After having exclusively used digital cameras for a very long time, I recently switched back to using real film after restoring an old twin lens reflex camera camera. Since I work on largely intangible digital products for a living, I have found repairing old cameras, especially Ikoflex TLRs, to be somewhat satisfying. And, as happens with many things, since I recognized that vintage cameras exist, I have noticed them in more places. So, I have been picking up the cheap ones - ones that are clearly defective in some way. In most cases I have found that it only takes a little bit of work to make them operational again. Though it can definitely take more work to make them reliable and fun to use. Below are the cameras which I have worked on so far, plus a few that have I owned but did not work on.
| Year | Make | Model | Film | Lens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Rollei | Rolleiflex Automat (twin lens reflex) |
120 | 75mm ƒ/3.5 – ƒ/22 1/500 – 1s, B |
| 1953 | Zeiss Ikon | Ikoflex Ia (twin lens reflex) |
120 | 75mm ƒ/3.5 – ƒ/22 1/300 – 1s, B |
| 1954 | Voigtländer | Vito B (scale focus) |
135 | 50mm ƒ/3.5 – ƒ/16 1/300 – 1s, B |
| 1958 | Fujica | 35 Automagic (scale focus) |
135 Speeds: 10 – 200 |
38mm ƒ/3.4 – ƒ/16 1/200 & 1/40 |
| 1958 | Minolta | Auto Wide (scale focus) |
135 Speeds: 10 – 1600 |
35mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/22 1/500 – 1s, B |
| 1960 | Yashica | Lynx 1000 (rangefinder) |
135 Speeds: 10 – 800 |
45mm ƒ/1.8 – ƒ/22 1/1000 – ?, B |
| 1965 | Minolta | 24 Rapid (rangefinder) |
135 (rapid) Speeds: 25 – 400 |
32mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/22 1/250 – 1/30, B |
| 1965 | Minolta | Autopak 700 (rangefinder) |
126 Speeds: 64 – 400 |
38mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/22 1/250 – 1/30, B |
| 1966 | Minolta | Hi-Matic 7s (rangefinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 800 |
45mm ƒ/1.8 – ƒ/22 1/500 – 1/4, B |
| 1966 | Minolta | Hi-Matic 9 (rangefinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 800 |
45mm ƒ/1.7 – ƒ/22 1/500 – 1s, B |
| 1966 | Yashica | Electro 35 (rangefinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 1000 |
45mm ƒ/1.7 – ƒ/16 1/500 – 3s, B |
| 1966 | Yashica | EZ-matic (scale focus) |
126 Speeds: 64 – 400 |
37mm ƒ/2.7 – ƒ/16 fixed, B |
| 1968 | Kodak | Instamatic 134 (point and shoot) |
126 Speeds: fixed / unknown |
43mm ƒ/11 1/50 |
| 1970 | Yashica | Electro 35 GS (rangefinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 1000 |
45mm ƒ/1.7 – ƒ/16 1/500 – 3s, B |
| 1983 | Minolta | CLE (rangefinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 1600 |
Leica M mount lenses 1/1000 – 1/2, B |
| 1985 | Minolta | X-700 (single-lens reflex) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 1600 |
Minolta MC/MD mount lenses 1/1000 – 1, B |
| 1995 | Minolta | Freedom Zoom 140EX (viewfinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 3200 |
38 – 140mm ƒ/3.5:9.4 – ƒ/9.4 1/500 – 4s |
| 2001 | Canon | PowerShot Pro90 IS (through the lens) |
CCD Speeds: 50 – 400 |
37 – 370mm ƒ/2.8:3.5 – ƒ/8 1/1000 – 8s |
| 2003 | Sony | Cyber-shot DSC-P72 (through the lens) |
CCD Speeds: 100 – 400 |
39 – 117mm ƒ/2.8:5.6 – ƒ/10 1/1000 – 2s |
| 2005 | Canon | PowerShot S2 IS (through the lens) |
CCD Speeds: 50 – 400 |
36 – 432mm ƒ/2.7:3.5 – ƒ/8 1/3200 – 15s |
| 2011 | Canon | EOS Rebel T3i (single-lens reflex) |
CMOS Speeds: 100 – 6400 |
Canon EF-S mount lenses 1/4000 – 30s, B |
A quick note on the photos in these posts. The photos were selected to give an idea of how the camera performs under different conditions, not to show the photographer’s [lack of] ability. Since the intent it to showcase the cameras, no editing is done on the images, except for dust and watermark removal. The negatives are digitized using a light box and a T3i. Then the digital images are inverted, their levels are adjusted, and the frame borders are cropped out. The images are also optimized for the web prior to being uploaded. Unfortunately, the optimization process can sometimes exaggerate banding of color gradients which is not present in the analog originals.
If you have old cameras then you’re also going to have old light meters. It’s technically possible to use light meter apps, but I’ve had mixed results with them. So, I stick with physical meters, though there is one caveat. I have tested the meters I have against my dSLR and when used properly they would all underexpose by at least a stop. So, I cut the ISO (ASA actually) I use on the meter in half. For example, when I have ISO 100 film in the camera I set the meter to ASA 50. This makes sense to me since according to the Wikipedia article on ASA film speeds, “an Ilford HP3 that had been rated at 200 ASA before 1960 was labeled 400 ASA afterwards without any change to the emulsion.” Conversely a modern 400 rated film would have been rated 200 prior to 1960. So the meter needs to use the old, halved number. I will further guess that even though ASA PH2.5-1960 was introduced in 1960, it probably took a while to take effect. Even if it were possible to determine the exact manufacture date of a particular light meter, it probably wouldn’t be clear exactly when a manufacturer may have implemented the new standard.
| Year | Model | Type | EV | ISO | ƒ-stops | seconds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c1950 | GE PR-1 | selenium | 7 – 17.5 | 0.2 – 1600 | 1 – 128 | 1/3000 – 120 |
| c1962 | Bewi Quick | selenium | 5 – 16 | 10 – 3200 | 1.4 – 22 | 1/1000 – 30 |
| c1966 | Sekonic Micro-leader | CdS | 3 – 18 | 6 – 12800 | 1 – 32 | 1/2000 – 8 |