Interview of Jason Schneider, The Camera Collector, Part 2
The bearded camera maven comments on his motley camera collection
Questions by Stephen Gandy
Q: Can you provide a list of the cameras in your personal collection?
A: That’s a pretty tall order since I have approximately 200 cameras arrayed on the metal shelves in my 10 x 12 foot “camera room” and about 25 more in my small office. They’re not catalogued, and I didn’t actually count them all, but that’s a pretty good estimate. I guess that qualifies me as a serious collector, but I assure you I’m a piker compared to the really serious camera collectors I know, whose collections number in the thousands.
Rather than bore you with a complete inventory of my cameras, I’ll do the next best thing and tell you which cameras I thought enough of to acquire multiple copies. Bear in mind that I’m a user-collector, so all my cameras ore in working order and I favor models that can capture high quality images on film. I also own 14 digital cameras (mostly full frame and APS-C format) that I use for about 50% of my shooting. I love digital, and their imaging performance is amazing, but I don’t consider them collectibles—at least not yet.
Here goes:
Rolleiflex Automat MX EVS of mid to late '50s with 75mm f/3.5 Tessar lens
Rolleiflexes: 11 Rolleiflex Automat MX (early to late ‘50s) with 75mm f/3.5 Tessar or Xenar lens; 4 Rolleiflex 3.5F with 75mm f/3.5 Planar lens; 2 Rolleiflex 3.5E, one with 75mm f/3.5 Planar the other with 75mm f/3.5 Xenotar lens; 3 Rolleiflex Automat (original model of 1937-1939) with uncoated 75mm f/3.5 Tessar lens; 5 Rolleiflex Old Standard (1932-1938) with uncoated f/3.5 Tessar, all upgraded with modern front surface mirrors and HI-LUX screens by Maxwell Precision Optics. I also have 12 (count ‘em) Rolleicords, all post WWII models ranging from the III to the Va, all fitted with 75mm f/3.5 Xenar lenses.
Original Rolleiflex Standard aka "Old Standard" of 1932 with uncoated 75mm f/3.5 Zeiss Tessar lens
Beseler Topcon Super D with 58mm f/1.4 RE. Auto-Topcor lens
Topcon Super D: I can’t believe I own 14 Topcon Super Ds, 2 Topcon Super DMs with power winders, and 4 Topcon RE Supers, essentially the Japanese/European market version of the Super D. Most of my Super Ds are badged Beseler Topcon since Charles Beseler Co. of enlarger fame was the longtime Topcon distributor. I own 12 Nikon Fs including an original 1960 model with non-TTL “flag” meter prism and 58mm f/1.4 Nikkor, and you’ve gotta love ‘em, but when it comes to shooting, I prefer the Super D, mostly because the Topcon RE Auto-Topcor lenses yield gorgeous vintage look rendition along with impressive sharpness—my favorites are the 58mm f/1.4 and f/1/8.
Topcon RE Super with 58mm f/1.8 RE. Auto-Topcor lens and flash shoe adapter
Late Bronica S2A in black with 75mm f/2.8 Nikkor P lens
Bronica: Yes, I know, Bronicas have a reputation for mechanical foibles and many user collectors eschew them for that reason even though everyone admits that their lenses (Nikkor or Bronica) are really outstanding. As a class, 2-1/4 SLRs are mechanically complex and generally require more TLC and maintenance than 35mm SLRs, but I’ve found that the Bronica S2A and later models are reliable so long as you don’t manhandle them or wind the film too aggressively. Anyway, here’s my current Bronica inventory: 6 Bronica S2 and 10 Bronica S2A, all with 75mm f/2.8 Nikkors, 5 Bronica EC with electromagnetically timed shutter, 4 Bronica SQ-A (the updated, less klutzy version of the EC). I also have a passel of Bronica-mount lenses ranging from 55-250mm, but my faves are the 75mm f/2.8 HC Auto Nikkor (a high-performance 6-element normal lens) and the 100mm f/2.8 Auto-Zenzanon, which has gorgeous bokeh.
Bronica SQ with 75mm f/2.8 Zenzanon lens
Konica I of 1948 Made In Occupied Japan, with 50mm f/3.5 Hexar lens
Konica rangefinder 35s: These non-interchangeable lens rangefinder cameras combine a beautiful form factor with superb optics and functionality. I still marvel at the fact that Konishiroku (a film, camera and lens manufacturer founded in 1873!) could turn out the beautiful, high quality “Made in Occupied Japan” Konica I in 1948 when Japan was still a destitute nation struggling to recover from the aftermath of WWII. To cut to the chase, my collection includes: 10 Konica I, half with 50mm f/3.5 or f/2.8 Hexar lens, the remainder with 50mmm f/2.8 Hexanon lens; 5 Konica II with 50mm f/2.8 Hexanon lens; 6 Konica IIa (less common and quite collectable) with the legendary 48mm f/2 Hexanon lens; 2 Konica III with 48mm f/2.8 Hexanon lens; and 6 Konica IIIA, 2 with 48mm f/2 Hexanon and 4 with 50mm f/1.8 Hexanon, which is larger and less elegant but said to be optically superior. The IIIAs have a magnificent life-size range/viewfinder with moving, auto parallax-compensating frame lines that also correct for the diminishing field frame size as you focus closer (even Leica Ms don’t do that!) but I’ve never liked their vertical 2-stroke wind levers. I’d love to have a Konica IIIM with a functioning selenium meter and a single frame mask even though it’s an ungainly kludge, but 95% of the meters don’t work.
Konica IIA with iconic 48mm f/2 Hexanon lens
Late Konica IIIA with 50mm f/1.8 Hexanon lens
Leica IIIf Red Dial with late 50mm f/3.5 Elmar that stops down to f/22
Leicas: I’ve been a Leica nut since I was 14 and I acquired my first Leica (a “new” store display IIIg with collapsible 50mm f/2.8 Elmar) when I was 18—sadly, it’s long gone. At one time I had a modest Leica collection consisting of 20 Barnack screw mount and M bodies plus 2 Leica I, model A’s, but I succumbed to the blandishments of more well-heeled Leicaphiles and let them go for mere cash. I presently own the following products of E. Leitz Wetzlar: a Leica M3 with 50mm f/2 Dual Range Summicron that I bought brand new; a mint Leica IIIf Red Dial with red scale 50mm f/3.5 Elmar; a battered black Leica III with a clean, uncoated 50mm f/2 Summar, one of my favorite vintage lenses, a nice clean Leica IIIc with a shutter that works fine for a while, then fires erratically; 3 Leicaflex original cameras, 2 with 50mm Summicron-R; 3 Leica SL and 4 Leica SL2 35mm SLRs. Leica optics include 12 Leica LTM-mount, 3 Leica M-mount, and 8 Leica R-mount lenses, the latter in various meter coupling cam configurations.
Leica M3 single stroke with 50mm f/2 Dual Range Summicron and "goggles"
Canons: I find it hard to believe but I own more than 60 Canon cameras, the majority interchangeable lens screw-mount rangefinder 35s. The rangefinder 35s include: one Canon S-II, one Canon IIA, one Canon IIB, 3 Canon III, 2 Canon IVS, 4 Canon IVS B2, 4 Canon L-1, 3 Canon VI-L, 4 Canon VI-T, 4 Canon VT Deluxe, 4 Canon P, 4 Canon 7 and 6 Canon 7s. My favorite Canon rangefinder lenses: 50mm f/1.8 Canon or Serenar, 50 mm f/1.4 Canon, and the one I like the best, the collapsible 50mm f/1.9 Serenar that has gorgeous vintage rendition. I almost forgot my 3 fixed lens Canonet GIII QL-17s. It’s a great walkaround compact rangefinder 35 with manual and autoexposure and an excellent 40mm f/1.7 lens. My Canon 35mm SLRs include: 3 Canon FTb, 5 Canon EF, 2 Canon Pellix (original fixed mirror camera) 2 Canon RT (improved fixed mirror camera), 3 Canon A1 (multi metering mode cameras), 4 Canon F1 (original), and 5 Canon F1 New (my favorite), all of which accept FD- and earlier FT-mount manual focus lenses. I also possess the following EF-mount autofocus 35mm SLRs: 2 Canon EOS-3, 3 top-of-the-line EOS-1N, and 2 EOS-1N RS with fixed pellicle mirror and 10 fps maximum burst rate. I’m partial to the 50mm f/1.4 Canon in FD and EF mount despite its lack of vintage character, and the mass-market 50mm f/1.8, which is no slouch and available at bargain prices. I’m also quite fond of the EF-mount 28mm f/1.8 and 100mm f/2, which I also press into service on my Sigma fp with a Sigma MP-21 adapter that retains full AF functionality.
Canon VT DeLuxe with 50mm f/1.8 Canon lens
Mamiya C220 with old style 105mm f/3.5 Mamiya-Sekor lens
Mamiya twin lens reflex: I run more 120 film through my 2-1.4 x 2-1/4 Mamiya TLRs than any other medium format cameras I own because they can focus close without any attachments, are robust and reliable, and their interchangeable lenses can capture crisp, detailed images with loads of vintage character. My favorite lens is the old chrome-finished 80mm f/2.8 Mamiya-Sekor with Seikosha MX shutter that provides a top speed of 1/400 sec, mainly because it has an 11-bladed diaphragm that yields smoother bokeh—newer versions have 5-bladed diaphragms like postwar Rolleis. I favor the older models that came after the C and C2 because they're very solid and have double- and blank-exposure prevention, though the final models like the Mamiya C330 and C330f are lighter, have more convenient crank wind, and incorporate an improved parallax warning system when you focus close. My workhorse is a 1968 Mamiya C220 fitted with a chrome 80mm f/2.8 Mamiya-Sekor, a superb single-coated 5-element 3-group Heliar formula lens that’s exquisitely sharp and replete with vintage character. I have 23 (!) interchangeable-lens Mamiya TLRs in my collection, and that doesn’t count my 3 pre-C-series Mamiyaflexes, an Automat A of 1949, an Automat B of 1954, and an Automat A II of 1955.
Mamiyaflex C of 1956 was the first interchangeable lens Mamiya TLR. It's identifiable by its pointy "feet" on the bottom and single sided focusing knob
Here’s the list: 2 original Mamiyaflex C of 1956, 3 Mamiyaflex C2, 3 Mamiya C3, 2 Mamiya C33, 5 Mamiya C220, 4 Mamiya C330, 4 Mamiya C330f. I also have Mamiya lens sets for focal lengths ranging from 55 to 250mm, including 8 examples of the 80mm f/2.8, but all the 105mm f/3.5s I own are the original 4-element Tessar type and I’m on the lookout for a late 5-element multicoated version.
I could go on, but I think you get the picture. For the record, I love TLRs so much I also have 10 Ricohflex Diacords (all types including a working Ricohmatic 225), 9 Yashica-Mats, 10 Zeiss Ikoflexes (mostly the top-of- the-line Favorit and IIa), 3 Semflexes from France, 3 f/2.8 Rollops, and a passel of one-off exotics like the Olympusflex with 75mm f/2.8 F.C. Zuiko lens. My longstanding love for Graflexes is manifested in my having accumulated 10 4x5 Speed and Crown Graphics, plus 7 Baby (2-1/4x3-1/4) Speed and Crown Graphics. Numbered among my beloved folding roll film rangefinder cameras are: 6 Zeiss Super Ikonta B and BX, 4 Super Ikonta C, 4 Super Ikonta A, and Six old style Mamiya Six with film plane focusing, plus exotics by Fuji, Olympus, Ensign, etc. I won’t even go into my fairly extensive Exakta collection here. And I mention in passing that I’ve also acquired far too many Kodak Retina scale focusing and rangefinder models running the gamut from the original Retina I, model 117 of 1934 to the latest Retina IIIC (large C). Oh, did I mention t I also have about 25 German 6 x 9 cm, 9 x12 cm. and 13 x 18 cm ground-glass focusing film pack, plus a bunch of compatible 6 x 9 cm format roll film adapters so I can actually shoot with them?
Q. Which cameras would like to add to your collection if price were no object?
A. I could probably write a short book on this subject, but I’ll confine my answer here to a few of my heartthrobs:
Semflex Studio: A derivative of the French-made Semflex twin lens reflex, this solid but ungainly beast sports a fixed Berthiot 150mm f/5.4 moderate telephoto taking lens that’s perfect for shooting portraits, and a 150mm f/3.9 viewing lens. There are small variations, mostly with the film advance crank. The Semflex Studio, launched in 1952, predated the far more popular Tele Rolleiflex of 1961 by 9 years. I could snag one for about 700 bucks, but that buys a lot of film and processing.
Canon 7S “Z”: The last of the Canon 7S models to roll off the production line, only 4000 of these upgraded beauties were ever produced, compared to 16,000 of the “regular” 7S. The “Z” is in quotes because Canon never announced it as a new model, and it was never an official Canon designation but is attributed to Canon guru Peter Dechert. The only way can spot one is its larger 19.5mm diameter rewind crank, but it also featured “major improvements” to the finder, which is clearer and much less prone to ghosting. Like all Canons of its era its CdS metering system relied on mercury cells, so it requires a battery adapter or internal modification to work with available batteries. I haven’t acquired one yet because clean ones run $500-600 and I’m an inveterate cheapskate.
Linhof Super Technika 23: I’ve owned a few 4x5 Linhofs in my day, but I’ve always lusted after this exquisitely made 6x9 cm press/view camera with a top-mounted range/viewfinder, a manual parallax compensating eyepiece, and interchangeable precision RF cams. It also offers ground-glass focusing, a rise and tilt (but no swing) front, a rotating back with swings and tilts, a triple extension bellows and an anatomical grip. This modular masterpiece is a tad heavy for all-day handheld shooting but it’s perfectly usable on the fly, and it makes a stupendous studio rig. So long as I’m dreaming, why not add a 6 x 9 cm Super Rollex back or two, and a 105mm f/2.8 Linhof Schneider Xenotar for enhanced depth of field control and low light work. Practical considerations aside, the real reason I love this camera so much is that it’s drop dead gorgeous, especially in its signature tan leather. It's about $1,500-$2,500 per copy with lens and various accessories.
NOTE: To see photos of the cameras on my wish list and more, please go to my next post.
The bearded camera maven comments on his motley camera collection
Questions by Stephen Gandy
Q: Can you provide a list of the cameras in your personal collection?
A: That’s a pretty tall order since I have approximately 200 cameras arrayed on the metal shelves in my 10 x 12 foot “camera room” and about 25 more in my small office. They’re not catalogued, and I didn’t actually count them all, but that’s a pretty good estimate. I guess that qualifies me as a serious collector, but I assure you I’m a piker compared to the really serious camera collectors I know, whose collections number in the thousands.
Rather than bore you with a complete inventory of my cameras, I’ll do the next best thing and tell you which cameras I thought enough of to acquire multiple copies. Bear in mind that I’m a user-collector, so all my cameras ore in working order and I favor models that can capture high quality images on film. I also own 14 digital cameras (mostly full frame and APS-C format) that I use for about 50% of my shooting. I love digital, and their imaging performance is amazing, but I don’t consider them collectibles—at least not yet.
Here goes:
Rolleiflex Automat MX EVS of mid to late '50s with 75mm f/3.5 Tessar lens
Rolleiflexes: 11 Rolleiflex Automat MX (early to late ‘50s) with 75mm f/3.5 Tessar or Xenar lens; 4 Rolleiflex 3.5F with 75mm f/3.5 Planar lens; 2 Rolleiflex 3.5E, one with 75mm f/3.5 Planar the other with 75mm f/3.5 Xenotar lens; 3 Rolleiflex Automat (original model of 1937-1939) with uncoated 75mm f/3.5 Tessar lens; 5 Rolleiflex Old Standard (1932-1938) with uncoated f/3.5 Tessar, all upgraded with modern front surface mirrors and HI-LUX screens by Maxwell Precision Optics. I also have 12 (count ‘em) Rolleicords, all post WWII models ranging from the III to the Va, all fitted with 75mm f/3.5 Xenar lenses.
Original Rolleiflex Standard aka "Old Standard" of 1932 with uncoated 75mm f/3.5 Zeiss Tessar lens
Beseler Topcon Super D with 58mm f/1.4 RE. Auto-Topcor lens
Topcon Super D: I can’t believe I own 14 Topcon Super Ds, 2 Topcon Super DMs with power winders, and 4 Topcon RE Supers, essentially the Japanese/European market version of the Super D. Most of my Super Ds are badged Beseler Topcon since Charles Beseler Co. of enlarger fame was the longtime Topcon distributor. I own 12 Nikon Fs including an original 1960 model with non-TTL “flag” meter prism and 58mm f/1.4 Nikkor, and you’ve gotta love ‘em, but when it comes to shooting, I prefer the Super D, mostly because the Topcon RE Auto-Topcor lenses yield gorgeous vintage look rendition along with impressive sharpness—my favorites are the 58mm f/1.4 and f/1/8.
Topcon RE Super with 58mm f/1.8 RE. Auto-Topcor lens and flash shoe adapter
Late Bronica S2A in black with 75mm f/2.8 Nikkor P lens
Bronica: Yes, I know, Bronicas have a reputation for mechanical foibles and many user collectors eschew them for that reason even though everyone admits that their lenses (Nikkor or Bronica) are really outstanding. As a class, 2-1/4 SLRs are mechanically complex and generally require more TLC and maintenance than 35mm SLRs, but I’ve found that the Bronica S2A and later models are reliable so long as you don’t manhandle them or wind the film too aggressively. Anyway, here’s my current Bronica inventory: 6 Bronica S2 and 10 Bronica S2A, all with 75mm f/2.8 Nikkors, 5 Bronica EC with electromagnetically timed shutter, 4 Bronica SQ-A (the updated, less klutzy version of the EC). I also have a passel of Bronica-mount lenses ranging from 55-250mm, but my faves are the 75mm f/2.8 HC Auto Nikkor (a high-performance 6-element normal lens) and the 100mm f/2.8 Auto-Zenzanon, which has gorgeous bokeh.
Bronica SQ with 75mm f/2.8 Zenzanon lens
Konica I of 1948 Made In Occupied Japan, with 50mm f/3.5 Hexar lens
Konica rangefinder 35s: These non-interchangeable lens rangefinder cameras combine a beautiful form factor with superb optics and functionality. I still marvel at the fact that Konishiroku (a film, camera and lens manufacturer founded in 1873!) could turn out the beautiful, high quality “Made in Occupied Japan” Konica I in 1948 when Japan was still a destitute nation struggling to recover from the aftermath of WWII. To cut to the chase, my collection includes: 10 Konica I, half with 50mm f/3.5 or f/2.8 Hexar lens, the remainder with 50mmm f/2.8 Hexanon lens; 5 Konica II with 50mm f/2.8 Hexanon lens; 6 Konica IIa (less common and quite collectable) with the legendary 48mm f/2 Hexanon lens; 2 Konica III with 48mm f/2.8 Hexanon lens; and 6 Konica IIIA, 2 with 48mm f/2 Hexanon and 4 with 50mm f/1.8 Hexanon, which is larger and less elegant but said to be optically superior. The IIIAs have a magnificent life-size range/viewfinder with moving, auto parallax-compensating frame lines that also correct for the diminishing field frame size as you focus closer (even Leica Ms don’t do that!) but I’ve never liked their vertical 2-stroke wind levers. I’d love to have a Konica IIIM with a functioning selenium meter and a single frame mask even though it’s an ungainly kludge, but 95% of the meters don’t work.
Konica IIA with iconic 48mm f/2 Hexanon lens
Late Konica IIIA with 50mm f/1.8 Hexanon lens
Leica IIIf Red Dial with late 50mm f/3.5 Elmar that stops down to f/22
Leicas: I’ve been a Leica nut since I was 14 and I acquired my first Leica (a “new” store display IIIg with collapsible 50mm f/2.8 Elmar) when I was 18—sadly, it’s long gone. At one time I had a modest Leica collection consisting of 20 Barnack screw mount and M bodies plus 2 Leica I, model A’s, but I succumbed to the blandishments of more well-heeled Leicaphiles and let them go for mere cash. I presently own the following products of E. Leitz Wetzlar: a Leica M3 with 50mm f/2 Dual Range Summicron that I bought brand new; a mint Leica IIIf Red Dial with red scale 50mm f/3.5 Elmar; a battered black Leica III with a clean, uncoated 50mm f/2 Summar, one of my favorite vintage lenses, a nice clean Leica IIIc with a shutter that works fine for a while, then fires erratically; 3 Leicaflex original cameras, 2 with 50mm Summicron-R; 3 Leica SL and 4 Leica SL2 35mm SLRs. Leica optics include 12 Leica LTM-mount, 3 Leica M-mount, and 8 Leica R-mount lenses, the latter in various meter coupling cam configurations.
Leica M3 single stroke with 50mm f/2 Dual Range Summicron and "goggles"
Canons: I find it hard to believe but I own more than 60 Canon cameras, the majority interchangeable lens screw-mount rangefinder 35s. The rangefinder 35s include: one Canon S-II, one Canon IIA, one Canon IIB, 3 Canon III, 2 Canon IVS, 4 Canon IVS B2, 4 Canon L-1, 3 Canon VI-L, 4 Canon VI-T, 4 Canon VT Deluxe, 4 Canon P, 4 Canon 7 and 6 Canon 7s. My favorite Canon rangefinder lenses: 50mm f/1.8 Canon or Serenar, 50 mm f/1.4 Canon, and the one I like the best, the collapsible 50mm f/1.9 Serenar that has gorgeous vintage rendition. I almost forgot my 3 fixed lens Canonet GIII QL-17s. It’s a great walkaround compact rangefinder 35 with manual and autoexposure and an excellent 40mm f/1.7 lens. My Canon 35mm SLRs include: 3 Canon FTb, 5 Canon EF, 2 Canon Pellix (original fixed mirror camera) 2 Canon RT (improved fixed mirror camera), 3 Canon A1 (multi metering mode cameras), 4 Canon F1 (original), and 5 Canon F1 New (my favorite), all of which accept FD- and earlier FT-mount manual focus lenses. I also possess the following EF-mount autofocus 35mm SLRs: 2 Canon EOS-3, 3 top-of-the-line EOS-1N, and 2 EOS-1N RS with fixed pellicle mirror and 10 fps maximum burst rate. I’m partial to the 50mm f/1.4 Canon in FD and EF mount despite its lack of vintage character, and the mass-market 50mm f/1.8, which is no slouch and available at bargain prices. I’m also quite fond of the EF-mount 28mm f/1.8 and 100mm f/2, which I also press into service on my Sigma fp with a Sigma MP-21 adapter that retains full AF functionality.
Canon VT DeLuxe with 50mm f/1.8 Canon lens
Mamiya C220 with old style 105mm f/3.5 Mamiya-Sekor lens
Mamiya twin lens reflex: I run more 120 film through my 2-1.4 x 2-1/4 Mamiya TLRs than any other medium format cameras I own because they can focus close without any attachments, are robust and reliable, and their interchangeable lenses can capture crisp, detailed images with loads of vintage character. My favorite lens is the old chrome-finished 80mm f/2.8 Mamiya-Sekor with Seikosha MX shutter that provides a top speed of 1/400 sec, mainly because it has an 11-bladed diaphragm that yields smoother bokeh—newer versions have 5-bladed diaphragms like postwar Rolleis. I favor the older models that came after the C and C2 because they're very solid and have double- and blank-exposure prevention, though the final models like the Mamiya C330 and C330f are lighter, have more convenient crank wind, and incorporate an improved parallax warning system when you focus close. My workhorse is a 1968 Mamiya C220 fitted with a chrome 80mm f/2.8 Mamiya-Sekor, a superb single-coated 5-element 3-group Heliar formula lens that’s exquisitely sharp and replete with vintage character. I have 23 (!) interchangeable-lens Mamiya TLRs in my collection, and that doesn’t count my 3 pre-C-series Mamiyaflexes, an Automat A of 1949, an Automat B of 1954, and an Automat A II of 1955.
Mamiyaflex C of 1956 was the first interchangeable lens Mamiya TLR. It's identifiable by its pointy "feet" on the bottom and single sided focusing knob
Here’s the list: 2 original Mamiyaflex C of 1956, 3 Mamiyaflex C2, 3 Mamiya C3, 2 Mamiya C33, 5 Mamiya C220, 4 Mamiya C330, 4 Mamiya C330f. I also have Mamiya lens sets for focal lengths ranging from 55 to 250mm, including 8 examples of the 80mm f/2.8, but all the 105mm f/3.5s I own are the original 4-element Tessar type and I’m on the lookout for a late 5-element multicoated version.
I could go on, but I think you get the picture. For the record, I love TLRs so much I also have 10 Ricohflex Diacords (all types including a working Ricohmatic 225), 9 Yashica-Mats, 10 Zeiss Ikoflexes (mostly the top-of- the-line Favorit and IIa), 3 Semflexes from France, 3 f/2.8 Rollops, and a passel of one-off exotics like the Olympusflex with 75mm f/2.8 F.C. Zuiko lens. My longstanding love for Graflexes is manifested in my having accumulated 10 4x5 Speed and Crown Graphics, plus 7 Baby (2-1/4x3-1/4) Speed and Crown Graphics. Numbered among my beloved folding roll film rangefinder cameras are: 6 Zeiss Super Ikonta B and BX, 4 Super Ikonta C, 4 Super Ikonta A, and Six old style Mamiya Six with film plane focusing, plus exotics by Fuji, Olympus, Ensign, etc. I won’t even go into my fairly extensive Exakta collection here. And I mention in passing that I’ve also acquired far too many Kodak Retina scale focusing and rangefinder models running the gamut from the original Retina I, model 117 of 1934 to the latest Retina IIIC (large C). Oh, did I mention t I also have about 25 German 6 x 9 cm, 9 x12 cm. and 13 x 18 cm ground-glass focusing film pack, plus a bunch of compatible 6 x 9 cm format roll film adapters so I can actually shoot with them?
Q. Which cameras would like to add to your collection if price were no object?
A. I could probably write a short book on this subject, but I’ll confine my answer here to a few of my heartthrobs:
Semflex Studio: A derivative of the French-made Semflex twin lens reflex, this solid but ungainly beast sports a fixed Berthiot 150mm f/5.4 moderate telephoto taking lens that’s perfect for shooting portraits, and a 150mm f/3.9 viewing lens. There are small variations, mostly with the film advance crank. The Semflex Studio, launched in 1952, predated the far more popular Tele Rolleiflex of 1961 by 9 years. I could snag one for about 700 bucks, but that buys a lot of film and processing.
Canon 7S “Z”: The last of the Canon 7S models to roll off the production line, only 4000 of these upgraded beauties were ever produced, compared to 16,000 of the “regular” 7S. The “Z” is in quotes because Canon never announced it as a new model, and it was never an official Canon designation but is attributed to Canon guru Peter Dechert. The only way can spot one is its larger 19.5mm diameter rewind crank, but it also featured “major improvements” to the finder, which is clearer and much less prone to ghosting. Like all Canons of its era its CdS metering system relied on mercury cells, so it requires a battery adapter or internal modification to work with available batteries. I haven’t acquired one yet because clean ones run $500-600 and I’m an inveterate cheapskate.
Linhof Super Technika 23: I’ve owned a few 4x5 Linhofs in my day, but I’ve always lusted after this exquisitely made 6x9 cm press/view camera with a top-mounted range/viewfinder, a manual parallax compensating eyepiece, and interchangeable precision RF cams. It also offers ground-glass focusing, a rise and tilt (but no swing) front, a rotating back with swings and tilts, a triple extension bellows and an anatomical grip. This modular masterpiece is a tad heavy for all-day handheld shooting but it’s perfectly usable on the fly, and it makes a stupendous studio rig. So long as I’m dreaming, why not add a 6 x 9 cm Super Rollex back or two, and a 105mm f/2.8 Linhof Schneider Xenotar for enhanced depth of field control and low light work. Practical considerations aside, the real reason I love this camera so much is that it’s drop dead gorgeous, especially in its signature tan leather. It's about $1,500-$2,500 per copy with lens and various accessories.
NOTE: To see photos of the cameras on my wish list and more, please go to my next post.
Yes, I have many Nikons, all 35mm and DSLRs but regretfully no rangefinder models. I mentioned that in passing in the post you’re responding to, and I’ll provide detailed information on them later this year. Thanks for your interest, and good shooting!