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It's a bit sad about many Zenit (and Praktica) cameras. People just want the lenses nowadays. With proper service these cameras can be a joy to use. I've used (and still use) a Zenit E for years and I like the simplicity and sturdy mechanics.

quote:Chinese TLR Seagull 4A for 30 euros

Their price has increased recently. 30 euros is a bargain. They are not as decently made as the Rolleis and Yashicas, and need to be used with a little more care. But can still be great. You can get an upgrade 'Tessar' SA-99 lens from Ebay with multicoating. I replaced mine and got very good results. You can also use push on 36mm filters on the 4a and b.

In the UK, Seagull tlrs have a reputation for having very unreliable shutters. I presume there's a way of using them that generally doesn't cause the shutters to become unreliable such as setting the speed before tensioning the shutter, or even tension the shutter before setting the speed or even remembering to not use the self-timer if the synchro lever is set to "M" or something.

More than a month without any post, so it's time for a push-up. And yes, I should put some cameras into the just arrived thread...
www.a7camera.com www.120folder.com www.instantphoto.eu www.135compact.com www.oddcameras.com
www.subcompactcam.com

xya, how do you find the winding of the film on those old 120 cameras? I had a Welta Perle (although it just said "Welta" where it would normally say "Perle" or any other model name), I had a Ferrania elioflex 1, and several ensign selifx cameras, all of which I had trouble winidng the film on when it was near the end and the trouble got even worse when winding past the last frame. I now have a agfa isoly III, which takes 120 film so I'm hoping it doesn't have the same "tough winding" problem.
I apologise for all the "swearing" ie. mentioning the makes and models of non-soviet cameras, but it couldn't be helped.

seany65, I never had this problem and I think I had more than 100 items of those 120 film cameras in total with 1000s of film rolls from different makers. Very strange. So sorry, but I have no idea...
www.a7camera.com www.120folder.com www.instantphoto.eu www.135compact.com www.oddcameras.com
www.subcompactcam.com

Ha, no need to be sorry xya, it's not your fault. It could just be me not doing things correctly but I do also seem to have had a little more than my fair share of bad luck with cameras - I won't go into the full list of problems and cameras, but I think most of my Agfa Ambisilettes, Minolta 110 zoom slr MKII's and Yashica D tlrs have all had something wrong with them so I don't have any now. Even my Nikon FM2n must have been dropped on it's head at some point as the hotshoe is slanted down on the right hand side but it does seem to be working.
More than 100 big old folders and they all workd properly? I'm sooooo jealous, lol. how many do you have now, and do you use them as much as you'd like to?

seany65, I only said that I didn't have this winding problem. No, not all of my folders worked properly. When I think about it, there must have been much more than 100. There are about 40 different models on my website, for quite a number of them I had multiple copies. The much lauded Mamiya 6 folder didn't satiefy me at all, but after 7 copies I gave up. At the moment I sort out the Certo Super Sport Dollies, one of my favorites, there are 12 of them...
All the very simple folders from Agfa, Kodak, Zeiss and others didn't make it to my site, these were more than 40. I gave them away to youngsters who wanted to know about film. During the last few years there were quite some purchases fron Japan that were really bad. They had good ratings, but they were crap. I stopped buying fron Japan completely. 10 or more years ago Japan was a source of honest sellers...
When I have finished weeding out my cases, there will only be less than 10, 2 Certos, a Konica Pearl III, a Voigtländer Perkeo II, 2 Iskras, a Fuji GA645 Wi, a Lomo LC-120 and a Plaubel Makina (+ 3 TLRs). I still use them regularly, about a roll a week without fuzz, HP5 and Rodinal 1 hr semi-stand, a lazy man's solution.
www.a7camera.com www.120folder.com www.instantphoto.eu www.135compact.com www.oddcameras.com
www.subcompactcam.com

I see. Your'e probably right to weed some out even if you have the space for them. I have 14 cameras (each with a lens) and 13 lenses that are not on the cameras, hoods for alll lenses, a bag of photo bits that "could come in handy at some point", a bag of rollei bayonet 1/30mm bayonet filters, 4 kit bags and little bags of filters in them. Unfortunately I only have a walk-in closet to put them in, but I have all my books and some dvd's in there as well. I have to sthift stuff to get to the stuff I have to shift on order to get to any of the books, and it's a nightmare if I knock something off one of the bookshelves such as a lens hood. Even in daylight it's not bright in there so I have to get a torch and then shift stuff from the floor to my bed to create enough space to find the hood.
It seems you've had a lot more bad luck than I have with your cameras. 7 different Mamiya 6's and all crap? I suppose some Japanese sellers are taking advantage of the idea that most buyers are so far away that they may not return any faulty stuff.

No, the Mamiyas were not all crap, they just did not meet my (high) expectations. Some had issues. I personnally think that moving the film plane of a film without sprockets is not a good idea from the beginning. Already it needs an extra plate to be inserted the right way. Sharpness did not impress me at all. But this is a personal opinion, for me the Super Ikontas, for example, were much better. It will always be a personal choice...
www.a7camera.com www.120folder.com www.instantphoto.eu www.135compact.com www.oddcameras.com
www.subcompactcam.com

xya, Thanks for the info.