The OCAU "film is not dead" club

[onrelas]

Originally Posted by djnz

Those markets are held twice a year(Syd/Bris/Melb/Per/Adel/Canb that I know of) and can be good for picking up film gear. The next one here in Melb is Oct I believe. I also managed snagged some Cokin filters for cheap last time so they can be good for other things.

Oh yeah, i saw some cheap filters too but they were above my $10 budget for the day . Next time i'll know what to expect and make more of it. I think theres one coming up in Canberra soon, im considering using it is an excuse for a mini road trip, haha..

Damn nice Leica Alpha. Especailly in black (i still think the red "wart" on them are a bit over the top though) One day i'll step up to them, amazing cameras.

Hey Takumi, i scored my SP off eBay, was bit of a gamble but it payed off. To give an idea of price, there was a pretty beat up one with marks and scratches etc for $310. I got my one for less than half that amount delivered, so i was pretty pleased. Normal silver ones are cheaper but exaclty the same (only the colour is different). As far as trips go, they seem to come on eBay in waves. Sometimes there will be heaps, then other times there will only be a few. Need a bit of luck.

Cheers -spam-, where are you scoring these free things from? Uni? Damn, i need to get in on some of that action, haha

[two40]

/me glares at onrelas.

you don't want an SP. certainly not in that ugly black. i'll take it off your hands for a few bucks.

[-spam-]

Originally Posted by onrelas

Cheers -spam-, where are you scoring these free things from? Uni? Damn, i need to get in on some of that action, haha

Most of my film stuff has come from either knowing the right people or being in the right place at the right time.

The ricoh and all the k mount lenses i have were freebies, both my ricoh rangefinders were as well. The F3, lenses, cokin grads and Metz 45 CT-5 flash were too.

Everything else, i have paid very little for. Will see what i can score from uni when i start next week

[asd]

I thought this was about an OCAU movie that was being made

I shoot with a Sony VX2000 - Not exactly film but hey tape is just lots of film in a cartridge, really

[onrelas]

* List updated

Originally Posted by asd

I thought this was about an OCAU movie that was being made

lol.. have any ideas?

FB008, have you got your f75 yet? I'll add you to the list when you get it
Oh djnz, i forgot to ask what you thought of your Bronica ETRSi. Have you used any other medium format cameras in the past? How does it compare to them?
I'm looking at getting a medium format camera and the ETRSi is on my "short list".
cheers

[Sir poppin]

What's a cheap rangefinder that I could have a play with?

I've been having a look around and the Canonets seem fairly good, but the QL17, which is hyped up the most, seems to go for around $50 up so I'm not sure if it's worth it. The other Canonets, like the junior and 28, go for a bit cheaper but there's not so much hype about them so I'm not sure what to do. I guess I could always resell if it came to it.

Opinions on the Canonets or any other cheapish rangefinders would be cool if anyone has any!

[two40]

i'd recommend the QL17 but not the GIII one as that attracts a higher price and is not as good imo. i'm sure you'll read otherwise everywhere else though but it all comes down to where it was made. GIII = taiwan and earlier QL17 = japan.

copied from another post i made:

of the 40/1.7 QL17's (they did release some with different lens) ---
gen 1 made in japan no test light - marked as QL17
gen 2 made in japan battery test light inside viewfinder - marked as QL17 <--- best one
gen 3 made in taiwan LED battery test light under viewfinder - marked QL17 GIII

or if you really want to be cool buy this:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....MEWA:IT&ih=003

[onrelas]

Originally Posted by Sir poppin

What's a cheap rangefinder that I could have a play with?

I've been having a look around and the Canonets seem fairly good, but the QL17, which is hyped up the most, seems to go for around $50 up so I'm not sure if it's worth it. The other Canonets, like the junior and 28, go for a bit cheaper but there's not so much hype about them so I'm not sure what to do. I guess I could always resell if it came to it.

Opinions on the Canonets or any other cheapish rangefinders would be cool if anyone has any!

Yeah, any Japanese rangefidner from the 70's should be good. Obvously the faster lenses are nice, but if you want something cheaper theres no harm in going for something a bit slower. The optics are pretty nice on alot of cameras that sort of vintage.
Olympus, Canon, Yashica, Konica all have nice cameras that will come in uder your budget.
If you can get a QL17 under budget it'll be nice (the cheapest ive seen one go for is $25), but the QL19's are nice too and cheaper. The Olympus RC's are nice, but seem to be getting more expensive lately. The Yashica Electro 35G series are damn nice, but a little larger than alot of the Canon's and Olympus'.
You cant really go wrong with any rangefinder of that era, but you just have to remember they're not like modern day cameras. Some have quirky conrtols, will need batteries that are hard to find sometimes, and you'll need to get used to manual focus. But they're compact, look and feel cool (i get positive comments all the time when im in the city with a rangefiner), and they're alot of fun

Edit: The Trip that gm:fx posted is pimp! haha

[Sir poppin]

Sweet, thanks for the advice guys! I'll keep an eye out for a Q17 or 19.

Is there anywhere to check what sort of batteries these older cameras use and if they're readily avaliable?

[two40]

most of them use PX625 which are mercury and no longer manufactured due to disposal problems (still are in china but hard to find).

the problem is finding a 1.35v battery that keeps its charge constant throughout its life cycle. the mercury batteries were perfect for that.

you can find replacements here http://www.vintagebatteries.com/
i found this useful. its a chart of most common cams and which replacement batteries to use http://www.vintagebatteries.com/weinchart.html


just a warning though, these batteries are zinc-air which means you can store them a long time. they are activated by pulling on a strip which charges them via air. once you do this they only last a few months so not an ideal replacement but it's one of the only solutions we have. there are other ways around it but it involves technical know how and frankly too much effort. it's basically converting your cam to take a higher voltage so you can use current day batteries.

[Sir poppin]

Thanks for that! If I were to get a 70's camera (like a Q17 or 19) that had a battery in it already what are the chances that it would still be working?

I think I read that the battery is just for the light metre? If that's true might it be a better idea to buy a cheap external lightmetre?

[-spam-]

Originally Posted by Sir poppin

Thanks for that! If I were to get a 70's camera (like a Q17 or 19) that had a battery in it already what are the chances that it would still be working?

I really dont like your chances there...

Originally Posted by Sir poppin

I think I read that the battery is just for the light metre? If that's true might it be a better idea to buy a cheap external lightmetre?

You could go an external light meter, but i dont know if the cheaper RFs would have much in the way of manual controls (my ricoh 35FM sure doesnt have anything other than auto). So having it would be kind of useless.

[fancourt]

Originally Posted by asd

Not exactly film but hey tape is just lots of film in a cartridge, really

No, no its not

Looks over at trusty ae-1, and eos 5.

Work just bought me a new film scanner too.

[Psycronic]

currently have

Minolta

XG-1 with 50mm and 135mm lenses (the 135 needs a service though)

Nikon

F80 with knock off battery grip and 28-80mm f3.5-5.6 nikkor zoom (Silver)
F80 with knock off battery grip and Tokina 19-35mm zoom (black)
FG with Nikon E series 36-72mm f3.5 and MD 14 Motor drive (silver)
FG with Tokina 75-300mm (black)


WTB:
Pentax 67 (medium format SLR)
Nikon FM2 or FE2 + motor drive
any Nikon lenses
Mamiya RZ67 or RB67

[Irrational]

Add me.

Leica M3, Summicron 50 f2, Voigtlander Lightmeter.

Mamiya RB67 Medium Format

Olympus Trip35
Various darkroom equip.

Ilford FP4, Fuji Velvia, provia in assorted ISOs from 100 to 800