Classic film cameras from my personal collection & photo apparatus for sale

Hi, folks! Rather than just keeping adding to my posts here every time I decide to offer a camera for sale, I have left this page permanently as the first one you come to when you come to my blog; it shows you what I am offering for sale without you having to navigate all round the blog just to find out! Most of the items I was offering on here sold long ago, so at present, I am offering just one item for sale to you, and a superb one it is, too!

A new refinement to the blog is how you can make your purchases — you can either purchase your camera by emailing me directly on harsum888 at yahoo dot com, or leaving a comment here on this blog OR you can click on that photo of an Olympus 35SP camera, just on your right hand side of the blog here, right underneath the world map….that’ll take you to my store on eCrater.com Click any of the links on the main page that you come to when you search for my blog….any of those links will take you to my other stores online.

Anyway, besides buying a camera here, you’ll find some really great stuff to tickle your fancy, ranging from news or tidbits about famous photographers, unknown photographers, film and digital camera news, 35mm film reviews, and lots, lots more. I usually aim to post at least once a day, but failing that, depending upon what tasks the wife has lined up for me, at least once or twice a week!

Aside of that, I will also talk about film noir, writing, my other love, street photography, and also on the odd occasion, anything that really bugs me. We’re all allowed to rant and rave about things in this world!

When I was resident in Vancouver BC, I managed to arrange regular street photography sessions there, but circumstances dictated my move to the UK, where I am now. However, there is talk (within my own head!) of moving back to BC….so…watch this space!

Other than that, I hope you enjoy reading this blog, and in the fashion of that famous phrase “me casa, su casa”, this blog is my blog….and your blog; if you don’t like anything in it, or feel there’s something missing, well, please let me know by your comments. I’d really appreciate that.

Just to add that we are living in extraordinary times, and most of us have been affected by the pandemic, so I would like to ask that we all try to help each other during these difficult times.

Oh, and a very, very warm welcome to the blog!         🙂

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To shoot before you think….!

So says Dado Moriyama, that doyen amongst street photographers.

His photographs are mostly very high contrast, blurry, shadowy, grainy but spontaneous.

He always says the first thing new photographers need to do when they have their first camera…is to get out! Only by getting outside into the environment and walking, can you hope to capture interesting shots.

Secondly, he says forget everything you have read or been taught about photography and just shoot, take photos of anything and everything that even minutely catches your eye, don’t pause to think.

What a refreshingly new way to use your camera!

We have covered his work before on this blog, but I thought it interesting to visit his work again, especially now during the pandemic.

It is indeed heartening to hear that he has not stopped shooting!

photographs courtesy of http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3826130

Yes! I’m now a biker. But I don’t belong to a gang!

Hi! Good to be back!

Hope you guys and gals are all ok, too?

As I mentioned yesterday, I finally overcame one of my long-held fears or neuroses…that of owning and riding a motorbike!

Can you believe I now have 3 bikes? Seriously. Yes, three, the third one acquired today!

The first one is a Honda Shadow…

Second one is a Yamaha XVS Virago 250…

And last but not least, a Kawasaki 550LTD…

The Honda and the Yamaha are the ones I use the most, the Kawasaki is undergoing a little tender loving care, after having been imported from the USA!

Oh…almost forgot…here is my ugly visage for you, astride one of my bikes…

Photography posts to follow very soon….just like the good old days!

A very warm hello to all my friends and followers!

One word….Hello!

I don’t know what to say, or where to start really!

What a time we have all been through, and in some cases, are still going through as we speak.

Our lives have been turned almost upside down. And loved ones have been lost.

So let me start off by sending condolences to those of you who have lost loved ones through the pandemic. Any death, no matter who, is a tragedy, but it’s even more so if it happens to be someone from your immediate or close family.

I am not immune…..I lost both parents and my favourite uncle within this pandemic. I think of them every day, not a moment goes by when I do not look at their photos in my living room, and try to comprehend that I will never see them again, never hear their voices again.

Our work routines have also been turned around; many of us have been, and still are, working from home.

When I was told last March that I must work from home, for the first few weeks I found it very strange, I felt detached from the normal world, but gradually over the year, I have gotten used to it, so much so that I have decided I will not be going back to the office now that lockdown is over, at least in the UK. My employers are happy with this arrangement.

New words have been added to our language, too……furlough, lockdown, pandemic, social distancing, touch-free payments and of course, Covid19.

When will be get back to normal?

IMHO……never, or at least, not in the very near future. I would say this IS the new “normal” we are in now. Best we get used to it!

Not all is doom and gloom though.

At long last, we are slowly beginning to venture out of our homes, albeit very carefully and being constantly alert to follow guidelines set by our governments.

I haven’t touched a single of my film cameras for more than a year now….I just did not have the inclination or enthusiasm that I once did since you guys have been following this blog. For that, I do apologise, if you have been disappointed at the lack of new film camera material. I will promise to get myself back into gear soon though.

Talking of gears, during the gloom of the pandemic, I have been able to realise one of my long-held dreams, which is to have my own motorbike! I decided I had procrastinated far too long and now was as good a time as any to do it.

So I am the happy owner of 2 bikes at the moment, a Honda Shadow and Kawasaki 550 LTD. The feeling of riding a bike is out of this world…as somebody has said, when you drive a car through incredible scenery, it’s like watching a movie, but when you’re riding a motorcycle through the same environment, then you’re IN the movie! I will post a few shoots of my bikes in due course for you!

I won’t say I havent taken any photos though. I took this shot with my humble iPhone…hope you like it…..for me, it expresses my peace of mind that I have lost over the past year or so….

🙂

l

Happy Anniversary to……Us!

Hello and hope everyone is ok in these trying times?

Not to put a miserable tone on things for you, but I lost 4 people amongst close relatives, some due to Covid19, some possibly had it but were undiagnosed until it was too late.

So sad. What can we do. Totally and utterly powerless. We just have to grit our teeth, take all precautions we can, get on with life, and hope for the best.

That’s the sad part over. Now for some happier news!

I received this message from WordPress just now….

Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!

You registered on WordPress.com 9 years ago.

Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.

9 whole years since I created this blog? I cant believe it! Time has flown past.

So, as a thank you to all of you whom I have had the pleasure of knowing since then, I am sending you a little lovely tune that stirs my memories every time I hear it, decades after it was written and sung….I watched the film this week….then re-watched it again…it’s such a great story, so emotional!

Enjoy….it here

🙂

Oh, well…it’s heavy enough to use as a doorstop, or a weapon!

Sometimes, especially in commerce, it’s better to do nothing but look at the latest and best products, make notes, and then design something that incorporates everything all those products had, but with perhaps things that they didn’t have.

If you do that, then you will generally have a sure-fire winner on your hands.

That’s probably what happened to the machine I am leading you onto here.

Notice I called it a “machine”, not a camera? Well that’s because it is a precision engineered machine, as well as fantastic camera.

The camera is none other than the Nikon F Photomic slr.

I know. The Nikon F was not the only slr around at the time. But everyone remembers it as being the most famous one, because it had all the best features of other cameras of the era….the Pentax, Leica, Contax and others.

At the time, and we are talking of around the late 1950s, the majority of the cameras available were in essence, a compromise. You got sharp images, but the lens was fixed focus. Or you got variable focus lenses, but lost out in speed. So, a compromise, whereby you had to accept one feature but lose out to another.

Enter stage left, the Nikon F!

No longer did you have to put up with lenses that remained stopped down after exposure. The mirror in the Nikon F swiftly flew back into it’s original position after every shot. It’s viewfinder could be swapped with a plethora of different ones in order to shoot every conceivable photo. Added to that, was a huge range of additional lenses, power drives for faster shooting, extra film backs that gave you up to 250 exposures, titanium foil shutters, the list goes on.

But above all, the Nikon F was so solidly put together, that photographers even now marvel at how great it feels to hold in the hand. And to quote a famous photographer I once knew…..”if it stops working, you can always give it to your wife to use as doorstop, or failing that, use it as a lethal weapon to throw at a thief intent on robbing you!”

When it was marketed, the Nikon F raised so many valid questions from the public. Why were German cameras, which were at the time leaders in the field, why were they so expensive? How could the cheaper Nikon F, and one made by Japan no less, be better and more solidly built than the German Leicas, Contax and Zeiss cameras?

photo courtesy klassic-cameras.de

So obviously, the German manufacturers had no answer to that! And of course, the public voted by their feet, making the Nikon F one of the highest selling slr cameras in the world.

What were the benefits of the Nikon F then?

It is such a marvel of futuristic thinking, that even now, in the 21st century, the Nikon F goes on and on. Reason being, it has no batteries that can go flat or start to leak, no electronics that can malfunction, and no contacts that corrode and cause trouble later on.

The Nikon is so fundamentally designed, that a complete novice can use it.

The top half of the camera just has simple shutter dial for the speed, a film advance lever for moving the frame on after shooting, the all-important shutter release button and of course the film rewind knob.

At the back of the camera, there is a lever that allows you to swap the viewfinder, while back on the front again is a self timer lever, mirror lockup switch, depth of field preview button and a release button for when you wish to change lenses over.

In use, the Nikon F is akin to a world class ballet dancer….each dial moves into place with a satisfying click, the film advance sound is precise and accurate, and all other controls are placed in such aesthetic positions, that one wonders how the engineers managed to get everything just right.

The Nikon F has been used to cover wars, it has been used to take photos in space during lunar orbit, you name it, it has done it.

                 

I think I have said enough here now to whet your appetite! Go get your hands on one!

And no, before you ask, I do have one myself, and I am afraid I will not be selling it. I am keeping it!

🙂

photos courtesy flickr.com

 

Your source for camera coverings!

Hi.

I keep getting lots of emails about camera coverings which I am able to supply to give your camera a brand new fresh look.

 

So here is the link that gives you the lowdown on what is available!

Fitting the coverings is simple….the coverings are of very high quality, much better in fact than the original coverings, self-adhesive and easy to fit.

Even if you make a mistake by misjudging the fitting of the covering, the material has a certain amount of “give” in it and will generally settle into the camera moulded recess with a little pressure with your fingers in the right direction.

If you need any help at all, feel free to email me or leave a comment here and I will reply asap.

🙂

Good day, friends! I present the Pentax K1000!

Hi everyone!

Long time, no speaky! The Covid19 thing has certainly brought major changes to our lives and our behaviour, for sure!

Personally speaking, I have never been so paranoid in my life before. On the rare occasions when I have to venture out to the grocery store, I am forever looking behind my back to see how close the next person is to me….all stores in my country and probably yours too, have that safe 2m distance markers outside their stores as well as inside, to remind us all to keep our distance.

Of course, most people I’ve seen couldn’t care less about that and routinely will push past me, or get real close rather wait for the space to appear naturally after the other customer has moved on. It’s so annoying and frustrating, because in pointing it out to that person, you will probably cause an argument, something which I do not want with anyone, especially at this time.

The other day, I was witness to a fist fight at the lineup at my local supermarket, as 2 guys argued and fists started flying, as to who was first in the line!

Anyway, that’s something for another day! Let’s talk about something neutral and interesting to pass your lockdown moments!

I want to tell you about a camera, one of many, that I still love using.

photo courtesy flickr.com

It’s the Pentax K1000. Or to be more precise, the Asahi Pentax K1000. Available in chrome or plain black styles.

You will find it has nothing automatic. That’s right, nothing!

No autofocus, no autorewind, no automatic shutter selection, no self timer, no auto exposure, no mirror lock, no on/off switch, no interchangeable viewfinder screens.

So what kind of a crap camera is that then, many may say!

photo courtesy flickr.com   

Well, shall I say something here?

As your friend holding his/her digicam stands there trying to work out why their camera costing $$$$$ refuses to take any shots, either because the battery is low, or the mini-brain inside it tells it one or more sensors are not giving the correct information, your Pentax is shooting away merrily.

Simple.

The Pentax has virtually nothing to go wrong. No complicated electronic “brains”, no chips inside that can short circuit. Ok, the only thing it does have is a little, easily obtainable cell battery for the meter. But even if that battery is not there, the camera will still take photos!

The shutter is silky smooth, something even the Leica cannot manage.

To take a shot, just focus till the image is sharp in the viewfinder, and click. That’s it.

As long as your film is wound on to the next frame, the Pentax will take your photo every single time. NO annoying shutter lag, no delays while the computer like in other cameras works out the correct exposure etc.

So I will not bore you with technical details. You can read a plethora of that on the web.

Suffice it to say, anybody who has used, or still uses, this Pentax, will tell you a 1000 reasons why they keep using it, day in, day out, year in, year out.

Ok, so the Pentax isn’t a so-called professional-level camera, but just compare the shots you take with it, to those taken with any high priced SLR and I can say, with hand on heart, you will be hard pushed to tell the difference.

One final thing. Be sure to buy an Asahi Pentax. There are other models made in Hong Kong and China which do not have the Asahi name on the front. These models are ok, but not as good as the Asahi version, due to a large amount of plastic having been introduced into the camera to save on costs.

I normally have several of these in excellent working condition for sale normally, but at this time, I am afraid I am sorry I don’t have spare ones available. I only have 2, and both have enormous sentimental value for me personally, and I will scream and cry like a child, if you try to take to take them away from me!

Happy shooting with your Asahi Pentax K100.

🙂

 

#AsahiPentaxK1000 #film #SLR #film #solid #Asahi #Pentax #filmcamera999

 

 

 

 

Just to say..

 

A quick hello and warm hugs to all of my friends here!

And to make sure you are all safe and well.

I have received quite a few requests for information on photographic products recently, certainly more than I normally get, no doubt due to so many of us on enforced stay-at-home, self-isolation etc etc, but please be patient, and I promise to answer all your requests as soon as possible.

Like many of you, I have been forced to self-isolate, not an easy task at all but hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel.

A special thank you to my good friend Marina Kanavaki for her support, too! She has been with me more or less since I started this blog and is a very special person, as I am sure you are all aware. Thank you, Marina!

Needless to say, this crisis has changed us all immeasurably. Gone are the assumptions that we took for granted, just weeks ago.

Life plans have had to be changed. And as yet, there is no end in sight.

There is political wrangling going on the world over….who is to blame for the virus, who failed, how and when….whose heads should roll….what have we learnt from this etc etc.

This will go on for a very long time now.

One thing is for sure. Nature has shown us just how insignificant we all are. All the technology, all the money, all the power we thought we had, cannot help us very much.

We are at the mercy of Nature.

Surely THAT is the lesson here…..to look after the planet, it’s resources and giving Nature it’s rightful place in the ecosystem, and not meddling with things we do not fully understand.

Hope you are all well and safe?

Just checking to see if you are all ok?

This is my 4th week in lockdown…..I started self-isolation 4 weeks ago due to a family member being sent home by employer for self-isolation. When I mentioned that to my employers, I too was sent home for a 14 day self-isolation.

Weirdly, I developed a sore throat and tightness in my chest about a week ago, which I didn’t mention to my family, for fear of creating panic, but yesterday it became worse so I had to call the paramedics.

The para-doctor arrived at 1am this morning, checked me out and said my symptoms could be Covid related, so told me to self isolate yet again in one room of the house, where none of the family will be allowed. That’s tough, but we will somehow try to carry that out. Meanwhile, the doctor didn’t prescribe anything, aside of the usual advice to take paracetamol and hot drinks, which shows that nobody really knows how to battle this virus.

Anyway, that’s enough of my woes. Hope you are all keeping well.

Stay safe. Stay home if you can.

🙂

 

My friends….

Yes.

That’s right…my friends.

That’s how I feel right now, in our time of need.

Even though we are all 1000s of miles apart, I feel we have a special kind of bond in this crazy world of ours, that is undergoing such a huge radical change right now, changes that we may not see again for a very long time to come.

I won’t bore you with all the details. This is a time for us all to follow guidelines that people and governments have given us and to look after family and each other as much as we can.

Aside of that, in my view, we are Nature’s call.

When the time is right, this calamity will end, for nothing goes on forever.

At that time, those of us who are left on this planet should be give thanks for being alive.

It’s as stark and simple as that.

So. Be safe. Stay at home.