Chinon Bellami?

[ErickD]

Anyone selling this?

It looks pretty good on paper with the specs and features. If anyone knows any other rangefinder like this please let me know.

What I like about this camera:
- Small
- 35mm/2.8
- 1/8-1000th shutter speed.
- scale focus
- Barn door (makes it smaller and easier to put inside my pocket)
- Slow shutter speed warning
- Compatible with current batteries
- Design looks beautiful, imho


I think the closest I've found to be like this camera is the Olympus XA4. However, that one sells for about $100-150 on ebay. I had the xa2 but sold it for some stupid reason. I have the xa right now but now as happy with it. I saw the bellami on ebay one time but I forgot to bid on it. I think it sold for about $25. The one on craigslist got away for $45.

You can email photos to me at kidxdynamite@gmail.com along with price if you have one for sale.

 

[fotobiblios]

see also Revue 35cc clone and similar size Ricoh FF1 or al the Minox35 series.
But these are vfdr not rfdr (as some of the Oly XA series)
all have good lenses


Danny

 

[retro]

The Bellami is a neat little cameras but not very robust. If you are
looking for one I suggest ensuring that it is in good shape and fully
functional before finalizing the deal.

 

[Lobo]

my bellami works well. its very quick to operate, compared with the olympus xa. you can focus from the hip, in stealth, then move it to your eye and shot. thats better than my xa.

 

[Beemermark]

The Bellami is a neat little cameras but not very robust. If you are
looking for one I suggest ensuring that it is in good shape and fully
functional before finalizing the deal.

Yeah, somewhere I have one in the junk draw you can have (it I can find it). Won it years ago and it broke within a month. Great idea, poor implementation.

 

[KoNickon]

I got one recently, with the flash (which unfortunately got fried by serious battery corrosion). Keep meaning to try the camera out. I'll let you know if I don't decide to keep it.

 

[Classique]

I have one of the special edition bellami with the golden horse carriage on the front with maroon covering. Mine came with the flash and original instruction manual and case also.

So far, I've shot one roll through it and I am quite impressed! I got more keepers from the cam than my fed 2 with indust 61ld. But since then I am concentrating on canon rangefinder + nikon lenses for versatility. If you are interested, feel free to contact me.

 

[nparsons13]

I won an auction for two a few weeks ago. One of them works perfectly, but the other has an unreliable shutter. I've been giving it the lighter fluid treatment, and that seems to be helping, but it's still not reliable enough to trust with film.

The good one is loaded with Ilford Pan F Plus. I like the size--easy to pocket, and it's very unobtrusive to use in public. The shutter's very quiet, but I can't say the same for the opening action of the barn doors.

 

[Archlich]

A bit off topic but I have been looking for a Mamiya U which is a similar camera. Seems to be an impossible quest.

 

[btgc]

What I like about this camera:
- 35mm/2.8
- 1/8-1000th shutter speed.
- scale focus

I think the closest I've found to be like this camera is the Olympus XA4.

I agree on Mamya U as closes match for lens speed and XA2 as most readily available. Both have 1/500 top speed, but XA2 reaches 2sec which is fine.
XA4 has 28mm lens, and is scarce so it costs a lot for an automatic compact.

 

[Dirk]

I'd go with a Minox 35GT or GT-E. If necessary, send it to DAG for an overhaul. Well worth the money!

 

[malthusiantrap]

I got one for $3 at goodwill and I liked the form factor so much that I sent it off to my repairman for $20. The lens might not be at par with some compacts but I love the inclusion of the advance lever.

 

[daniel~]

The shutter's very quiet, but I can't say the same for the opening action of the barn doors.

That's right. I got one, too and its most interesting feature is apparently the barn door design--cute but kind of crude in action!

Anyway, I always find scale-focus compacts fun to use, and the pics with Bellami come out quite alright, even though not as sharp as those from my Ricoh FF-1s.

 

[lxmike]

I had one a few years back, did not last long, very poor build quality