ir1001, Author at Facts, notes and thoughts about vintage cameras and other trifle matters

July 25, 2019

Pentax Spotmatic / SP

Pentax Spotmatic / SP / SP 500 / SP 1000 The three Pentax cameras on my desk are Spotmatic SP, SP 1000, and SP 500. All look the same save for top speed variations on the SP 1000 and SP 500, being the top speeds, respectively, and the self-timer on the Spotmatic. The Spotmatic, introduced in the ’60s, and the...

35 mm/Japan/Pentax/SLR Comments: 0

July 16, 2019

Pentax K1000

Pentax K1000 They say that if you see one mouse in the house there are many more ready to come out. Same with the Pentax K1000. It is in the good company of the AE1 and the Olympus Trip, not to mention the Polaroids that pop out of any nook and cranny. It seems that by law each family had...

35 mm/Japan/Pentax/SLR Comments: 0

June 25, 2019

Nasco Galaxy

Nasco Galaxy Nasco Galaxy current value This little camera caught my attention at an online auction. Always looking for odd cameras, I looked it up and found little information about it, where writers relate its pedigree to different dynasties, None seem to have any basis. McKeown relates it to Taron PR, a camera as obscure, admittingly a look alike. It...

Compact/Japan/Obscure/Rangefinder Comments: 0

June 5, 2019

Olympus 35-S

Olympus 35-S and 35-S II Olympus 35-S / Tower 18 user manual Olympus 35-S current value Olympus 35-S II / Tower 35-S current value Two cameras of the same name, of different crop and slightly different. A common phenomenon in the camera universe. The German manufacturers are notorious for producing step-up models marked with the same name, perhaps for a...

Compact/Japan/Olympus/Rangefinder Comments: 2

May 30, 2019

Petri Color Corrected

Petri 1.9 Color Corrected Super Petri color corrected 1.9 value Petri color corrected 2.8 value Petri did achieve neither prominence nor longevity, staying in business for about half of the last century. Out of some 150 models offered by them, only a dozen or so are valued for over $200, and such is by McKeown’s, where I could not find...

35 mm/Japan/Petri/Rangefinder Comments: 5

March 31, 2019

Olympus Pen Family

Olympus Pen family Olympus pen current value Model Year Meter Distance Shoe Flash sync Timer Flash Lens Qty made Pen 1959 Selenium 3.5 27,000 Pen S 1960 Selenium X X X 2.8 645,000 Pen D 1962 Selenium X 1.9 265,000 Pen D2 1964 CdS X 3.5 140,000 Pen D3 1965 CdS X...

35mm half frame/Japan/Mini camera/Olympus/Point and shoot/Viewfinder Comments: 3

March 29, 2019

Leica Minilux Zoom

Leica Minilux Zoom This camera, together with a Yashica T4 I have does not really belong here. I picked up an old Soviet camera, where the owner suggested she has another one. It did not fit within my interest range, but the price was right so I took it. Think it is made by Minolta, so the only halo it...

Leitz/Mini camera/Point and shoot/Viewfinder Comments: 0

March 12, 2019

Olympus Pen F Family

Olympus Pen F Family I became aware of the Olympus Pen F and variants about five years ago. Excuse my ignorance. Once I read about that line, I wanted one, and I wanted it fast. There were some on eBay, costly, so I settled on one from a fellow Ontarian, which was cheap. The camera, not the fellow Ontarian. The...

35mm half frame/Japan/Mini camera/Olympus/SLR Comments: 0

March 12, 2019

Kyocera Samurai X3.0

Kyocera Samurai X3.0 Some products make you wonder why they exist, or what did the designer have in mind while the product was conceived. The Olympus Samurai series cameras are well near to the top of the list. In the mid 80’s several Japanese camera manufacturers, namely Olympus, Ricoh, Chinon, Fuji, Yashica, and Nikon presented series of cross-breed ‘mule’ cameras,...

35mm half frame/Bridge/Japan/SLR/Yashica Comments: 0

September 22, 2018

Praktiflex family

Praktiflex family Buying cameras online, I prefer dealing with charity sellers. Other than supporting the cause, the product comes in cheaper as charities see the item as an object that becomes useful only once converted into cash. Ordinary sellers estimate an item by its (perceived) value and mark it accordingly. This is why so many items are being listed over...

35 mm/DDR/KW/SLR Comment: 1

Author: ir1001