6.3 B&L Tessar I used to shoot football at Hofstra College (now University) in 1960. With laterally reversed viewing you needed a spotter to follow the action. Happy Days!
 
I always preferred mechanical shutter-priority vs. aperture-priority auto exposure SLR's.
In low light, what's the point of a perfectly exposed blurry image?
Examople: The Konica Autoreflex T series was excellent and Hexanon lenses are superb....cheap, too.
 
Steve Bellayr said:
I am so happy that I bought my film cameras when everyone was buying digital (and those old vinyls that no one wanted).
Click to expand...
Same here. But I’m still kicking myself for not buying a mint Hasselblad 500C/M with 80mm f/2.8 Planar and A12 magazine that i was offered for 100 bucks back in 2004!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top