I enjoyed the history. I have an Omega 4x5 enlarger. I can see why the camera was popular for wedding photographers. Fast reloads, big negative to 4x5 & 8x10 proportions, ergonomic, big rangefinder for fast focus. I used a C330 and a 500c plus a Rolleiflex but the big 6x7 seems ideal. What a tank too! Thanks for posting this.
This is great presentation about these very underestimated cameras. I own a few of them with all available lenses (which give superb results). It's worth to mention that Rapid Omega M was sold in Japan under name Konica Press 2.
Really cool seeing this! I owned this camera in 1983 when I was in junior high. Used it for yearbook sports photography briefly. The push-pull film advance on mine was unreliable and often gave me overlapping frames. Definitely an unusual camera and so charming that you chose to review one. Loved your photos, especially the B&W ones. One thing you didn’t mention is that it is an interchangeable lens camera. The built-in knob controlled darkslide is rather novel and makes a weird clacking sound when you close it to protect the film before you unmount the lens. Anyway, great video and looking forward to many more!
That's so great that you used one of these back in the '80s! Yes, I forgot to mention a few things about the camera that I meant to talk about. The body shutter for changing lenses was something I forgot to demonstrate!
I bought one of these for the same reason you did, and have grown to love it already after just 6 or so rolls of film. Man oh man is it heavy! But worth the work-out
Another interesting camera that I had never heard of. Well done, and I notice that you have passed your first thousand subscribers. Congratulations...richly deserved.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your comment. I try to present what interests me, and also what might not already be receiving a lot of coverage on RUclips.
Thank you! One of these days I want to do a full day of just taking photos around Astoria, like you've done in your videos. It's such a great town for shooting!
The Mamiya Press cameras are quite similar (if a little bigger). I have a Super 23 version with both 6x7 and 6x9 backs and find it really nice to use. The Super 23 also has some built in movements, but requires that you use a ground glass back to make the most of that function.
My dad was a commercial photographer and the Koni was one of his favorites. He primarily used it to take pictures of weddings and Bar Mitzvahs. After he passed away I sold it. The store that bought his equipment paid pennies on the dollar. At that time digital photography was taking off and no one was interested in large format film cameras that were heavily used.
That's great to hear about your personal connection with this camera through your dad. Yes, I also sold a number of film cameras for almost nothing back when digital was taking over, and I still regret it!
These were very popular with wedding photographers. They were are fast to use snd had multiple backs that could be loaded ahead of time. There is also a slot in the back to stowe the dark slide.
@@oddballcamera Good to know this, as I have used them several times before. I heard that Weber retired, and I suffered a bit of angst over having stalled getting my film backs CLA'd until he after he quit.
@@randallstewart1224 Yes, Weber definitely retired, I had contacted him to work on my camera a few years ago but he said he was no longer taking in work.
@@oddballcamera Indeed, I found a tutorial on CLA'ing the clutch of the backs, which is awesome. I did realize that despite putting a few rolls through the camera, I had improperly loaded my two most recent rolls by aligning the arrows on the wrong side. Spacing issue fixed!
@@liamteh3rd This is an issue. It results from the fact that the little red indexing marks inside the film back are not usually located where they are apparent and easily found. Another issue is that the location of the indexing marks seems to be different between some backs. The final problem is that about half the YT videos which claim to show how to load film in the back either make no effort to index the "Start" on the film backing paper, or they use an improper reference. Best practice: Download a manual for your version of the camera and review film loading technique. (This is another reason why using 220 backs, which are a dime a dozen, to load 120 film does not work.)
@@liamteh3rd Perhaps I should have been less "absolute" in my comment. The backs can develop spacing issues, probably more from dirt and dried lube than wear and tear. A film which is not properly indexed at loading may lose a frame or two at the beginning or end of the roll, but it would not have frame overlaps or uncommonly wide gaps between frames.
The Simmon Omega 120 you mentioned is also a great camera if you can find one in decent condition. They are pretty simple to fix if you are handy too. Much lighter than the Koni Omega 120, has a killer Tessar design lens with great bokeh and just as oddball looking.
That's really great to hear. I would love to have one of those cameras also someday, if I can find a good one. I understand that the bodies were made out of magnesium, which is why they are so lightweight for their size.
@@oddballcamera The version sold to the public in the early 1950s is noted for its considerable use of Bakelite, an early hard plastic, for non-structural parts. This was a weight-saving innovation for its time. The shutter and lens were supplied by Wollensak in NY. The lens is a very good Tessar-copy. The final camera is a clear leader in the "most ugly camera ever" category.
See above reference. I've used them to CLA several of my Pentax 67 bodies and prism meters. My work has always been solid. (They did recalibrate one of my prism meters off by exactly one stop, but the owner personally redid and corrected the mistake in about 10 minutes while I waited, complete with apology.)
I enjoyed the history. I have an Omega 4x5 enlarger. I can see why the camera was popular for wedding photographers. Fast reloads, big negative to 4x5 & 8x10 proportions, ergonomic, big rangefinder for fast focus. I used a C330 and a 500c plus a Rolleiflex but the big 6x7 seems ideal. What a tank too! Thanks for posting this.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, thank you for the comments!
This is great presentation about these very underestimated cameras. I own a few of them with all available lenses (which give superb results).
It's worth to mention that Rapid Omega M was sold in Japan under name Konica Press 2.
@@pitherh8059 Thanks for your comments, really appreciated! Yes good point about the sale of the camera in Japan by Konica under a different name.
Really cool seeing this! I owned this camera in 1983 when I was in junior high. Used it for yearbook sports photography briefly. The push-pull film advance on mine was unreliable and often gave me overlapping frames. Definitely an unusual camera and so charming that you chose to review one. Loved your photos, especially the B&W ones. One thing you didn’t mention is that it is an interchangeable lens camera. The built-in knob controlled darkslide is rather novel and makes a weird clacking sound when you close it to protect the film before you unmount the lens. Anyway, great video and looking forward to many more!
That's so great that you used one of these back in the '80s! Yes, I forgot to mention a few things about the camera that I meant to talk about. The body shutter for changing lenses was something I forgot to demonstrate!
I bought one of these for the same reason you did, and have grown to love it already after just 6 or so rolls of film. Man oh man is it heavy! But worth the work-out
Yes! I have actually been a little surprised at how much I love shooting with this camera. But yes it's definitely a workout!
Dude, thank you so much for your review! Now I really want this beauty
Awesome, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the very interesting video!
Another interesting camera that I had never heard of. Well done, and I notice that you have passed your first thousand subscribers. Congratulations...richly deserved.
Thank you, I really appreciate it!
Glad I found your channel, so refreshing compared to the rest of RUclips’s analogue photography ecosystem. 🍻
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your comment. I try to present what interests me, and also what might not already be receiving a lot of coverage on RUclips.
Fascinating and thought provoking, as always! We really enjoy your posts. Thank you!
Thank you, I really appreciate your feedback!
Great stuff! Loved the detailed run down on the history of the camera! You also got some great photos in Astoria!
Thank you! One of these days I want to do a full day of just taking photos around Astoria, like you've done in your videos. It's such a great town for shooting!
Wir haben definitiv den besten Bundeskanzler ever, jetzt reviewt der auch noch Kameras! Find ich mega gut, weiter so!
Great video, I'd heard about this camera but I never knew it's background. Many thanks for a well researched and informative presentation!
Thank you! I try to provide researched information as much as possible.
The Mamiya Press cameras are quite similar (if a little bigger).
I have a Super 23 version with both 6x7 and 6x9 backs and find it really nice to use.
The Super 23 also has some built in movements, but requires that you use a ground glass back to make the most of that function.
The Mamiya Press cameras are very interesting for sure! I'd love to get my hands on a Super 23 someday. Nice camera!
My dad was a commercial photographer and the Koni was one of his favorites. He primarily used it to take pictures of weddings and Bar Mitzvahs. After he passed away I sold it. The store that bought his equipment paid pennies on the dollar. At that time digital photography was taking off and no one was interested in large format film cameras that were heavily used.
That's great to hear about your personal connection with this camera through your dad. Yes, I also sold a number of film cameras for almost nothing back when digital was taking over, and I still regret it!
Another great video!
Thanks Dave! More on the way...stay tuned
These were very popular with wedding photographers. They were are fast to use snd had multiple backs that could be loaded ahead of time.
There is also a slot in the back to stowe the dark slide.
You are in near me! Do you have any suggestions on where to get the back serviced? Thanks!
Yes, I had the back on my camera serviced by Advance Camera Repair in Portland, OR. They did great work at a reasonable price. Good luck!
Thank you!
@@oddballcamera Good to know this, as I have used them several times before. I heard that Weber retired, and I suffered a bit of angst over having stalled getting my film backs CLA'd until he after he quit.
@@randallstewart1224 Yes, Weber definitely retired, I had contacted him to work on my camera a few years ago but he said he was no longer taking in work.
Great stuff!
Thank you!
I used one in the Navy in the early 80s.
I’ve been rehabbing a Rapid M slowly, I believe both my lenses are working now, but the film magazine is having spacing issues now lol
That's awesome that you're bringing a Rapid M back to life! Yeah I guess frame spacing issues is a relatively common problem with these.
@@oddballcamera Indeed, I found a tutorial on CLA'ing the clutch of the backs, which is awesome. I did realize that despite putting a few rolls through the camera, I had improperly loaded my two most recent rolls by aligning the arrows on the wrong side. Spacing issue fixed!
@@liamteh3rd This is an issue. It results from the fact that the little red indexing marks inside the film back are not usually located where they are apparent and easily found. Another issue is that the location of the indexing marks seems to be different between some backs. The final problem is that about half the YT videos which claim to show how to load film in the back either make no effort to index the "Start" on the film backing paper, or they use an improper reference. Best practice: Download a manual for your version of the camera and review film loading technique. (This is another reason why using 220 backs, which are a dime a dozen, to load 120 film does not work.)
@@randallstewart1224 Thank you so much for your advice, I'll find a copy of the manual to download for future reference!
@@liamteh3rd Perhaps I should have been less "absolute" in my comment. The backs can develop spacing issues, probably more from dirt and dried lube than wear and tear. A film which is not properly indexed at loading may lose a frame or two at the beginning or end of the roll, but it would not have frame overlaps or uncommonly wide gaps between frames.
I could be wrong, but I think Magnum photographer Martin Parr used one of these quite often.
Ah, very interesting! I didn't know that he used this camera in his work. Thanks for sharing!
The Simmon Omega 120 you mentioned is also a great camera if you can find one in decent condition. They are pretty simple to fix if you are handy too. Much lighter than the Koni Omega 120, has a killer Tessar design lens with great bokeh and just as oddball looking.
That's really great to hear. I would love to have one of those cameras also someday, if I can find a good one. I understand that the bodies were made out of magnesium, which is why they are so lightweight for their size.
@@oddballcamera The version sold to the public in the early 1950s is noted for its considerable use of Bakelite, an early hard plastic, for non-structural parts. This was a weight-saving innovation for its time. The shutter and lens were supplied by Wollensak in NY. The lens is a very good Tessar-copy. The final camera is a clear leader in the "most ugly camera ever" category.
I've got a Rapid M that I bought a long time ago for $100. Still have it but never use it. When I did use it, the images were very sharp.
Love this camera to bits! If anyone happens to know someone that can repair a Koni Omega and their lenses would be greatly appreciated!
@@spencerstone7696 I had mine repaired by Advance Camera Repair in Portland, Oregon.
See above reference. I've used them to CLA several of my Pentax 67 bodies and prism meters. My work has always been solid. (They did recalibrate one of my prism meters off by exactly one stop, but the owner personally redid and corrected the mistake in about 10 minutes while I waited, complete with apology.)
I have a Rapid M that's been sitting in a box for over a decade. Maybe it's time to let it out for a ramble.
Yes definitely time to take it out for a little fun!
It is cheap only as long as you consider body+90mm. Once you try to aquire other lenses and some accessories, you are very fast out of budget.
@@MezeiEugen Yes very true! I have the 58mm lens and it cost me more than the camera and 90mm together.