boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
Brazen damned scoundrel that he is. LOL They'll catch him, I hope it is not a shootout.
Leon C
Well-known
I prefer a Balaclava, which I bought from the same charity shop
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
I prefer a Balaclava, which I bought from the same charity shop
Shameless, just plain shameless.
JoseP
Established
A CLA'd Canon P and Mint Canon f1.8 50mm. I was hoping my f3.5 Canon collapsible would fit without having to be super careful not to scrape the baffles, but nope! 
seany65
Well-known
This week I bought a B-30 Yashica Sky 1A filter, which, to my surprise, has a 34mm thread on the front. I had bought it for my Yashica 635 tlr, but it is now on the 40mm lens of my Rolleiflex SL26. Now I can get a screw in 34mm lens hood, or a 34mm - 37mm step up ring and a 37mm screw in lens hood. Much more secure than the 37mm push on hood I have now.
This week, I received my Yashica 635 tlr with it's new (separately bought) Rick Oleson "MPD 6610" focusing screen installed by the company from whom I bought the camera. They only charged £38 inc postage. It is far easier to focus in daylight now, despite the fact that the rangefinder bit is slanted and is in the opposite direction of the one in my Mamiya M645 1000S. Indoors it isn't so easy to focus due to the lower light, but it is still better than the original screen. The rest of the screen surrounding the focusing aids does seem darker, but this could be due to how bright the focusing aids are in comparison, much like sunspots looking dark only because the sun is so much brighter than they are. I'll be able to make a comparison with a Yashica D tlr which I plan on getting from the same seller when they have one (so that they'll replace it's screen for only £38).
This week, I received my Yashica 635 tlr with it's new (separately bought) Rick Oleson "MPD 6610" focusing screen installed by the company from whom I bought the camera. They only charged £38 inc postage. It is far easier to focus in daylight now, despite the fact that the rangefinder bit is slanted and is in the opposite direction of the one in my Mamiya M645 1000S. Indoors it isn't so easy to focus due to the lower light, but it is still better than the original screen. The rest of the screen surrounding the focusing aids does seem darker, but this could be due to how bright the focusing aids are in comparison, much like sunspots looking dark only because the sun is so much brighter than they are. I'll be able to make a comparison with a Yashica D tlr which I plan on getting from the same seller when they have one (so that they'll replace it's screen for only £38).
Godfrey
somewhat colored
That's a nice looking camera!
You know, thinking about it, I've never even seen any of these Canon rangefinder cameras in the flesh. It's like they didn't exist at all in the circle of folks I know/knew even back in the 1960s. Very curious. There were certainly a lot of folks who had Leicas, and Nikons ... I wonder why the Canons were so absent...?
G
wlewisiii
Just another hotel clerk
SMC Pentax-FA 35mm F2 AL - a fast normal on my K-3 and a nice wide on my PZ-1p film body. Getting it refurbished from one of my favorite Japanese resellers, Map Camera.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
That's a lovely lens! I had one and used it a lot when I was working with Pentax gear ... one of my favorites. I liked its rendering and ergonomics much more than even the SMC Pentax-FA 31mm Limited.
G
G
p.giannakis
Pan Giannakis
This one is brilliant. I liked mine more than the nikkor 35/2
wlewisiii
Just another hotel clerk
That's mighty high praise, indeed!
p.giannakis
Pan Giannakis
I sold it off together with a failing MZ-5n and thought i will not get into the Pentax system. A couple of years later I got a ME with some 50s and added the 35f/2.8 which is nice lens but not as good as the 35f/2.
I also had the Takumar 35f/2 but never really impressed me.
Ps: please ignore the fact that it is mounted on a Zenit - I learned my lesson the hard way. I used it on a Spotmatic later...
p.giannakis
Pan Giannakis
I found this on a local charity shop for a £1.50 and says Nikon on it so I thought I should have it.
Legendary optic!
I was fortunate to come across a new, old stock 105/2.5 AIS recently. Gold box, warranty card, manual/spec sheet, and even Nikon branded silica gel packs.
Feels like 1980 all over again! This lens may never have been mounted on a camera…
There really is nothing like an AI or AIS Nikkor when it comes to mechanical feel.
Having used pretty much all the lens brands from that era, none of the others quite reach that optimal combination of weight, aperture ring feel and tactile feedback (haptics being the modern term), and focus damping. Although a couple brands are very close. AI/AIS are a noticeable improvement over the often larger/heavier non AI versions in this regard.
WoodallP
Pragmatist Barnack lover
What do you feed the SL26 with? I inherited one with three lenses about 25 years ago and have never tried it. I looked at the 126 film adapters on line but none claim to work with the SL26.
Mackinaw
Think Different
I didn't buy it, it was a gift, but I now have an old Canon Reflex Zoom 8-3, 8mm movie camera. I shot a test roll last week (B&W negative film) and it's out for processing and scanning now.
Jim B.
Jim B.
seany65
Well-known
Expired 126 film. I have a number of kodak verichrome pan films (I think exp. in the mid-late 70's) and kodak kodacolour gold films, (expired around 1990-ish). I'll be using a hand held meter and all exposed at 50 asa, and sent to a lab with my fingers crossed in hope. At the very least it'll bring back those memories of having no idea if anything usable will come back. A feeling that has receded with most of my other cameras as they all work and I use modern film with them.
I so wish I'd gone this route 10, 15 or 20 years ago instead of the 110 film route with minolta 110 zoom slr mk2's. Having to zoom in, focus and zoom out without moving the focusing ring because the split-image rangefinder shows such small amounts of movement at 50mm was annoying, and as for Lomography film well, it ain't anywhere near as good as agfa film that had expired more than 15 years previously, which I think Lomog should feel embarrassed about. All those years ago there was loads of expired 126 film available and it wasn't as outdated as it is now, lol.
peterm1
Veteran
A big one! (In more ways that one.................... )
A Leica SL type 601. It is second hand but looks like new and is still in its box. I doubt that more than a handful of shots have been made with it.
I have been using my Leica M8 less and less over the past few years, due to my eyes finding its finder to be a bit too difficult to cope with in the real world - though I can just cope with static subjects but not street shooting where speed is of the essence. The thing that tipped the balance for me was that it had come to my attention that over the past few years the M8's second-hand price had increased rather significantly from its nadir of a few years back as many people are now saying that its monochrome performance is not far off that of Leica's dedicated Monochrom cameras and as a result, it has regained a bit of its original cult status. So, I figured its new pricing would put me within striking distance of an SL body, making it an easy decision and without any pocket pain.
I must say that while for some years I was a little dubious about the Leica SL due to its size and overall "look," I finally came around. I now have a grudging admiration for its Germanic, blocky, "Bauhaus" look which is distinctive, though in some ways slightly inelegant. It have to admit that it has created its own style class. In the hand it feels like solid metal (justifiably so as its body is carved from solid aluminium alloy) and due to its large hand- grip it feels good even with its large size and significant weight. The real plus for me is the 4.4 million pixel, 0.8x magnification VF which promises (by all accounts) to make manual focusing a breeze. Not having IBIS is a bit of a bummer but, what the hell, I have coped very well without it for the majority of my cameras to the present time so I figure I can continue doing so with this. Little things count when assessing the build quality of a camera. One thing I noticed for example is that unlike some cameras where the on-off switch is a little "loosey-goosey" you damn near need a crow-bar to turn this one on. It has decisive "CLICK" and making it happen takes real effort - on top of which the switch itself is inset a little into the body. A small thing I acknowledge, but it signifies the level of thought and care that has gone into this camera.
One sight disadvantage for me is that lens adapters for L mount cameras are rather expensive; more-so than those for Sony and in the case of the Leica branded one (naturally the most "exxy") it costs over $400 AUD and that is second-hand I think. Ouch. But even the other brands command a premium. I doubt this to be for any reason other than the association with Leica though the better ones all do seem to have high production standards too.
But I have a (partial) strategy to deal with this - with vintage MF lenses at least. As I use vintage lenses from half a dozen classic camera types I would be up for quite a lot of $ if I bought a dedicated L mount adapter for each different lens mount type. Instead, I will follow a practice I have had for a couple of years: Say for example, I want to mount a Nikon F lens on a Sony camera I instead have a Nikon F to Leica M adapter. I also have a Leica M to Sony adapter. Effectively I am using the Leica M Mount as a common mount for all my gear making it easy to buy either a new camera type or a new lens type. As I have done this with all my lens types (and the two or three mirrorless camera types I already have bought over the past 10 years), all I need for my new SL is a single Leica M to L mount adapter and I am good to go with all the lenses I could conceivably want to use and presently own. (And no, I have not found stacking adapters in this manner to create any issues though I know some people will think it might).
There is one exception to the above. The only slight struggle I am experiencing is that I have some lovely Zeiss ZE mount lenses - all in Canon mount and all thus requiring electronics in the adapter to "talk to" the New SL camera. As AF is not a consideration for these lenses, being native MF they require only aperture control thru the camera - plus EXIF data sharing etc. I am hoping that the Sigma MC-21 will function (though it is known to have AF issues on the SL - though not the SL2 etc.) I already have a Sigma MC-11 to allow me to use these Zeiss lenses on Sony cameras and have a high opinion of Sigma's offerings in this regards, so fingers crossed. But, if worst comes to worst, maybe all I need do is to keep my old Sony camera and dedicate it to the Zeiss glass for those occasions when I wish to use them. That is not too big of a downside.
I am still awaiting arrival of said Leica M to L mount adapter so a chomping at the "bit" for it to arrive. Maybe in a week to 10 days. And with any luck the Sigma MC-21 will arrive in my camera store in a similar timeframe and this will allow me to test it out as well. Like I say, fingers crossed.
)A Leica SL type 601. It is second hand but looks like new and is still in its box. I doubt that more than a handful of shots have been made with it.
I have been using my Leica M8 less and less over the past few years, due to my eyes finding its finder to be a bit too difficult to cope with in the real world - though I can just cope with static subjects but not street shooting where speed is of the essence. The thing that tipped the balance for me was that it had come to my attention that over the past few years the M8's second-hand price had increased rather significantly from its nadir of a few years back as many people are now saying that its monochrome performance is not far off that of Leica's dedicated Monochrom cameras and as a result, it has regained a bit of its original cult status. So, I figured its new pricing would put me within striking distance of an SL body, making it an easy decision and without any pocket pain.
I must say that while for some years I was a little dubious about the Leica SL due to its size and overall "look," I finally came around. I now have a grudging admiration for its Germanic, blocky, "Bauhaus" look which is distinctive, though in some ways slightly inelegant. It have to admit that it has created its own style class. In the hand it feels like solid metal (justifiably so as its body is carved from solid aluminium alloy) and due to its large hand- grip it feels good even with its large size and significant weight. The real plus for me is the 4.4 million pixel, 0.8x magnification VF which promises (by all accounts) to make manual focusing a breeze. Not having IBIS is a bit of a bummer but, what the hell, I have coped very well without it for the majority of my cameras to the present time so I figure I can continue doing so with this. Little things count when assessing the build quality of a camera. One thing I noticed for example is that unlike some cameras where the on-off switch is a little "loosey-goosey" you damn near need a crow-bar to turn this one on. It has decisive "CLICK" and making it happen takes real effort - on top of which the switch itself is inset a little into the body. A small thing I acknowledge, but it signifies the level of thought and care that has gone into this camera.
One sight disadvantage for me is that lens adapters for L mount cameras are rather expensive; more-so than those for Sony and in the case of the Leica branded one (naturally the most "exxy") it costs over $400 AUD and that is second-hand I think. Ouch. But even the other brands command a premium. I doubt this to be for any reason other than the association with Leica though the better ones all do seem to have high production standards too.
But I have a (partial) strategy to deal with this - with vintage MF lenses at least. As I use vintage lenses from half a dozen classic camera types I would be up for quite a lot of $ if I bought a dedicated L mount adapter for each different lens mount type. Instead, I will follow a practice I have had for a couple of years: Say for example, I want to mount a Nikon F lens on a Sony camera I instead have a Nikon F to Leica M adapter. I also have a Leica M to Sony adapter. Effectively I am using the Leica M Mount as a common mount for all my gear making it easy to buy either a new camera type or a new lens type. As I have done this with all my lens types (and the two or three mirrorless camera types I already have bought over the past 10 years), all I need for my new SL is a single Leica M to L mount adapter and I am good to go with all the lenses I could conceivably want to use and presently own. (And no, I have not found stacking adapters in this manner to create any issues though I know some people will think it might).
There is one exception to the above. The only slight struggle I am experiencing is that I have some lovely Zeiss ZE mount lenses - all in Canon mount and all thus requiring electronics in the adapter to "talk to" the New SL camera. As AF is not a consideration for these lenses, being native MF they require only aperture control thru the camera - plus EXIF data sharing etc. I am hoping that the Sigma MC-21 will function (though it is known to have AF issues on the SL - though not the SL2 etc.) I already have a Sigma MC-11 to allow me to use these Zeiss lenses on Sony cameras and have a high opinion of Sigma's offerings in this regards, so fingers crossed. But, if worst comes to worst, maybe all I need do is to keep my old Sony camera and dedicate it to the Zeiss glass for those occasions when I wish to use them. That is not too big of a downside.
I am still awaiting arrival of said Leica M to L mount adapter so a chomping at the "bit" for it to arrive. Maybe in a week to 10 days. And with any luck the Sigma MC-21 will arrive in my camera store in a similar timeframe and this will allow me to test it out as well. Like I say, fingers crossed.
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shawn
Veteran
Have fun with the SL.
I'd suggest one of the M to L mount adapters that also has a helicoid in it. Lets you focus closer with M mount lenses.
Ebay had L mount adapters for very little money. Nikon F is about $13 for example. The biggest thing I found when stacking adapters is most adapters are a little too short. So you compound that with multiple adapters. Means infinity won't really be at the stop and the focus scale is off. Both of those are more of an annoyance then anything else. For zooms or lenses with a floating element being too short throws off performance though.
I'd suggest one of the M to L mount adapters that also has a helicoid in it. Lets you focus closer with M mount lenses.
Ebay had L mount adapters for very little money. Nikon F is about $13 for example. The biggest thing I found when stacking adapters is most adapters are a little too short. So you compound that with multiple adapters. Means infinity won't really be at the stop and the focus scale is off. Both of those are more of an annoyance then anything else. For zooms or lenses with a floating element being too short throws off performance though.
brusby
Well-known
Terrific cameras, particularly if you have a stash of M lenses. And very good advice from Shawn regarding getting a close focus adapter with a helicoid. The other potential problem with some of them is a fit that is either too loose or too tight. I had to buy and return a couple before finally finding a reasonably priced one that fit and worked well.
I just looked at mine in the hopes I could tell you the name of the manufacturer, which I don't recall, but the only writing on it is "LM--SL/T". If memory serves, it was roughly $50 or $60 on the big auction site. Good luck!
I just looked at mine in the hopes I could tell you the name of the manufacturer, which I don't recall, but the only writing on it is "LM--SL/T". If memory serves, it was roughly $50 or $60 on the big auction site. Good luck!
yossi
Well-known
TWO 400ft bulk rolls of EASTMAN Double-X film 5222. Could not be happier 🤗
It's time to mix some D-96.
It's time to mix some D-96.