elaydad
Member
I just saw this on eBay , is anyone familiar with this camera ??
130779605479
130779605479
Konica Pearl III
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Abbazz
6x9 and be there!
The Pearl III is a modern 4.5 x 6 folder, with a coupled rangefinder and auto-stop film advance (no need for a red window). It is a somewhat rare, therefore rather expensive camera. Here's a page on Camera-wiki with lots of links at the bottom: http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Pearl_%28I%29,_II_and_III
Cheers!
Abbazz
GaryLH
Veteran
Shutterspark
The perpetual new guy.
It's a nice little folder, very tiny when folded up and the lens has a very vintage look to it. Quite prone to flaring, but not always in a bad way.
If you're out to buy one, look out for the clasp that keeps it shut. They can wear out quite easily.
The front lens group can be unscrewed by hand, so you need to make sure the one on the camera is matched otherwise you'll have focusing issues.
Also, from what I've seen, the rangefinder patch is often faded on many of these cameras too.
If you're out to buy one, look out for the clasp that keeps it shut. They can wear out quite easily.
The front lens group can be unscrewed by hand, so you need to make sure the one on the camera is matched otherwise you'll have focusing issues.
Also, from what I've seen, the rangefinder patch is often faded on many of these cameras too.
nosmok
Established
Shutterspark-- Those are great shots! Taken with a Pearl III?
The nice one in this series is the Pearl IV, IIRC. Parallax corrected viewfinder and coupled RF, in the same tiny package. But very rare and expensive. This one seems very overpriced, but I am no expert in vintage Japanese folders. I paid way less for mine, but it remains a "project".
--nosmok
The nice one in this series is the Pearl IV, IIRC. Parallax corrected viewfinder and coupled RF, in the same tiny package. But very rare and expensive. This one seems very overpriced, but I am no expert in vintage Japanese folders. I paid way less for mine, but it remains a "project".
--nosmok
Dante_Stella
Rex canum cattorumque
I have a Pearl II and have checked out this Ebay item (the Pearl III) many times.
The Pearl II has a coupled RF and a beautiful coupled DOF/distance scale on the top (it's a window where the III has a film type reminder). The downside is red window winding, no x-synch (it cannot be converted), and a slower lens. I'm not sure that red window winding is necessarily the worst thing in the world; modern films are thicker, and some older auto-stop mechanisms don't handle them well.
Hopefully the III does not have the same problem the II does, which is that with modern, thicker films, you need to make sure you do not allow the winding knob to ride out of the spool and slip. As you turn the key, you need to keep the key pressed in toward the body. This is due to the leaf springs that are used to hold the takeup spool in place. Modern cameras have locks that prevent this riding. Is that the function of the lever under the knob on the III?
Dante
The Pearl II has a coupled RF and a beautiful coupled DOF/distance scale on the top (it's a window where the III has a film type reminder). The downside is red window winding, no x-synch (it cannot be converted), and a slower lens. I'm not sure that red window winding is necessarily the worst thing in the world; modern films are thicker, and some older auto-stop mechanisms don't handle them well.
Hopefully the III does not have the same problem the II does, which is that with modern, thicker films, you need to make sure you do not allow the winding knob to ride out of the spool and slip. As you turn the key, you need to keep the key pressed in toward the body. This is due to the leaf springs that are used to hold the takeup spool in place. Modern cameras have locks that prevent this riding. Is that the function of the lever under the knob on the III?
Dante
ACullen
Well-known
Wrapping exactly 10cm of Duck tape around the take up spool in my Pearl III eliminates any problems of image overlap using the automatic wind on mechanism. The only important thing to remember with the Pearl III is that there is no linkage between the act of winding the film on and the charging the shutter mechanism. It's possible to waste frames by forgetting that the film is already wound on. Equally multiple exposures are possible all too easily as the shutter can be cocked and fired repeatedly without the film being advanced. It's curious that for a relatively advanced folder for the late 50s that it lacks this feature.
The Hexar lens seems very sharp wide open but like most Tessars edges are softish to f8. I've not noticed much a problem with flair with the small number of films I've put through it so far.
The Hexar lens seems very sharp wide open but like most Tessars edges are softish to f8. I've not noticed much a problem with flair with the small number of films I've put through it so far.