biginovero
Established
Wow ... got from the notorious site an Isolette III with solinar (early 85 version).
Bellows still new and shiny, no damage to the body, chrome still shining with only a tiny defect on a knob, lens clean.
Virtually unused.
Still waiting from another with the apotar 85 I shot some two minutes earlier out of the wrong impression from the apo prefix of the lens .. actually an anastigmat that I wouldn't touch with a pole but I had already bought it and I'm not a bad buyer.
In any case the first one is great and the apotar will go away the same way I bought it or remain I do not know yet.
The solinar one is substantially immaculate so I thank my luck.
Camera has a sturdy feeling, the framework is rock solid so there shouldn't be alignment problems.
Bellows still new and shiny, no damage to the body, chrome still shining with only a tiny defect on a knob, lens clean.
Virtually unused.
Still waiting from another with the apotar 85 I shot some two minutes earlier out of the wrong impression from the apo prefix of the lens .. actually an anastigmat that I wouldn't touch with a pole but I had already bought it and I'm not a bad buyer.
In any case the first one is great and the apotar will go away the same way I bought it or remain I do not know yet.
The solinar one is substantially immaculate so I thank my luck.
Camera has a sturdy feeling, the framework is rock solid so there shouldn't be alignment problems.
biginovero
Established
btw, no other way to attach a strap than using the tripod attachment on the baseplate as the mounting point of a flat bar onto which to attach an handle and strap.
A bit time consuming but worthwhile I think, it will make the camera better
A bit time consuming but worthwhile I think, it will make the camera better
Gregm61
Well-known
Certo6?
I am tempted quite often checking his re-conditioned folders.
I am tempted quite often checking his re-conditioned folders.
biginovero
Established
No, the big auction site. Sometimes you can be lucky over there.
I remember receiving a ww2 helmet from a lady and it was authentic and in perfect conditions.
Buying from sale portals is quite a gamble though, I also check italian direct sale sites and you don't even have a feedback system there in case you run into some fishy vendor.
Seller was very rapid, got the thing in a few days
bmattock
Veteran
You can say 'eBay' you know. Nothing wrong with the word. You don't have to cross yourself or spit or anything. eBay. Yep, perfectly acceptable.
Congrats on your purchase, sounds cool!
Congrats on your purchase, sounds cool!
biginovero
Established
On some web forums there are problems. Here fortunately there aren't. Actually I appreciate the idea behind ebay but it should be used with extreme care when buying collectibles (esp ancient art and weapons).
Ah, i'm curious to compare the apotar with the solinar.
I might reserve the solinar for sharper tasks and the apotar for atmosphere shooting, esp in bw.
Camera is lightweight, if I compare to the canonet ql17 I already have the canonet feels even a tad more weighty.
rfaspen
[insert pithy phrase here]
I have an Isolette with the Apotar. I think the lens is a fine performer. Also have the Solinar, and its a great performer. The Apotar in MF and the Solinar in both MF and 35 incarnations.
I lost the ability to scan MF, so all my medium format gear sits unused until I remedy that situation. Even so, I'm not a big scale focus fan so the folders might sit unused anyway.
But, the Isolette III has the rangefinder, no? That would make a difference for me. Always thought the version of Isolette with the rangefinder was a really nice camera. Compact, pretty, and functional. Oh, and easy to repair. That's a plus nowadays.
I lost the ability to scan MF, so all my medium format gear sits unused until I remedy that situation. Even so, I'm not a big scale focus fan so the folders might sit unused anyway.
But, the Isolette III has the rangefinder, no? That would make a difference for me. Always thought the version of Isolette with the rangefinder was a really nice camera. Compact, pretty, and functional. Oh, and easy to repair. That's a plus nowadays.
rfaspen
[insert pithy phrase here]
Um, I usually feel like spitting whenever I say, or even think, "ebay"
We're not good friends these days.
bmattock
Veteran
Um, I usually feel like spitting whenever I say, or even think, "ebay"
Many of us have had both good and bad experiences with it. Whatever.
hanskerensky
Well-known
Nice camera !
You might want to check the bellows for pinholes as the shiny ones are prone to it.
Usually in the corners.
LED-light Bellows Inspection by Hans Kerensky, on Flickr
You might want to check the bellows for pinholes as the shiny ones are prone to it.
Usually in the corners.
LED-light Bellows Inspection by Hans Kerensky, on Flickr
biginovero
Established
Nice camera !
You might want to check the bellows for pinholes as the shiny ones are prone to it.
Usually in the corners.
LED-light Bellows Inspection by Hans Kerensky, on Flickr
Ok I checked with another chinese one and all seems ok.
Pls don't make another revolution, Mr Kerensky
johnnyrod
More cameras than shots
If you're thinking of selling the Apotar then it's worth trying it out first. I have a triplet (Novar) in my Ikonta and even with colour film and f4 it looks fine. If you can put a real picture or two to an advert it makes a world of difference too, among a sea of "am selling this but really it's a pig in a poke if I were to tell the truth" ads.
biginovero
Established
if there is a question that bugs me now is just the focal length of both lenses. 75 mm should give some little more precious field of view. But being essentially a man who shots either panoramas or details of buildings and woods I will use the isolette for just the later task.
I already have an m2 with a converted MIR 20 for panoramas, and in most cases my wide views are not my forte so I can even shot digital in case of panoramas.
Last question is the scanner to be used ... possibly I will adapt a digital reflex to the task.
Got a micro nikkor that works well
biginovero
Established
I loaded a portra 120 but there seem ti be no number or dot showing up in the red window. What is wrong here? :bang:
johnnyrod
More cameras than shots
Is this your first 120 film? You have to roll them a hell of a long way to find the first number. Worst case, you miss one, or you roll the film right to the other end then you can unload it and reload it. So, you can see the backing paper through the window? There will be some countdown marks before the number 1 - dots/stars/circles, I can't remember Portra.
Ernst Dinkla
Well-known
For my folders I use a chain pod attached to the tripod connector and knot a strap of it to carry the camera, so dual purpose:
http://www.pigment-print.com/Fotografica/Iskra/target0.html
BTW, the Iskra has strap attachments so an improvement to the original it copied, your Agfa.
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst
http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2016 update, 700+ inkjet media white spectral plots
Pioneer
Veteran
Isolettes are very nice cameras. I own several, some with Apotars, a couple with Solinars.
My favorite is actually an old Jsolette with a nice Solinar 80/4.5 (the J is just a German I) from sometime before WWII. This one has a nice leather bellows (so no pinholes) and strap lugs. Most of the pre-war 6x9 Agfa cameras had leather bellows as well.
Later models that came along after the war had the plastic bellows so were famous for pinholes. I have fixed a couple of these (not too hard) but lately I have just been draping a dark cloth over the bellows.
Most did not come with built in rangefinders so you either supply your own or just scale focus them. Set the aperture and focus at the red dots and you are usually good to go. Remember, when these folders were in their heyday, ASA 50 was pretty fast film, so they were usually used in the daylight or with flash.
My favorite is actually an old Jsolette with a nice Solinar 80/4.5 (the J is just a German I) from sometime before WWII. This one has a nice leather bellows (so no pinholes) and strap lugs. Most of the pre-war 6x9 Agfa cameras had leather bellows as well.
Later models that came along after the war had the plastic bellows so were famous for pinholes. I have fixed a couple of these (not too hard) but lately I have just been draping a dark cloth over the bellows.
Most did not come with built in rangefinders so you either supply your own or just scale focus them. Set the aperture and focus at the red dots and you are usually good to go. Remember, when these folders were in their heyday, ASA 50 was pretty fast film, so they were usually used in the daylight or with flash.