Old cars, old guitars, old cameras, they all hold a certain fascination, Josh, and I think that it's our duty, as film photographers, to keep these old machines working for as long as possible. I personally have spent more money than a camera is worth to have it repaired. CLA'd, just to ensure that it will still be useable long after I've gone. We hold the future of film photography in our hands, it's up to us to keep it going, both by shooting film but also by saving cameras. You have 2 fine machines there, cherish them for they have history in their bones. Cheers George
Hey George! Very well said... Beautiful in fact! I couldn't of put it better myself. You're definitely spot on! I'd love for these to be passed on after I'm gone... But I also often wonder, when holding the cameras.. what stories they hold and what they might of seen from owners hands they've passed through so far. I went into it a little bit in my video with the poem (through the glass) That was partly the idea behind it at least! I hope you're well and it's great to hear from you as always! Josh ☺️
Love your beautiful, and or quirky fun rural settings! The Railway shots are of interest to me, and I’ve visited vintage Rail museums, and sites in England! Was there a qwik vid of the restored British Pullman train there?! Four friends & I from the Midwest US, rode the Venice Simplon Orient Express train deluxe, from Venice to Brussels, then the British Pullman out of Victoria Station, to the Channel coast, and back! Anyway… back to cameras…. I’m working my way through your great vids…. So when I saw the Exakta name pop up, I went and grabbed three of mine off a dusty shelf, to follow along. One is the VX IIa like yours, but with an Exaktar 2.0/50mm lens (it may be Japanese), next an Exakta VX 500 (the last real Exakta) with an “aus Jena” Pancolar 2.0 50 ( after a law suit, East Germany couldn’t use the Carl Zeiss name). The third one is the EXAKTA RTL1000 (a Pentacon later cheaper Exakta version)…. But with one of my favorite M42 german lens - the Meyer Optik Gorlitz Oreston 1.8/ 50mm that focuses down to 1.1 feet. This later evolved into Pentacon’s 1.8/50. Try one if you never have… I love it! 13:01 The Domiplan, while a budget built Meyer Optik lens, is actually quite good, as you found…. I like mine! Thanks as always for your nice work… am looking forward to your new ones!
Thank you once again! 😊 Oh nice that sounds amazing! We are lucky enough to have a few of these little stations dotted around near us. It doesn't however go to the coast. It's quite a small line that runs to a castle and back to a small town 😊 Oh nice, you got quite the haul of exaktas and beautiful lenses to go with them! You'll definitely have to blow the dust off and take them back out for a spin! They're great cameras... I haven't actually used mine recently so it will have to come back out with me soon! Thank you again, we've got some really exciting stuff coming up which I hope you'll continue to enjoy! All the best, Josh & Tom
I'm so happy to have found this video. I was gifted my grandpa's Exacta Varex IIa today and it's something I've been waiting for for years. (We lost him in 1997 and I am 52 so when I say waiting for years, well, honestly...) I don't know a lot about this camera and as I can't ask him I'm so grateful that you made this as I found it really helpful. I've subscribed and will be going back to see where you got yours. Thanks again~
Hello! I'm grateful that you found it helpful! I'm sure you will get a lot of love out of it. I really hope you enjoy it ☺️ at least it made it into your hands and you will appreciate it. It will be a lovely memory every time you use it ☺️ there's something special about owning a camera from a family member that has passed. Knowing that you're looking through the same glass that they once did, if only cameras could tell a story and show us what they have seen... Thank you so much for watching a leaving a lovely comment! It means the world to us! Keep us updated with how you get on with it ☺️ Stay safe, happy shooting! Josh
They're absolutely beautiful cameras! I love the feeling of waist level viewfinder, which surprisingly most photographers find annoying. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! ☺️ All the best, Josh
Great video and love how you edited this, and beautiful country! I like that video shot of the view of the composition in the waist level finder we saw in the final photograph. Exakta are one-of-a kind, quirky and unique beautiful cameras, they are absolutely number 1 favourites in my collection.
Hello! Thank you I really appreciate that ☺️ They really are beautiful cameras! I don't get out with mine enough unfortunately 😞 it will be in the bag on the next outing I think ☺️ thanks for watching and commenting! All the best, Josh
Some great shots in this episode. It has really made me want to head out to one our local rural villages around Cape Town and just immerse myself in shooting.
Thank you! Those long awaited summer days I've been waiting for really paid off 😁 Really appreciate you watching and commenting!! Definitely! It's nice to escape and just focus on photography ☺️ the soul needs it! I hope you have a great shoot if you do or have decided to! Thanks again! Stay safe, happy shooting.
Hey Claire, I'm very sorry I missed your comment! I use a Gossen external light meter or a light meter app on my phone if I forget to pack my Gossen 😂 hope this helps! All the best, Josh
Thanks for the brief demo of these interesting cameras. I don't have one, but similarly I lovevusing the WLF on my medium formats (Yadhica D and Bronica GS-1).
Thank you for watching!!! I really appreciate it. Oh nice! That's a great bit of kit! I've always used TLRs and recently got into the bronica so it only made sense for me to try these! If you ever get the chance to acquire one I'd definitely jump at the chance! Thanks again, all the best and happy shooting! Josh
@@OnlyAnalogue However I have a love/hate relationship with my Sputnik medium format stereo camera (also has a WLF). It is effectively the only option for 120 roll film for shooting stereo pairs, but it is very poorly machined and a real pain to use.
Pleasure to find your channel. That Varex is a gorgeous thing... i'd love one as a 'special occasion' shooter - which would be every time i picked it up. Interesting what you said about the Domiplan. I got one of the horrible little things a few months ago because i'd wasted some old ladies time in a charity store - getting her to drag out all the old camera bits she could find - and i bought it (out of guilt) for nothing with some anonymous Practika attached. I've shot it a few times on digital and thought nothing of it... but i've not really stopped it down or shot it on film - i'll give it a go. Really nice vid - Lkd&Subd. All the best from a cabin in a swamp in a rainforest in New Zealand.
Hey! They're lovely little cameras, it's one of those cameras where I like everything even down to the sounds it makes ☺️ Oh nice, I've got a couple of domiplan. The other is an M42 mount, the weird thing is that you can make some amazing work with it. I didn't like mine at first, I feel like it needs the right situation/composition to look good if that makes sense? Thank very much for watching and subscribing ☺️ it means a lot! Oh no way, I'd do absolutely anything to be back in New Zealand! Can't wait to get back and shoot some film there 😁 All the best! Josh ✌️
@@OnlyAnalogue I understand exactly what you mean in attending to the needs of the lens with regard to matching it to the situation. I have a lens that is horrible 99% of the time, but i'm learning that there are situations, for which it was probably never intended, where it creates... oddly 'stimulating' images. It's only real redeeming quality the rest of the time is its epic build and its outrageous absurdity - i actually love using it... or just seeing it on a camera even. (That takes care of the Soviet MTO 550mm f8.5 mirror!). Great that you've visited NZ. If and when you do decide to return, do make sure to let us know (barring death, i'll still be a subscriber). We live in one of the most fabulously photogenic places you'll ever find - a coastal rainforest in Taranaki on the west coast of the North Island. It's madness 24/7/365. You'll be welcome to bunk down for a day or six. All the best!
Great video. Have a Varex (VX) IIB with both prism and wlf. I'm left handed so have no problem using it! Interested to see your results with the domiplan, will retry using it.
Thank you very much! Really appreciate you taking the time to watch ☺️ oh nice, I looked into the prism finder but as I said in the video, I have far too much fun with it as a wlf ☺️ might be worth me getting one for those eye level shots though! All of the black and white in the video were from the domiplan ☺️ Thanks again! Stay safe, happy shooting ✌️
The sunny 16 rule through this waist level finder shows me a blown out image but that setting renders a good photo with a prism camera, does this camera as a view finder deviate from standard SLR rules? My exakata gives me a good photo one time then another its blown out.
The waist level view finder on my Exakta has a Sports viewing option: A port on the front of the view finder can open so you can look through like a traditional eye-level finder but not like a pentaprism. Does your camera not have this feature?
It's a tough one. They both have certain qualities that make them enjoyable. The vx1000 however does have a much brighter viewfinder making it a bit easier to shoot with 🙂
Hey, how strange... Could potentially be a problem with your shutter curtain? It's hard to say without looking at it. Might be worth getting it properly looked at ☺️ All the best, Josh
@@OnlyAnalogue should the film go over or under the sprockets?, then the film counter does this weird thing of jumping. The previous owner said it was good the last time he used it.
You should wrap them up in some kinda cloth in your backpack so they are not clanking against each other.. 70+ year old cameras are not easy to find parts for ... And you most likely will not find NEW parts for them. I have three of them and love mine.. If I take two of them with me they have there own compartments and are wrapped up so they do not smack into anything and take a chance of scratching the lens or something.. But its cool to see you using these :).. Fun cameras to use .. Also I hear one of yours making the dreaded shutter squeak sound.. All of mine did that when I got them and when testing there shutter speeds they where all slower then should be lol.. A good service and all will be good for many years to come.. Feel lucky your shutter clothes are still good.. Two of mine had pin holes in the shutter clothes and needed replacement and that was not cheap lol. But the funny and ironic thing is after having them serviced the darn things live up to there name every shutter speed is quite close to being "Exact" lol. They are die hard cameras and after a good servicing can give many years of great photos . Gotta love the simpler days of mechanical cameras :).
I did have them in separate padded compartments don't worry ☺️ but for the purpose of the video I had them out in the bag so I could do quick changes for footage at certain locations ☺️ They will be taken such good care of I can assure you ☺️ Yeah, it's funny you say that... I did wonder about the squeak. I'll have them looked at in the near future I'm sure. But for now they're great fun!! You can't deny the mechanical goodness. My favourite cameras are almost all fully mechanical ☺️ Thanks for watching! I really appreciate it! Josh
Old cars, old guitars, old cameras, they all hold a certain fascination, Josh, and I think that it's our duty, as film photographers, to keep these old machines working for as long as possible.
I personally have spent more money than a camera is worth to have it repaired. CLA'd, just to ensure that it will still be useable long after I've gone.
We hold the future of film photography in our hands, it's up to us to keep it going, both by shooting film but also by saving cameras.
You have 2 fine machines there, cherish them for they have history in their bones.
Cheers
George
Hey George!
Very well said... Beautiful in fact! I couldn't of put it better myself.
You're definitely spot on! I'd love for these to be passed on after I'm gone... But I also often wonder, when holding the cameras.. what stories they hold and what they might of seen from owners hands they've passed through so far. I went into it a little bit in my video with the poem (through the glass) That was partly the idea behind it at least!
I hope you're well and it's great to hear from you as always!
Josh ☺️
Love your beautiful, and or quirky fun rural settings! The Railway shots are of interest to me, and I’ve visited vintage Rail museums, and sites in England! Was there a qwik vid of the restored British Pullman train there?! Four friends & I from the Midwest US, rode the Venice Simplon Orient Express train deluxe, from Venice to Brussels, then the British Pullman out of Victoria Station, to the Channel coast, and back!
Anyway… back to cameras….
I’m working my way through your great vids…. So when I saw the Exakta name pop up, I went and grabbed three of mine off a dusty shelf, to follow along.
One is the VX IIa like yours, but with an Exaktar 2.0/50mm lens (it may be Japanese), next an Exakta VX 500 (the last real Exakta) with an “aus Jena” Pancolar 2.0 50 ( after a law suit, East Germany couldn’t use the Carl Zeiss name).
The third one is the EXAKTA RTL1000 (a Pentacon later cheaper Exakta version)…. But with one of my favorite M42 german lens - the Meyer Optik Gorlitz Oreston 1.8/ 50mm that focuses down to 1.1 feet. This later evolved into Pentacon’s 1.8/50. Try one if you never have… I love it! 13:01
The Domiplan, while a budget built Meyer Optik lens, is actually quite good, as you found…. I like mine!
Thanks as always for your nice work… am looking forward to your new ones!
Thank you once again! 😊
Oh nice that sounds amazing! We are lucky enough to have a few of these little stations dotted around near us. It doesn't however go to the coast. It's quite a small line that runs to a castle and back to a small town 😊
Oh nice, you got quite the haul of exaktas and beautiful lenses to go with them! You'll definitely have to blow the dust off and take them back out for a spin! They're great cameras... I haven't actually used mine recently so it will have to come back out with me soon!
Thank you again, we've got some really exciting stuff coming up which I hope you'll continue to enjoy!
All the best, Josh & Tom
I'm so happy to have found this video. I was gifted my grandpa's Exacta Varex IIa today and it's something I've been waiting for for years. (We lost him in 1997 and I am 52 so when I say waiting for years, well, honestly...) I don't know a lot about this camera and as I can't ask him I'm so grateful that you made this as I found it really helpful. I've subscribed and will be going back to see where you got yours. Thanks again~
Hello! I'm grateful that you found it helpful! I'm sure you will get a lot of love out of it. I really hope you enjoy it ☺️ at least it made it into your hands and you will appreciate it. It will be a lovely memory every time you use it ☺️ there's something special about owning a camera from a family member that has passed. Knowing that you're looking through the same glass that they once did, if only cameras could tell a story and show us what they have seen...
Thank you so much for watching a leaving a lovely comment! It means the world to us! Keep us updated with how you get on with it ☺️
Stay safe, happy shooting!
Josh
fun to see people still use those old cameras...my first slr..was a Topcon re super...those cameras had exata bayonet
They're absolutely beautiful cameras! I love the feeling of waist level viewfinder, which surprisingly most photographers find annoying.
Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! ☺️
All the best,
Josh
You were at the Kent and East Sussex railway. Photogenic place. And St Mary in the Marsh. Good photos.
I was indeed! Well spotted 🙂
Thank you very much! Really appreciate you watching and commenting
Great video and love how you edited this, and beautiful country! I like that video shot of the view of the composition in the waist level finder we saw in the final photograph. Exakta are one-of-a kind, quirky and unique beautiful cameras, they are absolutely number 1 favourites in my collection.
Hello! Thank you I really appreciate that ☺️
They really are beautiful cameras! I don't get out with mine enough unfortunately 😞 it will be in the bag on the next outing I think ☺️ thanks for watching and commenting!
All the best,
Josh
Some great shots in this episode. It has really made me want to head out to one our local rural villages around Cape Town and just immerse myself in shooting.
Thank you! Those long awaited summer days I've been waiting for really paid off 😁 Really appreciate you watching and commenting!!
Definitely! It's nice to escape and just focus on photography ☺️ the soul needs it! I hope you have a great shoot if you do or have decided to!
Thanks again! Stay safe, happy shooting.
I also like waist level finders on SLR’s!
Can i ask you, Do you use an exposure meter for this model ?
Hey Claire, I'm very sorry I missed your comment!
I use a Gossen external light meter or a light meter app on my phone if I forget to pack my Gossen 😂 hope this helps!
All the best,
Josh
Love this Josh! Always make sure to watch your videos when I see them in my feed and they just get better everytime! 👏🏼
Thanks Dale! Really appreciate you watching ☺️
They're definitely getting there now, it's never a chore and has become an escape from everything! ✌️
Thanks for the brief demo of these interesting cameras. I don't have one, but similarly I lovevusing the WLF on my medium formats (Yadhica D and Bronica GS-1).
Thank you for watching!!! I really appreciate it.
Oh nice! That's a great bit of kit! I've always used TLRs and recently got into the bronica so it only made sense for me to try these! If you ever get the chance to acquire one I'd definitely jump at the chance!
Thanks again, all the best and happy shooting!
Josh
@@OnlyAnalogue However I have a love/hate relationship with my Sputnik medium format stereo camera (also has a WLF). It is effectively the only option for 120 roll film for shooting stereo pairs, but it is very poorly machined and a real pain to use.
Pleasure to find your channel. That Varex is a gorgeous thing... i'd love one as a 'special occasion' shooter - which would be every time i picked it up. Interesting what you said about the Domiplan. I got one of the horrible little things a few months ago because i'd wasted some old ladies time in a charity store - getting her to drag out all the old camera bits she could find - and i bought it (out of guilt) for nothing with some anonymous Practika attached. I've shot it a few times on digital and thought nothing of it... but i've not really stopped it down or shot it on film - i'll give it a go. Really nice vid - Lkd&Subd. All the best from a cabin in a swamp in a rainforest in New Zealand.
Hey! They're lovely little cameras, it's one of those cameras where I like everything even down to the sounds it makes ☺️
Oh nice, I've got a couple of domiplan. The other is an M42 mount, the weird thing is that you can make some amazing work with it. I didn't like mine at first, I feel like it needs the right situation/composition to look good if that makes sense?
Thank very much for watching and subscribing ☺️ it means a lot!
Oh no way, I'd do absolutely anything to be back in New Zealand! Can't wait to get back and shoot some film there 😁
All the best!
Josh ✌️
@@OnlyAnalogue I understand exactly what you mean in attending to the needs of the lens with regard to matching it to the situation. I have a lens that is horrible 99% of the time, but i'm learning that there are situations, for which it was probably never intended, where it creates... oddly 'stimulating' images. It's only real redeeming quality the rest of the time is its epic build and its outrageous absurdity - i actually love using it... or just seeing it on a camera even. (That takes care of the Soviet MTO 550mm f8.5 mirror!).
Great that you've visited NZ. If and when you do decide to return, do make sure to let us know (barring death, i'll still be a subscriber). We live in one of the most fabulously photogenic places you'll ever find - a coastal rainforest in Taranaki on the west coast of the North Island. It's madness 24/7/365. You'll be welcome to bunk down for a day or six. All the best!
Great video. Have a Varex (VX) IIB with both prism and wlf. I'm left handed so have no problem using it! Interested to see your results with the domiplan, will retry using it.
Thank you very much! Really appreciate you taking the time to watch ☺️ oh nice, I looked into the prism finder but as I said in the video, I have far too much fun with it as a wlf ☺️ might be worth me getting one for those eye level shots though!
All of the black and white in the video were from the domiplan ☺️
Thanks again! Stay safe, happy shooting ✌️
The sunny 16 rule through this waist level finder shows me a blown out image but that setting renders a good photo with a prism camera, does this camera as a view finder deviate from standard SLR rules? My exakata gives me a good photo one time then another its blown out.
The waist level view finder on my Exakta has a Sports viewing option: A port on the front of the view finder can open so you can look through like a traditional eye-level finder but not like a pentaprism. Does your camera not have this feature?
cool Exakta Varex :-) nice
Thank you! They're lovely cameras ☺️
Ok, Im getting accostomed to the loading now, its still tricky because sometimes I dont feel the tension to signal the end of the roll.
Do you have a preference on which body you like shooting better?
It's a tough one. They both have certain qualities that make them enjoyable. The vx1000 however does have a much brighter viewfinder making it a bit easier to shoot with 🙂
Beautiful location! Where is this place?
Thank you, it's a nice part of the world...
Now that would be telling 😜
There's a few locations in this video but they're mostly around Rye in Sussex.
Why is this camera giving me a hard time loading? 1st time using it the roll came back blank, 2nd using it all but 5 came out and they were all blue.
Hey, how strange... Could potentially be a problem with your shutter curtain? It's hard to say without looking at it. Might be worth getting it properly looked at ☺️
All the best,
Josh
@@OnlyAnalogue i just shot two rolls again, lets see how they come out. Its a nightmare loading right to left.
@@OnlyAnalogue should the film go over or under the sprockets?, then the film counter does this weird thing of jumping. The previous owner said it was good the last time he used it.
You should wrap them up in some kinda cloth in your backpack so they are not clanking against each other.. 70+ year old cameras are not easy to find parts for ... And you most likely will not find NEW parts for them. I have three of them and love mine.. If I take two of them with me they have there own compartments and are wrapped up so they do not smack into anything and take a chance of scratching the lens or something.. But its cool to see you using these :).. Fun cameras to use .. Also I hear one of yours making the dreaded shutter squeak sound.. All of mine did that when I got them and when testing there shutter speeds they where all slower then should be lol.. A good service and all will be good for many years to come.. Feel lucky your shutter clothes are still good.. Two of mine had pin holes in the shutter clothes and needed replacement and that was not cheap lol. But the funny and ironic thing is after having them serviced the darn things live up to there name every shutter speed is quite close to being "Exact" lol. They are die hard cameras and after a good servicing can give many years of great photos . Gotta love the simpler days of mechanical cameras :).
I did have them in separate padded compartments don't worry ☺️ but for the purpose of the video I had them out in the bag so I could do quick changes for footage at certain locations ☺️
They will be taken such good care of I can assure you ☺️
Yeah, it's funny you say that... I did wonder about the squeak. I'll have them looked at in the near future I'm sure. But for now they're great fun!!
You can't deny the mechanical goodness. My favourite cameras are almost all fully mechanical ☺️
Thanks for watching! I really appreciate it!
Josh
Make a video on how to load this camera.