Tag: Kodak Gold 200

Favorite Film Cameras: The Zeiss Ikon Contina IIa 527/24 (1954-56)

Posted on by Don Salvo
The stylish 1950s Contina

A postwar-classic little gem. From the glory days of West German camera production. Great ergonomics, shutter sound and smooth film advance. A sharp lens. Inexpensive. The Contina IIa hits all the buttons. It’s remarkable how quickly after the devastation of the war the fractured Zeiss company was able to regroup and offer quality products to the world. This camera was produced in Stuttgart, West Germany, during the period of the postwar Wirtschaftswunder, the economic miracle. At this time, manufacturing was still semi-artisanal and involved many expert eyes and hands.

Industrial landscape (Kodak Ultramax 400)
Castle closed: the Wasserschloss Bedburg-Paffendorf (Kodak Gold 200)

One caveat: The Contina series is confusing since the company used the name for different types and models, so you need to carefully inspect your copy and locate it in the Contina family tree. Maybe the designers and marketers liked the Italian flavor of the name too much…

Icicles have formed overnight (Kodak Ultramax 400)

Designed by Hubert Nerwin, the Contina started out as a folder but soon (1954) became rigid. It is not spectacular – a fixed lens and a leaf shutter. But like many well designed objects you grow accustomed to using it very quickly. A bit of a throwback to the days of craftsmanship and long assembly lines of quality control employees, the Zeiss Ikon Contina reminds us of the good times of the 1950s. While out of reach of the normal wage earner, it was something you aspired to, if you got a promotion, if you could afford the next little luxury. In a way, the camera embodies the promise of upward mobility. The Contina fits perfectly in your hand and has elegant controls. And a very bright viewfinder. But the proof is in the photos. Even the cheapest lens, the Novonar, is very good.

Evening mood (Kodak Gold 200)
A small bog in the Eifel. (Fuji 200)

The light meter on my copy still works ok. It is fun to work with the LV scale and check it against my lightmeter app. At the time of production, the camera cost 215 DM which amounts to about 500 Euro today, quite a sum. Families would have to save for months to afford it. That makes the pretty shiny object into a status symbol as well.

Rapeseed field in the Eifel near Euskirchen (Fuji 200)

Even after 50 years, you can sense the precision and care that went into the manufacturing process. The pride of everybody involved. The meticulous quality control. The care that went into storing it into the case and keeping it in a cool dark space in your home. The leather case protected it from the wear and tear. No earthquake or flood could harm the precious family heirloom. The Contina was made for weddings and birthday parties, for anniversaries and New Year’s Eve. Maybe someone captured the 1954 World Cup triumph of the German Nationalmannschaft with a Contina.

The Wahner Heide (heath) on the outskirts of Cologne (Kodak Gold 200)

It’s practical, handsome, versatile. You cannot go wrong with the Contina as a sweet little beauty to carry on a walk through town. It works like the finely tuned mechanical object it is. A satisfying shutter sound, and the film advance ratchets smoothly.

Kronenburg, the little gem, where inhabitants decorate the city (Fuji 200)
Wasserschloss Bedburg-Paffendorf (Kodak Gold 200)
A boardwalk leads visitors over the bog in Dahlem, Eifel (Fuji 200)

Links:

Manual:

https://www.butkus.org/chinon/zeiss_ikon/zeiss_ikon_contina_ii/zeiss_ikon_contina_ii.htm

Info including the Contina “family tree”:

https://camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/Zeiss_Ikon_Contina_series

A Camera Like Clockwork – Zeiss Ikon Contina Ic Camera Review
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Zeiss Ikon Contina III – One Roll Mini Review – by Charles Higham
Camera: Zeiss Ikon Contina 1a

Favorite Film Cameras: Leicaflex SL2 (1974-76)

Posted on by Don Salvo
Classic camera, classic view: The Cologne cathedral with the Leicaflex SL 2 (Kodak Gold 200)

The camera that nearly broke a company. The Leicaflex SL2 is heavy, solid, clunky. But combined with Leica glass, it’s a marvel of German engineering. The attempt to capture the SLR market might have failed, and Leica might have gone belly-up with this product. Clearly, the Japanese camera companies had gained the edge by this time, producing acceptable quality at a lower price. Leica designers and engineers did not want to compromise and lost the bet. Fortunately for film aficionados nowadays, a Leicaflex SL2 is not out of reach. It still represents a happy marriage between German ingenuity and wonderful sharp lenses.

Kilkenny, Ireland (Kodak Gold 200)

This was my first foray into the Leica universe. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the body was cheaper than the lens! Any Leica-lover will know what I mean. The 50mm Summicron is simply fantastic. Try it out, and you will be amazed at the crisp sharpness. It is as if you were seeing the world in a new light.

Cologne Central Station, detail. 135mm Elmarit-R (Kodak Ektar 100)

This is another solid camera, made to last. The workmanship is supreme, no plastic here. The controls are where they should be. Nothing fancy, nothing elaborate but simply designed to appeal and to convince. Fully manual, all-mechanical. The Leicaflex SL2 is heavier than the Japanese competition. It is a brick. But what a pleasure to attach one of these magical lenses and lug this brick around.

Evening sunflare on the banks of the Rhine river (Kodak Ektar 100)

The shutter sound is loud and comprehensive. It is impossible to accidentally expose a frame. The film advance is long and significant. You can sense that the designers cared for their customer. No simple solutions, but mechanical pleasure. Metal-based satisfaction.

The Dom in Aachen as seen through the Summicron lens. (Kodak Portra 400)

This camera conveys a sense of seriousness. You go out and feel you need to capture the world, fix a moment in time on the emulsion of choice. Funnily I never think of loading expired film in the Leicaflex. It seems like blasphemy, as if the camera would be offended. Leica demands the freshest and best available for your budget. What might be next for this gem?

Slightly too much sun: the moat around Schloss Augustusburg in Bruehl (Kodak Potra 400)

No, the Leicaflex SL2 so far has not been my go-to camera for experimental shots. It is the elegant grande dame of my collection. The one you spoil with extravagant outings and exotic locales. Not for her the nitty-gritty of street-art and multiple exposures. Take it with you for the stately homes and the cathedrals of the world. Use it for portraits of your loved ones. It will repay you with the cleanest, sharpest vistas imaginable.

My home is my Schloss: Leicaflex SL2 in Augustusburg. (Kodak Portra 400)

I also have a 135mmElmarit-R lens for the SL2. Yet another superb piece of glass. Sometime I think what if I sell a bunch of other cameras and invest in Leica glass? Then I calculate and find out that even if I sold all of my cameras, my car, and plenty of other possessions, my ability to afford Leica glass would be slim. Ok. Moving on. Maybe adapters.

Even in a democratic republic, some names bear witness to the imperial age: The Hohenzollern railway bridge in Cologne (Kodak Portra 400)

Anytime I venture out with the Leicaflex SL2, I am proud of the hard work that went into producing an artifact like this. I am conscious of the history that went into the development, the research, the craftsmanship, and even the marketing. Sometime I think of Oskar Barnack, the pioneer of camera design, and the Wetzlar employees today continuing a long tradition. IN retrospect, the Leicaflex SL2 might not have been the epitome of photographic innovation. But it sure feels good in your hands.

Rain and rust will not destroy our love (Kodak Portra 400)
Fishing nets on the Heider Bergsee. (Kodak Ektar 100)
The 135mm Elmarit-R at work: Detail of the Cologne Cathedral (Kodak Ektar 100)

Links:

The Leicaflex SL2 Could be the Best Leica SLR Ever Made
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CCR Review 81 – Leitz Leicaflex SL2

http://www.fogdog-photography.com/fogdog-blog/2019/12/17/leicaflex-sl2

Favorite Film Cameras: The Canon AE-1 (1976-1984)

Posted on by Don Salvo
The Cologne Cathedral is usually adorned by scaffolding, indicating ongoing preservation work (Kodak Gold 200)

This is the first instalment of a series on extraordinary cameras. The Canon AE-1 is not only a classic milestone in the history of film cameras, it also occupies a special place since it was the first modern SLR in our home. Beforehand, photography was rather challenging – you had to calculate distance and focus. Family photos were time-consuming, and the subjects quickly got tired of posing awkwardly, unless you had a landscape or flowers in front of you. In those days, finishing a 36-frame film took months. It was expensive to develop the prints. On the other hand, you would sit down and share the photos, trying to remember together where this frame was shot. Purchasing the Canon AE-1 was a game-changer. It was faster, it offered a system of interchangeable lenses, and it turned photography from a documentary practice to fun. Mind you, it was not cheap: the cost was between 600 and 700 DM, which amounts to approximately 800-900 Euro in today’s age.


This demonstrator in front of the cathedral reminds us that “weniger” – “less” is more (Kodak Gold 200)

We took pictures when family gathered for birthdays and holidays, or when we traveled on vacation once a year. Subsequently, the stack of negatives and prints of a family archive neatly fits into a couple of shoeboxes and a few albums. By comparison, shooting digitally means amassing tens of thousands of images, storing them on hard drives and computers, and possibly forgetting them.

Nighttime under a railway bridge (Kodak Ektar 100). Photo meetup event.

Picking up the Canon AE-1 is a joy. The ergonomics are brilliant, the weight is perfect with 750g, the shutter noise and the film advance are smooth and crisp after all these years. Great Japanese engineering. It is not complicated to handle, since it was designed for the enthusiast. As in the 1980s, the camera fulfills the mission: to improve the photographic quality of your images, to allow people to learn the craft, and to make lasting memories.

Open pit mining in Garzweiler (Kodak Gold200, 28mm)

The Canon AE-1 can be the workhorse for analog images, or it can be the Sunday treat. In my kit, the standard 50mm and a 28mm get the most traction. I am not a big fan of the old zoom lenses, so I try to stick to the primes. It is ideal for your photo walk around town, picking up some details or the occasional wider angle, here at use in the local industrial mining area.

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The Zeppelin on its way to the city center. (Kodak Ektar 100)

You cannot go wrong if you stash the Canon AE-1 in the bag for a stroll around. The camera does what the best sports referees attempt to do: It stays out of the way, allowing you to focus on the composition. There is a reason Canon sold millions of copies. It put a sophisticated electronic device into the hands of the consumer.

Maybe the most popular SLR: The Canon AE-1.

Links:

https://casualphotophile.com/2015/09/17/canon-ae-1-program-vs-ae-1-camera-review/

Manual: https://www.butkus.org/chinon/canon/canon_ae-1/canon_ae-1.htm