Curious about Alpa SLRs

[thegman]

Hello,
Got a bit of GAS flaring up, but not sure if I'll actually buy or not. Basically, I'm interested in Alpa SLRs like the 10d or 11e. I'm not a collector, so I'm asking about what these are like to shoot? Are they reliable, usable etc? Would one replace a Leica M3 well enough? Shutter noise quiet enough?

Pretty vague, I know, I'm just interested in people's experience with them.

Cheers

Garry

 

[agfa100]

Back in the old days of film I had picked up a 10D to use as a visoflex. The Alpa bodies were the thinnest film camera bodies so you could adp. alot of lenses from other makes to them. They are heavy, and clunkly and the backward film advance is not quick and the metering is stop down. Would I replace a M3 with a Alpa NO! but they were fun to play with. And you will not run into anyone else shooting one ever.....

I was able to get hold of the Leica R to Alpa adp and a Nikon to Alpa adp, so I used my Visoflex lenses and I had picked up a couple of single cam flex lenses that I used on the Alpa. It worked and I had a buddy that was Mr. Nikon when it came to lenses so I could borrow some of his really long lenses to play with. Was it worth all the effort, not really but it's like why do people climb mountains, because they are their.

Now all that Alpa stuff is just as crazy money as Leica just because they made so few. Plus the 10D used a very strange battery a RM-450 which was killed off in the 80's and you then had to buy a adp from Alpa to use a normal style battery. Good luck on finding one of those. With the 11E they went with lights in the viewfinder that went "OFF" when the exp was correct. That did not last long, the 11el has a normal style of two red's with a green in the center for correct exp.
wbill

 

[saturnales]

I do own an Alpa 10d in black. A jewell. Extraordinary piece of fine swiss mechanic. I do have a rare Leica R adapter to it. So you can use great leica glass. Very original mechanism too. I would buy another one. But they are exensive.

 

[normclarke]

The word on the street(U.K.) is that the shutters are prone to tapering and are a pig to get right. I gleaned this from an article in the A.P. a few years back. If it effects the later models I can not be sure but I believe the shutter crate is essentially the same across all models.

Best,

normclarke.

 

[alfredian]

Alpa is one of the "old" names in SLR photography - everyone knows about Exa/Exacta, but Alpa was the "high-end" of the day. I saw my first Alpa at a college wedding in 1968 or so. Art dept faculty member had one, in green-leather, with a 55/3.5 Micro-Nikkor on it. Total love & lust at first sight. Apparently the Nikkor was cheaper than the MacroSwitar that was the kit lens, if you can believe it.

 

[thegman]

Sounds interesting, I was free of GAS for a while, but now it's back...

Shame about the battery for the meter, but not the end of the world.

 

[besk]

You need to get one of the Alpa's that had both SLR and and separate viewfinders. That would really be something.

 

[Roger Hicks]

They're all nice: I've owned one, borrowed a couple, and handled several more. But the early ones were so WEIRD (e.g the reverse lever wind, 45 degree finder, etc.) that rather like Exaktas, they're better on microscopes. Later ones were somewhat more usable, and just as beautifully made, with 1/3 stop rests between shutter speed for example (but still the reverse lever, as I recall); but I can still think of many, many cameras I'd rather (a) take pictures with and (b) own. Including current Alpas...

The dancing dots in the DoF scale on the Switars (and for all I know, other lenses as well) were fun, too.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Vince Lupo]

I had a 6c and got rid of it. Ergonomically it didn't work for me (but I'm someone who was weaned on Exaktas, so go figure). The backwards film advance lever was odd, and I didn't really find them to be better made than say, a Robot Royal 36, which is really a well-made beast. Parts may also be an issue if you ever needed service -- Karl Heitz used to be the source for parts in the U.S, but there may be a source for service and parts in the UK/Europe. Interestingly, it's one of the few cameras that my repair man, Frank Marshman, refuses to work on!

Some of the lenses are nice -- the Kern Macro Switar in particular, Angenieux is another. There are Schneiders as well, which are fine, but really I didn't find the shots more spectacular than anything else. Might be just me -- or my photos!

They're definitely a rarified breed of camera (with their limited production, gold plate for engraving your initials, Swiss provenance, etc), but I'd prefer to put my money into other cameras. But, maybe everyone has to own an Alpa at least once to say they've experienced it!

 

[burancap]

My thoughts from THIS THREAD:

"OK... Some random first impressions, no real order to any of this...

A solid, well built body. Has a feeling of precision to it married to a slightly "industrial" feel of the casing. When I first got it in my hands a few months ago, my opinion was that it was less elegant Barnack SLR.

Now that I have shot the first few frames, that initial opinion has changed.

First, it is a bit odd to load, not so different than the period Leicas. No, you don't have to trim the leader, but removing the take-up spool definitely makes life easier. The broad open back helped as well. The first thing that I had an issue with is the 45 finder. Feels natural on medium format, like a Hasselblad, but certainly odd on 35mm. It took a while to remember to look down. Secondly, the release on the front of the body is difficult to get used to, but does seem to offer a bit of stability regarding one's grip. Lastly, compared to my RF cameras it was a bit discomforting to watch your composition disappear as the mirror rose, again much like the Hasselblad.

I guess in short, my initial impression that it would be akin to a Barnack SLR, has been changed by the overall feel and use -much more like a SLR Hassy in 35mm, had they ever made one."

 

[Tom A]

For some years I (almost) collected ALPA's. A local college was given a box of them I helped them getting rid of them. Kept some duplicates and then decided to collect only odd series of them, as friend in Sweden collected the even series. Once I had my ALPA 1.3.5.7.9 and 11 - we flipped a coin and he lost and had to take them all. Most of them went to Japan as they were at the time highly prized collectibles there.
The Macro Switars f1.9 and f1.8 still are among the best macro 50's you can find and many have been converted to Leica M mount (with focussing coupling).
They are distinctly weird cameras - film advance, batteries and some of the early ones had both SLR viewfinder and a simple 50 mm finder built in. Up to about the ALPA 7 the mirror viewfinder was also gloomy - unless it was very bright outside - you had to pray for focus.
Build quality was very good - though parts were made like a swiss watch - some parts looked like they came from tractor factory #4 in Russia. Ball bearings everywhere too.
The lenses were hand picked by ALPA, each lens was supplied with a test negative from the factory and in case of an accident you could return the lens and they would rebuild it and check it against their copy of the test negative.
There were only about 20-22000 ALPA's built - you could order multiple variations, 1'2 frame, full frame, strangely colored leather, black and chrome or other colors - and several version had a small gold plated rectangle on the top (cover for the meter adjustment) that could be engraved with your initials!
There were some great lenses for it too, the 100mm f2 Apochromatic, the 150 Apochromatic, the Angineaux 28f3.5 with the dial control on the side.
Multiple adapters Nikon, Leica SLR etc - and if they did not make it - they would do it for you (at a charge).
As a user camera it is OK, but it is more of an ode to strange designs, built to specs that are no longer available - or simply too expensive.
They even made a motor drive. It would mount above the camera and and arm would come down and engage the reverse rotating film advance and another arm would push the shutter release on the front! Only 10-12 made - I have seen two - neither worked!

 

[saturnales]

Tom A., as usual, says it all!

 

[agfa100]

The other think I liked about the Alpa, was the way they felt when you either removed or put a lens on the body I have never felt any camera that was so smooth. It was like cutting butter with a hot knife. I still have a 6C and 10D in my file cabinet with the 24mm Angineaux, 40mm Makro Killar, and the 50mm Makro Switar 1.9. I even got the adp to put them on my Sony Nex.
wbill

 

[thegman]

Thank you all, I must say my interest is somewhat piqued.

Roger, I too admire the new Alpas, such as the 12TC, but they are not friendly with my budget, so I have a Fotoman 69, which attempts to be the same thing. I've never used an Alpa, so cannot compare them, but I'd imagine the Alpa is a lot smoother in operation.

Tom, sounds very curious, well made, but looks somewhat industrial?

At the right price, I think I'd have to try one, but they are out of "impulse purchase" range for me, so still needs a bit of thought.

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

I did always like the look of the Alpas, especially the 10 and 11. I was rather surprised, though, when I handled a couple. They felt "loose". Everything worked smoothly but they just didn't feel so well engineered as my Leica or Hasselblad.

At least my disappointment saved my wallet a fair bit! 😀

 

[ChrisLivsey]

In the UK Leica have never, ever, been cheap. In the 70's Alpa's were cheap. The quality provided by the 50mm Switar was beyond reproach and I picked up a 6 and a 7. In Kodachrome especially the results were superb. Then a shutter began to play up and it cost more than the two bodies (complete with lenses) to have it fixed. Having said that both have worked flawlessly since for 25+ years, regular exercise helps ( the cameras not the shooter).
I suspect that much like a Leica you can buy and have a play then re-sell with little if any loss so I can't see a reason not to have the experience because so relatively few people have owned one. The lenses are not overpriced, just the bodies, and you can buy an inexpensive rangefinder coupled (and adjustable) Alpa to M mount adapter which gives you a real clunky experience of the Switar on an M where the Leia close focus quits so far before the lens it is a real laugh and answers the question " why use an SLR ?".
I have no experience of the later models but would personally be wary of anything that old with electrics in. You could buy it working then it stops and your re-sale value goes, personally I would try an older model. BTW the "rangefinder as well versions" provide a view akin to those lenses fitted to hotel doors and about as useful.