A pleasant few moments today ...

[Godfrey]

The weather proved a bit better than expected today so I suited up and took my bicycle for a nice long ride. The ride was a good 12 mile jaunt around from home to San Jose, and back, and, in the middle of it, one of my favorite cafes was still able to provide me with a refreshment. I sat outside to drink it, and pulled out the Perkeo II to make a photograph.

In that moment, a guy rushing in to grab a last cup of coffee turned as he passed me to say, "Hey! That's a very cool camera!" 😀

When he stepped out of the cafe, he stopped and we had a pleasant few minutes conversation. His daughter is taking a photography course at the local college and, he sighed, "... it's all with digital cameras! ... I'd like her to learn how to use a film camera but didn't know film was still available."

I gave him a few pointers and we exchanged contact info. He just loved the Perkeo II, "They just don't make cameras like this any more!" and I offered that if he was truly interested, I could help him locate one or similar for him and/or for his daughter. "I'll be in touch!" He said with a big smile.

I finished my refreshment and took off a little bit later. What a nice happenstance and a fine way to bring people together with a sweet old camera ...

Four more frames to go in the Perkeo II. I wonder what stories making those photos will bring.

G

 

[DownUnder]

My Perkeo I send a fond familiar greeting to your Perkeo II. Like you, I have a few frames left in a 120 roll I loaded - red-faced as I write this - almost a year ago.

Mine is Ilford XP2. So whatever images emerge after processing will be - I hope pleasant...

Good to know at least two of us are into 1950s German folders, tho'. I also have a Zeiss Nettar dating to ca 1950 with one of the sharpest Novars (a Rodenstock lens, so no surprise) I've had in a 6x6 camera, as good as - well, almost - as the Zeiss Planar in my much later Rolleiflex E2.

 

[Godfrey]

I used to have a few of these lovely 120 film folders ... Zeiss Ikon Ikontas in 645, 6x6, 6x9, Balda, etc ... but then I found the Voigtländer Perkeo II and sold the others. It just does the number for me. (The frame counter has come up with a fault recently, so it'll go to the shop for sorting out soon.) In more recent cameras, I have one of the Fuji GS645 Professional Wide 60 and I bought a Plaubel Makina 67 last Dec, which is in the shop being serviced ... should be along soon.

For me, that's the burden with these lovely old cameras: At this point in time, almost all of them need at least a service and sometimes minor repairs due to decades of neglect. So whatever I acquire, I have to always figure on a couple hundred dollars additional for the service as well as 10-12 weeks waiting time.

G