old cameras

Time to take a look at some of my old camera collection.

 

Nikon Nikkormat FTN

 

Nikkormat SLRs were simpler, more affordable alternatives to Nikon’s professional level Nikon F and F2 SLRs. The Nikkormat FTn was manufactured from 1967 to 1975. 

Argus C3

The Argus C3 was a low-priced rangefinder camera mass-produced from 1939 to 1966 by Argus in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. The camera sold about 2 million units, making it one of the most popular cameras in history. Due to its shape, size, and weight, it is commonly referred to as “The Brick” by photographers (in Japan its nickname translates as “The Lunchbox“). The most famous 20th-century photographer who used it wasTony Vaccaro, who employed this model during World War II.

Cosina Voigtlander T101 with 35mm f2.5 Classic lens

 

The first model was the Bessa L, introduced in 1999. This was a finderless body with a Leica screw mount. It was introduced with a range of Voigtländer 39mm screw lenses that were quite inexpensive and said to be of excellent quality. It could of course mount all the wide variety of 39mm screw lenses by manufacturers as diverse as Leica, Canon, Nikon and even cheaper but often excellent Soviet lenses.

 

The Bessa L was mostly intended to be used with ultra wide angle lenses, with which the absence of a focusing device is not a problem. Most notably Voigtländer introduced a 15mm and a 12mm lens, the latter being the widest rectilinear lens ever marketed.

 

The Bessa L has TTL metering with LED readout on the back edge of the top plate with an ASA range of 25–1600 and an EV range 1 to 19 at ASA 100. The readout consists of two red arrows pointing to a green light in between that enables use of the camera as, effectively, a shutter priority, aperture priority, or totally manual camera.

 

On some markets, the Voigtländer Bessa L was sold as the Cosina SW-107.

 

The Bessa L was supplemented in 2001 by the Bessa T, which used the Leica M-mount, could receive a trigger advance design, and had an integrated rangefinder with high magnification, but no viewfinder. It was sold in silver or black; from 2002, also in gray or olive (at a higher price and perhaps only in Japan). It is now discontinued but some stock is still available.

 In 2001, the Bessa T was sold in a special kit, called 101st Anniversary (in short “T101”), with a 50mm f:3.5 collapsible Heliar lens, for the anniversary of the Voigtländer Heliar lens design. It existed in black, grey, olive and blue: five hundred numbered examples were produced for each color.

surprise April snowstorm photos

April 15th 2014 100 miles north of Toronto on the southern shore of Georgian Bay, camera Fujifilm S8200, the temperature dropped 20 degrees Celsius from the previous day.

early winter photos – Tay Township

taken by me today using a Sony NEX F3 with 18-55 lens

100 miles north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, just south of Georgian Bay, the Sturgeon River

It is interesting to keep returning to the same spots through the four seasons.  Today I noticed that with all the foliage down, I could now see from a slightly different position a view of the Sturgeon River, little more than creek sized, that during the full grown season was invisible.  This section of the river was the water supply for a 17th century Huron village. A haunting spot.

autumn photos in Simcoe County in central Ontario

taken today with Nikon DSLR d3100 and two lenses: Nikkor 18-55 and Nikkor 55-200

photos of National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Seton, Emmitsburg, Maryland, USA

My photos from a 2003 trip, some shots made with digital camera, Canon G2 and Nikon Coolpix 5700; others with 1950 era medium format camera, 6×9 cm Agfa Record Billy III with Apotar 105mm f4.5 lens using Kodak 400 VC 120 film – extra ordinarily beautiful church.

a little typewriter hunting

Typewriter hunting

I took a drive down south of Barrie to the 400 Antique Mart just off the 400 super highway that runs down to Toronto.

Just three typewriters.  One, an early SCM office electric with no power cord.  One Underwood 5, rightly described as mint condition, but asking a silly, that is beyond outrageous price of $198.00.  I acquired an Underwood 5 not in mint condition from the Huronia Museum for $10.  The Underwood 5 was made in very large numbers, many have survived and the Underwood 5 is normally a 10-15 dollar item.  Worth adding to your collection, but not an item to kid yourself into paying 200 dollars.  They were an early practically indestructible office typewriter. OTOH it was the cleanest typewriter I have ever seen.  At the other end of the Mart another Underwood 5 asking a semi-comical $49.  I passed on all three.

I took a few photos in the Mart and one of an old Dodge up in Coldwater, Ontario.

I was fortunate in Barrie on the way home.  Went to Staples,  parking lot was awfully full.  Then I remembered it was the end of the afternoon of the first day back to school.  Last second school supplies were being sought.   I went backwards a few steps in the technology and bought a Brother electronic typewriter.  I will post about it later this week.

Underwood Typewriter

Voigtlander Vitessa rangefinder camera

Marshall’s Photo Retouching Kit

Bronson Altoona Casting Reel, fishing reel

Kid’s fancy western two gun rig, gun belt with revolvers

old Dodge

Blackberry tablet camera shots

RIM Blackberry tablet camera shots – watercolour effect-ed by uing the app Pencil Camera

my view of the dialysis clinic during my dialysis treatment and a late night kitchen self-portrait- I was in the kitchen for the strong overhead lighting, not for a midnight snack

CV Bessa R Nokton 50mm f1.5 lens

CV Bessa R Nokton 50mm f1.5 lens, a photo by gnawledge wurker on Flickr.

Cosina Voigtlander Bessa R body with CV Nokton 50mm f1.5 lens, for 35mm film, a rangefinder camera, with a bright viewfinder.

Lens mount on this camera is Leica Thread Mount or LTM. The later lens mount from Leica is the M-bayonet mount.  CV makes camera bodies and lenses in M mount as well. For more information on the range of products see www.cameraquest.com

 

Voigtlander was originally a German firm with a long history of lens making. Taken over by a Japanese firm and breathed life again into the 35mm rangefinder type of cameras with some low cost bodies and lenses, designed fo provide affordable quality when compared to Leica products.

The other lenses I have for this camera:  Cosina 35mm Classic f2.5 LTM (Leica Thread Mount) and a f2.0 Jupiter 9 85mm (LTM made in the former Soviet Union).

CV Bessa R with Jupiter 9 85mm f2.0 lens mounted, Picnic Table at Awenda Provinicial Park near Penetanguishene, Ontario

My plan is to get some fresh colour film and reload this body and take some photographs outdoors tomorrow.  I will post the results when I get them processed.

two old lens test shots with the Jupiter 9.  There are reports of examples of this lens being difficult to focus accurately.  Some discussions point to two factors, a slight difference in the Leica Thread Mount and the Soviet copy, and general production quality control problems.  The general consensus is the earlier models of the FSU lens are of better quality.  Look for earlier, i.e. lower serial numbers.

Barrie, Ontario – waterfront park

Took a walk and some photographs on Saturday at a waterfront park in Barrie, Ontario, with  my photographic buddy, Len Marriott. Len was using an old medium format film camera, a Mamiya RB67 with an 80mm lens.  The large metal sculpture is the Spiritcatcher.

Nikon D3100 with 18-55mm lens, some images manipulated for a kind of watercolour effect using Corel Paint Shop Pro.

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horse judging line at the Fall Fair

judging line

Originally uploaded by canuckshutterer “Bill” (W.J. Gibson)

Orillia Fall Fair 2010 -Pentax K1oD