Another Camera Heads to the Shop

One of the pitfalls of buying vintage cameras on eBay is the likelihood that, although the listing states the camera is in working condition, a measurable percentage of the time, the camera is NOT in working condition. Of course, eBay offers buyer protection and I also have the option of sending the item back and requesting a refund. However, my camera repair guy here in Seoul is SO good, and SO affordable, that I usually just take the cameras to him for repair.

There's no way of knowing whether or not a particular camera is in good working order or not unless I put a roll of film through it. This Olympus 35 RD caught my eye on eBay recently, the price was right and I seemed to have grown quite fond of range finder film cameras. However, as you can see by the sample images from my first roll of film, it has a few issues. Looks like a light leak and bad exposure meter for starters. The light leaks are easy enough to fix, but this camera being a camera that uses auto exposure, the meter needs to be working. I have no idea if these are the issues, I'm not a repair expert, but my guy in Seoul IS an expert. I'll be stopping by to see him today and leave this baby with him knowing full well that I'll get it back as if it had just come off the assembly line.

Olympus 35 RD

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!

Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/16 (Post War)

Today the mailman delivered unto me the newest member of my vintage camera collection, a Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/16 medium format film camera. The Zeiss Ikon Nettar was originally released in 1937, however, the model I have is a post-war model. probably manufactured around 1947.

It shoots 6x6cm exposures on 120 medium format film (8 exposures per roll) and features a 75mm f/4.5 lens.

It is a strut folding camera, the lens pops out of the camera with the push of a button and can be folded back in. It features a rudimentary view finder and the camera can only be focused by judging your distance from your subject and adjusting the focus ring accordingly. There is no way to visually confirm the focus.

It's in amazingly good shape given it's age. In fact, it looks like it's never been used!

Cool beans! Can't wait to try it out. Stay tuned for the images.

This is What a Light Leak Looks Like - First Roll Minolta SRT-201

UPDATE:

A big thanks for all the advice, suggestions and knowledge from a number of members from the "Film Photographers" Facebook page. After reading the below blog entry several of them identified the problem not as a light leak as I originally thought, but it was more likely a scratch either from the camera or the lab that processed the film. I have used this particular photo lab many times, so I'd have to think the scratches are coming from the camera. I'll give it an inspection and a cleaning and put another roll of film through it. If the scratches still appear, I'll take the camera down to the repair shop.

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Original post...

One of the main concerns when purchasing a vintage film camera, especially on sites like eBay, is whether or not the camera is in complete working order. Take this Minolta SRT-201 for example. Aesthetically it looks to be in great condition and everything, including the light meter is working, however, when I got my first roll back from the photo lab today I noticed a couple of white lines running left to right across the length of the images. On some images it is more noticeable than others and on one or two, there aren't any white lines at all. The problem? A phenomenon known as a "light leak". 

The edge of the back panel on most film cameras has a thin foam strip that keeps light from getting in. Due in most part to the age of these cameras, the foam strip can deteriorate and not form a complete seal, thus allowing light in which will be seen in photographs, just like you see in the pictures below. The way to correct this is to replace the light seals. Fortunately for me, my shooting buddy and co-host of http://www.HeyDontShoot.com Turner, has replaced light seals on a few of his own vintage film cameras and corrected this problem. So, I'll be taking this particular camera over to his house later and see if we can't correct the problem, stay tuned!

Minolta SRT-201

Notice the white line along the bottom of the images. Some images also have another white line near the top of the image.

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!

Vintage Camera Back from Service - Agfa Karat IV

If you've been following my blog lately, you're well aware that I have been bitten by the vintage camera bug lately and have been gobbling up vintage cameras on eBay like a game of Hungry Hippos. And with good reason. Vintage cameras are mechanical works of art that are to be cared for, admired and they should also be used to shoot photos. Most of the vintage cameras I have purchased from eBay have arrived in good working condition, however, a few of them have had mechanical issues and that's not unexpected.

One such camera is this beautiful Agfa Karat IV 35mm film rangefinder, which was produced from 1950-1956. It features a Solinar 50mm f/2.8 lens. There are a couple interesting features of this camera. Firstly, it has a strut-folding, collapsible lens. Secondly, the film advance lever is pulled towards the user to advance the film, rather than away like most cameras.

I took it in for a full service and cleaning and to get it back in shape to shoot photos. The focus ring was completely frozen and immovable and the aperture ring was inoperable as well. Fortunately there are some excellent camera repair shops in Seoul (that WON'T expose your film http://heydontshoot.blogspot.kr/2015/06/hey-man-you-just-exposed-my-film.html) and I got it repaired and serviced for a reasonable $80,000 KRW or around $75 USD.

I loaded my first roll of film into it this morning and everything seems to be working well. Focus ring is smooth and aperture rings adjusts fine. Stay tuned and I'll be sure to share some sample photos after I get the roll developed.

Isn't she a beauty?

Agfa Karat IV