I want a Robot Star II

[squirrel$$$bandit]

That square frame...I love it! A completely different mood from most cameras. And what a neat looking little machine...and the Zeiss and Schneider glass... Anybody who has one, please post about it. I've been trolling eBay but they're few and far between.

 

[dazedgonebye]

Yep, they are cool.
Love to have one myself.

 

[feenej]

How about a Kodak 126 cartridge-film camera? Similar size square negative. I have a Yashica that takes this film that has a nice lens.

 

[rich815]

I like them too but too expensive, IMO. I have a Zeiss Ikon Tenax I just love. Here are three shots from it:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Tenax&w=38698047@N00

And here's the camera itself (not mine, but an example of one):

http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/zeiss/tenax/tenax1.jpg

There's a Tenax II out there too but again, too expensive.

I'm a square frame fanatic too. I shoot a lot with my 6 Rolleiflexes/Rolleicords!

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

How about a Kodak 126 cartridge-film camera? Similar size square negative. I have a Yashica that takes this film that has a nice lens.

Oh yeah...what Yashica is that?

I like that the Robots are so tiny, though...

 

[Roger Hicks]

I've had several over the years, and saw a couple at the Montamisé fair last Sunday. They're gorgeous and very heavy little things -- bodies machined from solid stainless steel, as far as I recall -- but I never could get on with the small square negative. Besides, nowadays I buy cameras to use or sometimes to write about, and a Robot (even the Royal 36 I saw at Montamisé) won't give me better pictures than my Leicas.

Edit in response to Rich and feenej: No, I disagree that they're too expensive. They're like Leicas. That's what they cost, because they are beautifully made and last forever. If they're not worth that sort of money to you, that's another matter, but if you've actually used one you are unlikely to compare it to any Instamatic 126 ever made.

I've had a Tenax too, but I find Robots nicer and easier to use, with a choice of good lenses.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[feenej]

A Yashica EZ-Matic like this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-YASHICA...ryZ48550QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Actually...there is a Robot Star "D" on eBay now for very cheap...everything is functional, says the seller, except that the shutter speed doesn't seem to change. Does this sound like a cleaning/lubrication issue? Or an actual broken camera?

 

[feenej]

I found a camera with lots of features like the Robot: wind up film advance, rangefinder, and a small square negative. Has a f2.8 Rokkor with selenium meter to boot. The 1969 Minolta Autopak 800.

http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Minolta_Autopak_800

 

[Cale Arthur]

The 1969 Minolta Autopak 800.

Too bad it's a 126.. kind of limiting, film selection-wise.

--c--

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Well, I bought that Star II on eBay. $160, superb looking condition. After doing some research it seems that when only the high shutter speeds are working, it's likely that the problem is that the mechanism needs lubrication. So I took the risk. I should have it in a few days and will put a roll through it, see what comes out!

I'm assuming that I can use something like Zoom Spout for lubrication?--that's sewing machine oil. I use it on my RTR tape machines and it never thickens or hardens. Anyone who has tried a little amateur CLA on these things, please do weigh in. I'm a little reluctant to spend another 200 bucks for a full cleaning if I can get away with doing some minor adjustments myself.

 

[jolefler]

As It's a Fine Machine....

As It's a Fine Machine....

I'd suggest a CLA by a competant camera techie. It's just too nice and collectable to take the chance on mucking it up (even just slipping on a screwhead).

BTW, I find Ronsonol lighter fluid to be of more value than any non-camera specific lubricants 😱