Three under-rated cameras

Back in the mid-seventies when I was first getting into photography most photographers would buy into one camera system and stick with it. For the most part lenses and accessories would only work within their camera system.  So for most people it was too expensive or inconvenient to maintain more than one camera system. I early on bought into the Canon system and pretty much stuck with it even until now. In recent years however film camera prices have fallen so much that it is possible to experiment with cameras and lenses that wouldn't have gotten much consideration from me if I had to pay the original price. From the experience of trying out a lot of cameras I have found there were many cameras that would have met most of my needs.  The three cameras here particularly surprised me because they were not from the big names like Canon, Nikon, Pentax, or Olympus.  In fact I don't remember ever hearing about them when they were first sold. I think all three would be good cameras for someone wanting to get started in film again.  They all are reliable durable cameras that can be purchased for very little. Like the more famous Pentax K1000 they have all the basics and don't need a battery for anything other than the meter.

I have used this camera fairly often for the last few years and still have a high opinion of it. It probably helps that the Sears Auto f/1.4 lens is one of the best that I have used. It appears that this camera was made by Ricoh and was rebranded by Sears.  Unlike current day retail giants Sears did seem to value quality in what it sold. Although at the time being a store brand camera probably did cause some photographers not to take the Sears TLS seriously.

 A couple of years ago you could find a Sears TLS with the f/1.4 lens for around $20 on Ebay.  Now it appears that the same combination is going for between $40 to $60.  Still a good bargain in my opinion since you are getting a solidly made camera with one of the best standard lenses made.

I wrote more about the Sear TLS a couple of years ago.
Sears TLS
Here is a good forum post about the Sears TLS at Photo.net
I also made a gallery for the Sears TLS.  The B&W images are from the f/1.4 and the color are with the Sears 28mm f/2.8.  Sears TLS Gallery

Pretty much everything that I have said about the virtues of the Sears TLS can also be said about the Argus/Cosina STL 1000.  I have encountered several of these in the past few years and have yet to see one that isn't still very usable.  That is a rare experience for cameras of this age. Like with the Sears TLS the standard Cosinon f/1.8 lens is a big selling point for me with this camera. The Cosinon lens renders color with a subtle warmth that I enjoy.  As a bonus the lens is one of my favorites to use with an adapter on digital cameras.

I just noticed that it was exactly one year ago that I wrote more about this camera. Argus/Cosina STL1000

The Mamiya/Sekor DSX 500 was one of the biggest surprises of the cameras I have tested in the past few years.  One surprise was to find that the DSX 500 offers both spot and averaging metering.  Another pleasant surprise was that it uses an SR44 battery.  So having some versatility in metering powered by an easy to get battery is a big plus for me. Like the other two cameras the auto Mamiya/Sekor sx f/2 lens is very good.  There is a DSX 1000 model which is pretty much the same as the DSX 500 with the exception of the top shutter speed of 1000 vs 500 for the DSX 500.  On Ebay there isn't much difference in price between the two cameras. 

I wrote more about this camera last summer.  Mamiya/Sekor DSX 500

So if you are looking for a solid basic film SLR that doesn't cost much I don't think you would go wrong with any of these three cameras. And regardless of price all three can hold their own in the quality of images they are capable of making.

I would like to know of any other cameras that you have used that you feel are under-rated.

Argus V-100

Produced: 1957-58
Type: 35mm rangefinder
Lens: 52mm f/2.8 Argus Cintar II
Shutter: Synchro-Compur leaf type
Shutter speeds: 1 to 1/500 plus B
Flash: M-X synchronization at all shutter speeds.
Exposure: Built-in uncoupled selenium meter





The Argus V-100 was made in Germany for Argus by Iloca.  It is pretty much the same camera as the Iloca Rapid IIL. The combination of the Argus name and it being a 1950's rangefinder made this a camera that I wanted since I first heard about it.  The one I got is in very good condition other than one fairly easily fixed problem.

 So far I have only done one roll of HP5 with the Argus V-100.  I do agree with the reports that I have seen about the Cintar II lens being reasonably sharp and contrasty.  The camera also handles well.

My version of the Argus V-100 does appear to need the light seals replaced.  Most of the images I got showed signs of light leaking. Fortunately that is not a difficult fix.










I do think that once I get the light seals replaced that I will have a good picture taker in the Argus V-100. 

Argus/Cosina STL 1000

Introduced: 1971
Type: 35mm
Shutter: Copal Square metal focal plane.
Shutter speeds: B, 1 to 1/1000 sec.
Viewfinder: Reflex viewfinder with fresnel screen, micro split-image focusing spot.
Exposure Meter:      Matching-needle Thru-the-Lens CdS meter. ASA range 25-1600.










I remember back in the 1970's that all-black cameras had a little more status than the chrome ones.  The all-black camera was considered to be the less conspicuous type of camera that a professional would prefer. It may seem silly now, however I remember back then many took it seriously, and were willing to pay a premium for an all-black version of their favorite camera. Now I don't think that no matter what the color, that the Argus/Cosina STL 1000 was ever popular among professionals.  It lacked features like interchangeable viewing screens and a provision for a motor drive that most professionals at the time probably valued more than color.   Still the Argus/Cosina STL 1000 is a very fine camera.  It has all the basic features you need in a very solidly made reliable camera.  It was even one of the first cameras with the excellent Copal Square shutter.

By 1971 Argus was no longer making their own cameras. However the Argus name still had value and was applied to many cameras made by others.  Quite often it is a mystery as to who the manufacturer of some of these Argus cameras was.  With this camera the name Argus/Cosina STL 1000 makes it clear that  this camera was made by Cosina.  Cosina made a lot of camera equipment under other names from the 1960's up to the 1990's.  I think that "it was made by Cosina" is the first guess that many make when they come upon a mystery camera or lens. 

I got this camera off Ebay a while back mostly because I thought it looked good and because of the Argus name.  Also of course the price was right. My actual experience with the Argus/Cosina STL 1000 leads me to include it among one of the best of the 1970's classic all-metal mechanical cameras. There isn't anything fancy about it, however it is always ready for almost any picture taking need that I have.

I like the M42 mount 50mm Cosinon f1.8 that comes with this camera. I even made a Cosinon f1.8 gallery a while back.






















The Argus/Cosina STL 1000 is another of the underrated cameras that often show up for a good price on Ebay.  Although I do think that because some people are using the standard lens for the Argus/Cosina STL 1000 on their digital cameras that the price has gone up in the last year or so.  Still if you do find one for an agreeable price I don't think that you will be disappointed.

The Price of Photography in 1955

Occasionally I like to look at old photo equipment directories. They are a great source for the state of photography at given times. This one is from 1955.




















Last night I was looking at the directory in the photo and I got to wondering how the price of photography would compare to what we experience today.  According to the Dollar Times calculator one dollar from 1955 would be equal to $8.45 today.

One of the most basic needs for every photographer in 1955 would be for film.

Film	1955	2012
Tri-X 20 exp	$2.50	$21.54
Kodachrome* 20 exp	$9.75	$82.38
Ektachrome 20 exp	$5.65	$47.74
Anscocolor* 20 exp	$1.98	$16.73

*Includes processing.

I am wondering if there isn't something wrong with my cost comparison here, however this is the result of running some of the prices for mail order film through the inflation calculator.  Like today you could save some money by buying bulk film. I saw one ad for a 100 feet of Tri-X for $3.98.  That would come out to $33.63 in today's dollars.  That's a deal I would jump at since Tri-X usually is more than $50 for a hundred feet these days. My best guess about film prices is that color film was probably much more expensive than color film is today. I can remember reading in a few places that one of the reasons the half-frame cameras became popular in the 1960's was that color film for 35mm had improved enough that a half-frame could produce a decent enlargement.  Combine that with high prices for color film and a camera that could double your images had major appeal.  As color film prices fell in the late 1960's so did the appeal of the half-frame camera.

So it would look like the photographer of the 1950's paid a lot more if he wanted color images than we do today.  I imagine that is why I don't see many color pictures from that time. 

The Argus C3 was still a popular economy camera in 1955.  It's suggested price was $66.75.  That would convert into $564 today. That's around what it would take to buy an entry level DSLR these days. Today it is easy to find a C3 for less than $20.

The Leica M-3 was about as top-of-the-line as you could get in 1955.  It sold for $447 which translates into $3777 in 2012 dollars. That certainly is in the range that a top of the line camera would cost today. On Ebay I saw that a couple of camera and lens combinations like the one here sold for $1400 and $1475.

I think I will stop here with just a look at cameras and film from 1955.  Its an interesting period to me since it is a couple of decades before I got seriously into photography.  Probably it is the height of the all-mechanical camera manufactured in the West.  By the time I came along most camera production had moved to Asia and electronics and plastic was starting to take hold.

Argus CR-1

Probably made in 1975 by Chinon. It was distributed in the US by what was left of the Argus company.












I think I have said before that I have a soft spot for cameras with the name of Argus.  I also have a fondness for the classic mechanical slr.  So it is only natural that I should have this camera.  The Argus CR-1 was not effected by the tendency in the mid-seventies for an slr become smaller and lighter. It may be the heaviest slr that I have. The shutter goes from 1 to 1/1000 along with the B setting.  The viewfinder is reasonably bright. The real surprise in this camera is in the standard Auto Cintar 1:2.0 lens.  It is  quite sharp and contrasty.  Probably is was made by Chinon, however I have seen speculation that it was made by some other company like Tomioka. Whatever the source to me it is one of the better M42 lenses.

I am running short on time for blogging today so I'll leave with the Argus CR-1 Gallery.

Waiting on Film

For most of my life if I wanted pictures from a camera I would need to either develop them myself or send them out. There always was a time of maybe hours, maybe days before I could see how my pictures turned out.  And for me at least there was a tendency of focusing on the frustration of the wait and forgetting the pleasures of finally seeing how things turned out.  A pleasure that I think was increased by the wait.  When digital came along I embraced no longer having to wait.  Still I have never felt the pleasure in seeing my pictures load onto my computer that I remember from seeing negatives come out of the developing tank, or from getting that fat pack of pictures in the mail.

Saturday I had the pleasure of getting some pictures back that I had sent off in the mail a few days before.  The feeling for me is very much like I can remember as a child opening Christmas presents. The films were from a variety of cameras taken over a few months time. Like Christmas I expected there would be both some wonders and disappointments. 

I have heard others report feelings similar to mine about getting film back. Although I haven't often heard such feelings enter into the film vs digital debate.  Instead I think that it is taken for granted that quicker is better.  And maybe sometimes it is.  However if you have never done so before try taking some pictures on film and send it off somewhere that makes you wait a few days.  Then see if when your results come back if you experience a pleasure and excitement that made the wait worthwhile.

One set of negatives I got back was from a roll that I had taken last summer and forgot for a while that it was in the camera.  The camera is an Argus STL 1000 with a Cosinon 50mm f/1.8 lens. The film is Fuji 200.

I also got some results from the Argus Dual HFM II that I have written about in an earlier post. The film is Fuji 200.  Although 200 ISO is the recommmended film for this camera, I suspect the a 400 ISO film would work better.

Last results for today are from the Sawyer's Nomad 620.  Whoever I bought this from had loaded it with a re-spooled roll of Porta 160.  I took a couple of pictures with it when I first got the camera and didn't get around to finishing the roll until this winter.

I got the results from 11 rolls of film from 11 different cameras so this is just a small sample.  I would recommend the place I sent the film to.  They do a good job and are inexpensive.  Sharp's Photo

Camera ads from 1949 and 1955

I was using ABBYY FineReader yesterday to see how well it would copy items from some old photo magazines.  I think it works reasonably well.  So I decided to share a few things that I copied.  I also wanted to test putting the resulting pdfs on Google Docs. 

In 1955 Geiss-America offered a modification to the Argus C4 which allowed it to use interchangeable lenses.  Geiss-America Ad

Also in the same 1955 Photography Directory were some short descriptions and prices for most of the cameras made at the time.  Here is one page for box cameras.
Box Cameras

Also there was a nice early ad for Canon cameras.
Canon

The ad above is from the September 1949 issue of US Camera.  You can get a larger view with the pdf.  Ciro-Flex Model F

Lastly from the same issue is an ad for Bloom's Camera Center in Springfield MA.  Like most independent camera stores Bloom's is long defunct. The ad does list a nice variety of new and used still and movie cameras.
Bloom's

Hopefully, the links to Google Docs work okay.  If there are any problems let me know.