flashboxx
Registered Film Offender
Hey guys,
This is my first post here, so I am going to keep it short and sweet.
I recently came across a Zorki 4 on Philadelphia's craigslist page, and i promptly snatched it up for $20. The body was a little ragged, and i had to do some reconstructive repair on the interior rangefinder cam, but all in all, it wasn't too terrible, except for the fact that the viewfinder showed about an 85mm field of view and the second curtain shutter didn't close correctly. Ok, ok, so zorki's are pieces of garbage. BUT it came with a cute little Jupiter-8 50/2 lens, and believe you me, that was worth every penny(all 2,000 of them!) Add to that the fact that this guy is a nimrod and doesn't know what anything is worth, and you have a classic poster boy for my favorite saying: "never underestimate the power of stupid people with internet connections". So i figure "ok, i have this zorki that works about half the time, so its not so bad". But then it gets OH so much better.
Exactly one week later, I get an email from him saying he got another batch of cameras at an estate sale, and proceeded to rattle off what he he had plundered. Among the usual Brownie's, Polaroids, and an AE-1, was this "stupid little Leotax thing".
So, 30 seconds and a quick ebay search later, he had a response asking how much he wanted for the Leotax. Needless to say, being a LeoTARD, he sold it to me for $10. Now if you run a little background check, you will see that these fine pieces of Japanese engineering generally far outsell their Wetzlar counterparts (a Leotax Leica III copy generally sells for 800-1200USD). So, aside from aquiring a MINT collector's grade Leica copy, I had just received my first real dose of that sweet sweet drug known as "Leicaphetamines" or "the red dot special".
I quickly slapped the Jupiter on there and shot 2 rolls of tri-x. I finally developed them yesterday, and all I can say is "WOW". I was expecting very little to come out thanks to the (or so i thought) crappy russian lens. They were sharp as a tack, the exposures were good, and they were far contrastier than i was expecting. Sure, there was some flare when i was aimed in the general direction of the sun, but all in all, the results were stellar. I will have some scans up here tomorrow sometime.
Believe it or not, after only one day, I had already pawned off some of my possessions to feed my addiction
I traded a 1979 Raleigh Professional team issue racing frame for a Canon Serenar 85/2 with the original case and finder, plus a 50/2.8 Schneider Componon-S enlarging lens. Yes, these are the confessions of a budding Leicaholic(not to be confused with leicaphile), and what you hear is the Leitz, the whole Leitz, and nothing but the Leitz. Good night and good luck!
Alex Cowperthwaite
AKA The Funnyman
Flashboxx Photographics
This is my first post here, so I am going to keep it short and sweet.
I recently came across a Zorki 4 on Philadelphia's craigslist page, and i promptly snatched it up for $20. The body was a little ragged, and i had to do some reconstructive repair on the interior rangefinder cam, but all in all, it wasn't too terrible, except for the fact that the viewfinder showed about an 85mm field of view and the second curtain shutter didn't close correctly. Ok, ok, so zorki's are pieces of garbage. BUT it came with a cute little Jupiter-8 50/2 lens, and believe you me, that was worth every penny(all 2,000 of them!) Add to that the fact that this guy is a nimrod and doesn't know what anything is worth, and you have a classic poster boy for my favorite saying: "never underestimate the power of stupid people with internet connections". So i figure "ok, i have this zorki that works about half the time, so its not so bad". But then it gets OH so much better.
Exactly one week later, I get an email from him saying he got another batch of cameras at an estate sale, and proceeded to rattle off what he he had plundered. Among the usual Brownie's, Polaroids, and an AE-1, was this "stupid little Leotax thing".
So, 30 seconds and a quick ebay search later, he had a response asking how much he wanted for the Leotax. Needless to say, being a LeoTARD, he sold it to me for $10. Now if you run a little background check, you will see that these fine pieces of Japanese engineering generally far outsell their Wetzlar counterparts (a Leotax Leica III copy generally sells for 800-1200USD). So, aside from aquiring a MINT collector's grade Leica copy, I had just received my first real dose of that sweet sweet drug known as "Leicaphetamines" or "the red dot special".
I quickly slapped the Jupiter on there and shot 2 rolls of tri-x. I finally developed them yesterday, and all I can say is "WOW". I was expecting very little to come out thanks to the (or so i thought) crappy russian lens. They were sharp as a tack, the exposures were good, and they were far contrastier than i was expecting. Sure, there was some flare when i was aimed in the general direction of the sun, but all in all, the results were stellar. I will have some scans up here tomorrow sometime.
Believe it or not, after only one day, I had already pawned off some of my possessions to feed my addiction
I traded a 1979 Raleigh Professional team issue racing frame for a Canon Serenar 85/2 with the original case and finder, plus a 50/2.8 Schneider Componon-S enlarging lens. Yes, these are the confessions of a budding Leicaholic(not to be confused with leicaphile), and what you hear is the Leitz, the whole Leitz, and nothing but the Leitz. Good night and good luck!Alex Cowperthwaite
AKA The Funnyman
Flashboxx Photographics
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paniolo
Established
what about size and weight compared to a Leica II or IIIf?
How high is the viewfinder magnification and is the viewfinder colour neutral like on a Leica or tinted?
Regards
How high is the viewfinder magnification and is the viewfinder colour neutral like on a Leica or tinted?
Regards
tunalegs
Pretended Artist
DID YOU NOTICE WHEN THE ORIGINAL POST WAS MADE??????
And even ignoring that very basic and obvious problem - how on earth would anybody know what the viewfinder magnification is of a camera they just picked up? :bang:
Where is common sense these days?
HuubL
hunter-gatherer
Why the harsh reaction?
I would have thought that after 8½ years he should have an idea about that... ;-)
I would have thought that after 8½ years he should have an idea about that... ;-)
tunalegs
Pretended Artist
Was the reaction harsh? I thought I was being helpful.
(PS: guy has a habit of posting in threads that haven't been touched for several years to ask posters who no longer post on this forum questions they wouldn't know the answer to even if they were still around).
HuubL
hunter-gatherer
checked out some earlier posts and i see what you mean
Paniolo seems to have a problem with camera viewfinders...
Paniolo seems to have a problem with camera viewfinders...
paniolo
Established
And you guys take too much care about your post counter credibility.
Of course anyone is allowed to answer my questions about the Leotax Elite.
Of course anyone is allowed to answer my questions about the Leotax Elite.
tunalegs
Pretended Artist
You know what would be a really smart idea? A single thread about LTM camera viewfinders.
There is no good reason to keep digging up old threads. Even if people know the answers - the answers are going to scattered all over the forum which is of no help to anybody.
goamules
Well-known
How about a special room/forum area just for Paniolo and the incessant questions about viewfinder magnification and tint? That I could lock and ignore....
Clark.EE
Well-known
Hey guys,
This is my first post here, so I am going to keep it short and sweet. I recently came across a Zorki 4 on Philadelphia's craigslist page, and i promptly snatched it up for $20. The body was a little ragged, and i had to do some reconstructive repair on the interior rangefinder cam, but all in all, it wasn't too terrible, except for the fact that the viewfinder showed about an 85mm field of view and the second curtain shutter didn't close correctly. Ok, ok, so zorki's are pieces of garbage. BUT it came with a cute little Jupiter-8 50/2 lens, and believe you me, that was worth every penny(all 2,000 of them!) Add to that the fact that this guy is a nimrod and doesn't know what anything is worth, and you have a classic poster boy for my favorite saying: "never underestimate the power of stupid people with internet connections". So i figure "ok, i have this zorki that works about half the time, so its not so bad". But then it gets OH so much better. Exactly one week later, I get an email from him saying he got another batch of cameras at an estate sale, and proceeded to rattle off what he he had plundered. Among the usual Brownie's, Polaroids, and an AE-1, was this "stupid little Leotax thing". So, 30 seconds and a quick ebay search later, he had a response asking how much he wanted for the Leotax. Needless to say, being a LeoTARD, he sold it to me for $10. Now if you run a little background check, you will see that these fine pieces of Japanese engineering generally far outsell their Wetzlar counterparts(a Leotax Leica III copy generally sells for 800-1200USD). So, aside from aquiring a MINT collector's grade Leica copy, I had just received my first real dose of that sweet sweet drug known as "Leicaphetamines" or "the red dot special". I quickly slapped the Jupiter on there and shot 2 rolls of tri-x. I finally developed them yesterday, and all I can say is "WOW". I was expecting very little to come out thanks to the (or so i thought) crappy russian lens. They were sharp as a tack, the exposures were good, and they were far contrastier than i was expecting. Sure, there was some flare when i was aimed in the general direction of the sun, but all in all, the results were stellar. I will have some scans up here tomorrow sometime. Believe it or not, after only one day, I had already pawned off some of my posessions to feed my addiction
Alex Cowperthwaite
AKA The Funnyman
Flashboxx Photographics
Short?
Sweet?
paniolo
Established
any new information about colour tint and vf magnification of the leotax?
goamules
Well-known
Any reason you can't be happy with the 37 different tint and magnifications you've asked about so far?
paniolo
Established
I am happy but I am still curious.
If you cant find anything about it in the whole internet, this should the place to be to ask for it, right?
So, who owns a later Leotax?
If you cant find anything about it in the whole internet, this should the place to be to ask for it, right?
So, who owns a later Leotax?
cassel
Well-known
I recently acquired a Leotax T2L "Elite". Here are some impressions:
I was reflecting on my collection of old cameras. Comparing pros and cons and came to the conclusion (without getting into a lot of detail about those other cameras) that I missed the smaller size and feel of the Leica II/III series screwmounts and the various copies.
I've previously owned a IIf, a IIIa (black conversion) and a IIIf (in that order) and really enjoyed them. The IIf was sold to move onto and exploration/side-trip into the M series ---another story. BUT the IIIa and the IIIf were stolen I tried other stuff before settling on the excellent, but rather odd Mamiya Magazine 35mm rangefinder system.
And though the knob wind, squinty finder, bottom load, and relative cost of buying did not make me too happy... I missed the Barnack experience.
Thus, the Leotax Elite! Lever wind and built-in brightline finder -- yes, it's still a bottom-loader Got it-- Load with old Fuji Superia, try the Nikkor Tokyo 5cm F2 and it's pretty dang good! Quick results from the first roll; no post-processing:
NOT gonna dump the Mamiyas, but I really see some potential here! Very excited about the features and performance of this set-up. Glamour shots of the camera itself to follow
I was reflecting on my collection of old cameras. Comparing pros and cons and came to the conclusion (without getting into a lot of detail about those other cameras
) that I missed the smaller size and feel of the Leica II/III series screwmounts and the various copies.I've previously owned a IIf, a IIIa (black conversion) and a IIIf (in that order) and really enjoyed them. The IIf was sold to move onto and exploration/side-trip into the M series ---another story. BUT the IIIa and the IIIf were stolen
I tried other stuff before settling on the excellent, but rather odd Mamiya Magazine 35mm rangefinder system.And though the knob wind, squinty finder, bottom load, and relative cost of buying did not make me too happy... I missed the Barnack experience.
Thus, the Leotax Elite! Lever wind and built-in brightline finder -- yes, it's still a bottom-loader
Got it-- Load with old Fuji Superia, try the Nikkor Tokyo 5cm F2 and it's pretty dang good! Quick results from the first roll; no post-processing:
NOT gonna dump the Mamiyas, but I really see some potential here! Very excited about the features and performance of this set-up. Glamour shots of the camera itself to follow
cassel
Well-known
xayraa33
rangefinder user and fancier
Now you need an LTM Topcor or Fujinon lens for that Elite.
cassel
Well-known
Hmmm... GAS is evil....must "focus" on shooting what I have
Perhaps a brightline finder for my 35mm LTM Canon?
Perhaps a brightline finder for my 35mm LTM Canon?
znapper
Well-known
Well, the OP's post may be old, but I suppose everyone can learn a lesson from that.
Still, I've never really understood how people can be so cynical, and keep a straight face and happily accept gear for give-away prices.
- When they know (or find out pretty quickly) that the gear is worth so much more. In addition hinting that the person they dealt with, is somehow lacking in the intelligence department?
How about saying: "Hey man, that thing is worth $800-$1200, are you sure you want to give it away for $10"? or "I got your camera, but when I checked online, I saw that the camera you sold me for $10 actually goes for $800-$1200, that's not right".
One thing is getting a good deal, another is performing a "deal" while knowing that the seller loose a whole bunch of money.
Never understood why some people are like that....it's not very ethical, IMO :/
Still, I've never really understood how people can be so cynical, and keep a straight face and happily accept gear for give-away prices.
- When they know (or find out pretty quickly) that the gear is worth so much more. In addition hinting that the person they dealt with, is somehow lacking in the intelligence department?
How about saying: "Hey man, that thing is worth $800-$1200, are you sure you want to give it away for $10"? or "I got your camera, but when I checked online, I saw that the camera you sold me for $10 actually goes for $800-$1200, that's not right".
One thing is getting a good deal, another is performing a "deal" while knowing that the seller loose a whole bunch of money.
Never understood why some people are like that....it's not very ethical, IMO :/
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
This thread is straight out of the twilight zone!
David Murphy
Veteran
Nice shots with the Elite. The rapid wind and film counter are somewhat (theoretically) superior to a bottom loader, and the camera looks great, but I agree it's really an evolutionary camera rather than a major step forward in usability, perhaps without the major advantage of a Barnack: small size.
I own a Tower 48 (sold by Sears, but Nicca-made) which appears in many ways similar to an Elite, but it is quite small and light and has real nice "precision feel" to it that's sort of hard to describe - a very smooth and positive film advance for instance - like an M3 ("Leica like" might be the description).
I own a Tower 48 (sold by Sears, but Nicca-made) which appears in many ways similar to an Elite, but it is quite small and light and has real nice "precision feel" to it that's sort of hard to describe - a very smooth and positive film advance for instance - like an M3 ("Leica like" might be the description).