Sibokk Flickr PhotostreamI love cameras.
I could easily be seen as a collector of cameras but I do try to use all of them.
Last weekend (2nd of February) I had the chance to hold a Leica 1.
I’ve never held a Leica before in person and I’ve only ever seen a couple on the street, I believe one them was an M6 (the slanted rewind knob), so I was rather excited to see THEE Leica.
It was very small and light in the hand like a Smena 6 or a Halina 35x (I think that camera was based on a Leica model) but the controls felt nice and the shutter fired beautifully. At around £500 on a Sunday with all banks shut there was no way I could buy it.
Also on the sellers table was a beautiful field half plate camera with a beautiful brass lens; I forgot to photograph it.
Moving round the room I saw, and subsequently bought, a Zenit EM for £10. The 28mm ƒ2.8 Hanimex lens looked really clean, the shutter sounded about right and the curtain looked clean. The light meter doesn’t seem to work but that’s not important.
On my way out after rummaging through two boxes of Kodak plastic cameras, like brownies and the such I swung back round ‘the Leica table’ and bought 2 shutter/lens combos I saw in a box; both for £5. I’m not sure what I’ll get up to with them yet.
Post Camera-gasm
When I got home I loaded the Zenit with a roll of 10p Kodak gold and set about attacking my family with flash photography.
As with other cameras of this era it doesn’t have a hot-shoe but it has an X and M option for Electric and bulb flash modes.
I put my cold to hot-shoe adapter on then later I popped my iShoot on to make the camera look ridiculous (the iShoot comes with a PC cord adapter but I couldn’t be bothered finding it this time).
I’ve got my home rolled HP5Plus in the Zenit now so hopefully things will be well.
Colin Dunbar, Artist
ColVish777
My Old Paintings
Jim
/ 7 February 2013I’ve yet to be charmed by Leica. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s reverse snobbery. I’d rather have the Zenit!
sibokk
/ 7 February 2013For sure, I totally understand your possible reverse snobbery because I have it too but for everything post Leica 3f or maybe M2.
The Leica superiority/elitist mindset some folks have is bizarre and counter to every atom in my body but the Leica 1 was really cute and functioned well for its age like my Kodak folders from nearly 100 years ago.
To me, the history factor was the most compelling element.
sibokk
/ 7 February 2013The Zenit feels great to handle, still to finish a roll I can develop though, so I definitely made the right choice!
Marie
/ 7 February 2013Love both of them, and I wish you all the luck with your Zenit, that’s a fantastic camera, and a real steal, £10, woowww… :-)