...minolta autocord III.
great lens, ergonomics and value.
try watching ebay for awhile for "just the right one", they go for $75-$200 - depednding on model, condition, and whim-of-the-seller.
slightly dim view finder indoors or in shade. guess i could replace with a maxwell or beattie or satin snow. it's not a high priority fix.
only complaint: focus knob is prone to breaking off if you just sling camera about. best defense: when not around your neck, use the "never-ready case" top half. i don't mind having to wrangle the top half off, i'm usually not in a hurry to "whip-it out" and "blast away" - hey, isn't that what a crown graphic w/grafmatic back is for?
😛
for first timers: since the image in the viewfinder is unreversed, composing/framing takes a little time getting accustomed to. in other words, as you look through the viewfinder and start composing you will notice that tree/person/etc on the left side of the viewfinder is actually on your right side out of the viewfinder...
there are other brands as well. i had (and may yet buy again) different mamiya's - c-3, c-33, later a c-220. the nifty thing with these cameras are the interchangeable lens. and with the bellows draw you can get really close focus . the trade-off is they are heavier and bulkier than their fixed lens kin.
gotta go, need to find the eye-level finder for my 4x5 gowlandflex...not really.
😀 tho' there is an interesting "handbuilt" 6x7 tlr on ebay - pricey.
hasta la vista, adieu, daskorava, fino al prossimo tempo, auf wiedersehen, and later y’all
kenneth
😛 😛 😛
www.neverforgetbeslan.com
___________________________________
"...patience and shuffle the cards" miguel cervantes
"nothing can be learned" herman hesse
"everybody knows everything" jack kerouac
"some memories are realities and better than anything" willa cather
" doo-wacka doo, wacka doo" roger miller
"we have see the enemy and they is us !" walt kelly (pogo)
“a man’s cartilage is his fate” phillip roth