If I were to buy a TLR...

As been said earlier in the thread, a CLA'd camera is a very good thing. Now, looking back at the cameras I've sent off for CLA - it's been worth every penny! Other than that, it's pretty much subjective what model or make you like. I prefer the Rolleicords. A III or IV is cheaper, but I think the Vb is the best of the bunch. They can be hard to find and/or pricey, though.
 
When talking "cheap" what about a good old Meopta Flexaret ? These are old czechoslovakian TLRs, with coated 4-element elnses named Belar and Meopta made a lot of accessories for them - like 6x4.5 adapters, 35mm adapters, close-up lenses etc. In czech republic and slovakia they cost about 30-40 $.
Look here (click)
PS: I have 2 :) both were given to me by relatives.
 
Minolta Autocord. With bells on.
I heeded Fgianni's repeated recommendations, and bought Dreilly's excellent Autocord.
It was love at first focus. My Yashicamat 124G has been relegated to the sidelines, as has my Seagull TLR, which never actually lived up to my expectations. The Autocord is a feast.
 
Hey Spyderman - thanks! Getting a Czechoslovak TLR would be like returning to my roots - my paternal grandfather emigrated to the U.S. from there in 1920! Still, much research to be done.

Does anyone know any good shops in Berlin? I'll be there at the end of the month.

Cheers,
Alex
 
Doug - your photo says sooo much! Thanks for the contact info and I'll definitely be looking into your recommendations!

Thanks!!!!
 
Hi Alex, don't lose track of what you wanted, namely a wide angle option. I enjoyed my Yashica 124 and took some of my best images with it. I found that I liked the slower pace that this system encourages and the ground glass image has more presence than a viewfinder image for me. I find that the larger negs make it difficult to imagine shooting my "serious" images on 35mm. The major drawback was the fixed focal length. I bought a C220 and a few lenses. This kit is very, very capable for a modest outlay. Lenses are widely available from 55mm to 250mm, I have a few from 65mm to 180mm, these give a great deal of flexibility to my shots, provided I can carry them.
Good luck...
 
Actually, that Autocord is now Lynn's--the one she was raving about. It's a tight family around here! Beautiful camera and very nice, contrastry lens.

Why is it now Lynn's? I just happened to find a basically unused Rolleicord 3 for about $50 on ebay and lucked out in the gamble, and found the one spouse-friendly model for me!

I had a Flexaret VII, loved it. Great Czech cameras and available on ebay cla'd from a guy in Bratislava. But the prices approach the price of a CLA'd Autocord, and the Japanese did make a better product in general, I have to admit.
 
Ossifan said:
Hey Spyderman - thanks! Getting a Czechoslovak TLR would be like returning to my roots - my paternal grandfather emigrated to the U.S. from there in 1920! Still, much research to be done.

Does anyone know any good shops in Berlin? I'll be there at the end of the month.

Cheers,
Alex
Click to expand...

Hi Alex,

not about cameras, but definitely pay www.fotoimpex.de a visit for some film.

Best regards,
Uwe
 
I've definitely got lots to think about here - many options that I'd never considered but obviously should. Thanks!

Uwe - thanks for the tip. Sad that in the two years I lived in Berlin ('01-'03) I never made it to Hameln - and I wanted to take my son there, too!

Cheers,
Alex
 
Alex,
it's not too far from Berlin. Now on the ICE, it's between 1,5 and 2 hours on the train to Hannover and then about 45 minutes on the local train into Hameln.

It's definitely worth a visit. There's a Maccie in the Old Town and they were not allowed to put up their standard red and yellow signs, but only a copper coloured one.

When exactly are you coming to Germany?

Uwe

Edit: here's the website: http://www.hameln.com/tourism/piedpiper/open_air.htm
 
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So, here is one of my Flexarets: the newer VI.

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All this TLR talk reminded me that the older IV needed some cleaning, so I opened it up - and found some BUGS inside the body! It was behind the front plate! And the camera has had a CLA about 2 years ago... I just wonder how deep a CLA it was... :rolleyes:
 

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I faced the same decision you're currently facing about a year back. I decided on a Mamiya C220 because of the option of interchangeable lenses. A great camera that takes excellent pics. I do agree though, that if you get bitten by the TLR bug really bad, you'll someday want a Rolleiflex.

Jim Bielecki
 
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