I spent most of the time from 1970 through 2003 with Canon FD-series cameras and lenses, but for a while also used a Topcon Super DM with their 58/f1.4 prime. Outstanding results, great lenses. If I was to go back to film shooting again...
I actually have 2.5 of the cameras on this list. I have a Topcon Super D with a fabulous 58/1.4 lens, and a Revue 400 SE (hence the half). The Topcon is interesting because it was the first SLR that metered off the mirror. The Revue is a very compact rangefinder with a 40/1.7 lens, similar to a Yashica Electro model.
My first real camera was a $5.00 Mercury II, I bought from a friend in 1961 - loved it several years later I sold it to another friend for the same price. The shutter was based on a motion picture camera shutter.
Photo and Video is local-ish camera store for me in my old home city. Great guys and years of experience. If you travel to NZ they are the best when it comes to 2n'd hand digital & analogue.
Everytime a celebrity uses a film camera it becomes popular again. Jeff bridges is the spokes person for the Widelux and he will probably make bank on that. Nikon was King back in the manual film camera days and the fans followed them into the auto Nikon film cameras and the digital market. Nikon not so much now though with all their problems.
He has used the original Widelux for nearly 60 years. He is not just a spokesperson, but the reason why the camera is in production again. He spent the money and hired the people to make it happen.
@@kmoecub So he was a teenager when he started using it if he used it as you say for nearly 60 years? And I was replying to Broncs comment on it and jeffbridges. As if it was a joke.
Me either. I might have to break my pledge to not buy another camera this year. [EDIT] with asking prices nearing and exceeding $1,000 U.S., I won't be buying one (I could buy 30 half-frame 35mm cameras instead). I'd be better off making a one-off facsimile with the parts and machine tools that I have on hand. It would be easy to build an internal mask to convert an existing 35mm 1/2 camera to square frame, even though some of the film would be wasted because of frame spacing.
Always wondered about the Univex Mercury series -- will try to snag one just to have one! (maybe use it if it works) Would love to see a video from you on the cameras that you like so much that you would fix them for free if we sent you broken examples of them (and of course you would return them to us fully working!).... 🙃🙃🙃🙃
Who would you recommend for my TLR to be CLA? I ordered a olympusflex 2.8 and can't find any information on the camera or find anyone offering to do the service for them
Great video. I'm nuts about unusual cameras. I own a Robot Royal 36, but it's full frame 24x36mm, not square format. It's a beautiful camera with a great Schneider lens. The build quality is on par with Leica.
How about the Voigtländer ...Vito series, the Vitomatic with Ultron and Septon lenses, the Bessa for medium format, and the Perkeo? Not many people remember that before being acquired by Cosina in the 70's, Voigtländer was the oldest camera and optical company in the world. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on that.
@RompingBronco Hello, I bought a Pentax MG and I have a problem with the frame counter. It keeps showing the number 36. After opening the back cover and pressing the pin several times to reset the counter, unfortunately nothing changes. Can you show/write how to deal with this?
I think the widelux will as expensive as a Leica and that will cause a lot of complaints. But why, you can bay a Holga 135 pan. It is also a brand new panoramic camera but cheaper. And you can join the Holga week. And it is for sale now.
The Widelux does everything that a Leica cannot do. They have always been expensive, but have always been worth it for photographers who want to shoot panoramas.
I own one of those Revue 35 cc camera's. I tested it once and its great actually a pretty damn sharp lens for being that small. They used the same lens in a lot of their cameras including a reskin of a chinon 3001 point and shoot that people know that Wisecup guy for using. I also really like how the revue focuses its got a like semi stop point at the hyper focal distance mark and a short throw after that to infinity. So I can almost focus it without looking. I have a flash for it too attaches like an XA flash but it doesn't work.
It's not 'Gaf', it's 'GEE AY EFF'... they're initials.for something I forgot about decades ago. Henry Fonda used to make commercials for their film and cameras.
Mercury did bring out one model that had a 1500 of a second shelter speed. Not for very long in there weren't very many of them but did It does And? They are really not bad cameras. Nice video keep it up
That new Widelux is going to cost at least $3k. I'd rather buy a Soviet Horizon camera for $300, or even go all the way back to the Kodak Panoram, just for the "100 year-old panorama camera" factor.
The Mercury I used 35mm film, but required proprietary cassettes. I hope that this video doesn't result in them becoming unaffordable. The Mercury II (and even the Mercury before it) are amazing cameras. I find them to be ergonomic (though not so much as cameras from the 1970's). The exterior look is a result of the aluminum alloy that was used and has no bearing on their ability to function reliably. They were not at all a cheaply produced camera. Fun fact: Univex was one of the preeminent U.S. camera companies of the era (the others being Kodak, Argus, and Graflex). They only failed because some executive wanted to make the best 16mm still camera in the world , and failed. It was a good move given the economics of a postwar world (especially for the export market), but spending far too much money to develop that camera and have to re-engineer a second iteration once the first was proven to be a flop resulted in the company not being able to survive. I continue to wonder what would have happened if the company had spent that money on improving the Mercury.
Contax II/III with or without the a have a top speed of 1/1250. as to how accurate it ever was, and how accurate that is today remains to be scene... Get one and test it out on your Ravini!
"Fun fact" Cosina made limited run of Topcon 58mm tribute lens, which allegedly served as a prototype for modern voigtlander 58mm f1.4 Right now I'm following one Voigtlander 58mm 1.4 on local market. I'm torn, in one hand I am satisfied with mine Nikon 50mm f2 AI in other hand I am curious about Voigtlander
I spent most of the time from 1970 through 2003 with Canon FD-series cameras and lenses, but for a while also used a Topcon Super DM with their 58/f1.4 prime. Outstanding results, great lenses. If I was to go back to film shooting again...
I actually have 2.5 of the cameras on this list. I have a Topcon Super D with a fabulous 58/1.4 lens, and a Revue 400 SE (hence the half).
The Topcon is interesting because it was the first SLR that metered off the mirror. The Revue is a very compact rangefinder with a 40/1.7 lens, similar to a Yashica Electro model.
My first real camera was a $5.00 Mercury II, I bought from a friend in 1961 - loved it several years later I sold it to another friend for the same price. The shutter was based on a motion picture camera shutter.
Photo and Video is local-ish camera store for me in my old home city. Great guys and years of experience. If you travel to NZ they are the best when it comes to 2n'd hand digital & analogue.
Everytime a celebrity uses a film camera it becomes popular again. Jeff bridges is the spokes person for the Widelux and he will probably make bank on that. Nikon was King back in the manual film camera days and the fans followed them into the auto Nikon film cameras and the digital market. Nikon not so much now though with all their problems.
He has used the original Widelux for nearly 60 years. He is not just a spokesperson, but the reason why the camera is in production again. He spent the money and hired the people to make it happen.
@@kmoecub So he was a teenager when he started using it if he used it as you say for nearly 60 years? And I was replying to Broncs comment on it and jeffbridges. As if it was a joke.
Very interesting, thank you. I had no idea there was a square format 35mm camera…
Me either. I might have to break my pledge to not buy another camera this year.
[EDIT] with asking prices nearing and exceeding $1,000 U.S., I won't be buying one (I could buy 30 half-frame 35mm cameras instead). I'd be better off making a one-off facsimile with the parts and machine tools that I have on hand. It would be easy to build an internal mask to convert an existing 35mm 1/2 camera to square frame, even though some of the film would be wasted because of frame spacing.
Always wondered about the Univex Mercury series -- will try to snag one just to have one! (maybe use it if it works) Would love to see a video from you on the cameras that you like so much that you would fix them for free if we sent you broken examples of them (and of course you would return them to us fully working!).... 🙃🙃🙃🙃
Who would you recommend for my TLR to be CLA? I ordered a olympusflex 2.8 and can't find any information on the camera or find anyone offering to do the service for them
I think you meant "proliferation."
Bencini is the company. Koroll is the model. Bencini was an Italian camera company from the 1930's to 1980's.
Thanks for making this, I'm off to find an Ansco :) I'd love to hear your views on Kowa - the last of the 35mm leaf shutters
My father was in the UK during the war and shot pics on a Mercury Univex.
That's so cool, if you have any of those photos you'd like to share feel free to send an email, I'd love to check it out!
Great video. I'm nuts about unusual cameras. I own a Robot Royal 36, but it's full frame 24x36mm, not square format. It's a beautiful camera with a great Schneider lens. The build quality is on par with Leica.
The Dude abides.
Thats like, your opinion man
KEH price descending kinna guy - is the fxing move right there.
Every day I stray further from god 😎
How about the Voigtländer ...Vito series, the Vitomatic with Ultron and Septon lenses, the Bessa for medium format, and the Perkeo? Not many people remember that before being acquired by Cosina in the 70's, Voigtländer was the oldest camera and optical company in the world. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on that.
The Univex Mercury II is the love child born of a Leica 1 and a parking meter. I have two of them.
@RompingBronco Hello, I bought a Pentax MG and I have a problem with the frame counter. It keeps showing the number 36. After opening the back cover and pressing the pin several times to reset the counter, unfortunately nothing changes. Can you show/write how to deal with this?
I think the widelux will as expensive as a Leica and that will cause a lot of complaints. But why, you can bay a Holga 135 pan. It is also a brand new panoramic camera but cheaper. And you can join the Holga week. And it is for sale now.
The Widelux does everything that a Leica cannot do. They have always been expensive, but have always been worth it for photographers who want to shoot panoramas.
I own one of those Revue 35 cc camera's. I tested it once and its great actually a pretty damn sharp lens for being that small. They used the same lens in a lot of their cameras including a reskin of a chinon 3001 point and shoot that people know that Wisecup guy for using. I also really like how the revue focuses its got a like semi stop point at the hyper focal distance mark and a short throw after that to infinity. So I can almost focus it without looking. I have a flash for it too attaches like an XA flash but it doesn't work.
It's not 'Gaf', it's 'GEE AY EFF'... they're initials.for something I forgot about decades ago. Henry Fonda used to make commercials for their film and cameras.
'General Aniline & Film'... and the company still exists, making mostly roofing materials, of all things.
Mercury did bring out one model that had a 1500 of a second shelter speed.
Not for very long in there weren't very many of them but did It does And?
They are really not bad cameras. Nice video keep it up
The Ansco ATF tlr i a very fine camera. Solid with great optix. Sell for
I think laughing off the widelux is the right move - seriously. Also the robots are definitely bangers.
That new Widelux is going to cost at least $3k. I'd rather buy a Soviet Horizon camera for $300, or even go all the way back to the Kodak Panoram, just for the "100 year-old panorama camera" factor.
The Mercury I used 35mm film, but required proprietary cassettes.
I hope that this video doesn't result in them becoming unaffordable. The Mercury II (and even the Mercury before it) are amazing cameras. I find them to be ergonomic (though not so much as cameras from the 1970's). The exterior look is a result of the aluminum alloy that was used and has no bearing on their ability to function reliably. They were not at all a cheaply produced camera.
Fun fact: Univex was one of the preeminent U.S. camera companies of the era (the others being Kodak, Argus, and Graflex). They only failed because some executive wanted to make the best 16mm still camera in the world , and failed. It was a good move given the economics of a postwar world (especially for the export market), but spending far too much money to develop that camera and have to re-engineer a second iteration once the first was proven to be a flop resulted in the company not being able to survive. I continue to wonder what would have happened if the company had spent that money on improving the Mercury.
I would be interested in hearing some stories about “format wars” for cameras
Contax II/III with or without the a have a top speed of 1/1250. as to how accurate it ever was, and how accurate that is today remains to be scene... Get one and test it out on your Ravini!
I can only agree on the Robot camera, not the other ones...
The topcon 58mm f1.4 lens is supposed to be amazing. The modern voigtlander nokton 58mm f1.4 (nikon f-mount) is a copy of that design
"Fun fact" Cosina made limited run of Topcon 58mm tribute lens, which allegedly served as a prototype for modern voigtlander 58mm f1.4
Right now I'm following one Voigtlander 58mm 1.4 on local market. I'm torn, in one hand I am satisfied with mine Nikon 50mm f2 AI in other hand I am curious about Voigtlander