Jason Schneider - The Camera Collector

Bronica normal and “normal-ish” lenses for the S- and EC-series: Their impressive performance set the standard for the entire line By Jason Schneider Zenza Bronica was certainly adept at producing innovative, high quality medium format SLRs (as well as the brilliant short lived Bronica RF645 rangefinder camera) but they were not actually lens manufacturers. They initially relied on Nikon (Nippon Kogaku) for their acclaimed Nikkor lenses in Bronica mount that were crucial in establishing the company’s elite image among pros and serious shooters. And when financial issues arose with Nikon and they stopped supplying lenses to Bronica, they turned to Carl Zeiss Jena DDR, Tokyo Optical company (Topcon), Norita, and possibly Tamron, to...

Bronica S-Series Tilt/Shift Bellows &Their Discontents Ingenious and affordable,but no substitute for a modern view camera By Jason Schneider From its inception in 1959, ingenuity and innovation have been the hallmarks of Zenza Bronica. The very first Zenza Bronica Z, which was rapidly succeeded by the nearly identical DeLuxe or model D in 1960, were the first 2-1/4 SLRs with an instant-return mirror, a focal plane shutter with a top speed of 1/1250 sec, a telescoping tube focusing system in lieu of a conventional rotary helical, long exposures up to 10 seconds, film magazines that could be conveniently mounted or unmounted at any point in the roll, and convenient film loading that does not require a starting point alignment. In other...

Yes Virginia, There Was an Er-Nox In search of the elusive predecessor of the legendary Ermanox By Jason Schneider Researching the history of the Ermanox, like getting old, is not for sissies. It entails digging into the dauntingly byzantine history of Ernemann, an old-line Dresden camera and lens manufacturer that was one of the principal parties in the great Zeiss-Ikon merger of 1926. The Ernemann Werke, AG catalog of 1924 was an impressive 72-page volume that included everything from humble box cameras to state-of-the-art press and folding cameras, a number of different SLRs, a full line of cine cameras and projectors, and myriad accessories. The Ermanox 4.5 x 6 cm plate and film pack camera that debuted in late 1924 was the most...

I have an Ernemann Ermanox Reflex camera with Ernostar lens, much like this one Ernostar - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia. The Ermanox Reflex was the final model of Ermanox and was discontinued in 1929. What I like to ask the camera/photography community is, "Does the camera support glass plate photography or, more specifically, can the Ermanox's film plate adapters accept dry glass slides in place of the "normal" single cut sheet film?" Any worthwhile, considered responses specific to the question - please no off-beat responses - would be warmly received. Frank

The Ermanox: First with the fastest lens It inspired the photojournalist movement but was eclipsed by the Leica By Jason Schneider In the first decades of the 20th century European press photographers relied on such cameras as the popular 13 x 18 cm (near as dammit 5 x 7) Contessa-Nettel Deckrullo, a folding strut plate camera with an open, military style, folding Newtonian viewfinder, a huge cloth focal plane shutter with speeds set using separate controls for slit width and spring tension, and a 21 cm f/4.5 Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar lens. It was cumbersome but serviceable for handheld shooting outdoors in good light, but required a tripod for low light and indoor shooting—hardly surprising in an era when “superspeed” plates and film...

Bronica 2-1/4 SLRs: The Agony & The Ecstasy Part 3: The EC series, the last and best. Bronica 2-1/4 SLRs: The Agony & The Ecstasy Part 3 The EC series: The last, best, & most innovative focal plane shutter Bronicas By Jason Schneider The Bronica EC released in March, 1972 was the successor to the Bronica S2A and it represents a new generation of Bronica design. It was the first 6 x 6 cm-format modular SLR with an electronically controlled shutter, though preceded by the non-modular Pentax 6x7 unveiled in 1969 . Its signature feature is a stepped, electronically controlled shutter with speeds from 4 sec to 1/1000 sec plus B that’s powered by a 6-volt silver-oxide battery in the base of the camera, which also has a battery check button...

Bronica 2-1/4 SLRs: The Agony & The Ecstasy, Part 2 The Bronica S series, the cameras that put Bronica in contention By Jason Schneider The original ZenzaBronica Z of 1959 and the slightly modified ZenzaBronica D (DeLuxe) of 1960 were exquisitely made, beautiful to behold, and capable of delivering exceptional results. But while they dazzled the world with their gorgeous styling and a host of advanced features, they were also quite expensive, somewhat temperamental, and difficult to repair. And so, in 1961 the company did the logical thing and brought forth the Bronica S, a simplified, less costly version of the Bronica D that took the same Nikkor lenses but used different, non-compatible film magazines with a more foolproof dark...

5 Great Reasons You Should Shoot with an Original Kine Exakta It’s beset with charming quirks and inconveniences but using it can teach you a lot By Jason Schneider The landmark Kine Exakta of 1936 was world’s first successful 35mm SLR. Although the Russians announced their Sport 35mm SLR a year earlier this ingenious but ungainly clunker was made in limited quantities from about 1937-1941 and distributed only in the Soviet Union. The Kine Exakta on the other hand was an instant international success and its maker Ihagee of Dresden, Germany produced it and its successors in huge quantities, enjoying robust worldwide sales. Ever so slowly they developed it into the first true 35mm SLR system replete with scores of lenses, finders...

Bronica 2-1/4 SLRs: The Agony & The Ecstasy, Part 1 The awesome Zenza Bronica Z and D and the man that envisioned them By Jason Schneider Vintage medium format roll film SLRs were wildlypopular among wedding, studio, and portrait photographers back in the day, in the 1960s to late 1990s, because they’re compact enough to shoot handheld and can capture images of outstanding qualitythat hold up remarkably well even when enlarged to exhibition sizes. These cameras are still great choicesas “cameras of record” for today’s film aficionados who want to create negatives, transparencies, and ultra-hi-res image files that will preserve their art for posterity. The downsides: roll film SLRs are mechanically complex, require more frequent...

M-Mount Cameras Not Made by Leica, Part 4 3 digital M classics, 2 from Japan and aone-off from France By Jason Schneider The Epson R-D1 was announced as a complete surprise and with great fanfare in March 2003 at the PMA show in Las Vegas. The R-D1 was the hit and talk of the show. Folks at the Leica booth claimed the R-D1 was a complete surprise to them too. Behind the scenes a rumor circulated that Leica was offered to participate in the R-D1 project but declined. It was the first foray by Epson, a leading electronics company best known for its printers and scanners, into the hyper-competitive digital camera arena. And as the first non-Leica digital rangefinder camera to sport an M-mount it created an immense amount of buzz...

The Foca: Not your Dad’s Leica copy Inspired by E. Leitz, but executed with French flair and insouciance By Jason Schneider Foca is the concise, catchy brand name used for a line of beautifully crafted, idiosyncratic 35mm cameras that were designed and manufactured by Optique et Précision de Levallois (OPL) of Levallois-Perret, France. Originally founded back in 1923 as a maker of high-grade optical instruments for aviation, marine, and military use, in 1938 OPL decided to create its first camera, loosely based on the popular Leica rangefinder 35. Conceived as a high-performance, less expensive, domestic market alternative to the hugely successful Leica, it never went into production due to the outbreak of WW II in Europe (1939) and...

M-Mount Cameras NotMade by Leica, Part 3 3 more ingenious cameras that took the M concept in new directions By Jason Schneider The Cosina-made Voigtlander Bessa series were clearly the most successful and prolific of the M-mount rangefinder camera spinoffs ever—a remarkable achievement when you consider that they were based on a modified high-production Cosina SLR chassis. The brilliance of Cosina CEO Hirofumi Kobayashi’s design team in effecting this miraculous transformation is proven by the fact that the essential Bessa concept is embodied in M-mount rangefinder cameras bearing such elite nameplates as Rollei, Zeiss Ikon, and Epson. The Rollei 35 RF Introduced in 2002 and marketed by Rollei Fototechnic, the Rollei 35 RF is...

M-Mount Cameras Not Made by Leica, Part 2 More ingenious cameras that took the M concept in new directions By Jason Schneider The brilliantly designed and executed Voigtlander Bessa 35mm rangefinder series made by Cosina were the most prolific iterations of the analog Leica M concept by any camera manufacturer, possibly even including Leica itself. At least 10 different models were produced from 1999-2015, not even counting such Bessa-based models as the Rollei 35 RF and The Zeiss Ikon ZM. Here are 3 outstanding examples. Voigtlander Bessa R2 The Voigtlander Bessa R2 was the second M-mount Bessa rangefinder 35 introduced by Cosina. Announced on 20 February 2002 and discontinued in 2004, it was basically a much-improved Bessa R with...

M-Mount Cameras Not Made by Leica, Part 1 They’re all ingenious and some took the Leica M concept to new levels By Jason Schneider The official German Patent Specification document for the iconic Leica M mount states that the patent was first applied for on 8 July 1949 and formally issued on 23 October 1952 to Hugo Wehrenfennig of Wetzlar. Wehrenfennig, a brilliant mechanical engineer working at E. Leitz Wetzlar, had previously developed a rotating delay mechanism that enabled long shutter speeds to be set via the single non-rotating shutter speed dial used on the Leica M3, and was also responsible for designing the mechanical components of the first Leica M lenses. According to “50 YEARS LEICA M” the authoritative volume by...

25 Horrible Photo Puns: 2021 Edition They’re all cringeworthy and in Q & A format. Hope you Leica! By Jason Schneider Q: What’s the best exercise machine for photo enthusiasts? A: The Rolleiflex Q: What’s the best car for photographers? A: For mainstream shooters: Ford Focus For elite and pro shooters: Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (the rare racing version of famed 300SL “gullwing” coupe; both had hinged lift-up doors) Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Q: Why do writers avoid buying cameras made by Asahi Optical Co.? A: They don’t want to pay the Pentax. Q: What Leitz lens is a real dog? A: The 50mm f/2.5 Leitz Hektor. Legendary Leitz optical designer Max Berek (who also designed the 50mm f/3.5 Elmar) named the Hektor after his pooch...

The Exa: An Affordable SLR for the Masses, Part 2 The long and winding evolution of the Exakta’s baby sister By Jason Schneider Late version of the original Exa that preceded the Exa I We concluded Part 1 of the Exa saga with the Exa I of 1962-1964, and the long-running Exa Ia of 1964-1977. Bothwere built on an entirely new body with rounded contours that was slightly larger and not quite as elegant as the original Exa series introduced in 1951. Both models incorporated conventional 1/30-1/175 sec plus B shutter speed dials in place of the original Exa’s distinctive “shutter speed setting stick,” and both accepted standard Exakta finders but had no finder release tabs (just like the Exakta VX IIb). The Exa Ia added a short-stroke...

Visoflex Lenses on Digital Cameras: A Marriage Made in Heaven! Robust precision adapters let you access features Leitz never imagined By Jason Schneider As I lamented in my last post, The Venerable Visoflex, mounting a Visoflex on a vintage rangefinder Leica instantly transforms your exquisitely contoured, compact classic 35 into a large, heavy, clunky “SLR” that might be challenging and fun to shoot with but is certainly not the last word in convenience or practicality. The other nagging problem with the Visoflex is that almost every Visoflex lens requires a special adapter for any particular lens/camera combo, and since the entire system is long discontinued, finding the proper one can be tough and is likely to be fairly...

The Venerable Visoflex: Transforming rangefinder Leicas into SLRs Leica’s 50-year love affair with the reflex housing, and its vicissitudes By Jason Schneider Even the most ardent fans of analog rangefinder Leicas (a cohort that proudly includes yours truly) would have to concede that they’re not the best choice when it comes to shooting with telephoto lenses longer than about 135mm or for capturing closeups in the near-macro range. To accommodate the needs of scientific and technical users, Leitz offered a variety of accessories, including the “MIKAS”microscope adapter with shutter (1933-1961), the OSBLO telescope adapter, and a variety of add-on closeup devices for Leica lenses, such as the “NOOKY” (1935-1955) that allowed you to...

The Exa: An Affordable SLR for the Masses, Part 1 An “Exakta” pared to the bare essentials it’s an elegant reliable classic By Jason Schneider Whatever else you may say about the Exakta and its idiosyncratic design, by the early ‘50s it was the first and only full system 35mm SLR out there, and it was the darling of scientists, pros, and serious photo enthusiasts. Not surprisingly, it was also breathtakingly expensive, fetching prices in the $300-$450 range depending on which lens was included, roughly equivalent to $3-5K in 2021 dollars. With a fine eye toward serving the masses like good socialists while enhancing the bottom line like the crypto capitalists they actually were, the Ihagee factory in Dresden, now officially an...

Pinkham and Smith aka P&S Visual Quality #1 Series IV B Soft Focus Lens American made from the early 1900's to about 1930, Pinkham and Smith aka P&S lenses are among the most famous and prized large format soft focus lenses. This particular lens is unusual and so far has its own mysteries. Probably 95% or more P&S lenses were large format produced for 8x10 or larger film formats -- which made for very large lenses. In P&S terminology this is a comparatively small #1 lens for 4x5 with 9" focal length (as opposed to the larger format #2, #3 and #4 Visual Quality lenses). The diameter at both ends is 2 1/8," with a length of 3 1/2" including the mounted shutter. # 3000 is a very high P&S serial number, perhaps the highest...