The Uncommon RF Camera: Taron 35

I have a Taron VL, the rangefinder is stuck too. I freed it up just with some naphtha, but then it gummed up again after a couple of days. When I've finished rebuilding my Minister D, I'll get onto the Taron.

Feels like a solid enough camera, fairly nasty and ratchety advance lever though. Quiet shutter and feather-light shutter release. The light meter is an interesting affair. I didn't look too closely but the lens looks like a coated Tessar type, so given the max aperture of f2.8 you'd expect the results to be pretty good. Weird mix of speeds though, 1 second through 1/300, but there's 1/50 in there. The aperture spacing is not linear either, large gaps between different stops.

From Camerapedia:

3285074023_d71c0b17c6_m.jpg
 
Robin 1.9's and 1960's cheapie users

Robin 1.9's and 1960's cheapie users

Brian Legge said:
"I stumbled across a Taron Robin 19 (export version of the Taron 35 III aka Taron MX from what I can tell). There doesn't seem to be much info around on this camera at all.

It feels like a nicely built camera, f1.9 lens (8 blade aperture version), 1-1/500. It also has a rather contrasty patch for a fixed lens rangefinder. It looks like it uses a prism instead of a mirror for the rangefinder. I'm not terribly familiar with rangefinder construction but I haven't seen that in other fixed lens rangefinders. I'm guessing the prism is part of the reason why it is so bright?

I'm working on loosening the prism assembly right now as the prism isn't rotating. After starting out in rangefinders with compact ones, these larger cameras aren't as appealing but this one definitely has a certain charm."

Anyone familiar with the model?
Click to expand...

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I am indeed familiar with the Robin 1.9.

There were evidently a number of Taron cameras around in the US in the early 1960's.

A Robin 1.9 was my first 35mm camera. I purchased it at Willoughby's (the real, original one, even before they merged with Peerless Camera) in the NYC camera district on 32nd Street in Manhattan. I recall paying about $30 for it then, brand new in the box. This was just before autoexposure RF cameras, then based on bulky selenium photocells, were offered by everyone, including Taron.

The rewind knob crank on my camera soon broke off (securing screw lost its head) and Willoughby's repaired it immediately.

I have found mention on the web that Taron outsourced the manufacture of the Robins to Petri. Like many Petri cameras, my Robin had a pretty good lens but the mechanicals were weak. I, and my brother, shot a total of about 75 to 100 36-exposure rolls before the shutter and film advance began to give out. The leaf shutter was nice because we could use it with our primitive PCA-200 electronic flash to cover high school basketball games. The PCA-200 emitted a particularly loud whine when it was cycling and was best used at sporting events. The PCA-200 cost me a cool $20 at Camera Barn (about half a block from Willoughby's) with a set of rechargable NiCad batteries.

I note that the virtually the same camera was also sold with a slower f2.8 lens.

Brian, I wouldn't spend much time attempting to service/repair any Taron camera. These were built to a selling price, for the occasional user who didn't want the spend the price of a Yashica or Petri. Many people in tghe 1960's might buy what was then a modrn camera and shoot perhaps 20 rolls of film (vacations and Christmas) in their lifetimes. The Taron cameras were for such users.
 
I sincerely appreciate the information and personal experience. Its getting harder to track this type of info down for those of us who came to rangefinders rather late. Its a shame there isn't a better archive of information out there on some of these less known models.
 
Raid,

Some time ago I purchased a Taron VR, with the auxillary lenses and finder included. Since to me, it is a fairly odd one to find, and had the aux's, I didn't kick too much when I found out that it was not as advertised condition wise. I did however let the seller know what I thought of their description. It presently languishes in the repair box, awaiting the day when I get really bored, or caught up on all the other patients. Sad to hear it is not a very mechanically robust camera.

Anyway, I can see where some would make the tennuous connection with Nikon when looking at the earlier models from Taron, but the later ones like the V series have a more Mamiya style influence to them. Good looking cameras, but I guess more of an oddity factor going for them than anything else.

PF
 
I couldn't remember why I was so upset about the Taron VR, so I dug it out of the to-be-repaired box, and reaquainted myself with it.

It had a cosmetic restoration done to it, and was really messed up. The rangefinder and frame counter do not work, the front lens element has 'cleaning marks', the 'B' speed is instantaneous, and the lens mount is a bit loose. On the auxillaries, the tele had been worked on, and it's front ring is now reversed to what the wide angle is, and the interior elements rattle. I suspect the front element was replaced, since unlike the wide angle it is not coated, and thus neccessitated the front ring being reversed to allow for a larger element. Also some evidence of cross-threading is visible, which may explain the rattle.

It is such a lovely looking camera, I still may put it on display with the wide angle aux and finder attached. This was one of the cameras that I really wanted to use, but I can't see putting the effort into it as it doesn't look very easy to get into the top. And besides, I don't even use the auxillaries on my Yashicas.

Hope you get many exposures with your 35, Raid.

PF
 
I've just got a Taron Unique in the post, complete with the lens kit and viewfinder, which is nice.

I'm a bit miffed that the seller didn't say the filter ring has been dented, but I guess with a bit of swearing and a sacrificial filter that can be put right.

But the shutter isn't firing well. At first it was slow, so I operated it a few times at differing speeds, and it seemed to have improved.

Until it just stopped firing completely.

Late home last night, and, what with eating tea, washing up, looking after the baby and editing some photos, I didn't get as long to look at it as I wanted, but I'd appreciate any thoughts or advice to get what is, frankly, a very average yet intriguing rangefinder to work again.

If I can sort it out at little cost, it has a purpose involving some other people. If not, or if it'll need an expensive repair, then I'll sell it for spares/repair.
 
This Viceroy Electronic 1000 is a re-badged Taron Electro 1000. It has what appears to be a quite nice 45/1.8 lens and an electronic shutter with a top speed of 1/1000. Slow speed? Whatever the scene calls for, like the Yashica Electro cameras, it is potentially able to make very long metered exposures. Exposure is fully automatic, with no manual shutter speed control, and limited manual aperture control only for use with Taron's version of the Flashmatic system. There are three "automatic" settings, for sunlight, cloudy day, and indoor shooting. Otherwise, it functions much the same as the Konica C35 Automatic. Unfortunately, the focus is jammed at infinity on my example, but it looks nice on the shelf.


Viceroy Electronic 1000 (Taron Electro 1000) by Greyscale3, on Flickr
 
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