Anyone Know This Camera

[flashover]

Went to the Goodwill today. I should stay outa there. Brought home this lovely gem. Opticam 3000 EEII. Its a real gem Lens is 45mm 1:2.8 shutter speed B,30,60,125,250. Built in meter, no battery required. counter on the bottom. Can't find any info on location of manufacture. It must be fairly new as there is alot of plastic in it. Oh well what do you get for 2 bucks these days. Oh I bought one big enlarger made by Beseler and a box of developing stuff for 20 bucks. ( I realy needed that to).

 

[ErnestoJL]

Hummmm It looks very similar to those cameras made in Hong Kong under the name of (either) Halina or Haking. Most significant for me is to read in the lens "anastigmat", which was apparently Dr. Haking´s buzzword for a long time, as well as the lens barrel external look/appeal. Guess if the focusing scale is just a sticker... (I guess it is!).
If it has some automation in it, it should be very primitive as long as shutter speed set is reduced to just four speeds +B, and most curious (for today´s standards) is the Selenium cell...
Ok, the automation should be of shutter priority and ISO settings reduced to a maximum of ISO400 or so. The Auto range will also be reduced to allow snapshots in good to medium lighting conditions (1/250 @f16 to 1/30 @ f 2.8).
If the camera is what I think it is, the auto system shoud be similar but not equal (way more primitive) to the one that´s inside the QL17, however lacking the finesse and quality of the Canonets.
Anyway... 2 bucks... nothing to die for, isn´t it?

Ernesto

 

[payasam]

If the meter needs no battery, it has to be the selenium kind. That generally means not recent, which of course clashes with the plastics used. Or does it, necessarily?

 

[flashover]

Just looked it over again. No there is no battery at all. There is no auto setting at all. There a 4 rings on the lens App. 2.8 to 16. ASA 24 to 400, Shutter speed and Focus. My read on operation. You set ASA, moves the ring with a small window near the top. Next you check the meter. Gives you a number reading between 7 and 17. Move the shutter speed and app. rings till you get a corisponding number to show in the in the window and then you gestimate the focus by the scale as there is no internal rangefinder. The lettering on the lens is not a sticker, it's printed on. John

 

[Kim Coxon]

Hi,
I suspect the number equates to an EV number. It is a similiar system on the Yashica's. You may not find out exactly what it is. I rather suspect it is one of those cheapies made for 3rd parties a bit like the "mock" SLR's.

Kim

 

[Fred]

This looks identical to the Halina 3000 produced in the late seventies. I had one at school and was my very first 35mm camera. Focus is by guestimation, the lens although not up to Oly or Canon standards was OK and was even coated, even has a 49mm filter thread. If I remember correctly the aperture has only two blades in a 'V' formation and is very simple. Shutter was a leaf type.

The meters on these were supprisingly robust for this type of camera. You're right for the exposure setting, turn either the apertire or shutter untill the number read from the meter appeares in the little window on the lens ring, a simple but effective set up.

Need to be careful with the winding, only wind in singe full arcs, otherwise you risk frame overlap.

Have fun!

 

[flashover]

Found a photo of the Halina 3000 here http://www.idealimaging.biz/cameras/rf.html sure looks the same, or very close. This one has a 4 blade app and a leaf shutter. Maybe the Opticam is a newer version of the Helina,

 

[Fred]

The pic brings back memories, thanks for posting. 25+ years is a while.