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The second thing I want to touch on is the misconception that that the Exakta is a left handed camera. In fact, it is one of the few right handed cameras around. Just think what you do most with a mechanical camera, focus of course. Advancing the shutter and firing the camera takes no time at all. But often one spends considerable time following the subject with the lens focus ring.
You definitely want to use your dominant hand for this most important and possibly difficult function. Leica came out first, so most other camera makers followed that lead.
They, after all, were the guys who sold the first 35mm single lens reflex, had the first flash synch internal to the camera and made the first camera with a lever advance rather than a wind knob. The last two were not replicated by Leica for nearly 20 years. Often, people who review the Exakta will call it difficult to use because their hands are trained to shoot a camera differently.
Shoot with an Exakta for a while, and you will realize — Hey, this makes sense! In the immediate post-war years, new German cameras were not imported into the UK but the Exakta was an exception.
It could be imported under special license for use by technical labs, educational establishment universities for all sorts of photography that they specialised in as there was simply no other system camera that couild possibly compete with its versatility and, importantly, it did not compete with the nascent British camera industry. Whilst serious amateurs valued it for its unique capability as an early slr, if you look at what it can accomplish with its varied accessories one can readily see it was a designed with specialist uses from the start, not simply to appease the amateur market.
Add in cassette to cassette operation and a built-in film cutter and one can see it was far removed from your average photographer as it could be. Ihagee, I doubt ever set out to win the equivalent of modern-day designer awards, but to make a camera that was supreme in its versatility for those photographyers who needed it.
Terry, thank you for your UK perspective. It is really interesting. I first learned about Exaktas as a young boy from advertisements in National Geographic magazine which took the approach that the Exakta was made for explorers.
Totally cool in my 12 year old mind. This approach seems similar to how the Exakta were marketed in the UK, though other advertisements do seem to go after the advanced amateurs and professionals.
It is not my sense that camera imports from Germany to the U. Though I will check on it. I have one. It is my understanding that it was more of an American marketing approach and was usually not seen in Europe. Finally, Exaktas in the U.
This was a registered trademark of the Argus Camera corporation. The original face plates were taken off and the model designation stamped out. These cameras are highly sought after by collectors because of their rarity. Finally, I really used the cassette to cassette a lot in high school I was on the yearbook staff at that time and would run around taking pictures after school. I would then cut the film and run to the school darkroom to develop the partial roll of photos I had taken.
The cassette to cassette capacity and the film cutting knife were actually very useful. Thanks for your further input. Regarding imports following WWII, the UK was in a parlous state, it was in fact bankrupt, something not impacting on the US economy which profited hugely from wartime manufacturing.
In view of the economic position the UK was in, manufacturing was concentrated on the export market with the domestic market being particularly neglected and imports of many non-essential products were curtailed or even banned.
Stoicism, typical of the British of that era, got us through, and as a child, b. Food was rationed until when meat was the last product to come off rationing. Worth pointing out that Exakta solved the problem of the automatic diaphragm by keeping the mechanism outside the lens and body, an early example of backward compatibility. Interchangeable finders and backs, motor drives, and super steady lens mount with some very good glass.
Andy, I agree. I have a Praktina FX. What a great camera, especially with the f2 58mm Biotar. Wish I had the motor drive. The Praktina was a full system camera. Nikon clearly copied a lot of features for its Nikon F system. Yes, lower Michigan is in the shape of a mitten and has a Thumb.
Lovely place to be let loose with a roll of film and a great vintage camera. This is the part where commenters point out all of the great cameras that were missed and there are too many.
Obligatory mention of the Graflex Super D here. Our list here was restricted to mechanical 35mm SLRs. We added three honorable mentions at the end from different formats, since as you rightly say there are so many excellent ones out there.
I would love the conversation to continue here in the comments! I have several on your list. Having recently shot the Super D around the empty UC Berkeley campus architecture it feels just a bit smoother than the F2.
The F2 has a shorter stroke but the Super D just glides. Spero proprio si tratti di una svista. For a couple of years I worked at a professional camera store, catering to the working photographer rather than the non-professional. We sold the the Topcon. Back then, it was called the Beseler Topcon Super D.
Beseler was the importer into the US. One of our government account execs. The Topcon was miles ahead of Nikon in design and optics, but lagging in business sense and marketing. Nikon, Hassellblad, et al, were imported through distributors rather than directly imported by the manufacturer.
Back then, you had a personal relationship with the company rep. They were just a phone call away. The Kodak professional catalog was like the Sears catalog. It seems they had a product for any photo situation, from working in the tropics to films and chemistry for the printing industry.
It was a good time to be involved with the industry. But we must evolve and change to keep current with the existing times. My pick for the best 35mm SLR? Take your black Nikon F with you and grab a pie.
Have that while you shoot seagulls with the Topcon. Stay safe. Follow CDC guidelines. Get the vax as soon as you can. I have a couple of those old Kodak catalogs in the shop here.
They truly are amazing, and the breadth of products with the big K on them is truly astonishing coffee makers and toothbrush holders and beach coolers… not to mention the stuff that actually makes photos. It really is amazingly tough and smartly made. The Nikon F is of course fantastic, and that lens is great. But you are definitely going to cause some arguments with that pizza….
Just a few moments to step back and take a deep breath. That camera bounced on the flightdeck a few times before it was rescued and returned to its Ready Room, and miraculously, still worked fine. That RIO checked for all his gear after that! The legendary Pentax LX was in my view the ultimate professional camera that was automatic and mechanical, able to continue in all weather conditions and continue to function even without batteries.
They are both just about the best 35mm SLR manual focus that you could get. Minolta SRT series. Such nice cameras. I hear they make nice 24mm lenses as well…………….. Multiple messages, no response. From scratch, then cut it, polish it etc. If we allow the meter, why not the SRT, which surely must get some points for paving the way for the and others?
I believe there was a pre-meter version of the Pentax, not sure about the Contax, while the Leica, Topcon and Canon seem to fit nicely into my totally mechanical non-electronic box. These were the cameras for when men were men well, actually I was a boy.
Great article! I enjoyed reading about all of your choices. I got to use many of them and am familiar with all of them. The F2 was my first pro camera which I got when I was a sophomore in high school. My only question is: The Polaroid? I believe it was electronic and dependent on the battery that was in the film pack. Your input? Wonderful list, i need to find a Topcon now after reading your lines. Glad i own 6 from the list especially the last one that is my favorite.
What a great lineup of cameras. I have taken some wonderful images with the Spotmatic F which I believe is the best model of the line. What scores with the Spotmatic is the incredible lenses up and down the roster. Simple to just replace the battery once a year. And it did all of that 14 years before the FM3a.
Perhaps you can identify what its charms are please. You might like this article though you probably already know all of the info contained therein. The Leica and Contax have never given me more only some mechanical troubles and electronic problems , the lens despite the Zeiss 3D of the Contax, at my old age now, I can say that the difference is too small, Leica has a cold rendering. Excellent list of course, but honestly some of these cameras seem to be listed for their place in camera history and not necessarily because they are the best of the line.
Case in point is the spectacular Olympus OM There is no debating its immeasurable importance to the advancement of the 35mm SLR design standard. But if you are allowing electronic metering to exist in this list of fully mechanical cameras, there is no question that the Olympus OM-3Ti of the mids is a vastly more competent all-mechanical camera than the OM-1 of the early 70s. The OM-3Ti boasts advanced metering modes that I still envy today—how about memory spot metering that allows you to record multiple spot metered measurements for a single exposure, including setting highlights and shadows?
How about TTL flash metering with a mechanical shutter? All in the same small forum factor pioneered in the OM-1 not to mention access to one of the widest ranges of accessories, and excellent Zuiko optics. The OM-3Ti gets my vote. We eventually decided that, in the case of the OM line, the first was so revolutionary that it needed to be included. Hope that makes sense. I was going to say exactly the same thing. This was a true Pro level camera system with interchangeable viewfinders focusing screens, camera backs and auto winders which inspired the Nikon F that came out six years later.
Indeed, Geoff. I agree with all these choices. I had one with the Tessar f3. Talk about mechanically wonderful cameras. Those were the good days for cameras and photographers.
Exciting and forward-looking to the next brochure or catalogue. I even enjoyed having to use a separate light meter for the Exacta and Rolleiflex. Then some lobster. Keep shooting and thanks for the memories. I would agree with you to include the Exakta VX. I have several. They still work great.
The next model the VX IIa is the pinnacle of refinement. It smoother, quieter, and just plain beautiful. But you know what? I have owned a bunch and not one is still working. The shutter curtains all went out. Wonderful article, James. Glad to see you included the Spotmatic. My only quibble might be the inclusion of the Nikon FM3. I would have replaced it with the legendary Nikkormat. Hard to turn shutter speed dial. LEDs in the VF that get washed out easily in daylight.
Excessively long film winder throw. Viewfinder that is impossible to see the sides if you wear glasses and without you still need to jam your eye into the peephole. And frankly, too small. Ya I have black one. And it looks nice. But it sits there with me wondering why all the hoopla? Much better to shoot an LX in manual mode than an MX. Each to their own! I dunno dood. It feels like a cheap camera in a fancy shell. I woulda put a Nikon F in that slot instead….
This conversation is soooooo cool. Has it reached a record for number and intensity of comments yet? Great list! I was given a Spotmatic not long ago, and would love to add the S2 to my Contax collection! Wow, the second time in a couple of weeks the SRT series has gotten some love. I have a and yes, the 50mm Rokkor is that good. Are the SRTs noisy? My boss had a pretty big collection that was collecting dust in cardboard boxes, one day we did a little bit of cleanup and he gave me a Topcon Super D, with a 25mm f3.
Load, advance, and rewind the film yourself. Determine exposure manually with just a simple match diode center-weighted meter, and enter the settings on the aperture ring and shutter speed dial. You'll only need small, long-lasting button batteries for the meter the shutter is all-mechanical and some film. These are basic camera that are a great teaching instrument and fun, too. These are in limited quantity, first come, first served, most have been in service in educational departments and we have checked them out and they are ready to be further utilized.
It even features a high-def built-in colour display. Then you press the shutter, and your subject is small. Make sure to take in the whole image through the viewfinder. When it comes to subjects, John believes it's all in the details. Really start looking at things you've taken for granted in the past. But ultimately, 35mm is best suited to snapshots of life. Because you see life as it actually was, rather than an idealised version. In this overly filtered social media age, perhaps that explains why the 35mm renaissance shows no sign of stopping yet.
We decided to reach out to our favourite accounts on Instagram, from amateur photographers to award winners, to get some invaluable tips and tricks on the best ways to get the most out of your camera. We'll be regularly adding to the list over the coming months.
Equally, there are plenty of websites with expert recommendations, including the UK-based Lightbox Darkroom , which offers affordable workshops too. A beginner really just needs a good, functioning, affordable model. Raid eBay and specialist sites: As we mentioned above, the auction site is full of vintage camera options — and there are few steps you can take to ensure you get a good deal.
Meanwhile, sites like Harrison Cameras and Camera World are transparent and trustworthy. Independent camera shops: Once we're allowed to pop into shops again, it's worth travelling to indie camera shops in your local area.
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