When we aren't spending our days looking through other peoples weird and wonderful analogue equipment, we are at home looking through our own! Camera Nerds are nothing if not consistent.
At our Wednesday Morning meeting this week, each nerd brought in one (or two... *cough* Adam *cough*) cameras from home. Here they have shared their thoughts on them.
Mike's choice was his Konica Auto-Reflex P w/ 52mm f/1.8.
Mike's Two Word Review: Full ↔ Half
The camera is a bit of an oddity and is part of a small family of Konica cameras that is able to change between full frame and half frame mid roll. As you flip a switch to the half frame position two blades come into the shutter and the viewfinder brings in markings to remind you you’re in that mode. As you advance film the camera changes how much is pulled through and you can flip back and forth at any time. I like the convenience of being able to take half frame photos if I choose to. Save film, save money.
Mabel chose to bring her Ricoh 500GX.
Mabel's Two Word Review: Cute. Easy.
Despite the first roll I put through this camera making me cry outside the Eiffel Tower (user error), I have really learnt to love this little thing. A rangefinder can be a bit like marmite, and I love marmite too. It’s small enough for me to chuck in a tote bag when I’m walking about, and cheap enough for me not to worry about it too much. It’s small, simple and takes nice photos. What more can you really ask for?
Dan's choice was his GOMZ Smena-2.
Dan's Two Word Review: Plastic Fantastic
A simple camera, for a simple person. A pain in the butt to load (those who know, know). It’s very basic with no bells or whistles. Virtually everything is guess work, focusing, framing, exposure and whether it actually works.
Emmie decided to showcase her Pentax S1a w/ Helios 44-2 58mm f/2.
Emmie's Two Word Review: M42 Beast
She’s brassed and battered. The lens has more dust than the Sahara desert and the mirror sometimes locks up, but everyone needs a solid M42 camera. Fully mechanical with no meter- I just use sunny 16 and pray. You may be able to get better looking versions and a better lens, but I think this is an awesome combo.
And, last but never least, Adam's choice was both his Leica II Mod. D Black w/ 5cm f/2 Summar and his Thornton Pickard Rubyette No.2 w/ Unbranded 5 inch f/3.5-ish Petzval.
Adam's Two Word Review: Practical Antiques
Basically an M6 and an RZ67… just rewind 94 (ish) years and lose the beanie.
We may not all agree with whose camera is best, but I'm sure everyone reading this is in agreeance on which is the worst. If you've enjoyed having a nosey into our own personal collections, let us know and we'll aim to make more of these posts. Any excuse to have another coffee!