Cosina CT-1
Cosina CT-1
Cosina is the Forest Gamp of cameras. cameras made under their own brand were never at the popularity forefront, but their cameras are found under most other brands. Foto Quelle and Porst who sold clouds full of East German junk also sold Cosina products under their own banner. Cosina made cameras and lenses for other Japanese high-end brands, evidently trusted by Nikon and alike. The Voigtlander name had been bought by Cosina, who churned out the Bessa rangefinder line. I read that they now build digital cameras, but this is not in our scope.
My list shows a shortlist of cameras under Cosina’s name, about 70, mostly boring SLRs with some compacts peppered in. No Cosina branded SLR comes close to $100 in the used camera market. The Solar is stated by McKeown as worth $150, I have no outside confirmation to that, and the exact same camera under the Ricoh brand sells for $50. Not even sure who made it, Ricoh or Cosina.This seems to be a pattern, the same model under the Cosina brand sells for twice as much under say Agfa name.
The Chinon CT-1 is part of a long line of indistinguishable SLRs of the ’70s and ’80s. All look-alike as if ruled by the fashion gods, now all mini or all belly shirt and so on. I wonder how could the manufacturers come out with such similarities as it sure takes years to design and manufacture a camera.
Much like the Chinon, to trigger the shutter and activate the light meter needle it takes to pull the winding leaver halfway. You may not a metal extension at the laver base that stops the trigger once folded all the way in. The camera is fully manual, good speed selection B to 1000 with all in between. Traditional mechanical self-timer and vertical metal curtain and a K-mount complete the package. Single 1.35V battery operates the light meter, but the camera can happily function without it.
| List number | 9943 |
| Brand | Cosina |
| Format | 35mm |
| Model | CT-1 |
| Introduced | 1979 |
| AKA | |
| Country | Japan |
| Type | SLR |
| Body material | Metal |
| Mode | Manual |
| Weight, gr | 420 , body only |
| ASA range | NA |
| Kit lens | |
| Filter size | |
| Lens mount | |
| Mount size | K Mount |
| Aperture | |
| shutter | Focal plane vertical metal |
| Light meter | TTL, manual override |
| Winder | Lever |
| Lock | Yes |
| Speeds | B,1,2,4,8,15,30,60,125,250,500,1000 |
| DOF preview | No |
| Exposure lock | No |
| Exposure compensation | No |
| Shoe | Hot |
| External sync | Yes |
| Sync speed | 125 |
| Timer | Mechanical |
| Battery | LR44 |
| Battery style | Button |
| Battery voltage | 1.35 |
| Other |
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