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I know nothing about old cameras but i did see some old pics last week. my local camera shop had someone sell him some old pics done on plate or something like that, there were from 1903 and the guy got them scaned and then got prints from them.
The quality was amazing not because they were from 1903 but they looked like they were taken a week ago.
they were so sharp and perfect and the photograph was excellent.
He also made a good point that if there is an image there to be seen you can always get pics out of it somehow no matter how old it is.
Ceri - coming down out of the realms of fancy...(f2.8 rollies...)
I have just dug out from the depths of my cupboard a Kodak Retina 1a that I bought secondhand from a pawnshop 24th April 1962.
It has languished there for many years because of an intermittent jamming of the film wind on / shutter setting mechanism.
Also, the 3 screws that secure the flash shoe to the top plate had come undone. As the they screw in from underneath the top plate into flash shoe it meant that I still had the screws, inside the top plate!
About midnight last night the urge took upon me to replace the shoe.
Rewind knob and wind on lever were removed and the top plate taken off. There were the 3 screws. They were replaced with the flash shoe in position and Loctited.
While the top plate was off I thought I'd have a look at the jamming problem.
It wasn't a jam - the shutter cocking was completed before the full wind on of the film advance lever. A slight re-setting of one of the gear wheels cured this and I then reset the lever return spring tension.
Top plate back on, wind on lever, clean and re-assemble film counter mechanism. Replace re-wind knob.
I now have a sweetly running camera that slips easily into the pocket, has Xenar f3.5/50mm lens, flash sync works ok. And looks good!
The re-wind knob, incorporates a film reminder indicator.
Infrared, Kodachrome Daylight,Kodachrome-A, Pan X, Plus X and Super XX are listed.
I have loaded it with Ilford Delta 400 as I don't have any XX (LOL) which should give me a clue to its lightproofing.
It has been said that there is some value to be had in a bellows camera, in absorbing vibration instead of passing it on.
Maybe, this camera, with the Weltaflex TLR, is all I need for good photography.
If they don't take great pictures it will be my fault.
Which is possibly why I 'upgraded' cameras so many times!
It is a thought.
jas
I'm pretty much of the same mind Jas. I have the Ikoflex and I'm still settling on a miniature - I've been using am Agfa Solinette, a Zeiss Contina and an Altix V (all with triplets). Meanwhile the Pentax kit is gathering a lot of dust.
I have a Retina I I bought for 5... someone had tried to close the door with the lens focussed closer than infinity which demounted the lens plate... I've remounted it and will eventually get round to putting a roll through it to see if the alignment's OK... it's got the f3.5 Xenar too... one of the best Tessar types they say.
I'm pretty much used to using the tables now (or sunny-16ing it like I have today), and blind focussing using DOF is a doddle... no batteries, it's bliss 
Ceri
PS - I have a spare roll of Plus X... it expired in 1962 tho...
Ceri - I see that Plus X is still available - 1.65 36 exp from 7DayShop.
Despite DOF I would still like to replace the Super Watameter Rangefinder that I had at the time of my Silette.
It would sit nicely on top of the Retina 1a.
I don't use tables although I used to at one time.
I still have my Leningrad 4 selenium exposure meter and case. Again no batteries needed!
Retina 1a here but apparently with f2.8 Xenar. I don't ever recollect, offhand seeing an f2.8 Xenar.
jas
I'm pretty happy right now... just bought a 'gelb3' for my Iko' on eBay... it's a Voigtlander not a Zeiss but still...
Focal recycled those tables I have them in my Silette and Ikoflex guides.
I have a Weston V which comes out now and then for ambient reads, and a ZI rangefinder which I'm leaving at home more and more
According to my book on optics there were problems making fast tessar-types... f2.9 was pretty fast, a 2.8 would have been an achievement... Zeiss did aparently manage to get it up to f2.5 but the costs were prohibitive.
Ceri
I have now seen several Retina 1a advertised with a f2.8 Xenar lens so I guess it must be so.
Don't quite see the advantage of the extra half stop, must make the lens quite a bit bigger. Bearing mind that there is no coupled range finder to aid focusing at large stops.
It's not like a SLR where you would get a brighter viewing image (and smaller depth of focus) to aid focusing.
My pictures taken with the Retina 1a came out sharp with good contrast and no fogging, so the lens register still seems ok with no bellows leaks.
Contrast suffers due to general flare when shooting into the light, so lens hood is required.
I shall try and pick up a reasonably priced rangefinder (eg supawatameter) and persevere with camera. A small case will carry the camera and many accesories. Or just the camera in a pocket.
jas
I spent this afternoon at Amberly Working Museum which houses equipment and working machinery, including a small railway. All equipment is actual surviving machinery of the period, it is all genuine stuff!
In deference to age and period of the exhibits I took my circa 1952 Retina, Watameter range-finder and Leningrad exposure meter.I also packed a small non-auto Sunpak flash gun into my pocket
Which is more or less the way I used to do it 50 years ago.
It was great fun taking photos with this gear but was also hard work!
Taking a rangefinder reading, transferring it manually to the camera lens focusing scale. Taking an exposure meter reading and selecting and setting aperture and shutter speed on the camera.
When using the flash inside a building housing the machinery I remembered that I use to have a small light flash bar that fitted into the camera flash shoe and enabled the flash and the rangefinder to be fitted to the camera!
I had to fiddle about holding the gun in the correct direction by hand.
Like I said, a very enjoyable afternoon, but hard work photographically.
I don't know that that slowing down due to all the above actions required to take a photograph resulted in more thought being given to creating the picture.
I rather think not, all my time was taken up in all mechanical tasks above.
Digital really falls in nicely for this type of activity.
However, I think for maximum fun and achievement my MZ-M plus prime lenses and auto flashgun give a reasonable compromise between effecting more trad photography and ease of use.
I covered about a third of the museum and am quite worn out!
jas
Don't forget the old YashicaMat TLRs. I bought a re-conditioned one a couple of years ago and in the right conditions the results are wonderful. The Yashinon 80mm is a Tessar lens and its resolution on Provia or Velvia astounding. Same era as the Prinzflex B (Dixons version of the ZenitO that I started with in the 70's - had great fun with that as well.
Paul
Paul - I have a Yashicaflex TLR loaded with Portra 160VC and ready to go! And another 4 rolls left in the pack to be used!
Has the Yashikor 3 element lens (which are so beloved of Ceri) but is quite good if stopped down.
When I have sorted out a reasonable processor and a suitable subject we will have some more fun!
I also have a Weltaflex TLR which is loaded with B&W!
jas
Reading a comment re eyesight and glasses on another thread reminded me that in addition to the tasks I outlined in using my Retina, watameter, exposure meter and fiddling with flash gun, I also had the problem of putting glasses on to read the exposure meter and set speed and aperture on the camera, taking them off to read the Watameter, putting them on again to set the focus on the lens scale, taking them off again to look through the viewfinder to frame and take the shot.
And then same rigmarole for each shot.
This was really the killer stroke.
It is ok for fun(?) but not for serious photography where you need the shots for a given purpose.
jas
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