The Original Canon EF

July 5, 2024July 5, 2024Chris and Carol Leave a comment

A 35mm SLR from Canon in the mid 1970s. It’s a close cousin to the more famous Canon F-1.

If you can find a nice working EF it’s a keeper in any Canon collection. Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Comments are always welcomed, as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris. Copyright © 2015-2024 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan. All rights reserved.

Leotax Merite – 1958

July 1, 2024July 1, 2024Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My Leotax TV2 Merite is frequently misidentified as “Merit.”

It’s shown here with a Nikkor HC f2 5cm lens.

This is a very late 1958 to early 1959 model.

My set includes the original box, case, strap, and instruction booklet.

The Merite is one of the larger Leica-like cameras made in the 1950s, larger than the Leica IIIg and the Nicca 3-S. More pictures to follow.

What’s your favorite Leo?

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Asahi Pentax H2 – 1959

June 16, 2024June 16, 2024Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hands down, it’s my favorite pre-1960s SLR. It just looks classic. A photo essay follows.

Fine lines on a classic that’s stood the test of time.

The H2 and the S2 were the same cameras released in different markets.

The heart of this camera is the classic Auto-Takumar f2 55mm gem.

There aren’t many ads out there with early Asahi Pentax content. I’m not sure if this is for the H2.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Contax Crazy

April 15, 2024April 15, 2024Chris and Carol Leave a comment

It’s fun to collect, but now it’s time to disperse.

More to come soon. Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Contax RX – 1994

April 15, 2024April 15, 2024Chris and Carol 2 Comments

Before the dawn of the digital age, camera manufacturers produced some of their most technologically advanced 35mm SLR film cameras to date. Sophisticated autofocus systems, auto exposure, eye-control, and zone-assist focusing to name just a few features. The Canon EOS-1N (1994), the Nikon F4 (1988) which was Nikons first professional camera with autofocus, the F5 (1996), and the Contax RX (1994), AX (1996) which had a basic autofocus system and later, the N1 (2000) a true autofocus camera with a new line of Zeiss lenses.

My Contax RX set. The lens was initially sold separately.

The RX’s ‘highlight’ was the Digital Focus Indicator (DFI) function—not quite autofocus, but close.

It’s a handsome SLR with a timeless, classic look that, in my opinion, modern Fujifilm mirrorless cameras emulate.

The list price of JPY 160,000 was about USD 1,600 in 1994.

Contax RX brochure. Shoots at up to 3 frames per second.

Canon EOS-1N RS (a film eater with autofocus). It’s capable of shooting 10 frames per second! Uses Canon EF lenses.

Nikon F5 1996. It’s capable of shooting 8 frames per second.

The Contax RX. The data back only indicates the year up to 2019. Thirty years on, it’s stuck in the 1990s. The data is printed between the frames on the film, not in the image.

More soon. Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Happy SUNday! – Contax Bliss

April 7, 2024April 8, 2024Chris and Carol 4 Comments

The Contax 50th Anniversary Edition 137 MD Quartz 35mm SLR film camera.

The ’50 Years’ model had a unique leatherette and a gold Contax ‘button’ on the flash sync terminal.

I don’t usually chase anniversary models, but this one struck me as pure in the early 1980s.

Contax celebrated fifty years, 1932-1982.

One of two standard lenses is shown here.

Contax numbered their cameras, consequently. As far as I am aware, no date code is hidden in the serial numbers.

It’s a simple manual focus aperture priority camera first released in 1980. Notice the location of the tripod socket. The entire baseplate is removable to be able to install the four AA batteries needed to power the meter and motor drive.

I believe the red sticker indicates that the color of the body is ‘fin’ or ‘wine.’ The Google Translate app isn’t apparent.

There aren’t many of these models still available, but they are well worth being chased.

This particular camera was sold in Japan, and unfortunately, I don’t have the original paperwork or Japanese instruction booklet. I’d love to find the correct strap, too. The proper case is a bit of a mystery, but I believe it should have been C-004, according to my friend Graham in the UK. By the way, the period correct flash units made for the 137 MD is the Contax TLA20 and TLA30 Auto Flash units for true TTL flash metering. There is also a 137 Data Back and a 137 Grip Adapter. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit my camera shop (hosted by Etsy) at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – Chris

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Contax 137 MD Advertisement

April 4, 2024April 4, 2024Chris and Carol 1 Comment

From 1980.

Quite a sophisticated camera back in 1980.

Paired with a sharp Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.7 or f/1.4 lens made for a super sharp 35mm SLR. Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Camera Brochures and Photography Related Collectables

February 18, 2024February 18, 2024Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I’ve enjoyed acquiring camera and photography brochures over the years and now have quite an extensive collection of them (go figure). I’ll be listing some of them in my camera shop over the next few months so if you’re on the hunt for something specific, just let me know and or visit my shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com.

This is a large-format Fujifilm film brochure from 1998. Fujicolor Professional 160 film was a popular color negative film in the 1990s.

Here is a relatively hard-to-find brochure on the not-often-seen Yashica Electro 35 Professional camera from 1970. It’s a Japanese camera shop brochure.

A large (9 x 21 inch) Plexiglas camera dealer’s display sign is also available in my shop.

I no longer own the camera but have the original boxes for it. It would add a nice touch to your collection.

The Canon black and olive green camera bag is still new and unused and is available.

A like-new Minolta 35mm SLR set with its original box and papers.

These are just a few of the neat items I have in my shop, all at a 10% savings! Thanks for stopping by, Chris.

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Happy Monday! – Frozen in Time?

January 29, 2024January 29, 2024Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Fuji Photo Film Company – Fujipet medium format film camera (1958).

Is that a light meter he’s checking? David Yulee statue in downtown Fernandina Beach, Florida. David was kind enough to pose with my Fujipet.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Nikon F – this one is from late 1964

January 23, 2024January 23, 2024Chris and Carol 2 Comments

Nikon F
Nikkor-H Auto 2.8cm f3.5 pre-Ai
Nippon Kogaku Tokyo 1964 (late) body and Nippon Kogaku K.K. lens from around 1961 or 1962. The body was modified to accept the Photomic-T finder.
Classic Nikon at its best. I enjoy using this focal length over 24mm or 35mm, and with modern fast films, the f3.5 aperture is not an issue. On my Fujifilm X-T2 (APS-C Sensor), the lens has an effective focal length of 42mm.