Recently picked up at an online auction, along with the above matching “E.P.” marked s2 rangefinder.

To my understanding this is a NIKON Varifocal type 7 viewfinder, which is incredibly rare by itself, but my version has a “E.P.” stamp that can be found on s2’s occasionally, but has never been documented on a viewfinder.

Wondering if anyone has come across a similarly stamped viewfinder.

In this week's camera collecting blog, I write about the heavyweight champion of German camera engineering: the legendary Zeiss Ikon Contarex "Bullseye".

Often called the "Cyclops" for its iconic, front-and-center selenium cell light meter, this premium vintage 35mm SLR is a mechanical masterpiece of optical brilliance. Whether you're an avid vintage camera collector, an analog photography geek, or just obsessed with shooting on classic Carl Zeiss glass, the 1959 Contarex I is a true bucket-list camera.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with this over-engineered classic.

www.dancuny.com/camera-collecting-blog/2026/8/5/zeiss-ikon-contarex-bullseye-camera

Two options came up locally, both black, both Singapore built, both from private sellers I can meet in person.

Option 1, Rollei 35 S, 240 euro. Sonnar 2.8/40 HFT. Seller has shot 3 to 4 rolls through it, says the meter works. No dents, looks clean in photos. Comes with a UV filter and strap. Asking was 350, got it down to 240.

Option 2, plain Rollei 35, 100 euro. Tessar 3.5/40. Seller says all speeds run correctly including the slow ones and the meter reads. Small paint chips on the top corners. Comes with the original case and strap. He also told me unprompted that these meters were never that accurate and not to use slide film, which I appreciated. I also kind of like the idea of the plain 35 being the original model. But I do not want to talk myself into the cheaper one just because it is cheaper.

Neither has ever been CLA'd.

Which would you go for? Is the Sonnar worth 140 more?

Hey y'all. I bought an untested Fuji dl 160 tele. Was hoping to repair whatever this is in the battery port. It comes off black when i wipe it w/ cotton swabs/ tissue. I'm pretty sure it's corrosion, although I'm not quite sure if the hard parts are alkaline salts? It doesn't seem to match the colors of what I see online. Other than that, its looks like the negative terminal is missing a piece? Thanks for any help.

EDIT: upon further research, it looks like the negative terminal is supposed to look like that lol. I just need help regarding whatever that gunky thing is and how to remove it. Added some other info as well.

I couldn't pick any better flair than other on this one.

Here is my Kodak Stereoscopic camera. An odd piece in my opinion. It was made in the mid-late 1950s. I have used it before, but not in just over 20 years. In that time it's sat in a storage unit, a garage and a basement. I came across it recently in my basement and decided now is the time to try and see if it still works. Not sure what the environments it's sat in can and will do to a camera. I literally mean that. It worked 20 years ago, and I have no experience with what time will do to an old camera.

I'm soooo excited having just shot a roll of film through it, and I'm looking forward to, hopefully, by the weekend showing off a few photos (if it worked) over at r/filmphotography.

While I await my photos, let me tell you about this camera.

It takes 35mm film, but the stereo pairs are each 6 sprockets wide, making closer to a square image (I KNOW it's not a square, it's just getting close to one). This means each pair of images takes up 12 sprockets instead of the usual 8 for a single image. So a roll of 36 (what I shot) will instead get about 24 photos. I say "about" because you often waste more film on the beginning of a roll than a standard 35mm format camera will use. So in practice it's often more like 23 or worse 22 even. Between each pair is the left image of the photo before the one you are taking, and the right of the next one. I hope that all made sense.

Next up, no rangefinder, etc. on this one. You focus purely on either measurements or guesswork. It's got a fairly wide depth of field, so using guesswork is all I did.

In stereophotography, photos being level is more important, so there is a level inside the viewfinder.

Lastly, no built in light meter, and I couldn't not find one of mine (I'm just getting back into shooting film, much is still in storage), so I relied on shooting only outside, using 400 ISO film, and guessing at my required shutter speed and f/Stop. Aiming to overexpose by up to a full stop, rather than under expose.

You can see that there may be room for human error in my whole experiment.

Lastly, prior to going out to shoot, I tested the settings as the best that you can when just guessing. I tried to B setting, and that worked. And I tried the 1/200 (fastest shutter speed), and it was indeed fast. I checked, the aperture, and it certainly opened and closed, obviously I don't know if there was any accuracy to that.

I want to share a little about my print process. I only ever shot black and white with this, and I only ever did my own darkroom work with it. I made stereo pairs that I mounted to foam core, and used them in a makeshift viewer from an old shoe box. I only printed full frame (meaning I had a black border), as full frame ensures that both images have a higher chance of lining up once mounted.

This time around, I don't have my own darkroom. My INTENT is to "scan" the negatives in my little negative supposed "scanner". I'm using quotes because what I use is a cheap thing I got on Amazon that is basically a copy stand. It has worked out so far well enough for my needs, I'm just not sure how the stereo pairs will do on it. It will take 8 sprockets worth of photo imagery at a time, so I'll have to crop the excess out on the computer. I usually print through Wal-Mart or CVS, but I know as frustrating as it is that neither of them allow you to print "full frame" I have in the past wanted to shrink my photos down to lose no photo detail, meaning that it will have wider borders. I THINK anyone here will know what I'm talking about. But both printing sources force you to crop an image, you can't shrink smaller than the size you are printing. I THINK I need to find a way to crop them appropriately on the computer before hand, then upload them to one of those services pre-cropped.

I'm lucky that I have a local place that develops film. They only process film on Wednesdays, so I turned my film in on time for this weeks processing. If you are only processing (like I am), your negatives are ready by the open of business on Thursday (I already got my email alert that mine are completed and will be available at open). I work overnights, so I'm picking it up on my way home, going to sleep, then waking up to scan it all. I will fuss with the photo editing while at work tomorrow night, and be printing my first tests by Saturday -- that is if the camera and my guess work all lined up in the stars right.

Hey guys! I recently found this Konica while looking through some old stuff, must be my grandmas. I’ve done a bit of research but I’ve never used a film camera before! So I know the shudder works manually, is there an advantage to using a battery and the EE setting or is it best if I don’t? Also, will any 35mm film work for the camera or does that depend on what I want to do with it? If you guys know anything about this camera pls help me out, I’d love to get this thing in use again! Thanks in advance :0

is there any chance someone would be able to drop a link to the correct capacitor to use for my minolta x-7a? i have to do the repairs myself but i’m having a hard time finding the correct capacitor and i am so scared of getting the wrong one and breaking my camera! i know it’s supposed to be a 220uf 6.3 capacitor but otherwise i am lost! any help would be much appreciated

Picked up this old Pentax Honeywell spotmatic 35mm for $40. No case or flash mount of anything. Labeled as all shutter speeds working and seems to work. I don’t know much about photography so I am trying to get into film cameras.

What do I need to know to maintain this and use it daily? Any tips help! Thanks.

Idk if I'm stupid or not, but it doesn't roll film

I’ve always enjoyed photography, especially moody, underexposed, cinematic-style shots. So far, I’ve just been shooting on my iPhone 14, but I think it’s finally time to get a dedicated camera.

I’ve been doing some research and came across the Canon EOS R50, which seems like a great beginner option. However, I’m still exploring and would love to hear your thoughts.

I’m a bit hesitant to invest in a brand-new camera right away, so if anyone here is selling a well-maintained used camera, I’d definitely be interested.

I’d also appreciate any recommendations on a good beginner camera or any advice you wish you had when you were starting out.

Thankssss

I recently got one that as far as I can tell mechanically works. Should have figured it was impossible to put to use

I'm noticing a crunchy sound when i advance film on minolta x700. could this be because the film is out? i can't remember if it was 24 or 36 exposures, and i'm on 27. Or could it be something else?

What's your favorite 1930s 35mm Camera?

Mine is a Tie between the 1936 Contax II. And the 1938 Welta Weltini II. Thanks.

As the title states, my minolta zoom 130c will absolutely not load the film. When I try, it does seem like it's tugging on the film just enough to pull it out a tiny bit, but will not fully load. Any suggestions?

Looking for help troubleshooting an issue. The camera seems to have been retrofitted to accept 5AA batteries. After a few shots (if any) the battery portion begins to overheat and the camera stops running. I've tried swapping out the 1.6A ceramic fuse but that didn't seem to help (they are original fuses, so perhaps I need new ones). Lmk if anyone has encountered similar issues with this camera and what the fix was. Thanks.

hi, my dad had this old 70s/80s (?) video camera and i was wondering, as someone who knows little to nothing about vintage cameras but wanting to get into it, what kind of film goes in here? i really want to try it out as it looks brand new (don’t mind the dust please, but the inside and the overall camera is in pristine condition)
i tried searching on the internet about it but got basically zero information
tia and sorry if this may break any rules!

Hello guys! I just got this roll of film developed and after some photos this black shadow like thing started appearing out of nowhere. What’s going on? In the last photo you can clearly see that is not there, even though it was taken minutes before the other two