Show Your "Hand-Me-Downs"!

[jrose125]

Hey Folks! I'd be surprised if this hasn't been done here before, but I thought it would be interesting to start a thread where people could share cameras that were "handed down" from a family member or friend.
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Besides a few junky point and shoot zooms that my Dad gave to me, here is my main "hand-me down":

Here is my Kodak No.2 Model C Folding camera that my Grandmother recently gave me. The camera belonged to her mother (my great grandmother) who purchased it somewhere between 1926 (First year of production) and 1934 (Last year). Everything is functioning fine but the bellows are in such bad shape I wouldn't dare waste of roll of 120 testing it out. Looks great on my shelf anyhow!

 

[charjohncarter]

k107 by John Carter, on Flickr

My Dad's

Also my Dad's:

Untitled by John Carter, on Flickr

 

[jrose125]

k107 by John Carter, on Flickr

My Dad's

Also my Dad's:

Untitled by John Carter, on Flickr

Beautiful cameras. They look to be in exceptional shape!

Thanks for sharing 🙂

 

[narsuitus]

My 94-year old aunt gave me her Ansco 6x6 folder.


Ansco 6X6 Folder by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[jrose125]

My 94-year old aunt gave me her Ansco 6x6 folder.


Ansco 6X6 Folder by Narsuitus, on Flickr

Stunning! Have you run film through it?

 

[De_Corday]

Forgive the crappy phone picture...
I got a lot of hand-me-downs from my uncle, and I've become the keeper of obsolete family cameras. But these two are very special to me. A '73 and a '77 Nikon F2. They were my uncle's work cameras in the 80's and they are still going strong. Legend is he bought the black one off of Burt Glinn when he was Glinn's assistant in the 80's and Glinn bought a pair of F3s. The meter on the chrome one is a little jumpy (resistor ring has seen better days), but these cameras are an utter joy. Both have notches filed in the film gates too, for that old-school charm 🙂
I know the chrome body was sent back to Nikon at some point, and when it was handed down to me I had to repair the film advance mechanism. But the black one runs flawlessly, and I doubt it has seen the inside of a service center in a quarter century. And I take them out in the field often, too. The black one has taken its fair share of reportage...

 

[jrose125]

Forgive the crappy phone picture...
I got a lot of hand-me-downs from my uncle, and I've become the keeper of obsolete family cameras. But these two are very special to me. A '73 and a '77 Nikon F2. They were my uncle's work cameras in the 80's and they are still going strong. Legend is he bought the black one off of Burt Glinn when he was Glinn's assistant in the 80's and Glinn bought a pair of F3s. The meter on the chrome one is a little jumpy (resistor ring has seen better days), but these cameras are an utter joy. Both have notches filed in the film gates too, for that old-school charm 🙂
I know the chrome body was sent back to Nikon at some point, and when it was handed down to me I had to repair the film advance mechanism. But the black one runs flawlessly, and I doubt it has seen the inside of a service center in a quarter century. And I take them out in the field often, too. The black one has taken its fair share of reportage...

That is incredibly cool!! You are a lucky soul, indeed 🙂

 

[nikon_sam]

The Argus was given to me...

The Canon A-1 was given to me by a friend, it was her fathers but he doesn't use it any more...I traded something for the 100mm lens and bought the winder for $10...

 

[jrose125]

The Argus was given to me...

The Canon A-1 was given to me by a friend, it was her fathers but he doesn't use it any more...I traded something for the 100mm lens and bought the winder for $10...

Ah, the Argus Brick 😀. Your's looks to be in excellent shape!

I had an A-1 for about a month when I first got into film, but the Nikon Fanboy in me forced me to sell it and buy a Nikon FE (which I just recently sold). Definitely a solid little camera that I recommend to anyone getting into film, especially since you can usually find a complete setup for under $100.

 

[underlord]

This was gifted to me by a friend. It belonged to his late father.

Voigtlander Vitoret DR by Philip McAllister, on Flickr

 

[jrose125]

This was gifted to me by a friend. It belonged to his late father.

Voigtlander Vitoret DR by Philip McAllister, on Flickr

That's the good stuff right there. I've heard great things about Voigtlander cameras (Pre-Cosina).

 

[underlord]

It's an amazing 'little' camera!

Steve by Philip McAllister, on Flickr

 

[sevo]

Definitely a solid little camera that I recommend to anyone getting into film, especially since you can usually find a complete setup for under $100.

Well, among my hand-me-downs there were several A-1's. None of them work (two out of four work in all manual only, one works only in aperture priority mode, one is entirely dead).

 

[rfaspen]

I have this same set up. The Polaroid tabletop tripod is uncommon (at least I've never seen another). The folder(s) I received as family hand-me-downs are all Kodak 6x9s. I think they all use 620, so I respooled some film and tried them out. They are remarkably good performers! Huh.

I like your setup. Perfectly capable pair, no? Maybe you got lucky and that's a Solinar lens on that camera?

My 94-year old aunt gave me her Ansco 6x6 folder.


Ansco 6X6 Folder by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[jrose125]

It's an amazing 'little' camera!

Steve by Philip McAllister, on Flickr

Nice photo! Just another classic example of German glass at its best.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

From front to back:
Grandfather's IIIa, Grandmother's M3, Dad's Canon VI-T

 

[narsuitus]

Stunning! Have you run film through it?

After I checked the bellows for light leaks, I applied a black flexible cement to seal the leaks then loaded the camera with a roll of ISO 100 black&white film. I have not yet developed the film.

 

[narsuitus]

Maybe you got lucky and that's a Solinar lens on that camera?

I doubt it! The lens says, "Ansco 90mm f/4.5 Anastigmat."


Ansco 6X6 Folder by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[De_Corday]

From front to back:
Grandfather's IIIa, Grandmother's M3, Dad's Canon VI-T

Love these! Do they see much action these days?

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Love these! Do they see much action these days?

Unfortunately, no. My fixed income is not conducive to spending money on film and its associated costs. The lenses are used though on my A7ii and Nex-7 cameras. The M3 is the only one I'd trust with film as it's been CLA'd recently. I've run a roll thru the Canon and it worked fairly well but could probably benefit from a CLA also. The IIIa needs one too. For me, it is all about the lenses. They really tell the story.