What have you just BOUGHT?

[Godfrey]

The Monster is enroute.

View attachment 4837075

With the 65mm GX M and the III N film back.

That's a moose of a camera! 😀
I bet it is really nice to work with, despite the 'neutron star'-like mass to carry.

I've gotten too old to want to do that kind of thing any more. Even carrying the Hasselblad 500CM about is a lot of effort these days... Sigh.

G

 

[valdas]

Mamiya 645 AFD with 80mm lens plus Polaroid back (still have 8 sheets of FC100 in it 🙂). The regular back also with partially shot film (on frame 6 now) - it will be interesting to see what comes out…

 

[shawn]

That's a moose of a camera! 😀
I bet it is really nice to work with, despite the 'neutron star'-like mass to carry.

I've gotten too old to want to do that kind of thing any more. Even carrying the Hasselblad 500CM about is a lot of effort these days... Sigh.

G

It arrived today. As big as it looks in pictures... it is bigger. I have MF film cameras smaller than the film back. The lenses squareness makes them look reasonably sized, they are huge. Whole thing measured in at just over 10.5 pounds with batteries but no film.

Having said that... it is awesome.

Can't wait to put some film through it this weekend.
The finder is huge (showing 8cm x 8cm) and very bright.

Rotate the back and the mask blinders top and bottom switch to the sides.

Camera is in very nice shape. I'm assuming it lived in a studio. The back has taken 14,200 shots, the body 17,300 and the lens is barely used at 500.

Sounds of it firing. The film advance sound is the shutter re-cocking. I didn't load any film so it is not advancing yet.

One thing I want to check is that the film back doesn't seem to shut off. It has its own batteries. Not sure if that is supposed to be that way or not.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

You need to add a ruler for scale to those pictures Shawn.

That is one awesome camera.

 

[shawn]

You need to add a ruler for scale to those pictures Shawn.

That is one awesome camera.

Maybe this will help with scale....

There are two cameras in this picture.....

Tried loading it with just backing paper and it just feeds through all the way as it couldn't find the start of the film. Loaded it with real film and it loaded fine so that is good. I also ordered the wide bag bellows for it as movement with the 65mm and the factory bellows is difficult. Apparently the standard wide bag bellows works fine with most of the lens up to around 200mm. Also found out that the back LCD staying on is totally normal.

I also ordered the magnifying loop finder from KEH. Looks like a very handy tool in that it moves all over the finder so you can really see the effects of the movements. Unfortunately, KEH said the item was unavailable after I purchased it. So they are swapping the order out for a Fujinon 100mm f/4 EBC GX-M.

 

[shawn]

 

[p.giannakis]

I got this for my birthday 😎

 

[jwnash1]

Since I have a couple of Voigtlander LTM lenses that I use on my Canon L1, I broke down and bought a Bessa-R. It will arrive tomorrow. I am hoping the frame lines for 90 and 75 mm and the built in meter will compensate for what is apparently a lower quality build than the L1. I shall see!

 

[peterm1]

Just arrived from Germany - a Zeiss Sonnar Jena 135mm f4. I have long had a hankering for these slightly oddball Zeiss lenses in Exacta mount (it has a slightly strange form factor - plus of course the patent Exacta stop down button / lever hanging off the side). Made in the mid 1960 (based on its serial number), it is a handsome beast and based on what I have read and seen on Flickr seems to be an excellent performer.

 

[hilltime]

Just got this very clean Contax IIIA from it's early T xxxxx production, along with a much later Carl Zeiss 5cm/1.5 Sonnar. Everything is in great working order... shutter speeds seem appropriate, rangefinder is right on, glass is spotless. The only thing is the meter seems to be underexposing by about 1.5-2 stops. My question is, can the aperture dial be adjusted easily vs the DIN setting, to give a correct reading or will this still underexpose by the same 1.5-2 stops. If it could read 50-60/sec @ F4, it would be the correct light level I am measuring.
I know if I just set the DIN to 27 when using 100 speed film, it will give the correct reading then. Otherwise I am very happy with this addition to my Contax IIA's and other Zeiss lenses.

 

[KoNickon]

Just got this very clean Contax IIIA from it's early T xxxxx production, along with a much later Carl Zeiss 5cm/1.5 Sonnar. Everything is in great working order... shutter speeds seem appropriate, rangefinder is right on, glass is spotless. The only thing is the meter seems to be underexposing by about 1.5-2 stops. My question is, can the aperture dial be adjusted easily vs the DIN setting, to give a correct reading or will this still underexpose by the same 1.5-2 stops. If it could read 50-60/sec @ F4, it would be the correct light level I am measuring.
I know if I just set the DIN to 27 when using 100 speed film, it will give the correct reading then. Otherwise I am very happy with this addition to my Contax IIA's and other Zeiss lenses.

If the meter seems to be consistently underexposing by the same amount, sure, you can treat 400 film as 125, say. But you have to adjust the film speed dial not the aperture dial -- "fool the meter" as it were into thinking there is slower film in the camera.

 

[hilltime]

If the meter seems to be consistently underexposing by the same amount, sure, you can treat 400 film as 125, say. But you have to adjust the film speed dial not the aperture dial -- "fool the meter" as it were into thinking there is slower film in the camera.

That makes sense. I'm hoping those small screws in the center portion will allow that shift?

 

[chuckroast]

A backup Hassy 500C/M body for my 501C/M in very nice condition with nearly perfect barn doors in the back shutter, even though the camera was made in the 1970s. Given the paucity of repair people who can still work on these, and the complete absence of some parts, I don't want to get stuck with a bunch of lenses I cannot use.

 

[Retro-Grouch]

A backup Hassy 500C/M body for my 501C/M in very nice condition with nearly perfect barn doors in the back shutter, even though the camera was made in the 1970s. Given the paucity of repair people who can still work on these, and the complete absence of some parts, I don't want to get stuck with a bunch of lenses I cannot use.

Every film camera body I own has a backup. Or two. Or three. And while I do believe that your logic behind having a backup is faultless, it's also, for me, a great excuse to indulge in GAS. And yes, I also have two 500C/M bodies. I used to have three 😱, but came to my senses. Got CLAs on the two best ones, and sold off the third to finance the work. Don't ask how many Mamiya TLRs I have; those indestructible tanks are probably less in need of a backup than any camera I can think of. Nevertheless...
Now, maybe you should have backups for your lenses? 😉

 

[chuckroast]

Every film camera body I own has a backup. Or two. Or three. And while I do believe that your logic behind having a backup is faultless, it's also, for me, a great excuse to indulge in GAS. And yes, I also have two 500C/M bodies. I used to have three 😱, but came to my senses. Got CLAs on the two best ones, and sold off the third to finance the work. Don't ask how many Mamiya TLRs I have; those indestructible tanks are probably less in need of a backup than any camera I can think of. Nevertheless...
Now, maybe you should have backups for your lenses? 😉

Maaaaaaaaam, make @Retro-Grouch staaaaap it. He's trying to make me spend more money.

At least I got rid of all my Mamiya TLRs and a 645 system and I'm down to 6 Nikon bodies (and one is for sale), 3 Leicas, a couple of Graflex, and one each Mamiya Press, Yashica TLR, and Wisner field camera. The hint was that the shelving was beginning to bow...

 

[shawn]

Maaaaaaaaam, make @Retro-Grouch staaaaap it. He's trying to make me spend more money.

At least I got rid of all my Mamiya TLRs and a 645 system and I'm down to 6 Nikon bodies (and one is for sale), 3 Leicas, a couple of Graflex, and one each Mamiya Press, Yashica TLR, and Wisner field camera. The hint was that the shelving was beginning to bow...

You just need backup shelving! Problem solved.

 

[KoNickon]

That makes sense. I'm hoping those small screws in the center portion will allow that shift?

Those aren't screws, they're just bumps that enable you to turn that ring so that the desired film speed number aligns with the red pointer.

 

[chuckroast]

You just need backup shelving! Problem solved.

Then I should say, "Thank you for your support" ...

 

[hilltime]

Those aren't screws, they're just bumps that enable you to turn that ring so that the desired film speed number aligns with the red pointer.

Look at the ring inside this. There are 3 screws which are inside this. Don’t want to mess with these if it will do no good.

 

[Godfrey]

Just got this very clean Contax IIIA from it's early T xxxxx production, along with a much later Carl Zeiss 5cm/1.5 Sonnar. Everything is in great working order... shutter speeds seem appropriate, rangefinder is right on, glass is spotless. The only thing is the meter seems to be underexposing by about 1.5-2 stops. My question is, can the aperture dial be adjusted easily vs the DIN setting, to give a correct reading or will this still underexpose by the same 1.5-2 stops. If it could read 50-60/sec @ F4, it would be the correct light level I am measuring.
I know if I just set the DIN to 27 when using 100 speed film, it will give the correct reading then. Otherwise I am very happy with this addition to my Contax IIA's and other Zeiss lenses.

You probably don't want my advice on this but when I have an ancient camera with a selenium meter that is no longer performing, I simply disregard the meter entirely and use a hand held meter. OR, if I can find someone who can replace the selenium cell, I have the meter overhauled.

It's not that difficult (or expensive) and it's far better than bodging the adjustments. ANY small modern hand-held meter (a Sekonic Twinmate L-208 is a nice, light, small one) is FAR more sensitive AND accurate than a 1950s era selenium cell in-camera meter. (You can also get one of the little clip-on meters, like the TTArtisan, for $60 new that provides convenience and ease of use...)

G