Leica Minilux

The Leica Minilux is a topnotch 35mm compact camera that boasts an extremely attractive and durable titanium housing combined with a high-speed Summarit 40mm lens. The Minilux is a little heavier than most compact cameras, and is intended for the serious-minded amateur photographer who insists on the very best. It offers an aperture priority mode, allowing you to manually set the aperture before shooting your picture (the camera will automatically choose the shutter speed). The Minilux also features either automatic or manual focusing. The exposure meter is center-weighted for precise metering, and the built-in flash fires automatically in low light. This camera is guaranteed to net you impressive results and last nearly a lifetime.

One thing about this camera: BEWARE OF THE DREADED EO2! When your LCD reads EO2, your Minilux life is over.

read here for a praise for the Minilux

A bit about my Minilux

So I got a short message in my cell phone from my usual junk camera supplier "Call me now!". So I call him and he told me that he was offered a Leica Minilux for USD150.00 and asked whether I am interested. I said that I might considered it if it was USD100.00 and I told him I will see at weekend. So I went for an internet based research for the Minilux and made aware of the EO2 and so other faulties as well as the current price in Ebay. And so by weekend the offer has go down to USD120.00 and having looking at the overall condition of the Minilux, I decided to took it home. The payment is even deffered for another week.

Here's a couple snapshots taken by Minilux

Yamato Pax 35

Officine Galileo-Ferrania Condor II

There is little information, at least in English, regarding this Italian beauty except it was the fruit of short collaboration (last only couples of years) between Officine Galileo, an Italian company specializing in optical instruments and Ferrania, an Italian film producer. The following is from Top Gabacho's website




This camera is the range finder model that was produced with the Officine Galileo in 1953 and was launched from the Italian biggest film maker Ferrania company. The Officine Galileo is famous as the production company of the GaMi 16 camera which is an elaborate subminiture camera, but they were a reliable optic maker actually, and was supplying many lenses to each company.
This camera is a small size, but litle heavy. The film is wound up by the lever, this system was adopted earlier than the Leica M3. The name of the lens is "Esaog" F=1:2. This is a very highly efficient lens and we feel the height of the technology of the Officine Galileo.
However, the relations of the Officine Galileo and the Ferrania company were bad, they stopped the production of cameras in 55 after all.

A bit about my Condor II

It is currentky not working, will have to repair it.

1956 Voigtlander Vito BL

Voigtlander Vito Cameras - Vito BL by Stephanie Marriott

The Vito BL is based on the Vito B, with the addition of a light-meter. The camera was introduced in 1956, at which time it was fitted with a Bewi-Automat meter. This is operated by pressing a button on the camera back and pointing the camera at the subject. After about a second, a shutter-speed/aperture reading can be taken.
Later versions of the camera have an exposure value scale and are fitted with the Bewi-Automat or a Light Scale Exposure Meter which has a meter needle display. This display can be misleading, as the reading is indicated by the end of the needle, which will rest in one of the alternating black and white zones. The zone should be followed back to the scale and the reading taken; black zones have numbers and white zones can be inferred from the numbers on either side. In the illustration in the 1957 advertisement, the reading is '10'. Although part of the needle is over the '11', 11 is not the correct reading. The meter has no provision for adjustment according to film speed, and an engraved table is provided to convert the figure given to an EV value which can be used to set the shutter and lens. This table covers speeds 6 - 200 ASA.

In 1957, two versions of the camera were available, one with the exposure value scale, which was fitted with the f/2.8 Color-Skopar and 9-speed Prontor SVS (cost c£36) and one with no exposure value scale which offered a choice of f/3.5 or f/2.8 Color-Skopar.

By 1958, a brightline finder had been added to the list of options.

The camera has a die-cast alloy body covered in leather; metal parts are finished in satin chrome and black enamel. An incident light attachment can be fitted to the honeycomb plastic meter front. The camera has lever wind, delayed action, a cable release thread in the shutter release and a frame counter which shows the number of unused frames. As with other similar models, the exposure value scale gives exposures which are obtained using "B" in green. By 1959, the prices were about £37 (with f2.8 lens), £33 (with f3.5 lens and brightline finder) and £31 (with f3.5 lens and no brightline finder). The camera appears to have been discontinued in the early 1960s.

A bit about my Vito BL

I think it's a funny looking camera. It's small and chubby.

Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta C

A bit about the Super Ikonta C from Wikipedia and Pacific Rim Camera

The Super Ikonta 532/2 (in Germany) or Super Ikonta C (in USA) is the most famous folding camera in the world. It was made from the early 1930’s until late 1950's by Zeiss Ikon Germany. It was attached with several different lenses and shutters, the best lenses were the 105/3.5 or 105/4.5 Tessar post war coated version and the best shutter was the post war synced “Synchro Compur” shutter with a max shutter speed of 1/500s. The Super Ikonta C use 120 film and equipped with a film plane mask to enable shooting either 6x9 or 6x4.5 pictures. The Super Ikonta C has separate rangefinder and folding albada viewfinder windows which sits on top of the rangefinder assembly.

A bit about my Super Ikonta

The Super Ikonta 532/2 is my first folding camera. It is in fairly good condition, the bellow is still light tight, its spring out and fold in easily, the shutter is working perfectly in all speed, the leatherette is considerably in good condition. Only the lens is suffering from severe fungus but it does not stop me from taking pictures with it.

The following are pictures taken by the camera loaded with a 135 film. You got an amazing 9cm x 2.5 cm frame!