Half frame camera recommendations

[iphoenix]

Check out any Saturday/Sunday markets in your area. Stallholders in Antique or Collectable centres may also have little knowledge of the value of what they're selling (in many cases from deceased estates).
Getting collectable and usable film cameras cheaply from these sources is not unknown 😀😀

 

[leicapixie]

I suggest a small slr, full frame, Pentax Me ..
Available at your price level, slightly bigger but..
The Pen-F, FT were for me a disaster.
Seen some on sale, but pricey and may not be reliable.

 

[Lee Rust]

In my opinion, one of the nicest aspects of the Pen S and similar models is the way the focussing ring is so well placed for the fingertips, with click stops at 2m and 5m. Not to mention the quiet shutter, excellent lens, clear bright-line finder and near-perfect ergonomics.

I have a Pen FT too, and it's a very nice SLR, but the shutter is super loud. Then there's the Mercury II, with a fascinating mechanism and a decent lens, but fairly awkward to operate.

 

[Steve M.]

Those Mercury cameras are neat to play w/, but not what I would use daily because they're so strangely configured (and heavy). I finally went back to my old standby, a Retina Ia w/ a Xenar 50 3.5 lens. Small and light, w/ a really good lens. But since then some people have been posting shots from their Pen cameras and those look great! I'll end up w/ one soon. The S models seem to run around $30 o $50 and have sharp lenses from what I see here.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

I know it's blindingly obvious but this is a forum and sometime the obvious needs to be thrown into the ring...

So, the 35mm cameras are normally held and shot in landscape format and turned for portrait format; it's the reverse for half frame. Will you be happy turning it around most of the time?

And using slide film will mean you have to remember to turn it consistently and that's not as easy as people think.

Anyway, apologies if this is too obvious.

Regards, David

 

[presspass]

If you want unique and still producing outstanding photos, have a look at the Canon Dial. Relatively small, half frame, and wind-up motor drive. Had one and kept it until the drive spring failed. Should have had it repaired, if possible, but didn't.

 

[leicapixie]

Hi,

I know it's blindingly obvious but this is a forum and sometime the obvious needs to be thrown into the ring...

So, the 35mm cameras are normally held and shot in landscape format and turned for portrait format; it's the reverse for half frame. Will you be happy turning it around most of the time?

And using slide film will mean you have to remember to turn it consistently and that's not as easy as people think.

Anyway, apologies if this is too obvious.

Regards, David

I love the vertical shape, a plus when I did for magazines, brochures!
The wind wheel of Pen-S (my original) is as fast as a motor!
The shutter silent but top speed 250th!
At 1st Kodak refused to mount slides, Kodachrome,
later due to competition mounted exactly 20 or 36!
More than that would result in a piece of film shoved in box..

 

[David Hughes]

...At 1st Kodak refused to mount slides, Kodachrome,
later due to competition mounted exactly 20 or 36!
More than that would result in a piece of film shoved in box..

I can remember getting half frame slides back, just one per box of normal slides, and the one was the spoilt frame at the front of the film as the take-up spool took up the exposed to the sky film.


Regards, David

 

[Lee Rust]

I generally use my half-frames to shoot color slide film because 74 frames on a roll almost compensates for the high cost of film and processing. However, I never get the frames mounted as slides ... the spacing is rarely perfect and at best you would end up with two pictures in one mount, one of which may be in portrait orientation and the other in landscape. I scan the images to digital or just gaze at them in the PrintFile sleeve.

The Canon Dial is a fun camera too, very distinctive in design and well suited to quick action sequences because of the motor drive and auto exposure, but the focussing tab is a bit too small and oddly placed for my big fingers.

 

[benlees]

Years a go I really wanted a half frame. I had a Pen FT that was DOA and never took another plunge. It takes me forever to finish 36 so 72? I'm too impatient! The Pen slr's are actually quite heavy, and loud. Good luck!

 

[aizan]

Has anyone bought one of the vertical film travel half frame cameras like the Agat 18k, Yashica Rapide, or Taron Chic? How do they handle?

 

[mothertrucker]

In my opinion, one of the nicest aspects of the Pen S and similar models is the way the focussing ring is so well placed for the fingertips, with click stops at 2m and 5m. Not to mention the quiet shutter, excellent lens, clear bright-line finder and near-perfect ergonomics.

This is a great point Lee, that i forgot to mention, the Pen D3 also has little detents / click stops too at useful focus points (don't have it in front of me to confirm the points).

 

[Muggins]

If you print 6x4 from alf-frame negs the aspect ratio is exactly right to get two shots to a print - I use it for diptychs, though you need to keep your wits about you regarding what you photographed last!

Adrian


Shark2 by gray1720, on Flickr

Especially for Boat Race day! by gray1720, on Flickr

 

[benlees]

Has anyone bought one of the vertical film travel half frame cameras like the Agat 18k, Yashica Rapide, or Taron Chic? How do they handle?

And lets not forget the Yashica Samurai; one of the quirkier half frames...

 

[Dwig]

Has anyone bought one of the vertical film travel half frame cameras like the Agat 18k, Yashica Rapide, or Taron Chic? How do they handle?

I had a Bell & Howell Dial 35, a specially branded version of the Canon Dial 35 II, for a number of years. It handled fine and the spring motor worked well. It was, though, a bit big and heavy compared to some of the very small full frame 35mm cameras that came on the market a few years later and made the Dial a shelf queen.

 

[skucera]

I can second the Dial 35. I have the Bell & Howell Dial 35-2, and it does its thing really well. The spring-loaded auto-wind is fun too, and whenever I use it it always gets two or three people asking about it.


My dad was really into Konica cameras, and I have had a few as a result, but I've never found an original Auto-Reflex with the full-frame/half-frame switch. Someday I'll find one.


Scott

 

[analoged]

If you like pretty...

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Cool to see the various half frame options coming up here.

I'm a big fan of Oly's PEN-S cameras. One might be a little bit more than the OP's stated budget, but worth a couple extra bucks IMO.

Leaf shutter makes daylight fill-flash a piece of cake.

OP is cheappo. Agat 18 is for OP.

The only half-frame with decent lens and works is Oly.