The oddest/quirkiest/most unusual camera you have ever used...

Interesting thought exercise. I'm a little surprised at the Rollei 35s being quirkiest. Ergonomically a little odd but once I got used to setting everything at waist level then composing it all made sense.

Probably will be stoned for this, but any Leica Barnack is more quirky IMO (and I love them) with dual viewfinders, can't set shutter speed till they are cocked, manually resetting film counters, wacky film loading....etc. The LTM Canon and Nicca cameras were attempts at dequirking the Barnacks.

Folders in general are pretty quirky, the Certo Dollina is probably my weirdest of them with the dual viewfinders and the focus on the top which is just much more awkward to use compared to the thumb focus of a Mamiya 6 or the dial focus of a Voigtlander Vito III. Honorable mention to the Vitessa.

Any TLR is somewhat quirky with the reversed viewfinder and mostly waist level shooting.

But I think my most quirky camera is the Bosley Model C.

34197215054_14749032de_c.jpg


It doesn't know what it wants to be. Not just two viewfinders but three! And all of them are fairly tiny and hard to see. It is a full dual viewfinder rangefinder camera, and a TLR.

Shawn
 
JeffS7444 said:
Nikkormat EL was a good one: Hand one to someone and have them find the battery! (Hint: Remove the lens and raise the mirror)
Click to expand...

Funnily enough I was playing a variation on that game only yesterday! I had to ask the other half to remove the battery as my fat fingers couldn't get it out. What were they thinking?
 
David Hughes said:
...
I shall now go and sit down in a dark room for a while to recover from the culture shock.
...
Click to expand...

You won’t be alone; I’m the guy in the corner trimming my film leader.

Yesterday, in another thread, I was shocked to learn ISO 1250 was considered a moderate speed.
 
shawn said:
Any TLR is somewhat quirky with the reversed viewfinder and mostly waist level shooting.

But I think my most quirky camera is the Bosley Model C. It doesn't know what it wants to be. Not just two viewfinders but three! And all of them are fairly tiny and hard to see. It is a full dual viewfinder rangefinder camera, and a TLR.
Click to expand...

Ah, the Bolsey. I ran a small commercial darkroom in eastern Canada the 1960s and one of my clients, a local lawyer, had two of these. I did a lot of printing for him, up to 8x10".

Those Wollensak lenses were incredibly sharp. The Bolsey and those US-made lenses have long vanished into the mists of time and nobody remembers them, but golly, they sure did excel at mid-tones and fine details. I had no problems making big (well, 8x10) prints from the negatives, but then in those days we all used MF films anyway and detail was something we took for granted.

As for TLRs, I own four Rolleis and I often use them on outings. My photographer friends (all 35mm fanatics) say they are amazed at how easily I work with the Rolleiflex and even my Rolleicord Vb, but I cut my teeth on TLRs (several Yashicas) in the '60s and using them are a piece of cake for me now. The only limit I can see is the 'restriction' of 12 images to one roll of 120 - my Rolleiflex Ts take a 16 exposure kit and with a little 'creative' cranking I've learned to add a 17th image to every roll. Better yet is the Vb 'cord which has both a 16 and a 24 exposure kit, I have the two, the 16 more or less lives in the camera but even years after I bought the 24 I've used it maybe two times. My 35mm Nikons do 'miniature' film better.

Thanks for the Bolsey mention, it was great nostalgia for me!
 
Had, or still have:

Brooks veriwide 100
Koni-Omega
Rollei 35
Nikonos III
Contarex bullseye

and BTW, Barnacks are no slouches in term of sheer quirkiness
 
My oddest camera is a newly acquired Purma Plus. The three shutter speeds are selected by the direction the camera is tilted... tilt left 90 degrees for 1/500, hold level for 1/125, tilt right ninety degrees for 1/25. Focus & aperture are fixed, format is 3x3, film is 127. Made in Great Britain and it actually works very well. My second oddest camera is the aforementioned Mercury II.
 
I am also inclined to say the Minolta XG-9. It is a good camera overall but the light meter works only on Programme. Switch to manual and the meter goes off.
I know, who thought of that!!
 
I also vote for Exakta Varex iib and Voigtlander Prominent, but the quirkier camera (for me) is the Konica Hexar AF. It's unlike any other camera, in terms of control placement, the way it functions vs how you would expect it to, and just so so silent! I still ask myself if I have gotten used to it.

As for the Prominent, most people have issue with the left handed focusing knob but since I'm left eye dominant and have experience with the Makina 67's focusing knob, it doesn't bother me at all.

The Exakta is also unique, no doubt, the left handed winding+shutter release takes getting used to.
 
Last edited:
I don't know what the rest of you think but some of these quirks are quite sensible but we have been used to the "normal" and so dismiss them. That applies to a lot of things, not just cameras; I am thinking of my old 2CV...

On my Purma screwing on the lens cap retracts the lens and locks it in place and blocks the shutter release. That is a great benefit.


Regards, David
 
As the Purma Special has been mentioned twice in the last 12 hours, I must mention it's parent, the Purma Speed which has a high and a low speed setting, so two sets of speeds - again, changed by which way round you hold the camera - and a shutter release which is actually inside the viewfinder frame, so you have to try to compose round your finger! All that and tiny square negatives just 25mm across on 127 film.

Here's mine:
Purma Speed by gray1720, on Flickr

The Purma Special seems to have been a much more capable camera in good hands than you might think - press photographer James Jarche used one on occasion , and there's a photo of him with it third photo on this page:
http://visualexploration-sophierabey.blogspot.com/2012/03/perspectives-itv-documentary.html (the documentary, if you can find it anywhere, was good too -Suchet is clearly a lover of photography, and no mug behind the lens himself)

Here's my Purma Special and Plus as well - yes, I have the full set!
Purmas by gray1720, on Flickr
 
ChrisPlatt said:
What good is a sharp lens if the camera is an ergonomic nightmare? The Rollei 35 nearly left my fingers tied in knots. I quickly sold mine. Chris
Click to expand...

I used a Rollei 35SE as my everyday carry camera for 10 years when I had surveying jobs. Used it a lot and it took a lot of punishment. I quickly got used to what I consider the quirkiest feature, the left thumb winding lever. Other than that I really liked it, although the light meter was not very robust and broke a couple of times. I would still vote for the Voigtlander Prominent, as several others have mentioned.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

caila77
Which camera made you fall in love with photography?
3 4 5
Replies
95
Views
5K
38Deardorff
38Deardorff
A
What is the MOST gear you've ever carried on a trip?
2
Replies
33
Views
504
Rob-F
Rob-F
E
Exakta VX v 4.2 Stuck Shutter Speed Dial Repair
Replies
4
Views
137
Valkir1987
Valkir1987
Jamie Pillers
One camera, one lens?
2 3
Replies
48
Views
1K
38Deardorff
38Deardorff
Rick Waldroup
The Granbury Project
2
Replies
26
Views
804
Rick Waldroup
Rick Waldroup
Back
Top Bottom