|
|
 
|
|
Author
|
Topic: Just hit the mother lode of vintage cameras!
|
Randy Stankey
Film God
Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
|
posted 12-03-2010 11:20 PM
My wife's father died earlier this week. He was 93 years old and he lived a good life but his health was failing. He just "came to the end of the road" as he so eloquently put it. Everybody was expecting it to happen soon so there aren't too many bad feelings beside the usual things people experience. Honestly, for a funeral, things are proceeding pretty well.
Yesterday, we were cleaning out his house, looking for the important papers that we needed and we were accounting for all the valuables and things. I was upstairs, looking through the bedroom closet and I came across about a dozen military surplus ammo boxes, all marked with labels like "Rollieflex," "Rolliecord" and "Leica!"
I went down to tell my wife and her brothers. They all know I love photography. (I have my own darkroom in the basement.) They just basically came out and said, "Yup! You can have them!"
I cleaned out the closet and there was another stash of cameras in the attic. All told, there is a Graflex, a Speed Graphic, a couple-three Rollies, a couple of Leicas of various vintages and several others that I only know the names of in passing. There are at least two Pentax K-1000s. I brought home an Aires 35 and a couple of ammo boxes of accessories, too.
Everything looks like it's in decent shape. Many of them have the original manuals. A couple of them are still in the original boxes. All the accessories there, too.
As we dug through the rest of the house we turned up a few Kodak Brownies, a couple of Hawkeyes and also a genuine Polaroid Land camera. I even found a Keystone F-8 aerial reconnaissance camera in its original crate!
All together, there's probably enough camera and photography gear to fill up the back of a pickup truck. There are even enlargers and darkroom tools. All I would have to do is buy film and chemistry and I could practically open up my own business. Yes! You can still get film form most of them. I'd probably have a tough time finding film for the recon camera. The Polaroid is probably sketchy, too, but I think it's possible to cut down film to fit in the Brownies and the Bantams and some of the others.
I'm not sure I can get all of them to work but I'm going to have a hell of a time trying! ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Thanks, George, wherever you are! ![[Cool]](cool.gif)
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
Randy Stankey
Film God
Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
|
posted 12-04-2010 12:04 AM
I plan to try to use each camera at least once or twice, just for old-time's sake. If there are ones which can't be used because film isn't available (the Polaroid or the recon camera) they will become part of my collection. I already own 5 Pentax cameras and a Yashica Mat.
Most of the Brownies will probably become display pieces but, just for argument's sake, I would like to see if I can respool some 120 film onto the old 620 reels. I seem to remember reading that you can respool 35mm film onto the 828 reels to fit in a Kodak Bantam if you don't mind having sprocket holes in part of the image.
There are a few films that aren't manufactured anymore but they say you can build a film slitter to cut down other films to fit. Depending on circumstances and expense, I might be up for that challenge.
Any cameras that I don't end up using, for whatever reason, I might be talked into selling, provided that the new owner actually uses them or, at least, puts them on display. It would be a shame to hear about them rusting away in somebody's basement. I wouldn't expect them to be used all the time but I think it's important that these cameras all see daylight on occasion.
That's what cameras were made for. Right? ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
Randy Stankey
Film God
Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
|
posted 12-04-2010 01:32 PM
Yes, I am aware of the market value of many vintage cameras. I recently picked up a Pentax ME-Super in EX to EX+ condition for $20. Top quality Pentax K-1000s are selling for prices in the $100 to $200 range, depending on market conditions. The Aires 35 I have been experimenting with over the past two days could sell for around $100 if I found the right buyer.
I have only just begun transporting all the cameras and equipment home to my darkroom for triage. From what I have already seen many of them are in VG to EX+ condition. Some of them are in GOOD/BARGAIN condition. Some of them are in FAIR to POOR condition. It's literally a grab bag. Aside from the time it's going to take to get it all back to my house, I've got a lot of work ahead of me sorting, assessing, cleaning and repairing stuff. Most of it seems to be in working order but, after I have a chance to check it all out, some might end up being downgraded. I just opened a box that had two Kodak Reflex II cameras that have a lot of dust in the optics and one of them might have some fungus on the lenses.
It's all going to take some time to sort out. I will, however, keep you in mind. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I reiterate, however, to whomever takes one of these cameras that I want them to be used or displayed as part of a collection.
For example, the Kodak Reflex IIs... They only take type 620 film which is not made anymore. But type 120 film is the same thing except for the size of the spool it comes on. You can respool 120 film onto the 620 spindles and it will work exactly the same. Should either of those cameras go to somebody else, I would expect the person to understand that.
BTW: Reflex II cameras are unmetered. You need to have a handheld meter or you need to be able to use "Kentucky Windage" to estimate exposure.
Hey, how about this?
Have you ever seen an aerial recon camera? Check it out!
It's a Keystone F-8 aerial camera. It's got a 15-inch, ƒ-5.6 Wollensack telephoto lens. It uses 7-inch wide roll film. It's basically fixed focus for everything from 250-500 feet and on out.
It's got all its parts. Even the original manual. It's a bit dusty but, once it has a good cleaning, lubrication and adjustment it will be almost as good as new.
I found some rolls of film for it but I expect them to be expired. I don't know if 7-inch aerial film is still made. I know you can get 9-inch aerial film. I might try to make a film slitter. I'd LOVE to take this camera out and shoot it. I know a few guys who are pilots. Maybe we can work out a deal: Some free aerial photos in exchange for a couple of hours in the air.
Otherwise, I'll have to go up to the top of a tall building and shoot off the roof. Or, does anybody think it will work for landscapes? ![[Shrug]](graemlins/shrug.gif)
Who knows... Maybe it will work. Maybe it won't but it's fun to think about!
| IP: Logged
|
|
Scott Norwood
Film God
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
|
posted 12-21-2010 01:13 PM
I missed this thread earlier.
Randy--that's awesome. Sounds like a fun project.
There is some guy who manufacturers 828 film--probably cut down from 120 or unperfed 35mm. B&H Photo carries it.
620 is, as you said, the same as 120, except for the spool. Plastic 120 spools can be cut down slightly to fit in most 620 cameras.
No idea on the aerial camera. Does the film have backing paper (like 120), or is it just a roll of wide film? Either way, you might be able to do something with cut-down 8x10" sheet film, maybe with several sheets taped together.
Fuji sells instant film that fits on Polaroid pack-film cameras and backs (the ones that usually take Polaroid types 667, 668, and 669). They have a 4x5 version as well, which I have not tried, and which requires its own back (the Polaroid 545 back does not work with it).
Polaroid integral films are pretty much dead at the moment, but someone is trying to revive the SX-70 and/or 600-series films. Any old stock that you find of these is likely to be usable if refrigerated, but badly color shifted (which might or might not be interesting).
Obviously, anything that takes 35mm, 120, or 4x5 should be easily usable as-is.
You might to get a shutter tester to see if the speeds are off. I am sure that Randy knows this, but mechanical shutters should be stored with the shutter speed set to the slowest possible option. Otherwise, the spring (?) will be under stress and will stretch over time, throwing off some or all speeds. I've found that the slower speeds on older cameras are usually less likely to be accurate over time, but that can be improved just by cycling the shutter regularly. With the shutter tester, you will at least know what the real speeds are and can compensate for the difference between the marked speed and the real speed.
I like old cameras. I've been having great fun with a Super Speed Graphic and flashbulbs lately. There are plenty of flashbulbs on Ebay (I pay about $2 each); they aren't cheap, but it's a unique experience that few people have had recently. The weird part (to those of us who grew up with electronic flashes) is that the guide number changes with the shutter speed, and will work (to various degrees) at all speeds, rather than only at one sync speed. In any case, the Speed Graphic (and Crown Graphic) series is interesting to me because it was used for pretty much every professional photograph taken between about 1930 and about 1960. There are many amazing photographs from this period, and using the same equipment as those photographers has been inspirational to me. When I take bad pictures with it, I know that the result is my own fault and not that of the equipment.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
|
|
Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM
6.3.1.2
The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion
and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.
|
Home
Printer-friendly view of this topic