Zuiko 100-200mm/5

The technical data of the Zuiko Auto-Zoom are not spectacular: 100-200mm, biggest aperture 1:5, a minimal distance of 2m are not stunning. On the other side the lens has a built-in shade, it is light and handy and can be equipped with filters in the standard Olympus 49mm diameter. The most spectacular thing is the increase of the lenses length. The upper picture shows the lens set to infinty with the shade slided in, in the lower picture it is set to the nearest distance an the shade slided out.



200mm/5



Full frame shot at 200mm/8 200 ASA film



100% crop from the picture above

40mm

Three ways to shoot with a 40mm lens: A Rollei 35 (scale focus), a Olympus 35RD (rangefinder) and a Konica FS-1 (SLR)

Olympus Trip 35

The Trip I bought was in perfect cosmetic condition, but after the first film it appeared, that the meter was dead.
In the net I found a way to modify the camera to get the two manual speeds of 1/40 and 1/200sec. Different to the advice there I decided to move the speed control onto the top of the camera using a angled rod. After doing this I have a full manual Trip 35 and can use the excellent lens and the silent shutter of this camera. Another highlight is the perfectly formed body.











100% crop from the photo above

Canon AF35ML (II)

As stated in my previous post on the AF35ML I dislike the fact, that the camera beeps when the light is low. So I tried to cut the beep off. After discovering the position of the signal-giving element I cut off the light brown wire from the solder. The beep is set off! The drive is still loud, but shooting low light is less annoying now.









A picture taken in low light; the 100% crop shows the performance of the lens wide open.



The bokeh is nice too.

Olympus 35 RD

Canonet 28

The Canonet 28 is a Rangefinder with programmed AE which blocks the shutter release when there is too low light. To override the AE you have to switch to the flash mode which gives you apertures from 2,8-16 at a fixed speed of 1/30.
The rangefinder is good, the release smooth and the film loading support is nice. Put the film in, close the camera, wind three times and you´re on. The feeling of the camera might be the best in the 2,8-lens-class; notice the lever on the aperture ring that lets you switch easy between manual and automatic. The output is enjoyable. Replacing the mercury battery by a 1,5 volt alkaline didn´t make any problems on CN film when setting the ASA-dial 1 stop lower (200ASA film > 100 ASA setting).

Konica Z-up 80 RC (I)

The "Z-up 80 RC Limited Super Zoom High Precision Autofocus Camera" has a name that is very much longer than the zoom range of only 40-80mm. But the list of built-in features could be longer than the name. The camera seems to be a boy´s dream come true. On every side of the body there are some gimmicks to play with:



On the top you find the illuminating window for the finder rightlines on the left, the main switch and the shutter release on the right. In the middle the popup flash is placed.



Left side, zoom at 40mm.



Left side, lens fully zoomed out at 80mm. The flash zooms with the lens. Lower on the body there is the opening switch for the back.



On the bottom you find the battery door, the tripod mount and a little gizmo named "TILT". Flip it out and the camera is tilted upward ( approx. 20 degrees) when placed on a flat surface.



On the right side of the body there is the bulky handgrip, that contains the battery (2CR5 Lithium). Push the point of the grip that is marked "PUSH" and the remote pops out. On the side there is also the strap lug.



The back is the control station of the Z-up.
Top left the adjustable finder. Top right the zoom switch and the remote sensor. Under the finder the film cartridge window is placed. In the middle you find the big display for all the camera functions: frame counter, battery status, flash mode/+1,5EV backlight function; drive modes S, C, selftimer, remote; the modes for date imprint and setting the date/time. ME for multiexposures (up to 37 exposures on one frame!), TE for longtime exposures (max. 99h, 59m, 59s!!) and the INT mode for interval timing (max. 37 frames with a delay of 99h, 59m, 59s between each frame!!!)





On the front you see the lens, that has a orbicular cover, the front remote sensor, the finder and on the lower right the infinity switch.
The body is made of black, gold-spotted plastic, all letters are golden.











The finder shows parallax markings in red when the distance is in the macro range. Other distance marks are shown in red too. The manual is now available on butkus.org

C-41 III

I used the Tetenal Colortec 1l-kit for my first selfmade C-41. On the box they tell you that there is a maximum of 10-16 films
(135) that can be developed. I used it for 29 films with no noticeable (for me!) falloff in quality. The working solution was used from 10th september until 30th october. It was stored in my bathroom, I did not squeeze the air out of the bottles!







The pictures were taken with the Pentax PC35AF:

Rolleimat AF

The Rolleimat AF has all the features the Rollei 35 doesn´t. Its fully automatic including a AF with focus lock and it has a built in flash. But it has nothing of the 35´s charm! Its feel is a little bit crappy and lightweight especially when used parallel with the 35. The pictures are sharp and the AF is mostly spot on.

Rollei 35 (I)

The Rollei 35 is so cute!
Such a little camera and so heavy. All manual, no battery needed (except of the meter- but who needs it)
My Rollei is the Singapore model with Tessar. The Compur shutter is smooth through all speeds, which is very enjoyable, body and lens are fine and the fact that many people sell those cuties to buy crappy digitals made the price very affordable!