Kuribayashi Petri 35

[dominicLF]

I just found this in the thrift store and couldn’t pass it by. It’s a really well made rangefinder labeled ”Petri 35 color corrected Super 2.8.” On the top it says “Kuribayashi Camera Industry, Japan.” The lens is labeled “Kuribayashi A.C. Petri Orikkor 1:2.8 f=4.5cm. Petri Carperu Shutter.” It’s a really nice compact camera. I can’t wait to try it out. Anyone know anything about it?

 

[Stephanie Brim]

They're supposedly very nice. Pair it with some Agfa Ultra and show us the results. You won't be disappointed...or you shouldn't be as long as it works.

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

I'm not sure if this is the exact model-
http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/index-frameset.html?KuriyabashiPetri35.html~mainFrame

 

[dominicLF]

I'm not sure if this is the exact model-
http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/index-frameset.html?KuriyabashiPetri35.html~mainFrame

Yeah, that’s it. The second iteration, the 2.8 color super. I just realized there is something wrong with the iris. At f22 it is completely closed and at larger apertures it has a strange lopsided shape. Maybe I’ll just take it back and get my cash back. I can’t believe I didn’t notice this in the shop. It’s too bad because other than that it is in great shape.

 

[Gordon Coale]

Is the lens all chrome or is it black and chrome? There was a short period between when the one pictured at Karen's site and the later one with the green bright lines when they built the one which is the one in my avatar -- with the black and chrome lens. I bought one just like it when I was 13 (1958). I gave it to a camera repair friend in the mid 1970s. Dumb! Thanks to the miracle of eBay, I have another.

 

[Gordon Coale]

I guess I should have read the posts more carefully. It's the green-o-matic you have.

 

[dominicLF]

Well, now you have me confused. Mine does not have green bright lines. It is mostly chrome on the lens but with a black letherette band around the base and black inside the filter mount around the objective.

 

[Gordon Coale]

We are all confused. I will take some digital pics of mine later and post for comparison.

 

[Gordon Coale]

Here is my Petri. This is just like the Petri I bought in 1958. It's similar to the one on Karen's site but has the black banding on the lens and the top plate is a little different.

I used it for years and it did great. I still have a lot of slides taken with a camera like this. I haven't looked closely at them so I can't say about the quality. It seem very good at the time. The controls on mine are real sluggish with old grease. As I recall, Stephen Gandy charges $100 for a CLA on fixed lens cameras. Hard to justify for a camera I paid $25 for but I hope to get it done some day. I would like to shoot with it.

 

[dominicLF]

Gordon,

That's a real beauty! Mine is slightly diferent. I'm attaching another photo of it. I am planning to take it back the the thrift shop for a refund (because of the iris problem mentioned above), but if anyone wants it speak up and I send it to you for $25 plus shipping. This has been interesting even though the little petri has come and gone without me even running film through it. Thanks! --dominic

Here is my Petri. This is just like the Petri I bought in 1958. It's similar to the one on Karen's site but has the black banding on the lens and the top plate is a little different.

I used it for years and it did great. I still have a lot of slides taken with a camera like this. I haven't looked closely at them so I can't say about the quality. It seem very good at the time. The controls on mine are real sluggish with old grease. As I recall, Stephen Gandy charges $100 for a CLA on fixed lens cameras. Hard to justify for a camera I paid $25 for but I hope to get it done some day. I would like to shoot with it.

 

[bmattock]

I have a Petri "Racer" This is not MY photo, but mine looks like this:

I am most pleased with the quality of the lens on mine.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[Stephanie Brim]

I'd take it, Dominic, but I can't for 25 bucks. I'm broke now as it is since I got that lot of cameras. It does sound like the shutter needs to be fixed or replaced. Before you take it back to the thrift store I'd say to take it to the camera shop and see how much it would cost to get it fixed. It's a pretty good find, really, because they're selling on Ebay for a decent amount.

 

[dominicLF]

Stephanie, I saw your box of beauties; you're really going to be having fun! The shutter on this petri is fine. it is the apreture that is weird. It closes up all the way and when open it has an asemetrical shape. Technically one should be able to take pics with it, but you would have to figure out what the f-stops really were--I know f22 is not completely shut! This is the kind of thing I might be into doing, but then I only have a few days to return it for a full refund. Humm.....

 

[Stephanie Brim]

Er, yeah, aperture blades...I'm thinking about shutters today because three of the cameras in the box have shutter problems. If there's a camera shop where you live and it's close by, I'd see if they could possibly tell you what's wrong...if they did, you'd know that it would either need to be professionally fixed or if it was something simple that you could do yourself. I seriously wouldn't give it up without a fight because it's a nice little camera. If you didn't pay too much for it, anyway.

 

[dominicLF]

Thanks, Stephanie, I see where you’re coming from, but then I’m not sure this camera does anything that my other cameras don’t, so I think I’m just going to do the easy thing and take it back. Now, if someone were to offer to trade a 120 rollfilm folder with a working shutter with “B” setting, I think I might…

 

[Stephanie Brim]

I can see about the Kodak folder when I get it.

 

[dominicLF]

Hmmm... to return or not to return... I wonder how many cameras have such tentative homes?