Just got a new camera, well almost

[jeremy rundle]

My first camera was an Instamatic 25, that got me into photography, then a Praktica Super TL, and then a Nikkormat, THEN I got a black Nikon F Apollo Ftn, which many years ago was stolen, and replaced with a Canon, yuk.

 

Two weeks ago I ordered from the USA a Nikon F Apollo Ftn, Silver.  Apart from a fer small touchups on the black it is immaculate and working.  £200, including postage, never been let down yet buying from the USA

 

I am back to film now for a looooooong time.

 

Modern cameras are not as versatile, the F/F2 etc could swap heads, screens, backs, drives, in their day they were amazing.

Edited September 2, 2014 by jeremy rundle

[ChrisLumix]

Great great camera.  Totally manual, right? You know, it's a strange thing, but my memory of using manual focus is that it was barely slower - if at all - than using autofocus; at least you were always focusing on what YOU wanted to be in focus, not what the camera thought you wanted. Even with a single-spot focus with modern cameras, if your subject is off-centre, you have to press the shutter halfway to lock focus, then recompose and shoot. Manual focus took no longer, unless my memory fails me.

[jeremy rundle]

Great great camera.  Totally manual, right? You know, it's a strange thing, but my memory of using manual focus is that it was barely slower - if at all - than using autofocus; at least you were always focusing on what YOU wanted to be in focus, not what the camera thought you wanted. Even with a single-spot focus with modern cameras, if your subject is off-centre, you have to press the shutter halfway to lock focus, then recompose and shoot. Manual focus took no longer, unless my memory fails me.

 

100% manual, and with split image I was as fast at single (not continuous) focus as an af camera.

 

The meter is still +-1/2 a stop

 

The serial number is 7400253 making it 1973 just about when I would have bought the original.

 

Just got 6 rolls of 24 exp FP4 from LCeE 24 exposures as they are easier to load on a Patterson auto spiral than 36.

Edited September 2, 2014 by jeremy rundle

[ChrisLumix]

100% manual, and with split image I was as fast at single (not continuous) focus as an af camera.

 

The meter is still +-1/2 a stop

 

The serial number is 7400253 making it 1973 just about when I would have bought the original.

 

Just got 6 rolls of 24 exp FP4 from LCeE 24 exposures as they are easier to load on a Patterson auto spiral than 36.

 

Wow, you can still get FP4? What a flexible film that was/is, in the days before Tri-X came along.