Collection#13 - Rollei 35 LED

My collection#13
Rollei 35 LED
Info from Wikipedia

The Rollei 35 is a 35mm miniature viewfinder camera built by Rollei. The original Rollei 35, when presented to the public at the photokina in 1966, was the smallest 135 film camera ever. Even at the present day the cameras of the Rollei 35 series remain the smallest ever built mechanically working 35 mm camera. During a time spanning 30 years of production, the total number of cameras of the Rollei 35 series made, is about 2 million pieces.

Preliminary Thoughts

In about 1960, when the first subminiature cameras for 16 mm film came to market, Heinz Waaske, chief engineer of German camera maker Wirgin, reasoned that purchasers of the 16 mm subminiature cameras, or even the half-frame Olympus Pen 35 mm cameras, did not want to buy them so much for the tiny film format, but more for the pocketable size. After having already engineered and designed a 16 mm film subminiature, the Wirgin Edixa 16, and some full-frame 35 mm single-lens-reflex cameras, he now imagined building a full-frame 35 mm camera, in a housing only one third of the volume of contemporary viewfinder cameras.

Design of First Prototype

In his spare time, working in his own living room, Waaske made the first technical drawings of the parts of the anticipated camera in 1962, allowing prototypes to be made in the workshop of Wirgin.

The Rollei 35 standard model - Development

In Braunschweig the camera had to be converted to use parts from Rollei's suppliers, as Rollei did not maintain business relations with Metrawatt and Steinheil. A high-quality Tessar lens was made-to-order by Zeiss. Rollei's light meter supplier was Gossen. Whether to use either a photovoltaic selenium sensor or a CdS photoresistor, was finally decided in August in favour of the CdS. Gossen named the same measuring range for both solutions. A selenium-cell powered light meter was cheaper in production and did not need a battery. However, the much smaller CdS-photoresistor improved the stylish look of the camera, the battery powered light-meter was more shock-proof, and the "CdS technology" could be used as a selling point in advertising. The housing needed to be changed just slightly, since Waaske unknowingly had adopted the appearance of Rollei's twin-lens reflex cameras, by placing the exposure time and aperture controls to the right and to the left side of the lens. Nevertheless Rollei's designer Ernst Moeckl revised the housing, and, in particular by changing the edge radius, the camera appeared even smaller.

For the mercury battery PX 13 (= PX 625 = MR 9) of the light meter, a place was found inside the camera housing. The film rewind knob of the engineering model was exchanged for a rewind crank, and a hot shoe was added for mounting an electronic flash at the base plate. Placing the hot shoe on top of the camera was not feasible, because of the underlying exposure meter and transmission gear. Mounting the hot shoe at the frame cover would likely cause damage, when using one of the heavy flash lights of that time. Therefore, for a natural lighting shade, the camera had to be turned upside down, when using a flash, to get the light source above the lens. The projected name for the camera was at first to be the "Rollei privat", which even was the engraving on the final draft in March 1966. But in April 1966, when Dr. Peesel decided to designate all Rollei cameras according to the applied film format, the designation became Rollei 35.

Mass production started in July 1966 with a preproduction run. The first advertising folders still showed cameras with release bolting devices and battery test keys. The first proved to be redundant, since with the lens inserted the camera could not be released, anyway. The latter feature was dropped, for reasons of reliability – electrical contacts could easily fail. The voltage of the mercury battery voltage dropped so rapidly at the end of battery life time, that it would be hard to obtain a false exposure. Likewise a switch for the exposure meter was also dropped. The exposure meter was always on, even with the lens inserted. Enclosed in the darkness of the camera bag, practically no current drained from the battery, which therefore remained usable for many years.

On the way to mass production

When Heinz Waaske finally presented the fully functional new camera prototype to his employer, Heinrich Wirgin said: So you have wasted time on your own construction in my prototyping workshop?!. It was not until that moment, that Wirgin told his chief engineer, that he had already made up his mind to quit with the whole camera production and photo equipment business.

Looking for new employment in the German camera industry, Waaske presented his compact camera to Dr. Ludwig Leitz and to Kodak, but to no avail. In January 1965 Waaske started working for Rollei in Braunschweig (Brunswyck). After Waaske's bad experiences with showing his new camera in interview to potential employers, it was not before March 1965, that Rollei's managing director, Dr. Peesel, accidentally got a first glimpse of his new employee's tiny prototype camera. Filled with enthusiasm, Dr. Peesel decided, the camera should immediately be further developed by Waaske for mass production, but, using only parts of Rollei's suppliers. So, finally, Waaske's little camera was proudly presented at the Photokina in 1966 named as Rollei 35, with a better lens – the Zeiss Tessar 3.5/40mm lens, a state-of-the-art Gossen CdS-exposure meter and a precision-made diaphragm shutter made by Compur, using Waaske's patented shutter design.

Rollei B 35 and C 35

Preceded by two concept studies, the beginners model with a triplet lens, the Zeiss Triotar f 3.5 / 40 mm, hit the market in October 1969. Initially, for the first concept study, Compur was asked for a simplified shutter with a limited timing range of 1/30 sec to 1/125 sec, which, however, was not cheap enough for an effective reduction in production cost.

Therefore the first concept study got an immovable lens tube. The original movable sliding tube was one of the most expensive parts, because it had to be precisely manufactured on a lathe for a light tight fitting. The second concept study retained the sliding tube for the lens, but used a selenium light meter. A light meter for the accessory shoe was assigned to be built by Gossen in early 1968, but finally an uncoupled light meter was integrated in the camera housing.
Aperture and shutter control on the lens barrel of a Rollei B35

The camera received the designation Rollei B 35, with the B indicating the light meter (German: Belichtungsmesser), a slightly cheaper model, omitting the light meter, was called Rollei C 35 for compact camera. Naturally, the innards of the camera were simplified by using more plastic parts. The control wheels on the camera body were replaced by a more conventional aperture control at the lens tube, and the control wheel for exposure time was placed at the sliding tube base on the body. Thus, the fully inserted lens protruded a bit more from the camera body, than in the previous model. Both of these models offered a shutter timing range from 1/30 sec to 1/500 sec and an aperture range from f/3.5 to f/22. The focusing range reaches from 3 feet (0.9m) to infinity. Two pairs of dots on the lens barrel indicate the depth-of-field for f/8 and f/16. The so-called Zeiss formula was inspired by this camera.

Especially for the North American market, a special edition with an artificial leather covering in traffic-red, yellow-orange, deer-brown, steel-blue and white was produced, counting 100 items for each color. But as these test samples did not cause much interest, they were not quoted in any price list.

Rollei 35 B

In 1976 the Rollei B 35 was renamed as Rollei 35 B without any further modification, to better conform to the Rollei designation scheme.

Rollei 35 LED

Without its own development department, the Singapore production facility asked Rollei Germany for permission to make a redesign of the Rollei 35 B. The uncoupled selenium light meter was replaced by a new electronically coupled light meter, using variable resistors for transferring the aperture and shutter control settings to the light meter. The new designation Rollei 35 LED resulted from the three light emitting diodes in the viewfinder, which indicated overexposure, correct exposure, or underexposure. In October 1977 the first datasheet appeared and in January 1978 preproduction started. But the first models suffered from clumsy design of the power switch, which activated the light meter permanently. If the user forgot to switch the camera off, the battery was drained in just 15 hours. Furthermore, the PX-27 battery could be inserted the wrong way, causing damaged electronics. From August 1978 onward an improved model was made, where the light meter was only activated when the release button was depressed slightly.

Read More

Collection#12 - Halina Paulette Electric

Collection#12
Halina Paulette Electric
From Camerapedia

The Halina Paulette Electric was a viewfinder camera with an uncoupled selenium meter, made by Haking in Hong Kong, introduced in 1967. The meter scale on the top plate reads in EV numbers, which are transferred to an EV-number window on the lens barrel, linked to the aperture and speed rings. Film speed (25-400 ASA) is set by moving the sleeve with the EV window along a scale marked on the speed ring, below the meter window.

It was also sold by Dixons as the Prinz Mastermatic III, and as the Brenner Electric. The Halina Paulette was similar but without the meter.

The Halina Paulette was a 35mm viewfinder camera made in Hong Kong by Haking. It was introduced in c.1965, with a 45mm/f2.8 lens in a 4-speed (1/30-1/250) + B shutter.

Many Haking cameras were sold under other names; the Paulette was sold by Sears as the Model 65.

The Halina Paulette Electric is the same camera with an added light meter.

The Halina Paulette II is a later, 1973 version, similar to the Halina 2000.

Read More

Gossen Super Pilot Light Meter

My collection# Vintage Camera Accessories
Gossen Super Pilot Light Meter
Info from Wikipedia and myphotoweb.com

Gossen is a renowned light meter maker based in Nuremberg, Germany.

Cameras with built-in Gossen selenium meters included: Kodak Instamatic 500, Kodak Retinette Ib, Kodak_Retina Automatic II/III, Regula IIIb and IIId

Gossen Super Pilot exposure meter is a valuable meter, very precisely manufactured and accurately calibrated. by means of the built-in new type of photosensitive resistor, the meter has a wide range of use. It is very important to understand that the meter may not be exposed to light for an unnecessary long time for reliable use. Don't use the meter for a longer period than required in direct sunlight and when not is use, save the meter in the complementary etui. The photo resistor does not change its specifications when in use but has a kind of memory from previous measurements. When saved in a dark environment, the meter insures proper measurement.

The Gossen Super Pilot is sold in the USA under the name Super Pilot wit the difference of a double ASA window instead of a ASA and DIN window at the film sensitivity setting.

Read More

Collection#10 - Nikon EM

My collection#10
Nikon EM
Info from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Nikon EM is a beginner’s level, interchangeable lens, 35 mm film, single lens reflex (SLR) camera. It was manufactured by Nippon Kogaku K. K. (today Nikon Corporation) in Japan from 1979 to 1982 (available new from dealer stock until circa 1984). The camera was originally designed and marketed to the growing market of new women photographers then entering the SLR buyer's market.[1] The EM uses a Seiko MFC-E focal plane shutter with a speed range of 1 to 1/1000 second plus Bulb and flash X-sync of 1/90 second. It is 86 mm (3.4 in) high, 135 mm (5.3 in) wide, 54 mm (2.1 in) deep and weighed 460 grams (16 oz). Unlike most Nikons of the time, it was available only in black. The EM has no full manual exposure mode capability, but instead was intended to be used by inexperienced photographers who could not easily master the intricacies of shutter speeds and f-stops. There were also significant changes over previous cameras in the internal mechanics and electronics of the EM, designed to lower costs. Gone were the tight tolerances, ball bearing film advance, and high-quality titanium shutter. The introductory US list price for the body plus normal lens was only $231 – note that SLRs usually sold for 30 to 40 percent below list price.

The EM accepts nearly all lenses with the Nikon F bayonet mount (introduced in 1959) supporting the Automatic Indexing (AI) feature (introduced in 1977). The contemporary Nikon made AI lenses were the Nikkor AI-S, Nikkor AI and Nikon Series E types. The AF-S Nikkor, AF-I Nikkor, AF Nikkor D and AF Nikkor autofocus lenses are also AI types. Nikon’s most recent 35 mm film SLR lenses, the AF Nikkor G type (introduced in 2000) lacking an aperture control ring; and the AF Nikkor DX type (2003) with image circles sized for Nikon's digital SLRs will mount but will not function properly. IX Nikkor lenses (1996), for Nikon's Advanced Photo System (APS) film SLRs, must not be mounted, as their rear elements will intrude far enough into the mirror box to cause damage.

Design History
Beginning in 1977 with the advanced amateur Nikon FM, there was a complete overhaul of the entire Nikon SLR line. The 1970s and 1980s were an era of intense competition between the major SLR brands: Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Pentax and Olympus. Between circa 1975 to 1985, there was a dramatic shift away from heavy all-metal manual mechanical camera bodies to much more compact bodies with integrated circuit (IC) electronic automation. In addition, because of rapid advances in electronics, the brands continually leap frogged each other with models having new or more automatic features. The industry was trying to expand out from the saturated high-end professional market and appeal to the large mass of low-end amateur photographers who were itching to move up from compact automatic leaf-shutter rangefinder (RF) cameras to an SLR, but were intimidated by the need to learn the details of operating a traditional SLR.

Although Nippon Kogaku enjoyed a sterling reputation among professional photographers with their Nikon F2 of 1971, the F2 was a slow seller to most amateurs and beginners, being fairly bulky, expensive, and complicated.[2] Although the Nikon midlevel Nikkormat FT (1965) and EL (1972) camera series were made almost as well as the Nikon F and F2, their relatively high price turned amateurs away from the brand, who instead flocked to cheaper models from other manufacturers.

Features
The Nikon EM formed the base of the new line. It was the smallest and cheapest SLR ever made by Nippon Kogaku. It was a battery-powered (two S76 or A76, or one 1/3N) electromechanically controlled manual focus SLR. The EM featured a lightweight and compact hybrid copper aluminum alloy body and fiberglass reinforced polycarbonate plastic top and bottom covers, plus aperture priority semiautomatic exposure control governed by a built-in 60/40 percent centerweighted, silicon photodiode light meter. A left side viewfinder galvanometer needle pointer indicated the exposure on a shutter speed scale. The viewfinder also had Nikon’s standard 3 mm split image rangefinder and 1 mm microprism collar focusing aids, but the focus screen was fixed. The viewfinder is dimmer than those in the semi-professional Nikons since the expensive prisms of the latter were not used. The camera is also fitted with a low-light exposure warning in the form of an audible 'beep'.

Accessories for the EM included a highly automated dedicated electronic flash unit, the Nikon SB-E (guide number 56/17 (feet/meters) at ASA 100) and a very small power winder, the Nikon MD-E (motorized film advance at 2 frames per second). However, the star of the E-system were a new brand of lenses – the Nikon Series E lenses (discontinued circa 1987). The Series E lens line up in 1980 were a 28 mm f/2.8 wide angle, a 35 mm f/2.5 semi-wide angle, a 50 mm f/1.8 normal, a 100 mm f/2.8 short telephoto and a 75–150 mm f/3.5 zoom, with the subsequent addition of a 70–210 mm f/4 zoom, and a 135 mm f/2.8 medium telephoto. These lenses were intended to enhance the EM’s appeal with new users, by being inexpensive but good quality alternatives to the pricey regular Nikkor branded lenses.

The EM also had one very rare feature for an electronically controlled camera. Nippon Kogaku’s philosophy that a camera must always work when called upon resulted in the EM’s backup ability to operate without batteries – albeit in a limited fashion: completely manual mechanical control with limited shutter speeds (1/90 second, marked M90, or Bulb) and without the light meter. (A little-known feature of the EM is that when the battery is removed, the "Auto" setting produces a shutter speed of approximately 1/1000 sec. This is documented in the factory repair manual.)

The EM and its attendant E-system accessories were Nippon Kogaku’s first attempt to reach the low end of the SLR market.[2] Called internally “the Nikon for women”, the EM was designed to provide style (exterior contours sculpted by Italian automobile stylist Giorgetto Giugiaro), convenience (a system of dedicated accessories), ease of use (as much automation as possible in 1979), low cost (simplified manufacturing process) and the prestige of the Nikon name (prominently displayed on the pentaprism housing) for initiates to SLR-dom.[1][2]

Unfortunately, the Nikon EM and its later offshoots (FG, FG-20) proved to be a sales and marketing failure for Nikon.[2] Older Nikon owners refused to countenance the cheap internal construction and lack of manual mode flexibility of the EM. The expected female beginner photography market also failed to appear, as tyro photographers (including women) rejected the implicit condescension of an aperture-priority only EM, and voted with their wallets in favor of higher-priced Nikons or the extra features of less-expensive Canon and Minolta cameras.

Despite its cheaper construction quality, the EM has proved to be as reliable over the years as its more expensive Nikon counterparts of the era.[3] A set of less expensive lenses marketed with the camera's introduction (Series E) also came in for heavy criticism, and Nikon soon dropped the entire line.[2] Although the Series E lenses were unpopular with Nikon buyers, several of the Series E lenses exhibited excellent performance, particularly the 50 mm f/1.8 (pancake), the 100 mm f/2.8, and the 75–150 mm constant f/3.5 zoom. The relatively low prices of the EM/FG family and the Series E lenses in the used equipment market make them good bargains in terms of price/performance.

Read More

Collection#11 - Agfa Super Silette-L

My collection#11
Agfa Super Silette-L
Info from Camerapedia

AGFA was the abbreviation for Aktien-Gesellschaft für Anilin-Fabrikation, given in 1873 to a company that had been founded in Berlin in 1867. It produced chemicals for photography. Most famous is the film developer Rodinal, introduced in 1892 and continued for 115 years. When Agfa obtained the Rietzschel camera works in Munich from Bayer in 1925, it badged all Rietzschel products with its Agfa rhombus. In 1926 it introduced the first real Agfa camera, the Standard. In 1927 the name Rietzschel disappeared from the products. In that year the successful Billy camera series was introduced, and Agfa licensed Ansco to manufacture its products for the American market.

In 1930 the first Agfa Box camera for 6×9 cm exposures on roll film was produced. In the following year it popularized photography in Germany by dumping the Box 44 for 4 Reichsmark, easily recouping its losses afterwards by selling Agfa 120 roll films. In 1937 it brought out its first camera for 35mm film.

After WWII Agfa improved its prewar models and introduced the new 35mm Solinette. In 1954 it modernized its camera design with the Silette series; 1956 saw the introduction of the medium format Automatic 66. In 1959 a 35mm viewfinder camera with autoexposure button followed, the Optima. In 1964 Agfa introduced the Rapid system as an answer to Kodak's 126 film. The company debuted cameras accepting 126 film in 1967.

Silette is a name used by the German maker Agfa from 1953 to 1974 to designate successive generations of 35mm fixed-lens viewfinder cameras. The corresponding rangefinder models were called Super Silette. There was also an interchangeable lens rangefinder model called the Ambi Silette, which is discussed elsewhere. The first models were sold in the USA under the name Ansco Memar and Super Memar, and some of later ones were sold under the name Agfa Solina.

The first generation of Silette models was produced from 1953 to the early 1960s.

The original Silette appeared in 1953 and was a simple yet well built 35mm camera with a simple viewfinder, a leaf shutter, a lever wind advance and an accessory shoe. The range of shutters went from the simple Pronto (1/25-1/200) to the better Compur Rapid or Synchro Compur (1/500), with the Prontor (1/300) in between. The lenses was either a three element Agfa Color Apotar 3.5/45mm or 2.8/45mm, or a four element Agfa Color Solinar 2.8/50mm. In the USA, it was known as the Ansco Memar.

The original Super Silette was the same body with a coupled rangefinder. The lens range comprised the usual Color Apotar 45/3.5 and 45/2.8 and Color Solinar 50/2.8, but the top of the line was represented by the Agfa Color Solagon 2/50mm six element lens. Today the original Super Silette with the Color Solagon on the Synchro Compur is considered the most desirable model of the Silette fixed lens family. In the USA, the original Super Silette was known as the Ansco Super Memar.

The Silette L, introduced in 1956, was based on the same body as the viewfinder Silette with an uncoupled selenium meter in the top plate. There were three successive types of meter, with a bigger or smaller setting knob, and a larger or smaller cover flap. The shutter and lens combinations were the same as above, except the cheaper Pronto.

The Silette SL, made from 1957, was based on the last variant of the Silette L, but the exposure meter was coupled to the aperture and speed settings. The lens was the Color Solinar 2.8/50mm and the shutter was the Prontor SLK to 1/300.

In 1958, the Silette LK was a cheaper variant of the SL, with an Agfa Color Apotar 2.8/45mm lens and a Pronto LK 15-250 shutter. Launched the same year, the Silette Automatic (named Silette SLE at the beginning) was a better evolution with a collimated viewfinder and the meter reading visible inside. In 1958 the body of the basic Silette model was slightly modified, with an advance lever hidden in the top plate and a larger viewfinder. The cheaper models had a simple viewfinder and the better models had a collimated viewfinder, with a second window to illuminate the bright frame. The choice of lenses included the Agfa Agnar 3.5/45mm, Color Agnar 2.8/45mm, Color Apotar 2.8/45mm and Color Solinar 2.8/50mm. The shutters were the usual Pronto, Prontor and Compur Rapid, as well as the Vario B-25-50-200 on the cheapest model. Some of the simpler models were sold in the USA under the name Solina.

One variant of the 1958 basic Silette had a different elevated top plate that announced the style of the later models.

Prototypes of a Silette Stereo model have been mentioned.

Read More