Bolsey PH-324A Camera, 35 Model B Special & B3

Composition of my Bolsey 35 B Special, PH-324A and B3 cameras

I've always been a fan of Bolsey cameras, as I've written about them in the past. Many of their models have a highly unusual appearance. Their 35mm cameras look somewhat bulbous from the top, with an odd three-sided removable back door. Yet, they seem to fit in the hand nicely thanks to their quirky form factor.

I've owned many Bolsey cameras over my collecting career, from the twin-lens Bolsey-Flex Trio and Bolsey 8 (both still and movie cameras) to the oddly shaped twin-lens 35mm Bolsey C model. But today I'm writing about their more common 35mm rangefinders—with the fun exception that they come in different colors.

One thing I've noticed is that the red logo Bolsey button on top of the camera is usually missing. I'd guess more than half the ones I've seen have lost this red button, likely popping off at some point in the camera's life. I've had some with and some without, so I generally look for and purchase them with the button intact, unless it's a truly "special" camera.

All three cameras I'm looking at today are based on the Bolsey B in terms of shape and most features. Due to my love for colored cameras, I couldn't resist putting this trio together—mainly for the fun of photographing them side-by-side and seeing what I could come up with for my lead photo.

The Bolsey "Special" is the oldest in my collection, and I purchased it online off eBay many years ago. The thought of adding a red Bolsey to the shelf was a huge plus for me. When I received it and saw it was in great physical shape, I was thrilled. Finding out the shutter and transport actually worked was just the frosting on the cake.

However, it wasn't until I finally pulled it off the shelf, loaded it up, processed the film, and saw the results that I realized there was a major flaw (see the images in the "Results" area). While the rangefinder worked as it should and the pressure plate was intact, the images were incredibly out of focus. I guess one of the lens elements is missing, or something is so out of whack that it ruins the focus. The back looks perfectly fine, so I'm at a loss.

After some research, I learned that some Bolsey "Special" cameras were made for microscopes and scientific purposes. Maybe this lens was specifically calibrated for extreme close-up work? But then again, the rangefinder worked perfectly for distance. It's a mystery.

I bought the second camera, the Bolsey B3, at an antique store in a neighboring town about three years ago. I was walking through the basement section when I came across a booth with a few cameras, and there sat this grey B3. The chrome was tarnished, and the shutter was stuck open, but the top was clean, and it was grey—a color I hadn't seen on a Bolsey before. The price was only a few dollars, so even though the shutter wasn't working, I figured it would make a fantastic display piece alongside my other Bolseys.

The newest Bolsey to join my collection is the PH-324A. This military camera was made for, and used by, the U.S. Signal Corps. This olive-drab camera features a stark black finish and a bold red "Bolsey" on the faceplate. It was part of a lot I bought at an auction house a few months ago.

While I always enjoy finding different colored versions of cameras, the stigma of a "military" model didn't initially excite me. That's possibly because the high prices they usually command typically turn me off—and keep them out of my budget! But the striking black finish on this one really won me over.

After processing the disappointing roll from the Bolsey Special, I loaded some film into the PH-324A and took it outside for a spin. Thankfully, this roll turned out much better, which you can see in the "Results" section below.

History:

The history of Bolsey cameras is inextricably linked to the brilliant and prolific mind of its founder, Jacques Bolsey. Born Yakob Bogopolsky in Kiev in 1895, he first made his mark on the photographic world in Switzerland during the 1920s. There, he designed the legendary Bolex 16mm motion picture camera, a revolutionary piece of equipment that helped democratize filmmaking for generations of operators. He also laid the mechanical groundwork for the Swiss Alpa-Reflex 35mm camera in the late 1930s before emigrating to the United States to escape the onset of World War II.

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During the war, Bolsey worked extensively with the U.S. government, designing durable, high-precision combat cameras for both aerial and ground photography. When peacetime arrived, he leveraged this military engineering experience to enter the booming consumer market. In 1947, he founded the Bolsey Corporation of America in New York and introduced his first major consumer camera, the Bolsey Model B.

The Bolsey Model B was a compact 35mm rangefinder featuring a distinctively heavy, cast-aluminum body. It possessed a uniquely rugged feel—a direct byproduct of Bolsey's wartime designs. Equipped with a fixed Wollensak Anastigmat 44mm f/3.2 lens and a split-image rangefinder, the Model B was both mechanically capable and affordable for the post-war middle class.

The company quickly iterated on this early success. The subsequent Model B2 added double-exposure prevention, while the exceptionally quirky Model C, introduced around 1950, stands out as one of Bolsey's most eccentric designs. The Bolsey C was an unusual hybrid: it functioned as a standard 35mm rangefinder but also integrated a twin-lens reflex (TLR) viewfinder on the top of the body. This let photographers look down into a ground-glass screen to focus, offering an alternative to the traditional eye-level viewfinder.

Later models, like the Bolsey B22 and the Jubilee (introduced in 1953 and 1955, respectively), featured a proprietary "Set-O-Matic" system. This mechanical innovation coupled aperture control directly to the focus mechanism, removing the mathematical guesswork from early flash photography.

Despite their mechanical durability and innovative features, Bolsey cameras suffered from inconsistent quality control in their external finishes. The metal plating on many camera bodies tended to deteriorate or pit quickly. By 1956, facing intense competition from domestic manufacturers like Kodak, as well as highly sophisticated new imports from Japan and Germany, Bolsey ceased camera production and sold his business interests to the Wittnauer Watch Company.

Jacques Bolsey passed away in 1962. Today, his legacy survives not only in the revered Bolex cinema cameras but also in the quirky, durable Bolsey 35mm rangefinders that remain fascinating artifacts of mid-century photographic engineering.

My Camera:

For this section, I'll focus on the PH-324A. The red "Special" is very similar to the PH-324A, while the Bolsey B3 is different mechanically and has some aesthetic differences, too.

The Bolsey 35mm models are sturdy and compact, coming in at 4.25" across, 2.5" tall, and 2.5" deep, weighing 14.9 ounces without film. My camera has a Wollensak 44mm f/3.2 Anastigmat lens, and the serial number on my PH-324A is 95012.

Looking along the top, you'll find just the rewind knob on the left. The middle of the PH-324A features the information plate with the Bolsey logo, reading: "Signal Corps. U.S. Army, Camera PH-324A," along with the contract name and "Bolsey Corp. of America." On the top right is the winding knob to advance the film. There's a helpful arrow indicating the turning direction, along with the instruction to "Lift slightly and Wind." Right below the winding lever is the frame counter.

Top view of the Bolsey PH-324A camera

On the back of the camera are two holes for the viewfinder. The left is the standard finder used to frame your image, and the right is a split-image rangefinder used for focusing. For me, they are a little difficult to use, but I think that's because of the eye surgery I had over a year ago and simply getting more accustomed to using my left eye to focus.

Moving to the front, the viewfinders are at the top. Down by the lens, you focus by sliding a large tab on the left side (as you hold the camera). On the PH-324A, there is a red dot and a slight indent just past the 12-foot mark. This is designed for hyperfocal focusing. Similar to how an Instamatic works, if you set the camera's focus to this point and use a small aperture in normal sunny conditions, your depth of field will keep everything from approximately 5 feet to infinity in sharp focus.

Above the lens are the shutter speeds, which range from 1/200 down to 1/10, along with "B" for Bulb and "T" for timed exposures. The 1/100 shutter speed is printed in red. You turn the outer knurled ring to select your desired speed.

Below the lens are the aperture settings, ranging from f/3.2 to f/22. Set these by sliding the small arrow to match your lighting conditions. The f/8 mark is also printed in red. When you set the camera to 1/100, f/8, and focus on the red dot (around 15 feet), the camera is extremely easy to operate because all the primary settings are color-coded in red.

The shutter release is located around the lens assembly in the ten o'clock position. Just press it down to fire the shutter.

The bottom of the camera has the film door release. Flip the lever to "open," then slide the back off to expose the loading area. From there, you load it as you would any standard 35mm camera.

After taking a photo, you must follow the instructions engraved on the film advance knob. I didn't notice this when I first loaded the camera. The winding gears felt stuck, and I actually tore some of the sprockets right off the film. To advance the film properly,  lift the winding knob slightly, then start turning.

Lifting the knob releases the internal lock on the advance gear, allowing you to wind to the next frame. Without lifting it, you'll tear the sprocket holes just like I did before consulting the manual. When it's time to rewind the film into the cassette, there is no release button for the drive gears. You wind the rewind knob in the direction of the arrow, and the film pulls smoothly back into the cassette.

Results:

Loading up some expired Plus-X film from 1976 (which is still great film, by the way), I took a walk through my neighborhood and captured several of my usual test views.

Here are a couple of the images taken with the red "Special." The final few—and much sharper—images are from the PH-324A, which did a considerably better job!

Conclusion:

The Bolseys are incredibly fun cameras to shoot with and remain some of my favorites in my collection. They are even more fun to use once you read the instructions and learn how to advance the film without tearing the sprocket holes!

The focus was surprisingly easy to nail, even for an old guy using his left eye. The viewfinder was clear, the shutter speeds seemed accurate, and the lens was sharp, producing some genuinely nice images despite the larger grain structure of the vintage Plus-X film.

Thank you for taking the time to read about some of the Bolsey cameras from my collection.

Overall, my experience with these cameras was very positive. While a slightly larger finder window would be nice, I do love shooting with a compact camera every once in a while. I've always felt that Bolsey cameras were well-built, quirky, and an absolute joy to use.

Are you interested in other vintage gear? Here are some of my other Camera Reviews.

Check out my Cuny's Camera Collection YouTube channel, where I am putting together video overviews of the cameras I write about. Be sure to subscribe and like the channel, too!

Cuny's Cameras and Photos is my online eBay store, where you will find some of the cameras I have reviewed, along with a wide range of other cameras, lenses, and items from my collection that I am thinning out.

Until next week, please be safe.

Leica CL Camera-50th Anniversary Edition

My Leica CL-50th Anniversary Edition Camera

I can remember when the Leica CL was first introduced. I was a junior in high school and attending concerts with my buddies. Because of its size, I thought it would be perfect to take to shows to photograph bands. It was small, compact, and had incredible optics.

 At the time, I shot Nikon, which was a bit bigger and heavier, and the idea of a smaller, lighter camera intrigued me.

 Unfortunately, I had a few obstacles to overcome to get one. The first and foremost was the price. At around $450.00 for the camera body with the 40mm lens, I needed to save a lot before I could afford it, especially while also buying records, paying for a car, and going to concerts. Something needed to give.

 For me personally, another drawback of the Leica CL was the lack of longer lenses for the body. At the time of release, they offered a 40mm and a 90mm, which they recommended, but for the shows I was photographing, I sometimes needed up to a 200mm. The 40mm or 90mm would be OK for some of the work, but I liked getting a bit closer to the performers, so the longer lens was very desirable.

 A good friend of mine, Greg Copeland, was an early adopter of the Olympus OM system and purchased his right after it was introduced in 1973. After I played with his for a while, I started to prefer shooting with a slightly bigger camera, as my hands just seemed to overlap the camera, and it didn't feel comfortable. As a result, the thought of owning a Leica CL subsided.

Leica CL 50th Anniversary

 Minolta introduced their version of the Leica CL, the Minolta CLE, in 1980, when I was working at a camera store in the San Francisco Bay Area. I briefly considered buying it through the employee purchase program, but I wasn't a big fan of Minolta cameras. Also, being married and having a two-year-old put a little damper on spending a lot of money on camera gear.

 Jump almost 40 years into the future, and an opportunity to purchase a Leica CL with the fitted leather case and Leitz Summicron-C 40mm f/2 lens dropped into my lap. I was in a camera store in a small Midwest town on a business trip, and as I was looking in one of the showcases, there it was.

 The owner at the time said he was having a difficult time selling it, and he would make me a good deal on it if I were interested. He said the meter wasn't working, but it did come with the hood, lens cap, and case. He threw out a price that was too good to pass up. I thought about it for a few minutes and started playing with it. It seemed in great condition, except for the meter, so I bought the camera and took it home.

History of Leica CL & Minolta CLE

The partnership between Leitz (the maker of Leica cameras) and Japanese manufacturer Minolta during the 1970s birthed two of the most fascinating rangefinders in photographic history: the Leica CL and the Minolta CLE. Conceived during a period of financial instability for Leica, this collaboration aimed to produce a compact, accessible entry point into the legendary M-mount system.

 Introduced in 1973, the Leica CL (Compact Leica) was designed by Leitz but manufactured in Japan by Minolta. It represented a radical departure from traditional Leica design. Weighing considerably less than its sibling, the polarizing Leica M5, the CL featured a vertically traveling cloth focal-plane shutter and a unique through-the-lens (TTL) light meter positioned on a pivoting arm that swung out of the way just before the shutter fired. To accompany the camera, Leitz introduced two compact, budget-friendly lenses: the 40mm f/2 Summicron-C and the 90mm f/4 Elmar-C.

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 The CL was a massive commercial success. However, its popularity became a double-edged sword. It sold so well that it reportedly cannibalized sales of the far more expensive M5, prompting Leitz to discontinue the CL prematurely in 1976 after producing roughly 65,000 units. Minolta also sold its own domestic version during this time, the Leitz Minolta CL, which was functionally identical.

 After the partnership dissolved, Minolta built on the CL and engineered a true technological marvel: the Minolta CLE (Compact Leica Electronic), released in 1980.

 While it retained the M-mount and a similar form factor, the CLE was entirely Minolta's creation and represented a massive leap forward. It replaced the CL's mechanical shutter and swinging meter arm with an advanced electronic stepless shutter and a cutting-edge silicon photodiode system.

 Most impressively, the CLE introduced aperture-priority auto-exposure and TTL off-the-film flash metering—features that would not appear on a true Leica M body until the M7 arrived over two decades later. Minolta paired the CLE with three exceptional M-Rokkor lenses: a 28mm f/2.8, a 40mm f/2, and a 90mm f/4. Despite its technological superiority, the CLE had a relatively short production run and was discontinued in 1985. Today, both cameras remain highly sought after by film enthusiasts as capable, lightweight alternatives to traditional M-system rangefinders.

My Camera

My Leica CL is a 50th-anniversary model with the stamp under the "Leica CL" name on the front. On the back of the camera body is engraved 487-L. The Leica CL is 4.75" wide by 3" tall by 2.5" deep, with the Leitz Summicron-C 40mm f/2 lens. The camera weighs 1 pound, 2 ounces with the hood and lens cap, and without film. The body serial number is 1429885, and the lens serial number is 2552228.

My Leica CL also has a vertical hanging, fitted leather case with "Leica Wetzlar" embossed on the front. I'm not a big fan of how the soft case works with the camera, as I find it gets in my way when using the camera. It does offer protection, so that's a plus.

 Looking at the top of the camera, the Leica CL is rather plain. From left to right, there is the "Leitz Wetzlar" logo, a hot shoe for the flash, the shutter release (threaded for a cable release), a white line for setting the shutter speed, and a film winding lever.

 Most exposure controls are on the front of the camera body or lens. In the upper left corner of the camera, as you face it, is the shutter speed wheel, which has speeds from 1/1000 to 1/2 (no 1 sec. exposure setting) and "B" for timed exposures. The shutter speed is set by turning the outer wheel to the desired speed, which is aligned with the small white line on the camera body. Some people get confused because the white line isn't directly above the shutter speed number, but slightly to the left. Make sure you set the shutter speed to the white line, and not at the top of the dial.

Inside the shutter speed dial is the ASA or DIN (ISO) setting for the internal light meter. Set the ASA by turning the chrome wheel with the pad of your finger or thumb to the desired film speed.

 Below the shutter speed wheel is a smaller round button with a red circle, which is the lens release button. Press the button and turn the lens counterclockwise a short distance until the red dot latches to the red circle, then remove the lens. To attach the lens, match the red dot on the lens to the red circle, then turn the lens clockwise until it clicks into place and locks onto the camera body.

On the opposite side of the lens is an even smaller chrome button: the "battery test" button for the light meter. Unfortunately, the light meter on my camera isn't working, so it's not something I use when shooting with the Leica CL.

 On the lens is the focus knob, which is a larger knob on the bottom, and the aperture settings, which are located towards the front of the lens. I also have a rubber lens hood and a plastic lens cap that fits onto the hood; both came with the camera kit.

Looking through the viewfinder, there are several things to look at. In the middle is the bright rangefinder. This is a wonderful and very easy rangefinder. The image looks sharper (to me) when you bring the lines together in the yellowed area of the rangefinder. I'm generally not a big fan of rangefinders, but I do really like how this one performs.

 It also has internal lines for a 40mm and 50mm lens. Along the top of the finder is the shutter speed, with a red bar sliding to the set shutter speed, which is easily adjusted with your forefinger rolling along the shutter speed selector.

On the right side of the viewfinder is the light meter. Leica interestingly designed the camera: when you wind it, a small hinged arm with a CDS sensor drops down in front of the vertically traveling focal plane shutter. This is what meters your exposures. As you change the shutter speed/aperture combination and the ASA setting, a bar moves up or down until it's in the center "cutout" area. When it's in the middle of the "cutout" area, the meter tells you it's properly exposed.

 When you click the shutter, the CDS sensor moves up just before the shutter opens and closes, exposing the film. Then, when you wind the film to the next exposure, the CDS sensor pulls back down and is ready to meter your next frame. If you haven't wound to the next frame and the winding lever is in close to the body, the meter is off. I also noticed that when you move the shutter speed dial to 1/2 sec. or "B", a red dot appears in the meter area. My best guess is that it's a longer exposure warning.

To remove the camera back to load the film, on the bottom of the camera in the center, there is a knob that you lift and turn until it stops. Then, slide the camera back down to slide the back off the camera body. Once you've done that, the pressure plate is hinged to the camera body, not the back of the film door you just removed.

 Put your film cassette in the left-side film chamber, flip down the pressure plate, and thread the lead into the grey clips on the take-up spool. Advance the film a bit to make sure it's caught and traveling across the shutter. Flip back the pressure plate, slide the camera back under the grooves on the front of the camera, sliding it all the way onto the camera body, and lock the film back onto the camera body.

The bottom of the film door also has the rewind crank and rewind button to unlock the film transport wheel, plus a small film reminder on the other side of the rewind crank.

 I have a few rolls of outdated Plus-X film dated to June 1976, which I have in both 36 and 20 exposures that I'm selling in my store on eBay, so I loaded a roll of 20 exposures into the camera, set my external light meter to ISO 50, and went for a walk around the neighborhood to see how the camera would perform.

 My Results

After walking the neighborhood and taking photos of many of the usual subjects to keep it somewhat consistent, I went home and processed the film. Here are some of the images I took on my walk.

Conclusion

I enjoyed many things about using the Leica CL. First and foremost was the focusing. I really enjoyed how the rangefinder reacted to the images I selected. It made it easy to focus, especially in busy areas with a lot of detail.

 The second thing I enjoyed about the camera was the image quality. Similar to the Contarex "Bullseye" camera, this lens is very sharp. I kind of marvel at how sharp these images are. Maybe it's because I try so many different cameras with average or below-average optics, but when you get a sharply focused photo, they just jump out at you.

 The camera case (to me) was a real pain. Having the case flop around when I'm using the camera was a negative experience. In the future, instead of latching the case through the strap, I'll put the strap on the camera and wrap the case around it for protection. When I unzip the case, I'll put it in my pocket. That's a more desirable solution for me.

 One other thing I noticed from the last few cameras shot with the expired Plus-X film I have is that I kind of like the grain of the film. It's a bit chunkier than the newer films, which I kind of enjoy and remember from my earlier days of shooting.

 Overall, my experience with the Leica CL was very positive. I would have liked an internal meter, but for the price I paid for the camera, lens, and case, I'm very happy and can use an external meter or guess exposures, which is pretty easy.

 Are you interested in other cameras? Here are some of my other Camera Reviews.

 Check out my Cuny's Camera Collection YouTube channel, where I am putting together video overviews of the cameras I write about. Be sure to subscribe and like the channel, too!

 Cuny's Cameras and Photos is my online eBay store, where you will find some of the cameras I have reviewed, along with a wide range of other cameras, lenses, and items from my collection that I am thinning out.

 Until next week, please be safe.

 

Zeiss Ikon Hologon Ultrawide camera

My Zeiss Ikon Hologon Ultrawide camera

When it comes to photography, I have a passion for all things panoramic and wide-angle, so the rare Zeiss Ikon Hologon Ultrawide camera was a camera I've always wanted to purchase. What's not to like? The whole camera was built around an incredible Carl Zeiss 15mm f/8 Hologon ultra-wide-angle lens, which the camera is named after.

 It wasn't until later in my career in the photo industry that I had the financial means to purchase one of these wonderful cameras. I'd seen them at camera shows, in online sales on eBay, and in other stores. I've even had the opportunity to purchase one back when I was first starting out collecting cameras, but the price was always beyond my reach.

 About 10 years ago, I was looking through the online catalog from Wetzlar Auctions in Germany. Basically, I was dreaming about the cameras that were still out of my reach. It wasn't the super-rare Leicas that caught my eye, but a hard-to-find Zeiss Ikon Hologon Ultrawide with the handle, cable release, center filter, lens caps, and case that made me pause.

 At the time, Wetzlar Auctions had a fairly low starting price, so I thought, "Why not? Let's give it a go," and see how quickly I'd be outbid. I put in a fair price that I was willing to pay for the camera, as they said it was in "good working condition."

 As time passed and the auction got closer, there weren't that many people interested in the camera, but my thoughts kept saying, "You'll be outbid soon."

My outfit with case, center filter, grip, cable release and lens caps.

 On the day of the auction, I watched the results, and the price didn't reach my high bid. So, by the time the auction closed, I was the winner of the camera. There were concerns that the camera may not have met expectations, and there were underlying issues the auction house didn't disclose that I wasn't aware of.

 After paying for the camera, along with the auction house fees, etc., I then needed to pay to have the camera shipped from Germany to my home in the USA. It was a little bit more than I expected, but to me, it was still under the value of the camera, so I was pleased. Especially to have such a rare and special camera in my collection.

 It wasn't until I received the camera that I noticed the camera's take-up spool was missing, and the bubble level on top was dried out. Not the end of the world, as I purchased a Contaflex/Contax take-up spool that fits the camera well. It wasn't the original take-up spool with the red tips on the end, but it would wind the film in the camera.

 There wasn't much I could do about the bubble level, but at this point, it's water under the bridge. I now have a working Zeiss Ikon Hologon Ultrawide camera to put in the collection and use when I want.

History:

The Zeiss Ikon Hologon is one of the most unusual and technically ambitious 35mm cameras ever produced. Introduced in 1969, it was created around an extraordinary lens rather than the other way around. Its Carl Zeiss Hologon 15mm f/8 lens offered an astonishing 110-degree angle of view, making it one of the widest-angle lenses available for 35mm photography at the time.

Outfit in the original box.

 The story began with German optical designer Dr. Erhard Glatzel and his work at Carl Zeiss. The Hologon was an innovative three-element design intended to produce an extremely wide, rectilinear image with remarkably low distortion. The lens was so physically unusual that conventional 35mm camera bodies could not accommodate it properly. Its rear element needed to sit exceptionally close to the film plane. Rather than compromise the lens design, Zeiss created a camera specifically around it.

 The resulting Hologon camera was based on the chassis of the Zeiss Ikon Contarex but eliminated the SLR mirror and reflex viewing system. In their place was a large optical viewfinder with a built-in bubble level. The level was important because the enormous field of view made even a slight tilt of the camera very noticeable in the finished photograph. The camera also came with a distinctive pistol grip, designed partly to keep the photographer's fingers from appearing at the edges of photographs.

 The Hologon's lens was fixed at f/8 and had fixed focus, providing sharpness from approximately 0.5 meter to infinity. Because such a wide-angle optical design naturally suffered from illumination falloff toward the edges of the frame, Zeiss supplied a specially graduated center filter. This accessory was an essential part of the system rather than simply an optional convenience.

Zeiss Ikon Hologon Ultrawide manual

 Production numbers were extremely small. Approximately 1,400 Hologon cameras were produced, making it one of the rarest members of the Contarex family. Zeiss Ikon's camera manufacturing ended in the early 1970s, and the Hologon became one of the final and most exotic products associated with the Zeiss Ikon name.

 The Hologon lens itself survived beyond the camera. In 1972, unused lenses were offered in Leica M mount, complete with the appropriate accessories. The Hologon name was eventually revived in the 1990s for a redesigned 16mm f/8 lens used with the Contax G system.

 Today, the Zeiss Ikon Hologon is highly prized by collectors. It represents a remarkable moment when optical engineering took priority over conventional camera design—a camera literally built around a lens. Its rarity, distinctive appearance, and extraordinary 15mm Hologon optics have secured its place as one of the great classics of German camera history.

My Camera:

My Zeiss Ikon Hologon Ultrawide camera is based on the Zeiss Ikon Contarex body and is 6" wide by 3.5" tall by only 2" deep. The camera weighs in at 1 pound, 11.5 ounces with the Carl Zeiss Verlauffilter S 57 4x (center filter) and plastic lens cap. The camera's serial number is P76233. The camera has a Carl Zeiss Hologon 15mm f/8 lens, serial number 4814780.

Due to the lens's wide angle of view, the camera has a center filter that is darker in the middle and lighter on the sides. This helps to even out the exposure in your images. If the camera didn't have the center filter, all the images would have a darker ring on the sides, giving the images a slight vignette appearance. The center filter evens out the vignette appearance in your images.

The filter has threads on the outside that thread into the threads on the outside of the lens and wrap around the lens. This is different from most filters, which thread onto the inside of a lens.

 When you look closely at the lens from the front, it has a rather flat appearance, but when you turn the camera and get in close to look at the lens, it definitely has a dome appearance. Its three-element configuration was revolutionary because it produced an exceptionally wide, essentially rectilinear image without relying on the fisheye projection used by many extreme wide-angle lenses.

The camera is very basic and, as I mentioned, is based on the Zeiss Ikon Contarex body. Looking at the top of the camera, the camera's rewind crank is on the far left, surrounded by a movable wheel that shows, as a reminder to the photographer, what ASA (ISO) is in the camera. There is no meter in the camera, so it's really used as a reminder to the photographer what film speed they loaded into the camera.

In the middle is a bubble level, which sits on top of a fairly large viewfinder. It needs to be especially big and wide to show approximately the same angle of view as the ultra-wide 15mm lens. Looking inside the viewfinder, you can see the bubble level just under the viewfinder. The bubble level is for vertical adjustment so you can keep the camera level for horizontal images. As previously mentioned, my bubble level is dry, so there is no bubble to see in mine.

 Moving to the right on the top of my camera is the film-winding lever, which sits on top of the camera's shutter-speed dial. The shutter speeds range from 1/500 to 1 second, plus "B" for bulb, and “T” for timed exposures. Above the winding lever is the camera's film counter, with the shutter release in the middle. The shutter-release button also has threads that accepts a cable release.

On the bottom of the camera are two latches that need to be turned, which allow you to slide the back off the camera and expose the film chamber. Once the back is removed, you'll load the 35mm film like you would with any other 35mm camera. Once you've loaded the film, put the film back into the grooves in the camera body and slide the back up and into position on the back of the camera. Once it's on, lock the two latches and flip down the handles so the camera sits flush.

 When you get to the end of the roll, and it's time to rewind the film into the cassette, one of the latches on the bottom of the camera has an "R" for rewind. Lift the handle of this latch only and turn the lever until the handle is pointing at the "R" for rewind. Flip up the handle on the rewind knob and rewind the film into the 35mm cassette. Once the film is rewound, turn both levers to the open position, take the back off the camera, and remove the film for processing.

The Zeiss Ikon Hologon camera came with different accessories. There is a center filter, which I discussed earlier, and two lens caps. One is plastic and pops over the center filter when it's on the camera, and the other is a metal cap that threads around the lens, like the center filter, when the center filter is off the camera.

 There is also a pistol grip with a removable top, which allows the photographer to place the camera at different angles onto the pistol grip if desired. There is also a cable release that threads into the pistol grip and into the camera's shutter release. The pistol grip also has a leather strap to secure the grip to your hand when carrying it.

 The pistol grip is used so you don't wrap your hands around the camera when shooting, like you would with a regular 35mm camera. If you did, your fingers would appear on the sides of your images, very similar to the way they do with Widelux cameras.

Without the pistol grip, you'd need to hold the camera with your finger on top and your thumbs under it to stabilize it, much like you'd hold an Instamatic camera. You don't wrap your hands around this or Widelux cameras to avoid having your fingers in the images.

 Also included in the kit were the strap for the camera and a very nice hard compartment case for the camera, with room to hold the pistol grip. The case also has elastic straps to hold the center filter and extra lens cap.

Zeiss Ikon Hologon Ultrawide mounted on the pistol grip with center filter, and cable release. Two lens caps too.

Now that we have the camera loaded, let's take it out to see how it performs under normal working conditions.

 Results:

I took the camera to three different locations to try it out. First was a local farm that has a "farm-to-table" dinner we go to near Portland, OR. The name is Topaz Farms, and they are spectacular people who put on the most delicious dinners during the summertime.

 The second was a local farmers market in the town we live in. I'd walk around and take photos of some of the vendors and their wares.

 Finally, I walked the neighborhood, taking some of the standard photos I try to take with all the cameras so that, if you want to look back and see the images, they would be in similar locations.

Here are some of the results from these events and locations.

Conclusion:

Once I processed the film, I noticed a few things about the camera that I felt were a bit odd. The spacing of the negatives was very thin and not the normal spacing I was expecting. This may have been caused by me purchasing a Contaflex/Contax take-up spool, which is thinner in diameter, giving the film less area to travel between images.

 The second thing is that the images didn't seem as sharp as I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, they are sharp, but not as sharp as last week's Contarex “Bullseye” body and lens. Especially being so wide and stopped down, I was expecting super-sharp images, but these were OK.

 It may have been the filter, but that was clean. My expectations were higher, and the images fell short.

 Because of that, I'll try another roll of film, and if I'm not impressed with those images, you may see this on eBay in the near future.

 Want to see other cameras? Here are some of my other Camera Reviews.

 Check out my Cuny's Camera Collection YouTube channel, where I am putting together video overviews of the cameras I write about. Be sure to subscribe and like the channel, too!

 Cuny's Cameras and Photos is my online eBay store, where you will find some of the cameras I have reviewed, along with a wide range of other cameras, lenses, and items from my collection that I am thinning out.

 Until next week, please be safe.

Zeiss Ikon Contarex "Bullseye" camera

My Zeiss Ikon Contarex “Bullseye” camera

Ever since I started collecting cameras, way back in the late 1970s, maybe even the early 1980s, the Zeiss Ikon Contarex, "Bullseye" or "Cyclops" camera has been on my radar to hopefully someday have in my collection. These were the times when my wife and I were newly married, and money was always tight—living paycheck to paycheck.

I can remember seeing the Contarex camera in magazines and other collecting or historical publications. Always in the back of my mind, I thought this was one of the most beautiful cameras ever made. The bulging "eye" over the lens made the camera seem otherworldly, futuristic, and more like an art piece than a camera.

Seeing it many times in McKeown's Cameras price book, which I would devour constantly, soaking in the information on the different camera designs and companies from around the world that produced odd and unique cameras, it was the Contarex that always stood out as an icon for camera collectors.

Fast forward 35 years. It was sometime in the early to mid-2010s when I had the opportunity to purchase one of these wonders of a camera. With extra income to spend on expanding my collection and selling off some cameras, I pulled the trigger at a camera show in the San Francisco Bay Area, where we lived at the time, on a wonderful, working Contarex with the fitted case.

Contarex nameplate

The camera came with the slightly wide Zeiss Distagon 35mm f/4 lens, which was fairly slow, but there are two items I liked about this lens. It's wide—not as wide as I'd like, but it also focuses closer than most lenses. The lens can focus down to 7.5 inches from the subject, almost making it a macro lens. Not quite, but much closer than the standard lens.

The Contarex also has a working meter, which is somewhat rare for a selenium meter system on a camera made in the late 1950s to early 1960s. I also enjoy a more "hefty" camera, since I was mainly raised using the older Nikon F system. Along with having larger hands, these cameras feel more comfortable to me.

I remember when the Olympus OM system camera hit the market in the 1970s. I'd wrap my hands around the smaller body and lenses, and it always made me feel like I was suffocating the camera as my hand enveloped them. Same with the Pentax ME system when they came out, so having a larger camera body and lens has always seemed right to me.

The Contarex camera is extremely solid, well-built, over-engineered, and somewhat weighty. The Contarex has some real heft to it. One thing I wasn't aware of was the camera's build quality, which I discuss below in the history section.


History of the Contarex Cameras

The Zeiss Ikon Contarex, introduced at Photokina in 1958 and hitting the market in 1960, stands as one of the most ambitious and notoriously over-engineered 35mm single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras ever manufactured. Conceived in 1954 under the internal designation "Contax IV," the Contarex was designed by Edgar Sauer as Zeiss Ikon's definitive professional 35mm SLR, intended to replace the Contax IIa and IIIa and, in the company's words, cater to "any photographic task whatsoever."

With rising Japanese powerhouses, the Contarex system was Zeiss Ikon's no-holds-barred flagship—a mechanical tour de force that commands immense respect (and sometimes frustration) in the vintage collecting community today.

Zeiss Ikon Contarex camera advertisment

The first model in the lineup earned the nicknames "Bullseye" and "Cyclops" due to the prominent, circular selenium light meter window mounted directly in front of the pentaprism. This meter wasn't just cosmetic; it represented a massive mechanical achievement. The Contarex I was the first 35mm SLR to feature a focal-plane shutter with direct light meter coupling. The camera mechanically linked the shutter speed, aperture, and film speed settings via a highly complex system of internal cords and pulleys.

While the interchangeable Carl Zeiss lenses produced for the Contarex are still legendary for their sharpness, contrast, and uncompromising build quality, the camera bodies themselves are incredibly intricate. The original Bullseye contains nearly 1,100 individual parts, including roller bearings in the aperture mechanism. Interestingly, the lenses lack traditional aperture rings; instead, the aperture is controlled by a milled wheel on the camera body itself, which directly interfaces with the bayonet mount.

Because of their sheer mechanical complexity, they require highly specialized technicians for servicing—simply removing the top plate requires dismantling 43 separate components. A working selenium meter is often a strong indicator that a specific body hasn't been abused over the decades. For anyone running an online shop or writing historical reviews, finding a fully functional Contarex at a global market is a massive victory, offering rich material for a blog deep-dive or video overview.

Another notoriously delicate quirk is the rewind mechanism. Instead of a direct shaft, it uses a series of tiny gears, making it smooth but highly vulnerable to impact damage. Additionally, interchangeable magazine backs allowed mid-roll film swapping, cementing its status as a true professional system camera.

Despite its brilliance, the sheer cost ($499 in 1961), heavy weight, and complicated nature of the Contarex meant it never dominated the market quite like the simpler Japanese alternatives. Zeiss Ikon eventually produced several variations, including the Contarex Special, Professional, and the electronic Super, before ceasing production in the early 1970s. Today, these chrome behemoths remain a fascinating pinnacle of mid-century German engineering—heavy, beautiful, and incredibly rewarding to study and restore.

My Camera

My Zeiss Ikon Contarex camera is 4" tall by 6" wide by 4" deep with the Zeiss Distagon 35mm f/4 lens, and weighs in at 2 pounds, 8.8 ounces. My camera body serial number is T89707, and the lens serial number is 3703592. You can find the instruction manual for the Zeiss Contarex at Mike Butkus's website, www.CameraManuals.org.

Looking at the top of the camera, going from left to right, is the camera's rewind knob with a flip-up lever, along with a directional arrow indicating which way to turn the wheel when it's time to rewind your film. There is also an indicator or reminder of what ASA (ISO) you have in the camera.

To the right of the rewind knob is an external light meter window. This is the same as you'll see in the viewfinder, only it's to be used if you're setting up from your waist and want to get the meter settings before you put the camera to your eye.

On the very top of the camera is the accessory shoe, used for a flash unit or for an accessory viewfinder which would be used for the widest 21mm lens available. Just in front of the accessory shoe is the "Bullseye" or "Cyclops" meter. Inside the meter are the aperture settings, which are controlled by a knurled ring just to the right of the meter and on the front of the camera body.

Turning this wheel sets the aperture setting, and it will also set the internal aperture needed to make the exposure. This will be transferred through the camera body, setting the proper aperture on the lens through its internal pulley system. You can remove the front of the meter housing, which has a honeycomb appearance, to expose the meter aperture, along with the pulley that activates it.

Just behind the aperture wheel on the front of the camera is the film winding lever, which sits on top of the shutter speed selector. Inside the winding lever is the camera's shutter release, which can accept a cable release for longer exposures. The shutter speed selector has a range of shutter speeds from 1/1000–1 sec, including "B" for timed exposures.

Just under the shutter speed selector is the ISO (ASA) settings. To set the ISO, lift on the shutter speed wheel and turn the dial to set the meter to the proper ISO. The ASA range is from 50–1300. There are also 2x and 4x settings if you want to overexpose in low-light situations purposely.

On the front of the camera, just under the aperture control wheel, is the camera's self-timer, which has a maximum delay of 12 seconds. It can be shorter, provided you don't pull the lever all the way to the maximum amount. On the other side of the lens, on top, is a light window for the internal meter.

Under the light window is the button to remove the lenses. Press in and turn the lens counterclockwise to remove the lens. To mount the lens, match up the two red dots and turn clockwise until the lens clicks into place. On the side, next to the lens release button, is the flash sync terminal, which is where you'll connect the flash cable, since the camera doesn't have a hot shoe for the flash.

Looking through the camera's viewfinder on the rear of the camera, you'll see the three different focusing types incorporated into the focusing screen. On the outer portion is ground glass, in the very middle is the split image, and circling the split image is a microprism focusing area. Some people have difficulty with the split image, especially with slower lenses, where one of the halves blacks out and they cannot find the vertical or horizontal line to bring together. That's caused by the pupil of your eye not being centered in the focusing screen. If you move the camera up or down, you'll notice this changes from top to bottom, but once centered, the split image becomes whole, and you'll be able to focus more easily.

On the right side of the focus screen is the meter window. Inside the meter window is a line. The goal of proper metering is to get the line in the middle for a properly exposed image. When the line is above the cutout area on the left, you're overexposing, and when below, you're underexposing. The meter allows you to set either the shutter speed, then move the aperture wheel to line up the exposure, or you can set the aperture and move the shutter speed to get the meter needle in the center. It all depends on whether you want to stop action (shutter speed) or get more/less depth of field (aperture).

To open the camera to load film, there are two latches on the bottom of the camera that need to be turned, which allow you to slide the back off the camera and expose the film chamber. Once the back is removed, you'll load the 35mm film like you would any other 35mm camera. Once the film is loaded, put the film back into the grooves in the camera body, and slide the back up and into position on the back of the camera. Once it's on, lock the two latches and flip down the handles so the camera sits flush.

When you get to the end of the roll, and it's time to rewind the film back into the cassette, one of the latches on the bottom of the camera has an "R" for rewind. Lift the handle of this latch only, and turn the lever until the handle is pointing at the "R" (for rewind). Flip up the handle on the rewind knob and rewind the film back into the 35mm cassette. Once the film is rewound, turn both levers to the open position, take the back off the camera, and remove the film for processing.

Now that we have film loaded into the camera, let's take it for a walk around the neighborhood and see how the camera performs.

My Results

I didn't have any fresh film to shoot through the Zeiss Ikon Contarex camera, but I did—and still do—have some outdated film from 1976, Plus-X 135 film, which I took from the inventory I have from my online store.

 Shooting the film at approximately ISO 50 and processing the film in Rodinal at 1:25, here are the results I achieved with the camera.

Conclusion

The camera performed flawlessly. While this was the first time actually shooting with the Contarex camera, I was surprised at how close you could focus with the lens. All of the images were handheld, and the day was somewhat overcast so that the images would be a bit flat in the lighting, but overall, the camera and lens were fantastic.

 The aperture wheel and light meter worked as they should, and the lens's sharpness is incredible. While the camera is big and heavy for many, it felt very comfortable in my hands.

I now understand why so many people enjoyed using this camera, as it is over-engineered and almost impossible to get serviced. While mine is working well, I'll definitely be taking the camera for many more walks shooting film with it.

 Here are some of my other Camera Reviews.

 Check out my Cuny's Camera Collection YouTube channel, where I am putting together video overviews of the cameras I write about. Be sure to subscribe and like the channel, too!

 Cuny's Cameras and Photos is my online eBay store, where you will find some of the cameras I have reviewed, along with a wide range of other cameras, lenses, and items from my collection that I am thinning out.

 Until next week, please be safe.

 

Nikon SP camera

My Nikon SP camera

As a Nikon photographer since my early career—starting with Nikkormat cameras and moving on to the Nikon F series in the early 1970s—the early Nikon rangefinder cameras have always intrigued me. I view them not necessarily as "shooting" cameras, but more from a collector's perspective.

 I believe this is due to how I learned photography. Having grown up with SLR cameras, I feel more comfortable with a larger, brighter viewfinder. I always found it difficult to focus a rangefinder-style camera, especially in darker, low-light situations. Finding the yellow area to bring into focus was always a challenge for me. However, as I became more accustomed to them, I learned to look for someone's eye, the edge of a leaf, or any sharp contrast to bring the two images into one.

 When you shoot with a rangefinder-style camera, you (or at least I do) really appreciate its quieter shutter system. You only hear the low click of the camera's shutter opening and closing, without a mirror clunking up and down during the exposure. This can be extremely helpful, especially when photographing someone in a quiet setting. I learned this the hard way when I was photographing a musician in a small, café-style venue. My SLR was way too noisy, and some of the audience actually shushed me. It was very embarrassing, to say the least!

 Another advantage of the rangefinder style is its compactness. Because these cameras lack a mirror system, they are considerably smaller, less bulky, and lighter. This goes for their lenses, too. Their compact nature allows a photographer to either pack more gear into the space normally reserved for an SLR, or use a smaller bag—saving your shoulders and back from the strain of a large, heavy system.

 I was lucky when I found my Nikon SP. While I already owned several different Nikon rangefinders at the time—mainly earlier models like the S and S2—the SP was always out of reach due to the financial responsibilities of raising a family and owning a home.

Top view of the Nikon SP camera

After several years, with a bit more financial freedom, I found a Nikon SP in great working condition. The shutter appeared to have been serviced, and while the camera had its normal slight scratches and small dings, it was selling for a great price. I pulled the trigger and purchased it, hoping to shoot with it more often.

 When the Nikon SP arrived, it was in exactly the condition I expected from the photos. The lens was very clean and even included a protective filter from a different manufacturer, which had done a great job keeping the glass free of scratches. The camera felt incredibly comfortable in my hands, especially after holding so many Nikon SLRs over the years. Now, it was just a matter of reacquainting myself with the rangefinder and the dual viewfinder—which I knew might be a challenge following my recent eye surgery.

 The surgery has made me more of a "left-eyed" shooter, as the sharpness in my right eye had been failing for years. While the procedure helped, my vision isn't quite what it was 20 or 30 years ago. It's not a big deal; it just means getting used to bringing the camera up to my left eye after using my right for so long. At the very least, my images have been sharper ever since I made the switch.

 I really enjoy taking my Nikon SP out for a spin a few times a year. In fact, I'm somewhat shocked I haven't written about it before now! During the week, I often brainstorm which camera to feature in my next blog. Last week, the SP popped into my head, and I felt there was no better time to write about one of my absolute favorites.

History

Nikon's rangefinder cameras began as a postwar effort by Nippon Kogaku to enter the 35mm market. They quickly became the foundation of the brand's reputation for precision optics and rugged construction. The original Nikon, later called the Nikon I, was approved in 1946, manufactured starting in 1948, and sold later that year. It used a Contax-inspired mount and a compact rangefinder body that looked unlike anything else coming out of Japan at the time.

Advertisment for Nikon SP camera

 A key early turning point came with the Nikon M in 1949. Nikon had originally used a 24 x 32mm frame size, but export concerns pushed the company to revise the film gate and related mechanics. This created the M with a 24 x 34mm format that was more acceptable in overseas markets. That change helped Nikon gain traction outside Japan, especially as American photographers began to notice the quality of Nikkor lenses in the early 1950s.

 The 1951 Nikon S was the model that broadened Nikon's presence in the West, establishing the company as a serious contender in professional photography. Nikon kept refining the line throughout the 1950s with the S2, S3, S4, and SP, gradually improving usability and standardizing the full 24 x 36mm frame from the S2 onward. The SP, in particular, became one of the most admired Nikon rangefinders because of its advanced finder system and professional ambitions.

 What made these cameras historically important was not only the bodies themselves but also the Nikkor lenses mounted on them. Reports from photographers and magazines such as Life helped spread the idea that Japanese lenses could rival or surpass the best German optics, which was a major shift in postwar camera culture. Nikon rangefinders also became associated with news and documentary work, building credibility before the company moved into reflex cameras.

 By the late 1950s, Nikon had already used lessons from its rangefinders to shape the 1959 Nikon F, and rangefinder production soon faded as SLRs took over the professional market. Today, Nikon rangefinders are prized by collectors for their place in camera history, their engineering, and their role in Nikon's rise from a strictly optical manufacturer to a global photographic powerhouse.

My Camera

When I received the Nikon SP, it came with the bottom portion of its leather case, though I chose not to include it in the blog photos. My Nikon SP is serial #6222012. The camera measures 5.5" wide (including the strap lugs) by 3.25" tall and 2.5" deep. It's paired with a Nippon Kogaku Nikkor-S 5cm f/1.4 lens, serial #417682. The lens also features a chrome Kenko UV filter specifically made for the Nikkor 1.4, which is stamped directly on the filter ring (not pictured). To adjust the aperture, you turn the ring on the front of the lens.

On the front of the camera body is the self-timer—the SP was actually the first model Nikon equipped with this feature. You pull down the lever and press the small button behind it to activate the 10-second delay.

 To remove the lens, locate the small lever just behind the focus ring. Press it in toward the camera body, which allows the lens to be twisted and removed—exactly like the Contax system. To reattach a lens, match the red dot and small tab on the lens to the red dot on the camera body, then turn clockwise until it locks securely into place.

Looking at the top plate, the Nikon SP closely resembles the later Nikon F, except for a wheel on the far left. This wheel adjusts the viewfinder frame lines depending on the focal length of the lens you're using. The settings cover 5cm, 8.5cm, 10.5cm, and 13.5cm lenses. Nestled inside this collar is the film rewind crank. (I'll touch more on the viewfinder a bit later in the article.)

Next to the viewfinder selector wheel is the accessory shoe for a flash, and to the right of that sits the very familiar shutter speed dial. It offers speeds ranging from 1 second to 1/1000th of a second, along with "B" (Bulb) and "T" (Time) settings. Lifting the outer ring on the shutter speed selector adjusts the flash synchronization: "FX" is for standard electronic flash, while the white dot, red dot, and white "F" settings are for syncing various types of vintage flash bulbs.

To the right of the shutter speed dial is the shutter release button. As with many Nikon F cameras, this button features a red dot. Because the release is directly geared into the transport system—which drives the film from the cassette to the take-up spool—this red dot rotates as you advance the film (though it will turn even if the camera is empty). Around the shutter release is another collar with a black dot. During standard shooting, it should point to "A" (Advance). Turning this collar to "R" (Rewind) releases the camera's drive gear, allowing you to wind the film back into the cassette without tearing the sprockets.

 On the far right of the top plate sits the film advance lever, which features two small windows. The forward window is your frame counter, indicating which exposure you're on. The rear window acts as a reminder for whether you loaded a 20- or 36-exposure roll, set by flipping a small tab from one side to the other. And yes, for those wondering—it wasn't until the early 1980s that film manufacturers started producing 24-exposure rolls; before then, 20-exposure rolls were the standard short option!

 At the very front of the top plate, on the right side, is the camera's focusing wheel. You can focus the lens using this wheel, a mechanism borrowed directly from the Contax system that inspired these cameras. When the lens is set to infinity, it locks into position. To unlock it, press down on the small tab just behind the focusing wheel. This frees up the wheel, allowing you to dial in your focus. Once unlocked, you also have the option to focus normally by turning the lens barrel, if you prefer.

The upper left side of the camera back houses the SP's famous dual viewfinders. The finder on the right is the standard rangefinder for the lenses mentioned earlier: 5cm, 8.5cm, 10.5cm, and 13.5cm. As you turn the collar around the rewind crank, different bright lines appear in this window. Each frame line is added as you select a longer focal length, with the 13.5cm lines appearing in red to match the marking on the collar. Brilliantly, these frame lines are parallax-corrected as you focus closer to your subject.

The viewfinder on the left is a bit smaller and is dedicated to 2.8cm and 3.5cm wide-angle lenses, featuring black frame lines for each. While Nikon also manufactured ultra-wide 2.5cm and 2.1cm lenses at the time, as well as telephotos longer than 13.5cm, those required separate accessory finders that slid into the shoe on top of the camera.

 On the bottom of the camera is the locking lever used to remove the back for film loading. Turn the dial from "Close" to "Open," and the entire back slides down along its tracks to expose the film chamber. (This design is shared across all Nikon rangefinder and Nikon F bodies.) After loading your film like any standard 35mm camera, align the back on the rails, slide it up into place, and lock it tight. At this point, you're ready to shoot! The bottom plate also houses a standard tripod socket and an ASA reminder dial. (For younger shooters, ASA was the predecessor to ISO and uses the same sensitivity scale.)

My Results

I didn't have much 35mm black-and-white film left in my fridge after our last vacation, but I did find an expired roll of Kodak Tri-X from 1970. I figured it would be the perfect roll to load into the Nikon SP for a spin around the neighborhood.

Here are the results from my walk:

Conclusion

Even though I've shot with this camera in the past, I still get a thrill every time I take it out. It has a wonderful, comfortable feel in the hand—especially for someone who has been a dedicated Nikon user for so many years. The rangefinder is bright, and both the focusing and film transport are incredibly smooth. Overall, the camera worked like a charm.

 The images turned out beautifully sharp, and I loved the aesthetic of shooting such an old roll of Tri-X. I had forgotten how grainy—in a good way—that film can be. I even processed it in Rodinal, which normally retains a bit more of a "fine grain" structure, but the classic Tri-X texture pushed through anyway, and I really enjoyed the results.

 Thank you for taking the time to read about the Nikon SP. As the first true model in Nikon's line of "professional" cameras, it laid the groundwork for why the brand became so beloved by working photographers around the world.

 Here are some of my other Camera Reviews.

Check out my Cuny's Camera Collection YouTube channel, where I am putting together video overviews of the cameras I write about. Be sure to subscribe and like the channel, too!

Cuny's Cameras and Photos is my online eBay store, where you will find some of the cameras I have reviewed, along with a wide range of other cameras, lenses, and items from my collection that I am thinning out.

 Until next week, please be safe.

 

Durst Duca

A Tiny Full‑Frame Surprise: Shooting the Durst Duca

My Durst Duca camera.

I first saw the Durst Duca in McKeown's Camera Guide probably 30 years ago, and I can still remember my first instinct: this had to be a miniature camera. The tall, narrow body looked more like a tiny cine camera than anything that could handle standard 35mm film. With its vertical form, I assumed it used a 16mm cassette like a Minolta 16. So when I read that the Duca is actually a full‑frame 35mm camera, I was shocked.

 It just didn't seem possible. The camera looked too small and too skinny to hide a 35mm cassette sideways, especially with that unusual vertical format. For years, it stayed in the back of my mind as one of those oddball cameras I never expected to actually run across.

Finding My Duca

Being in the U.S., this little Italian camera rarely shows up at the usual places I haunt for gear—flea markets, garage sales, estate sales. On the big auction sites, I do see them once in a while. Still, they're usually priced higher than I'm willing to pay, especially once you tack on international shipping.

Front view of Durst Duca camera.

 When the auction was about to end, I logged in about 10 minutes before the finish. The price on the Duca had jumped up a bit, and I was outbid, so I nudged my max up—still on the low side—and watched the timer count down. No one else jumped in, and I ended up winning the camera.

The auction house shipped quickly. When I opened the box, I was still surprised by how small the camera is in person. It was even smaller than I'd pictured. I started to check it over, winding the advance lever on the side and cocking the shutter. I heard a faint click, but it was so quiet I wasn't sure the shutter was actually opening and closing.

 I pulled the side of the camera off to get at the film chamber and saw that one of the two film cassettes was still inside—that was a nice bonus, since it meant I only needed to scare up one more cassette. Digging around in the drawer where I keep odds and ends of camera accessories, I found another cassette that would work.

 In my darkroom, I shone a flashlight through the lens and fired the shutter. At first, I saw no light at all, and my heart sank; I figured the camera might be dead. Then I noticed the pressure plate that holds the film flat against the rails. I pulled the pressure plate out, pointed the flashlight into the front of the lens again, and tripped the shutter. This time, I saw a brief flash of light through the gate—success. The shutter was working. That was the moment I decided the Durst Duca would be the camera I'd write about for this week's blog.

A Little Durst History

Durst is best known today for its darkroom enlargers. Still, for about 25 years, the company also made a small, innovative line of cameras that reflected the same experimental mindset they brought to the darkroom. Founded in 1936 in northern Italy by brothers Julius and Gilbert Durst, the firm quickly gravitated toward photographic equipment, especially enlargers, which eventually became its main business.

 Durst's camera story starts with the Gil, a simple 120 roll‑film box camera introduced in 1938 for the growing amateur market. After World War II, Durst resumed production of the Gil and then shifted toward more compact designs, setting the stage for its 35mm experiments.

Australian Ad for Durst Duca camera

The Duca followed as a tiny 35mm still camera that used Agfa Karat cassettes instead of standard 35mm cartridges. That choice let Durst play with miniaturized body shapes: an oval, cine‑style form in a pocketable size, offered in several colors. This focus on unusual styling and packaging mirrored their enlargers, which often looked different from competitors but emphasized precision and usability.

 Next came the Durst 66, a modestly specified camera with an unconventional shutter and a quirky way of measuring exposure. You can already see Durst thinking outside the box, trying to rethink mechanisms rather than just copying others' work.

 All of that leads to the Durst Automatica, made from 1956 to 1963 and often regarded as the first 35mm camera with aperture‑priority automatic exposure. It used a pneumatic shutter derived from the Durst 66 and wrapped it in a very elegant body. For such a small camera line, it was an ambitious finale and shows how far Durst was willing to push design and automation.

My Durst Duca

The Durst Duca was introduced at the Milan Trade Fair in September 1946 and stayed in production until around 1952. It's a vertical‑format, full‑frame 35mm camera that uses Agfa Karat cassettes, and it was available in five colors: black, blue, red, white, and brown. I've only ever seen the black, blue, and red versions in photos. Still, now that I know more are out there, I'll keep an eye out—even if I suspect the more unusual colors will be priced higher than I'm willing to pay.

Physically, the Duca is tiny: only about 4 inches tall by 3.25 inches deep and just over 1.5 inches wide, and it weighs 10.1 ounces with the cassettes in place. The body is nicely rounded and fits well in the hand—definitely a camera you could drop in a coat pocket and forget about until you need it.

 The camera is very basic. The lens is a fixed 5 cm, f/11 meniscus design, though a rarer f/8 version is supposed to exist. Shutter speeds are limited to just two settings: 1/30 of a second and "P" for timed exposures. A small switch on the camera's faceplate, just below the viewfinder, sets the speed. I've also seen a version where the speeds are marked "I" for instant and "T" for timed. My guess is that mine is a later version, but I can't say that for sure.

 Focusing is done in only two zones. You can set the lens for 1–3 meters or 3 meters to infinity. To focus, you turn the outer ring of the lens until the red line points to the distance you want.

Loading Film and Getting the Duca Ready

To open the camera for loading, there's a small curled‑up lip on the right side of the body that you lift to swing open the film door. Inside, you'll see the two Agfa Karat cassettes. They pop out along with the pressure plate, which sits just behind the film gate and pulls straight up and out for loading.

 As mentioned, the camera takes Agfa Karat cassettes. When these were sold new, each roll of 35mm film was cut for 12 exposures, and the front of the camera proudly states that it takes 12 photos per roll. Since I have bulk 35mm film and two cassettes, I loaded my own.

I put one of the cassettes and my bulk loader into a dark bag. Inside the bag, I opened the loader, pulled out what I guessed would be enough film for 12 exposures, and added a bit more to be safe. I fed the film into the first cassette and closed up the loader, leaving a short length to thread into the second cassette. Then I unzipped the dark bag and removed the loaded cassette.

In the light, I could now feed the end of the film from the first cassette into the second one, slide both cassettes into the side of the camera, and drop the pressure plate back into place, making sure the film sat flat against the gate. Before closing the door, I advanced the film a bit to confirm that it was transporting. With the cassettes and pressure plate removed earlier, I'd noticed a small brass pin—very similar to the one in the Ansco Memo—that pops out, grabs a film sprocket, and moves up to advance the film.

Once everything looked right, I swung the back door into position and pressed it firmly against the body. Two small notches on the back have to line up with the body; if they're off even a little, the door won't sit snugly.

 Before heading out, I took a look at the lens and saw that the front element was pretty grimy. With some lens cleaner and tissues, I managed to clean the front, but because the camera is built the way it is, I couldn't get to the rear element at all. With the film loaded and the transport confirmed, I was ready to go for a walk through the neighborhood.

 

Shooting with a Vertical 35mm

With film in the camera, I headed out around the neighborhood, trying to photograph some of the same subjects I usually shoot—houses, parked cars, trees, little details I run across on my walks.

 The camera's faceplate shows a horizontal rectangle next to the number 12, while the viewfinder is vertical. I found that confusing at first. Was this meant to be a horizontal or a vertical camera? With only 12 exposures per roll, it seemed logical that they'd be in a horizontal orientation to match most 35mm cameras. Still, the vertical viewfinder was telling me otherwise. I wasn't sure, so I shot in both orientations early on, turning the camera back and forth.

 Once I processed the film and looked through the negatives, it was obvious: the Duca is a vertical‑format camera. If you want a horizontal image, you turn the whole camera on its side. It's not complicated, but it does take a little mental adjustment when you're used to most 35mm cameras being the other way around.

Results and Thoughts

Some of the images turned out great, and some didn't. There are a few reasons for that. One is focus—I didn't always remember to switch between the two focus zones when I changed subject distance. The other is exposure. With only one shutter speed and one aperture, you're basically at the mercy of the light. The negatives showed some variation, but nothing I couldn't deal with in post‑processing. It reminded me a lot of shooting with an Instamatic: pick a film with a wide exposure latitude and let it do the heavy lifting.

 I got 14 frames on the roll before the film refused to advance into the second cassette, which tells me my length estimate in the dark bag was close. The camera itself handled well. The viewfinder is on the small side and can be difficult to look through, especially if you wear glasses, but it's usable once you get used to it.

 The transport worked smoothly, and the shutter opened and closed as it should. The lens, however, is still dirty on the rear element, and there's really no easy way to clean it without taking the camera apart. That shows up in the photos as a general softness, almost like shooting with a soft‑focus filter. On some subjects, the look can actually be pleasant; on others, it just makes things a bit mushy.

 Overall, the Duca was a fun camera to use, and I'll definitely shoot it again. The whole process—from loading the Karat cassettes, to working with the vertical format, to seeing the results—was enjoyable. It's the kind of camera you could toss in a pocket when you head out on a trip and forget about until something catches your eye. I like that it's doing all of this as a full‑frame 35mm camera in such a tiny body.

 Thanks for taking the time to read about my experience with this little Italian wonder of a camera.

 If you'd like to see more of my camera adventures, here's a link to my other camera reviews. And if you're interested in cameras, lenses, or other photo gear I'm letting go of as I thin the collection, you can visit my Cuny's Cameras and Photos online store.

 Until next week, please be safe.

Voigtlander Prominent 35mm

My father-in laws Voigtlander Prominent

I'm unsure if I'll be able to get another posting out before the beginning of 2026, since Christmas and New Year's fall on the day I generally publish my reviews. Since this might be the final post for 2025, I wanted to make it a special review. 

 Special in the sense that, while the Voigtländer Prominent is an outstanding camera, what makes this camera especially special to me is that my father-in-law owned it, so it holds an even greater, much more cherished place in my collection.

 Let me tell you a bit about my father-in-law. He was the oldest of seven children living in a very small town named Sugar Creek, MO, just outside Independence. They were not a wealthy family, as the father worked at the local refinery. I was told that the house was so small that some of the children had to sleep in closets. At 18, he married my mother-in-law, who was only 17 at the time. By the time he was 22 and my mother-in-law was 21, they had three children.

 Soon after they were married, he joined the Army, where they were stationed in Augusta, GA, where my wife and the third child were born.  When my wife was only 6 months old, my father-in-law and the family were transferred to Naples, Italy. With his wife and three young children, my wife moved to Italy.

My father-in-law always had a passion for photography and, from what I'm told, purchased the Voigtländer Prominent while stationed overseas. After their time in Italy,  the family moved back to the USA. At this point, my father-in-law found a local camera store back near Kansas City, where he honed his photographic skills using the Voigtländer Prominent he purchased overseas.

Voigtlander logo and Prominent name on top of the camera.

 After the camera store, he was hired by Procter & Gamble to sell Duncan Hines cake mixes. He climbed the corporate ladder, moving his family with each promotion due to his outstanding managerial and sales skills. All the while, he still had a passion for photography. He was always taking photos of the family and eventually ended his career as a top executive at some of the largest Fortune 500 companies.

 This article is not only about a truly amazing camera, but also an ode to my father-in-law. Someone I looked up to in my career helped me in so many ways and was a warm, loving, generous, and caring individual. He passed away way too early from an auto accident, almost 30 years ago. We still have his Voigtländer Prominent, which he used, and it's in remarkable condition. For the final post, I wanted to write about this truly excellent camera, which means so much to all the family members.

 I've had the opportunity to purchase other Voigtländer prominent cameras, both the original and the Prominent II, with the standard Ultron and Heliar lenses, along with many different lenses and accessories for their cameras. Still, the camera from my father-in-law is off-limits. It will stay in my collection until I'm no longer around.

 I've reviewed other Voigtländer cameras, so I've written about their history in the past. Let me focus on the history of Voigtländer in a specific timeframe: after World War II, when they rebuilt a fantastic camera brand.

Voigtlander Post World War II:

 Voigtländer emerged from the Second World War with its Braunschweig factory largely intact and quickly resumed work under British military oversight, initially dedicating much of its output to Allied reparations until the new West German currency was introduced in 1949. This relatively undamaged industrial base, combined with a strong pre‑war optical tradition, allowed the firm to re‑establish itself rapidly as a key player in the post‑war German camera industry.​

 In the immediate post‑war years, Voigtländer revived and modernized pre‑war designs, adding new anti‑reflection coatings to lenses and continuing large‑format and medium‑format lens production. The company remained under the ownership of the chemicals and photographic‑paper firm Schering AG, which had acquired it in the 1920s, providing financial stability in a challenging economic climate.​

From Voigtlander Catalog Credit: Pacific Rim Camera

 The 1950s became Voigtländer's golden decade, marked by a broad range of high‑quality cameras and lenses that cemented its international reputation. Compact 35mm lines such as the Vito and the more sophisticated Vitessa appeared alongside the professional Prominent 35mm rangefinder. At the same time, optics like the Ultron, Nokton, Apo‑Lanthar, and Heliar established the brand as a leader in lens design. In 1952, Voigtländer introduced the Apo‑Lanthar 105 mm f/4.5, and in 1959, it launched the 36–82 mm f/2.8 Zoomar, one of the first interchangeable zoom lenses for 35mm still photography.​

 In 1956, Schering sold Voigtländer to the Carl Zeiss Foundation, bringing it into the same corporate orbit as Zeiss Ikon while initially keeping manufacturing and sales structures separate. Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, Voigtländer expanded into leaf‑shutter SLRs and advanced models such as the Bessamatic and Ultramatic, but the cameras were complex and costly to build. As Japanese manufacturers increased efficiency and undercut prices, Voigtländer's high production costs and conservative designs became major competitive disadvantages.​

 In 1965, Zeiss‑Ikon and Voigtländer's sales operations were combined, but falling sales led to the decision to cease camera production and close the Braunschweig factory on 4 August 1971, affecting over 2,000 employees. The physical works were reorganized as Optische Werke Voigtländer, with shared ownership between Zeiss, Rollei, and the state of Lower Saxony. By 1974, Rollei had taken complete control, continuing to produce lenses and cameras under the Voigtländer brand until its own financial collapse in the early 1980s.

 The trademark then passed through German photo retailers and, from 1999, has been licensed to Cosina in Japan, which uses the historic name on modern manual‑focus lenses and niche film cameras, giving Voigtländer a new life in the era of digital photography.

My Camera:

 My Voigtländer Prominent comes with the standard Ultron 50mm f/2.0 lens. The camera body serial # B 46551, and lens serial # 3782651. With this camera, there is a Voigtländer UV filter that I generally leave on the camera, along with a yellow filter for black-and-white photography, a rectangular metal lens hood, and the fitted brown camera case. The camera is 5.5" wide by 3.5" tall by 3.5" deep, and weighs 2 pounds, 0.8 ounces without film.

 The Voigtländer Prominent has some weight to it, and for me, it feels very comfortable in my hands. Maybe because it resembles an SLR more, like what most people are used to with rangefinder cameras. The camera has a somewhat peculiar layout and is something you'll need to get used to.

When you put the camera to your eye, the viewfinder is on the right side of the camera, which, for many, is different. The majority of cameras have the viewfinder either centered or more to the left than to the right. The focusing ring isn't on the lens, but located on the rewind knob. As you turn the outside of the rewind knob, generally used to rewind the film in the film cassette when you're done with the roll, on the Voigtländer Prominent, it focuses the lens. 

Looking through the viewfinder, the rangefinder is bright, with the yellowed area in the center clearly visible. With your left hand, turn the outer ring of the rewind knob to focus on your subject. Once the image is in focus, take your photo. Under the focus distance is the camera's depth of field guide for the aperture used. 

To take a photo, on the right-hand side of the camera is the film advance lever; wind it clockwise to advance the film. The same motion that advances the film also moves an internal bar that cocks the shutter. The shutter speed dial on the Syncro-Compur shutter is set by turning a ring just in front of the shutter cocking lever. The shutter speeds on this camera go from 1/500 to 1 sec, with "B" for timed exposures. According to the Voigtländer Prominent camera manual, it's best to set the 1/500 shutter speed before winding the camera, which cocks the shutter. You can set any shutter speed once the camera's shutter is cocked, but 1/500's not recommended.

If you want to use the camera's self-timer, it can be manually set by pulling down on the shutter's cocking lever once the camera is cocked. This sets the camera's self-timer to approximately 10 seconds when the shutter release is depressed. The camera's shutter release is the larger button on the top of the camera, just to the left of the film transport knob. Behind the shutter release is the cable release socket for timed exposures.

Top view of Voigtlander Prominent camera

Looking at the lens, the aperture is set by turning the aperture ring in the direction that produces a properly exposed image. On the Ultron 50mm lens, the aperture goes from F/2.0 to F/16. To remove the lens from the body, on the bottom of the lens is a large button you press in; interestingly, you can remove the lens by turning it left or right. Likewise, to put the lens onto the camera body, make sure the large button is on the bottom. You can mount the lens either to the right or left as long as the button end is on the bottom.

 Since the camera utilizes a leaf-style shutter as opposed to the standard focal plane shutter, the flash will sync at any shutter speed, which allows the photographer the ability to control the ambient light with flash much better, and this makes film cameras such as Hasselblad and Rolleiflex cameras ideal for weddings, portraiture, and commercial studio work. On the front of the camera, at the 11:00 position, is the PC sync for flash, along with the flash settings: "X" for electronic flash or "M" for flash bulbs.

To load film into the Voigtländer Prominent camera, on the left side of the camera are two buttons you press to open the camera's back door. Once open, you load the 35mm film just as you would any other 35mm camera. Push up the rewind shaft, drop in the 35mm cassette, and bring the leader over to the camera's take-up spool. Thread the leader into the take-up spool slot and wind the film advance. Make sure the film's sprocket holes are in the drive gears and take up the slack. Before closing the back of the film door, I like to turn the rewind knob to take up the slack in the film cassette, so when I close the back and wind to the first frame, I watch the rewind knob turn to make sure the film is actually moving within the camera.

 Once you close the back door, the frame counter needs to be set manually. To do this, lift up on the winding knob, then turn the camera's frame counter to "F" to give you a couple of turns on the film advance until you get to frame number 1.

When you're done with the roll of film, you'll need to rewind it into the film cassette. The rewind knob has an arrow pointing outward. Push the button outwards, and the rewind handle will pop up. Just below the cable release socket is a small button labeled "R". Press the "R" button to disengage the transport gear, then turn the rewind knob clockwise to rewind the film into the film cassette. Once the film is rewound, open the camera back, process the film, and reload the camera with more film. 

 

My Results:

 I loaded the Voigtländer Prominent with a roll of 200-speed film and took one of our dogs to the local dog park to get the pooch some exercise, taking photos of a different area than walking through the neighborhood as I usually do.

 Here are some photos from the local dog park and the shadows on my back patio on a beautifully sunny day in the Portland Area in December. It wasn't a typical December day in this area, so I wanted to make the most of it.

Conclusion:

 I really love this camera. The images are incredibly sharp, and this camera gives Leica and Contax a run for their money. It's exceptionally well-built, the lenses are tremendous, and I like the camera's size and weight.

 The system's weakest link is its lack of lenses, and for many, the camera's focus is a drawback. I've read that people don't like having the viewfinder on the right side, which makes it more challenging for them to use the camera. I don't find it annoying, as others do.

 Here's a link to my other Camera Reviews.

 If you're looking for a camera, lens, or other photo oddity, please stop by my eBay store, Cuny's Cameras and Photo. If there's something that interests you, mention my blog, and I'll offer you a discount.

 Thank you for taking a few minutes from your day to read about this excellent camera with extremely sharp lenses. If I don't post another review before the end of the year, please have a Happy Holiday and a fabulous New Year.

 Until next time, please be safe.

Hasselblad X-Pan

My Hasselblad X-Pan w/finder

Throughout my photographic career, my passion for panoramic images and cameras, as well as daguerreotypes, has consumed a significant part of my interest in collecting photographic items, including those with unusual or colored features. I recall the timeline when I first acquired specific working models of panoramic cameras.

 In my early days of collecting, I recall purchasing my first panoramic camera, a Russian-made 35mm Horizont camera. That camera helped spark the purchase and use of more panoramic cameras. When I bought a Kodak Panoram 1, I just put it on my shelf. When I found out that 120 film fit into the Kodak Panoram, Model 1 camera, I almost jumped for joy, because I could use it, rather than look and admire it.

 Wanting to add to the panoramic camera family, the elusive Widelux F7 was still years away, as I had a young family and was careful about the types of cameras I purchased to grow my collection. During this time, I came across a few Multiscope Al-Vista cameras, particularly the Baby, because, like the Kodak Panoram 1, the Baby Al-Vista also uses 120 film.

 As time went on, and the kids grew, and I advanced in my career, more funds became available to acquire the more exotic items that were previously out of reach financially when I was younger. A coworker had a friend who was selling an early Panon 120 panoramic camera for a very reasonable price, which I purchased and took with me to Peru’s Machu Picchu when my wife and I took a trip there.

 It was a decade ago when I finally had the chance to acquire a Widelux F7 model at an excellent price. Despite its cosmetic condition, I was determined to bring it back to life. After a visit to Precision Camera Works in Texas, the camera was given a new lease on life. Today, it's one of the most frequently used cameras in my collection, and the one that has captured many of the images in my panoramic section on my website.

My Hasselblad X-Pan w/30mm lens, finder, center filter, 3D printed lens hood and cap.

 The Hasselblad X-Pan was a camera I recall from its introduction to the market in 1998. Like several cameras from Hasselblad during those years, it was a collaboration with Fujifilm in Japan. Hasselblad sold the X-Pan worldwide, except in Japan. In Japan, Fujifilm had the TX-1, which was the same camera, just a different name and model number.

 It wasn't until about five years ago that I had the opportunity to purchase the X-Pan I currently have and am writing about in this post. The Hasselblad X-Pan is a significant addition to my collection, not only because of its unique features but also because of its history and the challenges I faced in acquiring it. I found it on an online auction, but the camera didn't have the standard lens; it only had a 30mm lens. No finder, and the top of the camera was missing the small plastic piece in front of the flash shoe. The camera was used very well, but its working condition was unknown.

 Examining other items being sold in the auction, I discovered a group of items that included the 30mm finder for the X-Pan. I notified the auction house that the finder from this lot should go with the camera from a different lot. They placed the finder in the lot with the X-Pan, which made the items more desirable, especially to me. 

 When it came time for the lot to be sold, I was surprised at the price it sold for, and fortunately for me, I was the high bidder. The price wasn't cheap, but for the items sold, it was a great deal. One of my first reactions was, Is the camera in working condition? I paid the shipping fees, and I just crossed my fingers that the camera wasn't a total wreck, but rather a pile of parts I needed to pay to get repaired. The anticipation and uncertainty of this process added to the thrill of acquiring this unique piece for my collection.

 Once the camera arrived, the first thing I noticed was its physical condition. There were many scratches on the body, and the item missing from the top, near the flash shoe, gave the camera a very "combat" look. The great news was that the center filter was there, which I hadn't noticed, and when I put batteries in the camera, it came to life. All the displays lit up, so I started to feel very good about the purchase.

 Once I put the finder on top of the camera, and it hid the missing piece by the flash shoe, I had a huge smile on my face. The next thing I needed to do was put a roll of film in the camera and try it out. After I did that and the film turned out well, I knew I had a keeper and one I needed to start adding to the rotation of shooting with, especially since it had the lens I desired, the 30mm wide-angle lens and finder.

History:

 The history of Hasselblad, the iconic Swedish camera manufacturer, is inextricably linked to the passion and ambition of its founder, Victor Hasselblad (1906–1978). Though the family business, F.W. Hasselblad & Co., began in 1841 as a trading company, it was Victor's innate interest in photography—fueled by a childhood passion for birdwatching—that transformed the firm into a global innovator. After training in the optics industry across Europe and the United States, even working under Kodak founder George Eastman, Victor opened his own shop, Victor Foto, in Gothenburg in 1937. 

 The pivotal moment for the company arrived during World War II. In 1940, the Swedish military tasked Victor with reverse-engineering and improving a German aerial surveillance camera that had been recovered. His reported reply—"No, but I can make a better one"—set the standard for the company's future. He founded Victor Hasselblad AB in 1941 to manufacture the HK-7 military camera, laying the groundwork for the company's subsequent civilian production.

After the war, Victor applied his modular military design to the consumer market, launching the Hasselblad 1600F in 1948. This medium-format, single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, with its distinctive modular design featuring interchangeable lenses, viewfinders, and film magazines, quickly became the gold standard for professional photographers worldwide, especially with the introduction of the robust 500 series in the 1950s.

 Hasselblad secured its legendary status through its partnership with NASA, which began in 1962. Astronaut Walter Schirra, an avid photographer, suggested using his personal Hasselblad 500C to document space missions. NASA modified the cameras to withstand the harsh conditions of space, and the Hasselblad became the camera system of choice for American spaceflight. The climax of this partnership occurred on July 20, 1969, when a Hasselblad Data Camera (HDC) captured the historic first steps on the Moon, solidifying the brand's legacy as a true pioneer in imaging technology.

My Camera:

 My Hasselblad X-Pan is 7" wide by 3.25" tall without the 30mm viewfinder and 5.5" tall with the viewfinder by 3.5" deep from the back of the camera to the front of the lens. The camera weighs 2 pounds, 9.6 ounces with the 30mm f/5.6 lens. The camera body serial number is 11EE13969, and the lens serial # is 8SXP13110. I purchased an aftermarket, 3D-printed lens hood and cap for the 30mm lens, which fits well. However, it is shifting on the lens and not staying in the proper position, so I may have to spring for an actual Hasselblad-made hood and cap.

The camera is powered by 2 CR2, 3V photo batteries, which, like many cameras, fit into the bottom of the camera. Most of the controls are located on the top of the camera. Going left to right is the camera's hot shoe for flash. That's something I don't use, except for sliding the 30mm viewfinder onto the hot shoe and then screwing it down to hold it in place.

 To the right of the hot shoe is the shutter speed dial, which ranges from 1/1000 to a full 8-second exposure, accompanied by a green "A" for Auto mode. In the case of the X-Pan, when the selector is set to the green "A" position, the camera is in "aperture preferred" metering, which means you select the desired aperture, and the camera will choose the appropriate shutter speed depending on the film's ISO and the lighting conditions. Even in "auto" mode, there are warning signals within the viewfinder that indicate if you are overexposed or using a shutter speed longer than 2 seconds.

If the camera is not in the "auto" exposure mode and you're selecting both the shutter speed and aperture, a series of lights and signals, indicated by +/-, appears within the viewfinder, showing what a properly exposed image will look like depending on the selected shutter speed and aperture.

 To the right of the shutter speed dial is the shutter release, marked in silver, and a small window behind the shutter release that displays "P" if you're in panoramic mode, as well as the frame number you're on. Further to the right is the main On/Off switch at the bottom, along with "S" for single frame, "C" for continuous shooting, and a clock face for self timer. Turn the On/Off switch to the desired mode, and the camera will be on. On top of the dial is exposure compensation, which allows for up to 2 stops of light lighter or darker than the recommended meter settings when in the "A" or auto mode. These are set in half-stop increments on the dial.

On the back of the camera, from left to right and top to bottom, is the camera's viewfinder, which incorporates a coupled rangefinder. My rangefinder is very bright, which makes the camera extremely easy to focus with. Just above the camera's viewfinder is the 30mm viewfinder. The viewfinder features several different frame lines, depending on the film format used, along with a bubble or spirit level at the bottom to check if your camera is level.

To the right of the camera's viewfinder is an essential switch. The X-Pan camera is compatible with the standard 24x35mm film format. Alternatively, by depressing the button and turning the dial to the "P" position, you can shoot in a panoramic format of 24 mm x 65 mm. On the back of the camera by the shutter, the camera will move blades in or out depending on the film format you're using. I've never really heard photographers using the X-Pan as a standard 35mm camera, only for panoramic purposes, but this can change at any time, and you can go back and forth on the same roll of film if desired.

On the back of the camera, on the back door, there are three settings. Ine is "AEB", or Auto Exposure Bracketing, which allows the photographer to automatically bracket either a half or full stop in between shots. The next button is used to light up the display, which is particularly useful at night or in dark situations. The third button is a very small, indented button that you use to rewind the film before reaching the end of the roll.

 On the front of the camera, in the 11 o'clock position, is a dial to set the film speed. The camera features fully integrated DX coding for modern film. However, if you're using a self-loaded cassette or older non-DX-coded cassettes, the ISO can be set manually. Below the dial is the lens release button, which allows the photographer to change lenses. Opposite the camera is the PC flash sync port, which enables flash use via a PC cable.

On the left side of the camera, the shutter remote cable socket is located at the top, and the camera's film door lock lever is positioned at the bottom. Flip the lever up, then slide it up to open the camera's film back and load the film.

 To load the film in the X-Pan, insert the film cassette into the film area, guide the leader to the take-up wheel, and then close the back of the camera. The camera will automatically wind the film all the way out of the cassette and onto the take-up spool before you take your first image. 

As a man, and not having read the manual before loading the camera, I started to get concerned. When I closed the door on my initial roll of film and heard the film advance for so long, I thought the camera was broken and needed servicing. That's just how the X-Pan winds film. When you receive your film back and examine the frame numbers, you will notice that the first frame, or Frame #1, is actually the last image you took, and number 36 is the first image.

 

My Results:

 My wife and I took a drive to Multnomah Falls outside Portland, and since I was going to write about this camera, I took it with me to see how it would perform. 

 Honestly, it's only the third or fourth time I've taken the camera out to shoot with it, mainly because I shoot with the Widelux so much, but this was an excellent time to see how the camera performed.

 The day was overcast, but the crowds were small, and since it had rained recently, the falls were rushing. After shooting the falls, we went into their restaurant to have lunch.

 Here are photos from that small adventure.

Conclusion:

 WOW, what amazing images and camera. I understand why so many people enjoy shooting with this camera. It doesn't have the swing lens curvature like the Widelux has. The X-Pan offers modern advancements over the Widelux, such as auto-exposure, exposure bracketing, and other features, but is physically larger and heavier.

 There's a trade-off for all things, but I'll definitely be using the X-Pan more often. It made shooting very simple and easy. I needed to focus on my subject with the X-Pan, which isn't a bad thing, and the images turned out great.

Another excellent feature of the X-Pan is that it’s a “system” camera, allowing for the use of other lenses. There is a standard wide-angle 45mm f/4 lens, along with a compact telephoto 90mm f/4 lens.

 Thank you for taking a few minutes to read about this fantastic panoramic camera from Hasselblad. A camera I'm fortunate to have in the collection.

 Here's a link to my other Camera Reviews.

 I also have an online store, Cuny's Cameras and Photo. If you see something in my store that interests you, don't hesitate to make me an offer. I'm always looking to negotiate and make deals, and I'd love it if you could share my article.

 Until next week, please be safe.

Nikon 200mm f/5.6 Medical Nikkor Lens

One of my Medical Nikkor lenses w/ AC power supply, close-up lenses, & cables

I am a lifelong Nikon fan and own a variety of Nikon cameras. I have very vivid memories of working in a camera store back in the mid to late 1970s, where I worked for almost 20 years. The Nikon 200mm Medical Nikkor was a lens I had only seen in catalogs and brochures. I'm sure I had seen the lens in showcases at conventions. 

 I don't know why I've liked this lens for so long. It has something to do with the lens being very specialized, its unique look, and the built-in ring flash around the lens. It also had to do with my love for macro photography and the idea that a lens like this would make it so much easier.

 It wasn't until very recently, while looking at items for sale at a local estate sale, that I had the opportunity to hold a Nikon 200mm Medical Nikkor and look at it closely. The estate sale was for a retired doctor who had two Nikon Medical Nikkors, along with a variety of other medical and photography equipment. The lenses were complete with the power supply, close-up lenses, and connecting cables. One of the kits had an AC power supply, and the other had a DC power supply.

My Nikon 200mm F/5.6 Medical Nikkor lens.

 The asking price seemed high, so I walked away from the sale, knowing that the prices would decrease in the days that followed. I crossed my fingers and hoped that when I came back on the final day of the sale, the lenses (and several other items) would still be there.

 When I went back on the final day of the sale, both lenses were still there, but the pricing was still too high. Talking to the owner of the estate sale, he mentioned that on Tuesday, after the sale ends, if these items are still there, he'd consider offers.  I contacted him on Monday. He said there were some items still available and that if I wanted to meet him on Tuesday morning, he'd listen to offers.

 When I arrived at the sale on Tuesday, not only were the two Medical Nikkors still there, but several other items I was interested in were as well. I made a bundle deal and gave him a price for all, which he accepted.

 Once I got the lenses home, I started to piece the items together. I plugged them into the AC power supply and found that both lenses were in good working condition. The modeling lights work, and both lenses flashed as they should. The only negative thing I found was that one of the connecting cables from the power supply to the lens was missing. Also, the DC power supply takes four "D" size batteries, which is not an issue, but it also takes an older 240V photo battery, which are no longer available from my searches. The "D" size batteries power the focusing lights, and the 240V powers the flash.

Using the Lens:

 When you first look at the lens, it can be confusing, so let me give you some basics about the Nikon 200mm Medical Nikkor lens. There is no focusing ring on the lens itself. Instead, the lens uses a series of six close-up lenses that screw into the 38mm filter ring on the front of the lens. These close-up lenses are 2x, 1x, 1/2x, 1/4x, 1/6x, and 1/8x. These close-up lenses are threaded on both sides, allowing them to be stacked for a closer view of your subject. The only one not double-threaded is the 2x. The combination of the close-up lenses along with the master lens allows the lens to have a wide range of ratios, from 1/15 to 3x.

Here's a table in the instruction manual showing when to use the specific close-up lenses, how far away you are from the subject, and how big the subject is in inches.

One of the unique features of the Nikon 200 mm Medical Nikkor lens is the built-in ring flash, which consists of two flash tubes. This ring flash provides even and shadowless lighting, making it ideal for macro photography. Additionally, there is a series of four small lights around the lens that can be turned on to aid focusing. These lights are beneficial when you're getting close to the subject, as they illuminate it and make it easier to find the proper focus point. The focusing lights are user-replaceable by unthreading the front of the lens, which exposes the focusing lamps.

Just below the removable top, which exposes the focusing lamps, is a knurled ring that has the PC connector, which connects the PC cable from the camera to the lens. Next to that is the socket where the connecting cable from the power supply fits. There is a grey cover on both lenses that keeps the connector from getting dirty. Next to the socket is a small window with the ready light, which indicates that the flash is fully charged and ready to fire. And last but not least, on the other side of the PC connector is a small, great button that you press in to turn on the focus lights. These are something I use often, especially when close to the subject.

Since the Nikon 200 mm Medical Nikkor lens does not have a focusing ring, achieving the correct focus point on your subject requires physical movement of the lens. The built-in focusing lights are a tremendous help in this process, especially when working in darker areas. Without these lights, achieving a sharp focus would be challenging. To use the lens, you need to physically move the lens in and out to find the proper focus point on your subject. Being able to light your subject with the focusing light is a tremendous help. Without the focusing light, it would be challenging to achieve a sharp focus, especially in darker areas, which is often the case when using this lens. Let me walk you through the process of using the lens: [detailed steps].

 The Nikon 200 mm Medical Nikkor lens offers a unique feature that allows you to imprint a number on your image. This imprint can be for a case number, date, frame number, etc. The lens has a thin ring with the letters A, B, C, and D, which is used to intensify the number imprinted on your frame. Just below the ABCD ring is the number being put onto your frame. The numbers range from 1 to 39 in white, and 3 to 1/15 in yellow for the ratio used, if that's what you choose to have imprinted. This feature can be particularly useful for organizing and categorizing your images, adding a unique touch to your photography.

Ring for setting imprint number or fraction, and brightness (A,B,C,D)

The next two rings on the lens are for exposure settings, and it actually works very well. Both of these rings have locking screws to hold the settings in place. The ring closest to the camera body and farthest down on the lens is the film speed, or the film's light sensitivity (ISO), you are using in the camera. There are two lines: one is red for color film, and the other is white for black-and-white film. The difference between the red and white lines is one F-stop. I use the red line for my camera.

 The next ring above the film speed is the aperture setting. Below the aperture setting is a guide that corresponds to the close-up lenses used. Match the close-up lenses you put on the front of the master lens to the proper aperture needed for a properly exposed image. You can lock down that setting too, so it doesn't get changed during focus. As you change magnification, you'll need to adjust the lens's aperture setting. This system works great, and the exposure is accurate. You can also lighten or darken as needed by just changing the aperture up or down, depending on your preference.

Aperture and Exposure settings dials

The wonderful thing about this lens is that it works with new and old camera bodies. The lens mount is a very generic Nikon mount with automatic aperture control. To use and test the lens, I put it on my Nikon D850, set the camera to manual mode, and set the ISO to 100; it worked great.

 While doing an initial test on the lens, I took 7-8 images, then I heard a small pop and the flash stopped working. Having worked in the photo industry, and more specifically working with commercial flash, that wasn't a good sound. I took the top off the power supply after unplugging it and found that one of the small capacitors had blown. I looked online and found one that appeared to have the same electrical needs, so I ordered it. Once it arrived, I replaced the capacitor and soldered it in. Put the top back on, and the power supply started to work again.

Before the capacitor blew, I tested the lens and took images with a camera I recently wrote about on my camera-collecting blog. The one thing that struck me was the ring flash's appearance. I've always enjoyed how the ring flash gives a halo effect around the subject, very similar to some of the fashion shoots in the 1980s and 90s, before it became unpopular.

 I also wanted to try the lens on a coin and possibly a few different objects to see how it performed on them. I didn't have a stamp to try the lens on, but I did have a few different coins.

 

Results:

 Here are some of the images I made with the Nikon 200mm f/5.6 Medical Nikkor lens. I attached the lens to my Nikon D850, set the camera to manual mode, and adjusted the shutter speed to 1/60 to ensure proper flash synchronization.

 I also tried to get a mix of hard and soft materials to shoot—hard shiny metals, plants, coins, etc. 

Conclusion:

 I don't understand why this lens isn't more popular for small products, like coins, given that it has a built-in focusing light, ring flash for very even illumination, and, as a telephoto, you're far away from the subject.

 The lens produced clean, sharp images; the ring light did a fantastic job on the coins; and the pictures of the plants were perfect, all for being hand-held images. I also like the product shots; the built-in ring flash gives the photos a different look than most of the younger generation people aren't used to.

Argus Model C camera

My Argus Model C camera

During my time working in a camera store from the mid-1970s until the mid-1990s, I must have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of Argus cameras, and to be more specific, the Argus C3, or as they were affectionately known as, "The Brick" because of their boxy shape and very sturdy construction. These cameras came in on an almost daily basis just because they were so popular back in the 1940s and '50s.

 I saw so many Argus C3 cameras in my time in the camera store that, when it came to collecting cameras, I had no interest in collecting this particular model. Yet, it seemed like every time I purchased a group or "lot" of cameras, there was always an Argus C3 in the groupings of cameras. 

 I still recall thinking that if I collected enough Argus C3 cameras, I could build a retaining wall in my front yard out of them, as it was cheaper to get the Argus C3 than to purchase real clay bricks.

 To this day, I still see the Argus C3, or similar models like the C2, C3 Matchmatic, or C33, all the time at people's garage sales, estate sales, and camera shows. It is undoubtedly one of the most sold cameras in the history of photography.

 With that said, I'm still looking for one model, which I'm certain I came across during my time at the camera shop. It's the original Argus Model C camera, featuring a dual range switch located under the shutter cocking lever. It's a little earlier than the camera in this blog post, but the pricing for one of these is higher than I'm willing to pay for, so I'll wait and see if I can find one during my quest for a camera. 

 For me, the fun is the hunt for the treasures. The thrill comes from finding a camera or other photo item I've been looking for, especially when it's in an unexpected place and hopefully at a reasonable price.

History:

 Argus Cameras holds a unique place in photographic history as a pioneering American camera manufacturer that made high-quality photography accessible to the masses. The company was founded in 1931 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as the International Radio Corporation (IRC), by local businessmen including William E. Brown Jr., George Burke, and Charles Albert Verschoor. Initially, IRC's primary business was radios, but seasonal sales fluctuations led Verschoor to seek another product to stabilize revenue. Inspired by the success of his molded plastic radio cases, he envisioned an affordable camera built with similar materials.

This is the early version with switch under cocking lever

 In 1936, IRC launched the Argus Model A, the first low-cost 35mm camera manufactured in the United States. Priced at just $12.50 when most competing models were much more expensive, the Model A democratized 35mm photography and quickly found commercial success. The Model A's innovation lay in its molded plastic body, making it both durable and less costly to produce.

 This success prompted IRC to focus entirely on cameras, eventually adopting the name Argus, Inc. in 1944, and later Argus Cameras, Inc. in 1949. The company's most iconic product, the Argus C3, was introduced in 1939. With its brick-like appearance and robust rangefinder mechanism, the C3 became known as "The Brick" and enjoyed a production run lasting until 1966, with more than two million units sold. The C3 is widely regarded as one of the best-selling cameras in photographic history.

 During World War II, Argus shifted its production to support the war effort, manufacturing military optics and radio equipment for the U.S. and Allied armed forces. By the war's end, Argus had received multiple Army-Navy "E" Awards for excellence in production. After the war, civilian production resumed, and Argus became the second-largest U.S. camera manufacturer, trailing only Kodak.

 In the late 1950s, the company was acquired by Sylvania Electric Products and later sold to Mansfield Industries. Over time, as competition intensified, especially from Japanese manufacturers, Argus struggled to maintain its leadership. U.S. camera production ended by 1969, but the Argus brand persisted in importing photographic products.

Today, vintage Argus cameras, especially the Model A and C3, are valued collectibles. The legacy of Argus endures as a symbol of inventive American manufacturing and mass-market photographic innovation.

My Camera:

 My Argus C dates from 1938, has a serial number of 12127C, so it's not one of the earliest models, but it was introduced before the Argus C2 was introduced in late 1938. The Model C measures 5 3/8" wide by 3" tall, including the shutter release, by 3" deep, including the lens. My Argus Model C camera weighs 1 pound, 7.4 ounces without film loaded in the camera.

The camera has a 50mm f3.5 Argus lens with aperture settings of F/3.5, 4.5, 6.3, 11, & 18, which are odd compared to aperture settings now. The aperture setting is made by turning a ring with two knobs on the inside of the lens that line up with a black line on top of the lens. 

The item missing on early Model C cameras is the coupling gear connecting the focusing ring on the top left to the lens, which adjusts the lens distance during focusing. To focus this model, look through the rangefinder window on the back of the camera, bring the two lines together to focus, and then check the front of the rangefinder dial to determine your distance from the subject. Finally, set that distance on the lens. On the side of the lens, there are markings indicating the focusing distances for the subject. There is an aluminum thread in style lens cap for the Argus Model C camera I own.

The shutter speed dial is located on the top right-hand side of the camera, on the front. The shutter speed settings are 1/300, 200, 150, 100, 75, 50, 30, 20, 10 & 5. There is no "B" setting on the shutter speed dial. The "B" setting is actually set on the "mushroom" shaped shutter release. You can turn the shutter release to either settings, "I" for instant, or to "B" for bulb, or timed exposures.

 The camera's shutter also needs to be cocked before you can snap the photo. The shutter cocking lever is located on the front of the camera, positioned on the far left side, in the middle. It looks like a handle that you flip down to cock the shutter, then springs back up after the shutter is released.

 On the back of the camera are just two small viewfinders. The one on the right is the rangefinder, which has a split that, by turning the focus wheel, will bring two separated vertical lines into one straight line when focused. The other window on the left is the framing window used to frame your subject when you're ready to take the photo.

To open the back to load the film, press the bump on the left side of the camera. This presses in a bar that holds the back onto the body. My camera is very difficult to open by just pressing the button, so I sometimes need to use a small screwdriver to pry the back up slightly to get it to open.

 Once open, the camera looks like any other 35mm camera, with the take-up spool on the left side. The fresh roll fits onto the right side by pulling pot the rewind knob on the bottom of the camera, bring the lead over to the take up spool, and thread into the take up spool. The film advance knob is on top of the camera. To wind to the first frame, there is a small locking lever just behind the frame counter that needs to be pressed down. This unlocks the winding gear, allowing you to wind to the first frame. Close the back of the camera and start taking photos.

This process must be repeated every time you wish to advance to the next frame. Additionally, at the end of the roll, the locking lever must be pressed down to unlock the drive gears, allowing the film to be rewound into the 35 mm cassette.

 The real reason to write about this camera was more of an exercise on how easy it was to use the early Mode Cameras, especially during a time of rapid change with cameras. Like many cameras from this era, it's not the quick and easy cameras of today, where either the shutter or aperture is being set for you. In many circumstances, both settings are being set. 

 To use cameras from this era, you need to take your time and use an external light meter to get the proper settings for your camera. Set the shutter speed and aperture settings depending on the film used. Do you lean more to the aperture and depth of field, or shutter speeds and stopping motion? Then focus on your subject. In this case, focus, then transfer the settings to the lens regarding distance. Frame your image and take the photo.

 On my camera, I also have an accessory finder, which clips onto the top for showing what a 35mm wide-angle or 100mm telephoto will do. I leave it on my camera to hide a bit of paint scratched off by it, as it's more for show, and I don't have either of these lenses. There were several different lenses available for the Argus C line of cameras, as the lens just unthreaded from the body. 

My Results:

 Once you slow down and think about the process, which I'm very used to, the images are really nice. Here are a few from my walk around the neighborhood.

 I photograph similar items, which I am sure you'll notice if you're a regular reader.

Conclusion:

 While the camera isn't the most ergonomic one I've used, it's certainly not the worst.

 The camera performed very well. The images are sharp, and the shutter and aperture were easy to use. The one thing that slowed me down was the process of focusing, then transferring the distance to the lens before taking the photo. The addition of the coupling gear between the focusing wheel and the lens, which sets the distance on the lens, was a vast improvement for Argus. Without this improvement, I doubt they would have sold the number of cameras as they did.

 Thank you for taking a few minutes from your day to familiarize yourself with this early model camera from Argus.

 Here is a link to my other camera reviews.

I also have a shop on eBay, Cuny's Cameras and Photo. Please stop by and see what new and wonderful photo items I have for sale.

 Until next week, please be safe. 

QRS Kamra

My QRS Kamra in box with manual

I first saw the QRS Kamra many years ago at a camera show when I was still living in the San Francisco Bay area. The camera has a look unlike any 35mm camera I had seen before. Up until this time, I was used to looking at a 35mm camera as either a single-lens reflex or a rangefinder style camera. When I first came across the QRS Kamra, my initial impression was that it was a movie camera, given that many cameras from this era have a rather boxy style.

 I spoke with the vendor who had the camera, and he let me try it out, warning me that it wasn't working, which is a common issue with this camera. Still, after picking up and looking at the beautiful brown mottled finish, odd looking shutter release that also seconds as the film transport, and the overall oddness (to me) of the camera, I told myself that I'd like to have one for my collection some day, because the price of the camera was more that I could spend on a camera at the time.

Back portion of the QRS Kamra

 Years go by, and the kids grow up, all the while my fascination with cameras kept growing. During these times, I would frequent a local flea market held at a drive-in theater on Sunday mornings, and I can still remember looking over one person's goods for sale and recognizing what I had many years earlier at the camera show. It was indeed a QRS Kamra. I spoke with the vendor at the flea market, and they mentioned that the camera was their grandfather's from a small collection he had owned. They just wanted to get rid of it, so I bought it for a reasonable price. Unfortunately, this camera was missing the shutter release and winding crank, a common issue with this model. At the time, I was thrilled to have it in my collection.

QRS Kamra w/Registration cards.

 I generally keep cameras in my collection for a few years, then look for a better version if I plan to keep it. About eight to ten years after purchasing the QRS Kamra, I put it up for sale on eBay and sold it to someone else looking to add it to their collection. Since then, I purchased another QRS Kamera in the box with a handle, although it had a broken handle.

 On another occasion, many years after selling the QRS Kamra, I purchased a "lot" of cameras and photo items. Hidden in the photos, I found an Ellison Kamra, a camera very similar to the QRS Kamra. It's slightly larger, featuring a pull-down lens and viewfinder, and is made from Bakelite, dating back a couple of years. I was amazed to find it among this lot of cameras. Looking back at the photo, all you could see was one of the ends, as it was buried under several different items.

 In 1926, Michael Ellison and Edward McAuliffe of Los Angeles filed a patent for a new two-bladed shutter system. They wanted to use the new shutter on a camera they designed and built called the Ellison Kamra. They only produced one camera, which used 35mm film, a format popular in both movie and still cameras at the time. Unfortunately, the Ellison Kamra only lasted a few years, and by 1935, they were out of business.

 The QRS Kamra was also sold under the DeVry Kamra after QRS purchased DeVry in 1929, but this only lasted for a year. The unusual item I still can't put together is the relationship between both the Ellisons and QRS Kamra's. They both have similar-looking cameras, use the same shutter system, and share very similar layouts.

History:

 The histories of DeVry and QRS, though largely separate, are linked by a noteworthy, albeit brief, corporate union in the early 20th century. Both companies originated in Chicago with a focus on cutting-edge technology of their time.

Michael Ellison and Edward McAuliffe Patent

 Herman DeVry, an inventor and innovator in visual education, founded the DeVry Corporation in 1913. He made a name for himself by creating the "Theater in a Suitcase," the first portable motion picture projector, which revolutionized the use of film in schools and other institutions. His work was dedicated to making learning more visual and accessible through technology.

 Around the same time, the QRS Music Company, founded in 1900 by Melville Clark, was a dominant force in the music technology of the era: the player piano. QRS became the world's largest manufacturer of piano rolls, capturing the live performances of famous artists and making music widely available for in-home entertainment long before the advent of widespread audio recording.

 The paths of these two innovative companies converged in 1929 when QRS, looking to diversify its technology portfolio, purchased the DeVry Corporation. For a short period, the company operated under the name QRS-DeVry, producing devices like movie cameras and projectors. However, this merger was short-lived.

 By the early 1930s, the two entities went their separate ways. Herman DeVry, in collaboration with Dr. Lee de Forest, shifted his focus entirely to technical education, establishing DeForest Training School in 1931. This institution would evolve over the decades, becoming DeVry Technical Institute and eventually the well-known DeVry University, a prominent for-profit institution focused on career-oriented education.

 Meanwhile, QRS returned to its musical roots. After a series of ownership changes, it continued to produce piano rolls for decades and adapted to new technologies, eventually developing modern digital player piano systems. While their corporate marriage was brief, both DeVry and QRS left lasting, independent legacies in the fields of education and automated music technology.

My Kamra (Camera):

 My QRS Kamra is 7.5" wide by 3" deep by 2.5" tall, and weighs 1 pound, 14.1 ounces. The serial number on my Kamra is Series No. A 3008, so it is a relatively early version of the camera. The camera is made of a brown Bakelite material with cotton filler, which gives the camera a mottled look. The camera has a fixed focus 40mm f7.7 lens and a bright viewfinder.

On top of the camera, all the controls are located. There are really only two controls on the camera. On the far left, you'll find the shutter setting options: "time" for long exposures and "I" for instant. Just to the right of the shutter settings is the fold-up crank. This crank is turned in the clockwise direction to advance the film, or to the counterclockwise direction to snap the photo.

Just above the shutter release and film advance crank is the bright viewfinder, and to the right of that is the frame counter. This QRS Kamra allows for up to 40 photos to be loaded into their special film cassettes.

To open the back to load film, slide the two knobs on the back of the camera to the left, which allows the back to come off. Once the back is off, you can see two metal cassettes inside the camera. The cassettes take 35mm film, which you'd load into the cassette on the left, and the exposed film would travel into the cassette on the right. There is no inner spool in the cassettes; the film slides into the cassette, very similar to how the Ansco memo cameras operate.

When you turn the crank on top of the camera to advance the film, the drive gears on top and bottom transport the film from the supply cassette into the exposed cassette. The advanced gears are attached to the frame counter, which would move to the next frame. Once all the images were taken, you take the cassette on the right to be processed. Then load the camera with more film and take more photos. 

 The camera is straightforward and basic, without a lot of bells and whistles. The cameras were only made for a few years, first as the QRS Kamra, then, after QRS was purchased, the camera became the DeVry Kamra. Unfortunately, due to a few factors, the cameras were only made for a few years. One factor was the emergence of 35mm cameras, and the second was the poor quality of the advance and shutter release wheel, which broke on many of the QRS and later the DeVry Kamras.

Conclusion:

 I'm glad to have the odd and unusual camera in my collection. The more I think about the connection between the Ellison camera and the QRS Kamra, the more I realize its significance. The QRS company was looking for an inexpensive and straightforward camera. With the new two-blade shutter the Ellison company had, I'm sure they were anxious to get it onto other cameras, and they made the connection somehow.

 Like many of these cameras, mine is operational, but I discovered a fascinating individual in the UK who rebuilt the shutter and created a more reliable crank for the top of the camera. Here is his article on Restoring a QRS Kamra. Once he got the camera operational, he mentions towards the end that the quality of the images is pretty poor. Please take a look at his article; it's very well done.

Here’s a copy of the QRS Kamra manual I found stuck to the top of the camera box.

QRS Kamra manual Pg. 1

QRS Kamra manual Pg. 2

 Thank you for taking a few minutes to read about this odd bird of a camera (Kamra).

 Here's a link to my other camera reviews.

 I also have an eBay store, Cuny's Camera and Photo, where I sell some of the cameras I've reviewed, along with many other photo odds and ends.

 Until next week, please be safe.

Ricoh Auto Half Camera

My Ricoh Auto Half E2 camera

The 1960s were a tumultuous time—a wild era—for politics, art, social change, music, and design. Having spent my early and informative years during this time, I was witness to some remarkable events that shaped the world, which I'm happy to say I lived through.

 There were the Beatles, who upended the music world; marches and protests against the war in Vietnam and civil rights; and Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol, who were taking the art world by storm. It seemed like every month, there were issues and events in the news that shaped the world.

 In the photographic and camera design fields, in my opinion, one of the more artistic and interesting products to emerge from the 1960s was the Ricoh Auto-Half camera—a straightforward camera that underwent several model changes, keeping the design fresh for almost 20 years.

 The Ricoh Auto Half camera was introduced in December 1960. For the period, the camera was very compact and lightweight, a half-frame 35mm camera with automatic exposure, no manual focusing, and automatic winding. The size of the camera was compared to a pack of cigarettes.

 Not only were there several different model changes and improvements, but the design style, to me, was the item that kept the camera fresh. The original Ricoh Auto Half camera was available in a bright silver color and featured a wrist strap. However, later in the 1960s and well into the 1970s, the camera took on many different colors and geometric designs, which were very popular during this timeframe.

My three Ricoh Auto Half cameras

 Some of the cameras were black with a white geometric pattern on the front, like one of the models I have. Later in the production cycle of the cameras, the production became bolder and more intricate, which kept pace with the signs of the times.

 There was a yellowish-green checkerboard pattern, or some cameras had brown vertical stripes or a wavy pattern, while others had outlandish red and blue colors that appeared to create a dome pattern on the front of the camera. One of the models I saw was named "King Gold," which is a gold color camera with an interesting pattern on the front. Some have a filigree around the border, or a train or race car on the front. All of these models are just fascinating to me, and one of the main reasons I wanted to write about them.

 I own three different models of the Auto Half cameras. I have an Auto Half E model with a diamond pattern and a Formula 1 race car on the front. I have a Black Auto Half SE model with a swirly pattern on the front, and the camera I used for the post was an Auto Half E2 in superb working condition.

I own three different models of the Auto Half cameras. I have an Auto Half E model with a diamond pattern and a Formula 1 race car on the front. I have a Black Auto Half SE model with a swirly pattern on the front, and the camera I used for the post was an Auto Half E2 in superb working condition.

History:

Ricoh's journey into the world of photography began not with cameras, but with sensitized paper. Established in 1936 as Riken Kankoshi Co., Ltd., the company quickly leveraged its expertise in optics, venturing into camera production just a year later in 1937. This early period laid the groundwork for a legacy of innovation and accessibility in the photographic industry. The company, which would be renamed Riken Optical Co., Ltd. in 1938, introduced its first camera, the Olympic Four, in 1939. This simple folding camera marked its entry into a competitive market.

Japanese ad for Ricoh Auto Half camera

 The post-war era proved to be a transformative period for Ricoh. A pivotal moment arrived in 1950 with the launch of the Ricohflex Model III. This twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera was a game-changer. By implementing a revolutionary belt-conveyor system for mass production—a first in Japan's camera industry—Ricoh was able to produce the Ricohflex III at a remarkably affordable price. This move single-handedly democratized photography for the Japanese public, transforming cameras from a luxury item into an accessible consumer good. The Ricohflex III became a massive commercial success, reportedly capturing over half of the domestic market share at its peak and cementing Ricoh's reputation.

 Building on this momentum, Ricoh continued to innovate throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. The company introduced the Ricoh 500 in 1957, a popular 35mm camera notable for its user-friendly features. However, it was the Ricoh Auto Half in 1962 that truly showcased the company's forward-thinking design philosophy. This remarkably compact and lightweight half-frame camera was fully automatic, with automated exposure, focusing, and film winding. Its purse-sized dimensions and ease of use made it a massive hit, particularly with female consumers, and it became a global success.

 These formative years were crucial in shaping Ricoh's identity. From the mass-produced Ricohflex that brought photography to the masses to the stylishly simple Auto Half, Ricoh's early history is a story of creating high-quality, innovative cameras that were not only technologically proficient but also thoughtfully designed for everyday users. This foundation of accessibility and user-centric innovation would continue to define the company for decades to come.

My Camera:

My Auto Half E2 model camera is 3.5: wide, by 3" tall, by 1.5" deep, and weighs 11.9 ounces. The camera is a 35mm half-frame camera that takes a vertical image of  24x17cm on 35mm film. The camera features a fixed focus 25mm F/2.8 lens, which is typical for half-frame cameras.

The Auto Half camera incorporates a selenium cell metering system, which on many of these cameras isn't working due to the age of the selenium cell. It can no longer meter the light, but fortunately, I have one in excellent working condition. The selenium cell is located around the lens. The aperture has a range from F/2.8 to F/22. 

 The ASA (ISO) range for the film speed on the Auto Half camera goes from 25 to 400. The ASA is set on a dial located on the top of the camera.  The other setting on the dial is for "A" or automatic aperture. There are aperture settings on the dial, but these are for flash settings.

The metering is done automatically and sets the aperture to achieve the proper lighting for the subject you're pointing the camera at. When in the "A" or automatic mode, the camera sets the shutter speed to 1/125th and sets the aperture. When you use a flash, the shutter is set to 1/30th of a second, and then you manually set the aperture depending on the distance to your subject.

 According to the Auto Half manual, the only indication that the camera's lighting will be set automatically is a yellow dot appearing in the center of the viewfinder. If the yellow dot doesn't appear, then the camera will not set the proper aperture, and the image will be either too light or too dark. 

To load film into the camera, there is a lever on the side of the camera that slides down to open the back of the camera. Once open, load the camera as you would any 35mm camera, putting the film cartridge on the right side and slipping the leader under one of the silver tabs on the left. Close the back of the camera, and wind the clock drive winding lever located at the bottom of the camera in a clockwise direction. Continue winding until you can no longer wind. Click the shutter a couple of times to get to your first exposure. You're all set to take photos. The winding motor will last approximately 25 frames before it needs to be wound again.

 The frame counter is right next to the rewind lever. To rewind the film into the cartridge. The rewind release button is in the middle of the winding motor. Press the rewind button, and rewind the film into the 35mm cassette. Once that's done, you can open the back of the camera, remove the film, and have it processed.

My Results:

I loaded the camera with a roll of film and took it with me for a walk around the block with our 15-year-old Pug, Ernie. These walks are getting a bit slower every week, so I had time to snap photos of some of the houses in the neighborhood, as well as many of the flowers in people's yards.

 I wanted to push the limits of the camera and see just how close I could get to capturing a reasonably sharp image. It appears that the minimum focus distance is right around 3-4 feet, even with 200 ISO film in the camera and on a very bright summer day, around noon.

 Here are some of the images I took.

Conclusion:

I think I'm more impressed with this camera than the Canon Demi I did a couple of weeks ago. There was a bright yellow dot in the center of the viewfinder, so I trusted the meter's exposure, which was pretty accurate.

 The focus was pushed, and I received a few blurry images, which I had anticipated, but overall, the camera did a fantastic job. The transport worked flawlessly, the exposures were accurate, the camera fit nicely into my pocket, and all I needed to do was put the camera to my eye, frame the photo, and press the shutter button…Fantastic!!!!

 I'll be using this more often, since it's a small, compact, lightweight, and accurate meter. A real treasure to have in my collection. Now all I need to do is find other models and designs. I think this may be the start of something fun.

 Thank you for taking the time to read about this compact bundle of photographic bliss—a real underappreciated camera from the 1960s.

 If you're interested, you can read more of my camera reviews by clicking on the link.

 I have a store on eBay where I sell some of the cameras featured in my camera reviews, as well as a variety of photo odds and ends. Take a look at Cuny's Camera and Photo.

 Until next week, please be safe.