My Konica IIIa Back from the Shop... and it Works!

Konica IIIa

I was terribly excited when I first took reception of my vintage Konica IIIa a few months ago. However, as you may or may not have previously read, I discovered, after my first test roll of film, that the range finder was off and therefore, I was unable to focus accurately as attested by the sample photos below. 

One of the great things about living in South Korea, as a photographer, is the abundance of reputable and reasonably-priced camera repair shops. So I wasted no time in taking my Konica IIIa in for some tender loving care.

As you can see, the range finder is off considerably...

Thank goodness for the awesome repair shops here in Seoul!

Below, photos from my test roll AFTER the Konica IIIa came back from the shop. Nice!

As you can see, they did a great job. The camera is now functioning "like new" and the range finder is dead on! Such a relief. Now I can go out and start taking some nice shots with the confidence that the photos will be in focus! Thanks camera repair guy!

Film Photography - Agfa Karat IV First Shots

I guess the repair guy down in Namdaemun really knows his stuff. When I dropped this camera off the focus ring was stuck as if someone had super glued it. Who knows what else was wrong with it. But, for $80 USD it was delivered back to me as good as when it came of the assembly line back in the early 1950's.

The Agfa Karat IV is a 35mm film camera that features a Solinar 50mm f/2.8 strut-folding lens. They are relatively hard to find in the USA and when you do find one they are usually not in working condition. It's a heavy camera which feels solid in your hands. The rangefinder / viewfinder is relatively small and the film advance operates in the opposite direction compared to other cameras. It took a little getting used to but by the end of the day I kind of liked it! I really enjoy shooting film cameras not just because of the unique look of film photographs but also for the simple pleasure of operating the film advance. I like to hear the sound of the shutter, always different and unique to each camera.

I loaded it with a roll of cheap Kodak ISO 200 color film and took it to work one day. Lucky for me, it happened to be a day when I would get to fly around in a Blackhawk helicopter. Hard to believe that a camera that is more than 60 years old can still take quality images like these... I will definitely take this camera out again soon!