More Cool Cameras in Jason Schneider's Collection and Wish List

Here, for your delectation, are photos of some fascinating cameras that I mentioned in passing but couldn't squeeze into Camera Collector Interview No. 2 plus a few of the cameras on my ardent acquisition wish list. I hope you enjoy it, and welcome your comments.

Crown Graphic 4x5 of c.1960 with 135mm f/4.7 Schneider Xenar lens

Voigtlander Bergheil 6 x 9cm handheld and ground-glass-focusing field camera of the '30s with uncoated 10.5cm f/3.5 Heliar lens

https://isteam.wsimg.com/ip/ab4740ad-c8e5-41c0-bc94-
22f6846ca998/Canon%207S%20%22z%22%20with%20larger%20rewubf%20crank.jpg/:/rs=w:1440,h:1440
Canon 7S "Z" was the final production run in the series. Never announced as a separate model it had larger diameter rewind crank and upgraded viewfinder optics.

Semflex Studio of 1952: A great portrait TLR, it had a 150mm f/5.4 Berthiot medium tele taking lens and preceded the more popular Tele Rollei by 9 years.

Linhof Super Technika 23: An exquisitely made 6 x 9cm press/view camera it had a coupled range/viewfinder employing custom cams for individual lenses, a manual parallax compensation eyepiece, ground-glass focusing/viewing options, and a reasonable range of view camera movements.

Canon 7S "Z": Produced in a limited run of 4000, it was the final edition of Canon's iconic screw-mount rangefinder series, but it was never listed as a distinct model so the "Z" is an informal designation. Identifiable by its larger diameter rewind crank, it also featured a brighter, clearer viewfinder that was less prone to ghosting--a fitting conclusion to a truly great camera line.

 

[Abbazz]

Semflex Studio of 1952: A great portrait TLR, it had a 150mm f/5.4 Berthiot medium tele taking lens and preceded the more popular Tele Rollei by 9 years.

Great choice, I love mine. It features a longer lens than the Tele Rolleiflex (150mm vs. 135mm) and focuses much closer without any accessory (1.5m vs. 2.6m). Of course, the Rollei Sonnar is sharper wide open than the Berhiot lens but ultimate sharpness is not always required for portrait work and when shooting landscape at f/11, both lenses will deliver the same results anyway.

There is a review with some nice portraits here: https://emulsive.org/reviews/camera...-the-tele-tlr-with-a-french-accent-by-gael-ld

Cheers!

Abbazz

 

[Pál_K]

…

Semflex Studio of 1952: A great portrait TLR, it had a 150mm f/5.4 Berthiot medium tele taking lens and preceded the more popular Tele Rollei by 9 years.
…

What is the purpose of the bike rack - or is that a handle?

 

[Abbazz]

What is the purpose of the bike rack - or is that a handle?

These bull bars are only present in the "Atelier" version of the Semflex Studio. They are designed to protect the lens assembly when reloading the camera. The base plate is hinged to allow easy reloading of the camera when working on a tripod in the studio. The whole camera swings forward so the photographer can load film without detaching the camera from the tripod. The lens assembly could be easily damaged by bumping into the tripod when reloading, hence the protection bar.

It can also be used as a handle for transport.

Here's a picture of the Semflex Studio Atelier being opened for reloading in this old advertisement:



And here is the basic Semflex Studio, without the hinged base plate and the bull bars:



Cheers!

Abbazz

 

[Pál_K]

…


…

Thank you for the explanation. Looking at that photo, in the open position it seems that there would be a lot of force on those hinges and the bottom plate - unless the bar was actually providing additional support by resting against the tripod. However, I’m not a mechanical engineer.

 

[Abbazz]

Thank you for the explanation.

You're welcome.

Looking at that photo, in the open position it seems that there would be a lot of force on those hinges and the bottom plate - unless the bar was actually providing additional support by resting against the tripod. However, I’m not a mechanical engineer.

In fact, the whole assembly is quite sturdy (it's made of thick forged aluminum). It was designed to withstand decades of heavy professional use. These cameras were widely used by small portrait photographers to shoot portraits and ID photos across France until they were replaced by the cheaper to operate digital cameras.
When I was young, we used to have photographers coming to schools to take class photos as well as portraits of the pupils that were then offered to the parents for a fee. In my school, the photographer had a Semflex Studio "Reporter" with a high capacity back designed by Lachaize (150 exposures} :

Credit: collection-appareils.fr

Cheers!

Abbazz

 

[hap]

Here, for your delectation, are photos of some fascinating cameras that I mentioned in passing but couldn't squeeze into Camera Collector Interview No. 2 plus a few of the cameras on my ardent acquisition wish list. I hope you enjoy it, and welcome your comments.

Crown Graphic 4x5 of c.1960 with 135mm f/4.7 Schneider Xenar lens

I have a Crown Graphic just like this one. I had the entire Weegie outfit....and still many massive sized bulbs.... Wonderful camera.

 

[hap]

these Canons are a brick. Don't have the "Z" but the 7s. Still very good and accurate meter.

 

[Pál_K]

Credit: collection-appareils.fr

Cheers!

Abbazz

That’s nice; I like it. I notice the shutter speed selection is on the upper viewing lens. Presumably for convenience.

 

[Jason Schneider]

I have a Crown Graphic just like this one. I had the entire Weegie outfit....and still many massive sized bulbs.... Wonderful camera.

When I was 17 years old I shot weddings for a commercial "wedding mill" with one of these babies. Yes, it's a great camera all right, but it's klutzy and clunky and dealing with double sided Lisco 4x5 sheet film holders is a PIA. When the company switched to Rolleiflexes I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Happy days!

 

[Pál_K]

When I was 17 years old I shot weddings for a commercial "wedding mill" with one of these babies. Yes, it's a great camera all right, but it's klutzy and clunky and dealing double sided Lisco 4x5 sheet film holders is a PIA. When the company switched to Rolleiflexes I though I had died and gone to heaven. Happy days!

Was it too expensive to use Grafmatics in that situation? Or were they too awkward to load compared to the regular holders? Also, wasn’t there a tabbed sheet-film in 4x5 or had that been discontinued? Wait — I think that was Polaroid— something a wedding studio probably wouldn’t use.

 

[Abbazz]

That’s nice; I like it.

The high capacity back was also available for Rolleiflex:

Credit: http://lachaize-collection.fr/

I notice the shutter speed selection is on the upper viewing lens. Presumably for convenience.

Yes, on the Semflex Studio, the photographer rotates the viewing lens to set the speed and the taking lens to set the aperture. That's very practical in use.


These are well designed cameras intended for professional use:

There is even a late model with a Synchro-Compur shutter:


Cheers!

Abbazz