Friday Fotos! – Classic Rangefinders

May 1, 2020May 1, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Image courtesy of Paul Sokk www.yashicatlr.com

Recently my good friend Paul Sokk added this wonderful Leica IIIc to his collection of 35mm rangefinder cameras from the late 1940s and 1950s. The Leica is an original design made in Germany and the Nicca and Leotax are considered copies or clones made in Japan.

The Leica IIIc (front) is from 1946-47, the Nicca 3-F (middle) is from 1956, and the Leotax K is from 1955-58. These cameras use what is known as L39 (LTM) screw mount lenses of which literally thousands were made and thousands are still available today in a wide range of focal lengths.

If you’re looking to get into film photography with a totally manual camera then these should be on your list to take a closer look at.

On the left, the Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa and on the right the Nicca built Tower Type-3.

Pictured above are a couple of contenders from 1951. The Contax is an original design from the 1930s and was manufactured in Germany. The Tower branded camera was made by Nicca in Japan and features a Nippon Kogaku Nikkor f/ 2 5cm lens. The Contax sports a Carl Zeiss Sonnar f/ 1.5 50mm lens. The Contax also has an attached selenium cell exposure meter that can be useful for setting the correct aperture and shutter speed. A word of caution about these 70-year-old meters, if they are working (responding to light) then assume that it’s not accurate until you can check it against a modern meter. Most of these types of meters have long since failed.

Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa with selenium meter (top center) flap opened.

Paul’s beautiful Leica IIIc

Paul’s gorgeous Leotax F with Topcor f/ 3.5 5cm lens.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope my post stirs some interest in these wonderful cameras. I do have a Tower (Nicca) set available in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com if you care to take a look at it, pop on over.

Take care and stay safe! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

1951 Classics – Contax & Tower (Nicca)

April 18, 2020April 18, 2020Chris and Carol 2 Comments

Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa and Tower (Nicca) Type-3

Two extremely different cameras that accomplish the same thing – recording an image on 135 film. The Contax is a much bigger camera and for the most part, it is an original design by Zeiss Ikon of Stuttgart. The Tower was made by Nicca Camera for the Sears, Roebuck Company for sale in the US and Canada. The Nicca was inspired by an original design by Leica and it’s often considered to be one of the better Leica “copies”.

Both cameras feature interchangeable lenses and both are rangefinders. The Contax has an attached exposure meter (non-coupled) and with the Tower, you would use a separate meter for determining proper exposures.

The Contax is a slightly larger camera and it’s a tad bit heavier due to the additional weight of the exposure meter. The Contax weighs 773 grams and the Tower weighs 591 grams.

The standard lens on the Contax is a Carl Zeiss Sonnar f/ 1.5 50mm and the Tower has a Nikkor H.C f/ 2 5cm.

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What’s interesting is that back in 1951 these cameras were considered to be “miniature” 35mm cameras per their advertising of the time.

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contax IIIa and IIa

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Contax IIIa – 1951

April 14, 2020April 14, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa is a 35mm rangefinder camera that was first introduced in March 1951. What differentiates the IIIa from the IIa is the addition of an exposure meter.

Here’s my Contax.

By the serial number of the body, this camera appears like it was made in the early part of 1951. It features the black dial and non-synced flash connection typical of the first models. This one works perfectly and the only cosmetic issue is a slight dent on the lens filter ring. Just above the Contax name is the selenium cells for the exposure meter shown with the flap open.

The camera features interchangeable lenses in a simple but sturdy bayonet mount. Exposure meter flap in the closed position.

The lens is a Carl Zeiss Sonnar f/1.5 50mm.

A camera shop provided cleaning cloth featuring the Contax IIIa.

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contax lenses

It may be a bit hard to tell from this scan but here’s a view of the camera from the instruction manual. The camera’s serial number is T 36017 and mine is T 36625. Pretty close so I’m thinking that mine is an early production model.

Thanks for stopping by! I’ll have much more about this camera soon. – Chris

http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Contax / Yashica Brochure

April 11, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

From around 1975 or so when Yashica first rolled out the Contax RTS.

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Eye candy to be sure! Yashica along with Contax and then later Kyocera continued the RTS well into the 1990s.

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day! – Chris

http://www.ccstudio2380.com

In the Shop – New this Week!

March 30, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

It’s Monday and it’s time to post some new items in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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Everything is on sale for the remainder of March and the first week of April – take 15% off my already value-priced items.

Lots of other great items in the shop too – pop on over to http://www.ccstudio2380.com and see if there’s something you like.

Thanks, Chris

random post – expo 67 Montréal

March 28, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

One of my first cameras – Kodak Instamatic

Poster: Rendez-vous à Montréal—Bring your camera! / Affiche : Rendez-vous à Montréal – Apportez votre appareil!

So 1960s!

Hostess uniforms of Expo 67 / Uniformes des hôtesses d’Expo 67

I still have the camera and somewhere I have my Expo 67 Passport. I was 13 years old when me and my mom went. We stayed in an apartment in Montreal for two weeks – lots of fond memories.

Technically my first camera. I got it for Christmas 1963 and I’ve taken hundreds of images with this thing over the early years. It still works!

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Rare Nicca lens cap – 1958

March 27, 2020March 27, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Nicca’s one-off lens cap for their last 35mm rangefinder camera mid-1958. The cap fits the Nikkor-H 5cm f/2 lens that was pretty much the standard lens for Nicca. The Nicca in the background with the traditional cap is my 3-S.

BTW, the black cap is made from brass and weighs 12 grams whereas the silver cap is aluminum and weighs 10 grams.

The distinctive all caps block lettering style of this black cap was a major departure from Nicca’s traditional silver script style which was presented in the spirit of Leica. You can see in the ad below that it matches the style of the name on the top plate of the camera.

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This ad (above) is from Mikio Awano’s article in the September 1978 edition of Japanese magazine, Camera Collectors’ News. The magazine’s text at the bottom translates as “Nicca III L, 1958 September, Asahi Camera”. For more about this interesting camera, please visit my good friend Paul Sokk’s excellent site on Nicca.

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The Nicca III-L was the last camera made by Nicca before their acquisition by Yashica in early 1958. Below is an example of the style of the last box.

nicca III-L box set

Carol and I do not have an example of the Nicca III-L in our collection. They are super hard to find, extremely rare actually so very few show up on auction sites. If you know of someone who has one please have them contact us as we would be interested in obtaining one.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit our camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Yashica 635 – shoot 6×6 cm and 35 mm all in one TLR

March 25, 2020March 25, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Back in 1958 (May-June) Yashica released or introduced the inventive model 635 twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera to the export markets. It would be a short while before the camera would make its debut in Japan.

The only film it couldn’t shoot was movie film!

This one is from one of the first batches of cameras made in June 1958. Its serial number puts it at the 231st made. It was purchased new by the original owner at the RAF Changi base in Singapore.

Close-up view of the 35 mm conversion kit that originally came with the camera.

A general idea of how to install the 35 mm film cartridge and kit.

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A gem from 1958.

As Carol and I continue to downsize our camera collection we’ve made this camera and kit available in our online camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

If you’re looking to get into medium-format film photography and still want to use 35 mm film to make color transparencies (slides) this is a perfect combo camera to invest in.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to hit us with an offer if you’re so inclined. Chris & Carol

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Canon EF – A Classic 35mm SLR

March 7, 2020March 8, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Canon EF 35mm SLR film camera from 1977. This one includes a super nice (and fast) Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 S.S.C. lens.

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This is one of our all-time favorite Canon cameras to use – the Canon EF 35mm SLR film camera. Also known as the ‘Black Beauty’ for its generous expanses of semi-gloss black paint. It’s a close cousin to the famous Canon F-1 (the original from 1971) with the exception of no removable prisms.

It’s available for purchase direct from our collection in our online shop at https://www.ccstudio2380.com

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

In the Shop – New This Week!

March 2, 2020March 2, 2020Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hi all! Here’s a look at what’s new in my camera shop this week – you’ll find my shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

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snip march 2

snip march 3

You’ll find much more rare, unique, and hard to find camera and photogear at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

I ship almost worldwide and my shop is hosted by Etsy for safe and secure shopping. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Yashica cameras and so much more!

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Friday Fotos! – Classic Rangefinders

1951 Classics – Contax & Tower (Nicca)

Contax IIIa – 1951

Contax / Yashica Brochure

From around 1975 or so when Yashica first rolled out the Contax RTS.

In the Shop – New this Week!

It’s Monday and it’s time to post some new items in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

random post – expo 67 Montréal

Rare Nicca lens cap – 1958

Nicca’s one-off lens cap for their last 35mm rangefinder camera mid-1958. The cap fits the Nikkor-H 5cm f/2 lens that was pretty much the standard lens for Nicca. The Nicca in the background with the traditional cap is my 3-S.

Yashica 635 – shoot 6×6 cm and 35 mm all in one TLR

Back in 1958 (May-June) Yashica released or introduced the inventive model 635 twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera to the export markets. It would be a short while before the camera would make its debut in Japan.

Canon EF – A Classic 35mm SLR

Canon EF 35mm SLR film camera from 1977. This one includes a super nice (and fast) Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 S.S.C. lens.

In the Shop – New This Week!

Hi all! Here’s a look at what’s new in my camera shop this week – you’ll find my shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com