Hall of underrated cameras

I am going to be the one to have to say it

Leica M5

First RangeFinder Camera to have TTL metering

Option to use vertical leica strap

Last Leica to be manufactured "hand to fit" like an m3

And when Leitz acknowledged that slrs were dominating 5-9 years before the production of the m5 , they still dared to change the design to something less curvy and more masculine use a more convenient shutter speed , and for that I give them an applause to think different in an age where slrs were looking like they would be the trend and still maintain their roots!
 
PMCC said:
To my mind, its "glaring eccentricities" are features, not bugs. In an era dominated by Leica and its lookalikes, the Vitessa had a charm and distinctive identity of its own. A quirky original of design, and superb performer as well.
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Totally agree, although from a purely practical standpoint, the Vitomatic IIa (and the IIIB too) with the Ultron lens is as good if not better as the quirkier barn-door Vitessas... The only minus point regarding the Vitomatic is its strange weight/size ratio. It is rather compact, but weighs and feels like a chunk of cast iron! 🙂

I second what have been said about Minolta SLRs. And the Pentax K1000 is indeed way overrated... I used an almost new specimen 21 years ago and suffered all sorts of issues, starting with film transport (a truly serious P.O.C.).

I also agree on the V. Perkeos. I also think the Zeiss-Ikon Super Ikontas are underrated. The later versions are solidly built and produce excellent results if well maintained.
 
Roger, Igor always praised the lens in the Lubitel -- in its price range, I think the Russian Stereo cameras used the same lens.

There have been bunches of $5-$10 fixed focus Japanese cameras, some made by Petri, and some made by Ricoh that are quite good shooters-- many are tossed out every year.

Someone mentioned the Exa, and I recall a German tourist trying to get his fixed cheaply in Prague, when I pointed out he could buy another for less than the cost of the repair, with a warranty and case.

Flexarets should have been underated good shooters, but they seemed to develop hard to fix problems as did the Pentacon Sixes. My friend/colleague/model Zu has one working well, after three overhauls in Prague. You would get a small bag of parts back each time. After a few times, you may get a usable camera.

Regards, John
 
I'd like to submit the Nikkormat FTn. Kind if hard to shine in the shadow of the Nikon F family.

While I never owned one (Nikon-aholic) the Canon EF felt pretty nice in my hands the few times I used one. Thoughts?
 
Well if we're going to list the Argus C3 and the Bolsey, then certainly something has to be said for the nearly completely forgotten Ciro 35 rangefinders. The version with the Rapax shutter and 2.8 Wollensak lens puts the Bolseys and Argi to shame... The viewfinder is even slightly larger than on either of those cameras. Nice camera especially after Graflex took over.
 
Brian Legge said:
The Perkeo II is a steal. Some have issues fitting spools in - they are very tight cameras - but the later lenses and build quality are stellar. If you can confirm one is in good condition, particularly with the Hesper or Neo Hesper lenses, jump on it.
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I've run across Perkeo I's and II's with Color-Skopar lenses. And I still have a Daiichi Zenobia with a Neo-Hesper lens, a very fine tessar-type optic, but wasn't aware that the Voigtlander Perkeos were ever supplied with the Japanese-made Neo-Hesper. The Zenobia is a 6x4.5 folder on 120 reminiscent of the Zeiss Ikon Ikonta A, and is a dandy little shooter.
 
Retrotech68 said:
Totally agree, although from a purely practical standpoint, the Vitomatic IIa (and the IIIB too) with the Ultron lens is as good if not better as the quirkier barn-door Vitessas... The only minus point regarding the Vitomatic is its strange weight/size ratio. It is rather compact, but weighs and feels like a chunk of cast iron! 🙂
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Another minus of the Vitomatic is that it is prone to *total* rangefinder patch fade, which is not really reversible and turns the camera into a scale focuser -- problematic with a 50mm at f2.
 
Hah - PMCC - opps!

Yes, I totally crossed those two cameras. The Zenobias with the Neo Hesper and the Perkeo with the Color Skopar are excellent. Both are great deals. 🙂
 
Roger Hicks said:
Lubitel. Try one. I have two. My expensive one was GBP 3 (call it $5) at a car boot sale and the other was free. A properly processed 3x enlargement (168mm/6.6 inches square) has the tonality of a contact print, and at only 3-up it's still surprisingly sharp at f/8 or less. Crop it and print it to half-plate (4.75 x 6.5 inches) and tell people it was made with a Gandolfi, and they'll believe you if you get it right.

Cheers,

R.
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Agreed! However, it's worth the while to do something about the often very shiny 'Bakelite' surfaces inside the camera, or you'll easily end up with a strange reflection in the upper half of the frame.

Why hasn't anyone mentioned the Praktica L-series as underrated cameras? They're really quite nice to use and their own optics (Zeiss/aus Jena, Meyer, Pentacon) are very nice - some of the GDR M42 lenses have arguably even become overrated 😀

Derk
 
dotur said:
Voigtlander Vito B.
The best mechanical compact ever. Superb chrome, excellent optics, simple and reliable.
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And this also is very true! Not very long ago I gave such a cam to my "best friend" who also is a passionate photographer and he loves it!
And meanwhile I have bought another one for me. 😉
 
Penny Lane said:
Agreed! However, it's worth the while to do something about the often very shiny 'Bakelite' surfaces inside the camera, or you'll easily end up with a strange reflection in the upper half of the frame. . .

Derk
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Dear Derk,

Very true! I've had mine so long that I'd forgotten I'd used self-adhesive black matte 'fuzz' inside them to overcome this problem.

Cheers,

R.
 
Some more underrated cams are IMHO:

- the Kodak Retinette series (not only the "big C" ones)
- the Zorki-4 (the viewfinder is the best of all Russian RFs I have shot with)
- the Zeiss Ikon Voigtländer Vitessa 500AE electronic (What a name! But what a lens!! Voigtländer Color-Lanthar 2.8/42)
- the Hapo 36 (hardly anbody knows it, but it was built by Regula-Werk King in Germany nad sports a very nice Steinheil lens)
 
Penny Lane said:
Agreed! However, it's worth the while to do something about the often very shiny 'Bakelite' surfaces inside the camera, or you'll easily end up with a strange reflection in the upper half of the frame.

Why hasn't anyone mentioned the Praktica L-series as underrated cameras? They're really quite nice to use and their own optics (Zeiss/aus Jena, Meyer, Pentacon) are very nice - some of the GDR M42 lenses have arguably even become overrated 😀

Derk
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Because they are underrated, that's why 😉

THis thread could very much end up being a contradiction in terms. Any camera that gets more than a few votes is no longer underrated 😉
 
Because they are underrated, that's why
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They're certainly a big step up from the Nova series, which includes the Prakticamat and the SuperTL. I actually like the Nova series; when you get a good one it can be a joy to use. Unfortunately, Pentacon VEB's quality control at that time seems to have been rather worse than that of the Soviet factories. 🙁
 
Penny Lane said:
Agreed! However, it's worth the while to do something about the often very shiny 'Bakelite' surfaces inside the camera, or you'll easily end up with a strange reflection in the upper half of the frame.

Why hasn't anyone mentioned the Praktica L-series as underrated cameras? They're really quite nice to use and their own optics (Zeiss/aus Jena, Meyer, Pentacon) are very nice - some of the GDR M42 lenses have arguably even become overrated 😀

Derk
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I do like the sound a feel of my L series MTL5B but I can't get comfortable with the 3 way split image nor the visible fresnel rings in the viewfinder.

I've not yet tried my Exakta RTL1000 which is also an L series Praktica.

Ronnie
 
I like the three-way split image, but for those who don't there are models with two-way split image focusing, or microprisms. My favourite L-series is the basic L model; no meter to go bad, older examples have a release lock, microprism focusing, and somehow (but this is completely irrational, as well as very subjective) a nicer feel to them than later models.

Derk
 
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