Another fine presentation! It literally threw me back many decades ago when I got my very first slr (a Petriflex). It reminded me of why I chose a Miranda Fvt instead of a Sensorex because of it's simpler design. I actually owned the Vivitar slr as well! The reason I love your channel so much is not just for the great content, but I can feel your enthusiasm coming through the screen, grabbing me by the ear, and telling me "do you remember?" And I do remember, and it rekindles the excitement and giddiness with photography that I had long forgotten and lost. Thank you so much for giving me back the joy and wonder of my early years!

Hello from germany to all analog friends. I have to admit, that I’m doing training my english language and when you speak slowly, its better for me. Of course I engage my hobby since the 80is with my first Practika from Neckerman in Dortmund and then a Canon T50.Since the last 4 years ,I return to the basics of photografie with Praktika and Ricoh analog cameras. So, I hope for the future that you furthermore make videos , also to for your german circle.

i have an Olympus OM-2000 that i purchased way back in 1998 that i still have to this day. and although most Olympus followers do not consider it a true OM camera, that camera is well-built and it taught me everything i know about photography

Only a true, "old school" photographer would appreciate the sounds made by mechanical film cameras. Great video.

KONICA series absolutely my favorite cameras. I started with Argus then onto Minolta. Finally in 1973 relied on the Autoreflex T for many years. Agree with your observation that Hexanon glass is superb.

You are the Bob Ross of film cameras. Very calming. Thank you.

I had a Konica FS-1 when it first came out in the early eighties. It came with the 40mm kit lens. I took it all over Europe when I was in the army. The only time it used to let me down was during my Arctic tours of duty, when tbe batteries would quickly die in the extreme cold. When I had to work outside, I would break out my Minolta SRT101 and leave the Konica back at base.

I love everything Konica, my first SLR way back in the early 2000s was an Autoreflex TC my mom found in her office at the university she worked at- it had been declared discarded surplus years ago, so I was fortunate to get a fully functional SLR w/ a nice prime lens (50mm 1.7 Hexanon AR) for free. Served me well through my high school photography classes, and today I still have it for film or using the lens (and several other Konica lenses) with my m 4/3 camera. Thanks for the video!

Great to show them!!!! Grettigs

Ohhh my. Reminds me of my old Minolta X300 when I started photography. Those were the glory days for me. =)

I find it interesting that certain brands were often considered bottom tier or lower quality when in fact they only lacked brand strength and awareness. Also how a brand could be perceived as low end in one country or region, but then highly regarded on the other side of the world. Here in the US in the 70s and early 80s, Konica users were somewhat rare. The few Konica users that really knew what great cameras and lenses they were, became almost evangelical about them similar to early Macintosh users. I can only wonder what we’d all be buying and debating today if decades ago we had the Konica F, or a Pentax AE-1.

I enjoyed this thank you. I've just bought my first old school SLR after having a DSLR for some time. I actually bought the original Spotmatic, because I thought it would go well with the Takumar lenses I've been using with my Canon DSLR. It hasn't arrived yet, I hope the light meter still works, although I'm not too worried because I know I can use a light meter on my phone if necessary. Thanks for all your great videos!

You can add a lot of the Praktica cameras to this list. I got mine for $20. I particularly dislike SLRs, but I can see how it can be a very nice camera for people who prefer them.

I have a Sigma Mk1 camera in all black, + it appears identical to the Prinzflex/Chinon camera demonstrated! It was a copy of a Ricoh singlex slr + is a very fine all manual camera which still operates with or without batteries! These cameras were sold cheaply through Dixons outlets. Incidentally, this camera incorporates a copal square shutter, one of the most reliable shutter mechanisms ever made. Also own the Olympus OM10 with zuiko 35mm, 50mm ,135 lenses, a superb + compact camera ! Thanks for another super camera demonstration of the old classics!!! Derek

Here in Oz, the 'student' camera was the Pentax K1000. A tank of a camera that survived teenagers experimentation admirably. It sold with a 50f2 lens. Yes, late 80's for the Canon T90. Also the Pentax MZ10 started to round the harsh edges when the used more plastics for the top of the camera.

Gonna cast my ballot for the Konica FT-1 Motor! It was one of the first full-frame 35mm SLRs with an auto wind feature to hit the market, and uses the same Konica AR mount that the FS-1 uses, so you've got the same great lineup of lenses. The FT-1 was more or less an entry prosumer camera and features shutter priority as well as an exposure compensation dial on the top! It takes AAA batteries as well, so it's a super easy system to buy into if you can find one in working order for a good price! I picked mine up on ebay for probably around $30 USD after shipping? Great video as always!

I have just bought the Prinzflex ttl for £20 also.... Seen another vid where you can remove the camera baseplate and lubricate the cogs with sewing machine oil with a piece of wire... The delayed action is very sweet.... btw I use an olympus C765... just for video... but not much use for blogging.... But too replace a camera I had stolen in 2018...

I remember when the vivitar V3000 came out. There were rumors going around that Pentax was about to drop, once again, the K1000. And vivitar thought it could capitalize on that, and take over the student camera market. They did bump up the shutter speed to 2000 of a second ( Pentax top speed was 1000 of a second as you know ), Also it has a metal shutter ( like you said ) instead of the cloth shtter of the Pentax K1000. It was a good plan but soon after auto focus started coming out, and auto everything came out and that was that. It did not work out the way they thought it would, but that's the story behind that camera body. You are right though, a great little camera.

I agree, I love the design of olympus. Even there digital OM-D cameras are beautiful and I miss shooting my m43 cameras but as I shoot film I wanted a full frame camera and bought a A7 and switched to Fuji in parallel. Love the Konicas as well but I prefer aAtbe look of the FC-1 I guess it's a aperture priority camera.

They are indeed fantastic cameras. I have my Miranda Sensorex (my very first one) to the last film SLR I have had in the Canon T2. And now, I still go to the likes of them: Fuji and Olympus DSLRs!

Great look at those budget friendly SLRs! I have the Konica FS1 with the Hexanon 40mm 1.8 lens. Still takes great photos. It uses 4 AA alkaline batteries to operate everything. I also have a Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic with the M42 mount Takumar 50mm 1.8 lens. Made like a tank. Just had it cleaned, lubricated and adjusted (CLA). Will run for many years to come. All mechanical. Used a Mercury battery for the light meter and thanks to the environmentalists they were banned. So I use my iPhone and a light meter app. Keep up the great work and show us more budget friendly SLRs, such as the Minolta XG-M. 👍

Excellent video....

You are filming with the GH2?? Dude, you are truly brave one 😉

Had my prinzflex today a black one..lovely mechanisms...read that someone called it a rebadged Practika ttl... but handling it feels like an old Nikon....some discussion about the battery was originally mercury I believe..!?

Lovely video as always! I love my Pentax Spotmatic Sp II. Does a nice reliable job of just using those ol M42 lenses with no fuss (though I do need to replace those foam seals....). I think the best bang for buck camera I have bought is actually my Praktica BCA which I got for like $25 odd canadian dollars. It is reliable enough, aperture priority so just point and shoot. The meter works well and despite the slight plasticky feel, I think it is reasonably well built. The one caveat is that the Prakticar B mount lenses are a bit less common than say M42 or K mount but hey you get all the good pricey Zeiss glass still. I think the Pentax M series of cameras are also a wonderful deal if you can get one for a good price.

That was a fun video. I have been buying and selling cameras for many years, the only one of these I have seen working recently is the Ricoh. The others are almost always DOA.

I found my Olympus OM-10 with original flash, manual adapter and lens cover for $8 at a thrift shop and about 20 cameras later it’s still my main.

I am not a photographer, and I don't even own a camera of any type, but I really like and enjoy your videos . . . thx

Good one.

Looking quickly on e bay at OM 10 models you have to be certain that the plug in mode comes with it just saying... I know none of us on here are stupid.. just something to watch for!! Thanks Nigel....

I bought a Praktica BC1 with a Pentacon PB 70mm-210mm lens today for a fiver. It is fairly clean looking and the lens seems fine. I have to buy a battery next.

Although I love the OM10, I have had two of these that were hardly used, but failed on me in the last couple of years - film advance froze up. Also, the have high vibration, not well-damped mirrors, compared to the OM-1, OM-2 series. I do also love the OM lenses, which seem to last forever...

Prinzflex............"the shutter sound is quite loud". LOL you cracked me up. ha ha ha

That Chinnon (Dixon brand) looks like a Ricoh Singlex 2, they were badged by a few outlets Sears (USA )also being one . The first Richo Singlex was Richo's first 35mm SLR, the lens was an eight element 55mm 1.4 made by Rikenon which some say was a Nikon super fast lens. I bought one 1963ish from Mayfair Cameras Harrow and still own it.. As for the OM10 they have a nasty fault, if left with battery on board and stored badly the fragile wires could rot, the camera has a magnet in the right side of the shutter box this keeps the mirror up when the battery is low, if wire that controls this action corrodes the mirror stays up, the mirror box has to be removed to fix the fault is a right fiddle. The OM1 is a better camera, it main fault is the black mess that light seals the prism once on the prism its can't be clean off, best to buy an old OM10 'spares or repair' for the prism its the same without the gunge.

Where would you get a slide on cold shoe for my prinzflex pls Nigel?

This dude is the David Attenborough (BBC narrator extraordinaire) of photography! Calming voice that just oozes passion for photography. He missed his calling as a hypnotist or documentary narrator.

I have some of the cameras you show in this video, two Pentax Spotmatics and the OM10. You're absolutely right, this are fantastic cameras and i love them all.👍 Build quality is much better than many of the cameras you can buy today. One question, do you only collect this cameras or do you use them for photography? Please excuse my english, i am a 60 year old german and i've learned english in school for about 45 years😉

Started my photography with a Zenith EM, still claim that some of my best shots were taken with that. On the OM10, which I also owned, along with dozens of others over the years, it was renown for having issues with the shutter magnets, I think a drop of oil used to get on them which required a professional repair.

Your video on the Konica 40mm F/1.8 lens made me hunt for one. I found one including the working Konica FS-1 for €80. Maybe this video will inspire me to use the body to explore film photography.Your video on the Konica 40mm F/1.8 lens made me hunt for one. I found one including the working Konica FS-1 and light meter for €80. Yours really was a bargain compared to what I paid! Maybe this video will inspire me to use the body to explore film photography.

Copal Square shutter too..

Hi Nigel, the Olympus OM10 is indeed a nice camera, I got the black version in top mint condition some time ago. Needless to say I purchased the manual adapter from UK by the way :) I‘m curious to see how well it performs with the OM Zuiko 1.4/50 mm blacknosed version as well as the OM Zuiko 3.5/50mm macro lens! Best wishes, Ralf

Makes me want to shoot with my Pentax Spotamatic

that Vivitar looks just like my old trusty K1000

I just picked up an all mechanical mamiya/sekor 500tl for 20 bucks. A lot like the Chinon, I was just surprised at the quality and couldn't say no at such a low price.

What is the position re cells for exposure measurement especially re availability?

Just bought some batteries for my 1978 Pentax MX, where it all began...

muy interesante la muestra de camaras vintage presentada por "mi pobre angelito" ;)

Lots of nice cameras, but it seems some of these are hard to get. I think you really have to be very patient and keep a look-out in online auctions for a few weeks or months if you want something like an FS-1 for €40 with a lens.

Two main things about the Konica FS-1 and the FT-1 make sure you find one that works well and test it thoroughly because the electronics are weak I found out the hard way after buying three different ones for $5 US each and none worked. Also make sure the battery door is in good condition on these they are a big weak point and hard to find and when you find one it cost about the same as the camera itself.

Nice lot indeed.

I am about to get my second Voigtlander SL lens these days. I bought it for my Nikon DSLRs. Now I am thinking of buying a vintage film camera for my two Voigtlanders SL for a different experience. Any recommedations?

I have the same Prinzflex which is identical to a Ricoh camera that I also have so isn’t a Pentax. I think the Vivitar is a re badge Cosina not a Yashica as the mount is different. Chinon cameras sold by Dixon’s are Chinon.

Hi, Thanks for this. May I also recommend the Nikon F4s. Still using mine with vintage lenses, and you can get one for 200€. I undertstand it is another price range, but a fantastic camera to learn.

Prinz was Dixons branding for various pieces of kit from cameras and telescopes to enlarging easels. In some cases, the Zenit E for example, Prinzflex was a sticker placed over the Zenit badge. Latterly the cameras were branded Chinon, and lenses in M42 and K-mount are mostly very good. As the very similar CS and CX emerged in the early and mid 1970s, my guess is your Prinxflex-Chinon is late 60s and early 70s.

In the same vain of the Konica FS-1 I would also put the Canon T-70. got the same modes as the FS-1 and can be had for cheap too. Good option if you already got some FD-glass or wanna see how FD stuff performs but don't want to buy the (often overpriced) A-Series.

for a second i thought you were steve buscemi :)

Would you consider a Praktica MTL3 good value?

Did you scan these results with your slide copier lens and the a7?

You can't find film negatives anymore in Singapore.

I'd recommend Konica T, T2, T3 instead of F series. T series mechanical cameras are indestructible.

Going to have to stop watching your videos, after seeing this one and your earlier one on the Konica 40 mm lens I have just purchased both the Konica FS1 and the 40mm lens. Wanted the lens from your previous video but could only get it at the moment on the camera so might be tempted to have a go at film for the first time in 20 years. Keep up the great work.

Didn't Chinon always hire other people to build their cameras and lenses? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Chinon were designers, not builders. So they probably got Pentax to build that particular setup for them! I've got a couple of later Chinon bodies with K-mounts, and they also look distinctly Pentax-like.

Если бы мне надо было выбрать только один (единственный) объектив для 135 фотоплёнки, то я выбрал бы 40 мм. Мой самый первый фотоаппарат "Смена" с объективом Т-43 40/4,5.

Work in a one hour photo shop Seen it all.

That Prinzflex is identical to the Cosina Hi-Lite in my drawer, which I only bought for the lens on it, ten years ago. Howking it back out for a look, I see what you mean - it's not a piece of junk, it feels quite nice to use, so I must put a film through it sometime. Another one I bought for the lenses is the Voigtlander Bessamatic. The lenses I got with it, and have since acquired, I've shot on Pentax digital, and been quite pleased with the results. Some very nice glass from the 50s/60s. Another one I've never put a film through, and again, it feels like a very nice camera mechanically. This site (German, turn on auto-trans) fills in the details. You can see they weren't cheap in their day. www.der-klinterklater.de/warum.html The reason I just bought a Vivitar V2000 is to get a fully manual K-fit body for my backlog of K lenses I've acquired over the years. As you say, auto is fine, but as an old-time manual shooter I've never liked being dependent on batteries.

I wouldn't say film is where it started..........I think wet plates are more like the starting point. Film is quite modern.

No Pentax K 1000? The epitome of simplicity and they made a zillion of them so they’re inexpensive