Sort of old school...

[M38A1]

I was digging around my closet and came across my camera bag with some of my old gear. I had originally started on a Pentax Spotmatic F with a 50mm f1.4 circa 1975. That got me from about 10th grade to mid-college. Then, like a poor student, sold that figuring I wouldn't miss it. :doh: Somehow I managed to hang on to a lens and flash for it. My sister still has her Spotmatic so I might convince her to let me use it on some film shots for grins. :trust: My remaining screw-type lens is the Vivitar 85-205 f3.8 zoom and a little Honeywell 110 strobe.

I replaced the Spotmatic F after college with a Nikon EM body and MD-E motor drive. This was sort of the beginning of the 'auto' film SLR era and the motordrive added a whopping 2.5 frames per second. It came with a Nikon 50mm f1.8 which I swapped out for a Unitar 135mm fixed manual focus at f2.8. Not bad glass for it's time. I think it'll be a match for my D40x body so that might be fun to try.

Then I added a Nikon N2020, again with another Nikon 50mm f1.8. This was an auto-focus, automatic camera that was pretty much a blast to shoot. Somewhere in there I added a Tameron SP 60-300 f3.8-5.4 with the Nikon mount. For some reason, it won't mate to my D40x. :shrug:

Also in the bag was a Vivitar 283 strobe which I put in some batteries and it fired right up. Also seems to sync with my D40x too!

I'll probably head out for some various batteries in the next day or so and a roll or two of film just to see what comes out. Maybe I'll shoot the same shot with the D40x/18-200VR for comparison. Heck... does anyone still even process film these days?

Here's the EM with the Unitar 135, the N2020 with a 50mm f1.8 and an extra 50mm f1.8
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg237/M38A1_bucket/TxBowHunter/OldGear018_sm.jpg

And here's the screw type Vivitar 85-205, Tameron 60-300 SP f3.8-5.4 with the Nikon mount, the Honeywell 110 and Vivitar 283 strobe. I also found some magnifying filters (49mm) and a polarizing filter I had collected along the journey.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg237/M38A1_bucket/TxBowHunter/OldGear019_sm.jpg

Hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane with old school stuff.
.

[bluedogok]

I still have all of my Olympus OM-10 stuff that I started acquiring in 1980, it was still working as recently as 2002 when I used it to shoot a building that I did for an AIA competition. Digitals just weren't good enough at that time or if they were available just unaffordable.

[DaveC]

Bet I know what your sister is getting for Christmas.:trust:




I was digging around my closet and came across my camera bag with some of my old gear. I had originally started on a Pentax Spotmatic F with a 50mm f1.4 circa 1975. That got me from about 10th grade to mid-college. Then, like a poor student, sold that figuring I wouldn't miss it. :doh: Somehow I managed to hang on to a lens and flash for it. My sister still has her Spotmatic so I might convince her to let me use it on some film shots for grins. :trust: My remaining screw-type lens is the Vivitar 85-205 f3.8 zoom and a little Honeywell 110 strobe.

I replaced the Spotmatic F after college with a Nikon EM body and MD-E motor drive. This was sort of the beginning of the 'auto' film SLR era and the motordrive added a whopping 2.5 frames per second. It came with a Nikon 50mm f1.8 which I swapped out for a Unitar 135mm fixed manual focus at f2.8. Not bad glass for it's time. I think it'll be a match for my D40x body so that might be fun to try.

Then I added a Nikon N2020, again with another Nikon 50mm f1.8. This was an auto-focus, automatic camera that was pretty much a blast to shoot. Somewhere in there I added a Tameron SP 60-300 f3.8-5.4 with the Nikon mount. For some reason, it won't mate to my D40x. :shrug:

Also in the bag was a Vivitar 283 strobe which I put in some batteries and it fired right up. Also seems to sync with my D40x too!

I'll probably head out for some various batteries in the next day or so and a roll or two of film just to see what comes out. Maybe I'll shoot the same shot with the D40x/18-200VR for comparison. Heck... does anyone still even process film these days?

Here's the EM with the Unitar 135, the N2020 with a 50mm f1.8 and an extra 50mm f1.8
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg237/M38A1_bucket/TxBowHunter/OldGear018_sm.jpg

And here's the screw type Vivitar 85-205, Tameron 60-300 SP f3.8-5.4 with the Nikon mount, the Honeywell 110 and Vivitar 283 strobe. I also found some magnifying filters (49mm) and a polarizing filter I had collected along the journey.
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg237/M38A1_bucket/TxBowHunter/OldGear019_sm.jpg

Hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane with old school stuff.
.

[Manfred]

I have a Pentax ME Super that I bought in 1980. Well, I recall replacing the camera body about 7 years ago as the felt around the shutter got sticky and wouldn't allow it to open. I still use it occasionally - have wide angle and zoom and macro lenses. Last I looked, Target and Wal-Mart still develop snap shots. Nobody processes Super 8 movie film as far as I know, much less sells the stuff. I also have a Super 8 movie camera and a projector.:sun:

[RedPill]

I have my old Olympus OM-2. I hate the idea of losing those wonderful lenses, but I don't even know if there is a digital camera that will accept them. They're not autofocus, so it seems unlikely.

[drfood]

Costco processes film. Based on trying several Houston area places, they do about the best unless you're wanting to pay big bucks.

I talked to a source at Costco Corporate. Interesting fact. They are seeing film processing volume moving up. Evidently folks with fancy smancy digital cameras are not happy with the quality??? That's what they are hearing from customers anyway. They've just reinked a deal with Fuji for another long term contract on film processing equipment for their stores.

[dixonduke]

From what I have read, that nikon 50, should mount just fine, but it will not autofocus on the D40 series as the motor is not in the body of the camera. But the lens should mount and you should be able to use it as a manual focus lens..... "should" :shrug:

[WoodButcher]

Dad still has the old Leica that he bought when I was born. I learned on that. Use the light meter on the top, manually set the f stop and speed. Not even through the lense focusing. Used a range finder with split image. Extremely quiet shutter.

[Desert Skies]

I still have a bunch of Canon A1, AE1 with lenses and junk. Sure had fun back when I had a darkroom. Also have a Yashica 124 that I played with back then too. Enlarger and treys up in the attic somewhere.

Wonder how many have a pile of money tied up in film equipment they will never use again.

My daughter did take a photography coarse last year so we had to drag some of it out for that.

[drfood]

I'm shopping for a couple of 35mm outfits. I refuse to go dSLR. Our Minolta film camera was destroyed in my laydown of the V-strom. Still fighting Traveler's for a replacement.

[M38A1]

I'm shopping for a couple of 35mm outfits. I refuse to go dSLR. Our Minolta film camera was destroyed in my laydown of the V-strom. Still fighting Traveler's for a replacement.


Oh my how time changes everything.... :rofl:

So how's that D90 treatin' ya? :mrgreen:

.

[drfood]

We love it. Especially now that I reset all the settings I messed up.

[ed29]

Here is my old school collection.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd52/edhegarty/DSC03009.jpg

The Ziess Ikon shoots incredible B/W in 2 1/4 format.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd52/edhegarty/DSC03011.jpg

The Brownie Autographic has a small hinged door on the back and a metal stylus. It calls for autographic film, anyone know how that worked? Did pressure sensitive stuff transfer your stylus scribbles to the negative through the paper backing?

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd52/edhegarty/DSC03013.jpg

Last but not least......My grandfathers old wind up 8mm camera. It still works! Many years ago my dad took all of the old movies to a place and had them transfered to VHS tape. I still have the reels.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd52/edhegarty/DSC03014.jpg

All of the leather in the bellows cameras is still light tight and all of the shutters and apertures still work. Can you still get 220 film, and developing?

[TexasShadow]

Dad still has the old Leica that he bought when I was born. I learned on that. Use the light meter on the top, manually set the f stop and speed. Not even through the lense focusing. Used a range finder with split image. Extremely quiet shutter.That, sir, is a fine camera.

My Dad taught me on one of those, too.

[TexasShadow]

Wonder how many have a pile of money tied up in film equipment they will never use again. Probably many. I still have an older Minolta SLR. But many photographers from the BB generation and before still use their SLRs. My Dad and ex-husband, both free-lance professionals, will never convert to digital. (Plus they are technological luddites :mrgreen: )

Regardless, in conversations and reading, the current professionals use both; some still prefer film and SLR for reasons where the digital units can't or don't perform as well. Full frame and larger (portrait size, 4x8, etc) digitals are still outrageously expensive (the latter go for ~$4-10K just for the body). I still don't think any digital can compare with a 2x4 or 4x8 Hasselblad SLR. Even a pin hole camera has no equal and you can make your own.

It's one of those cases again where modern technology beats 'old school' just because of convenience and its 'newness'. Sure, some are top quality, but very expensive. The same with the wave of post-processing software. Again, the 'old school' put more thought and effort into capturing a shot than post-processing. (don't misinterpret that as a denial they did any post-processing; it's the ratio of pre and post.) But, new is not always better. Nor is old always better. The twain can meet and it is a dynamic marriage.

[achesley]

Wow! Love them old cameras. I was heavy into picture taking back in the early '70's leading me to buy this set up from a shop here in Jennings as a package deal used by a guy that bought the set up then got really hard up for money. I score the basic set up for about 200 bucks and was given the rest for usage of my camera for school pictures back then

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m25/achesley1943/Quik%20Uploads/PICT0005.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m25/achesley1943/Quik%20Uploads/PICT0006.jpg

Camera body is a Hanimex Praktica super TL made in East Germany. Lens on it at present is Accura Diamatic 1:2.8 f=35mm

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m25/achesley1943/Quik%20Uploads/PICT0008.jpg
this lens is damaged as you can see all the pinholes abrasion on the lens even though it's a bit out of focus. I got something on it somehow and it messed the lens up. Never did find a place I could sent it to for repair or remaking of that lens. It's a Meyer-optikGorlitz Oreston 1.8/50 which originally came with the camera.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m25/achesley1943/Quik%20Uploads/PICT0009.jpg
Another picture of the 50mm lens along with one of the two Lentar Auto 2X converters I have for it.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m25/achesley1943/Quik%20Uploads/PICT0011.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m25/achesley1943/Quik%20Uploads/PICT0012.jpg

Then we have the Accura Dianamic Y8 1:5.5 f=300mm lens for distance shooting.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m25/achesley1943/Quik%20Uploads/PICT0010.jpg
A Vivitar Bellowscope took care of real close work of putting an ants head full frame. Very narrow field of focus though. Use to do eyeball reflexion shots with it plus work for a friend of mine into plant and animal stuff for LSU

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m25/achesley1943/Quik%20Uploads/PICT0013.jpg
A Nissin 2800G Flash unit which did more stuff than I knew what to do with it. ;-)

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m25/achesley1943/Quik%20Uploads/PICT0014.jpg

then the whole kit in the case it came with over 35 years ago. You can see the little remote shutter wire also for those pictures that had to be absolutely still as in school portraits.

[Gilk51]

Last but not least......My grandfathers old wind up 8mm camera. It still works! Many years ago my dad took all of the old movies to a place and had them transfered to VHS tape. I still have the reels.

Very cool! :thumb:

My son got me a VHS digitizer setup for Christmas that reads the tapes and makes a movie file out of it if you want to save the tapes to digital...

[achesley]

Somehow, my VHS tapes I had converted my old 8 and super8 movies to disappeared. I would love to have put them on DVD. Even had stuff from the late 50's at a Rough Scrambles track near Lake Charles.

[sz rider]

More Old school, I haven't had these long, recently aquired them from my 95 year old Aunt Inlaw, She gave them to me and has since passed away, Im happy to have them I keep them in my Grandmother's old china cabinet on display.http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/szrider/IMG_0051.jpg