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Going Retro

My Chinon/Pentax ArsenalI wonder how many photography lovers out there still use film SLRs. Or still own one for that matter. I fell in love with photography when I was a teenager in school, and started with a very good Nikon F-301 that belongs to my dad. I still have that camera with me, in full working condition except for one of the lenses i.e. a 135mm zoom that succumbed to the dreaded fungus. I started using that camera again last year but I can't help but think that it would be much better if I have something that I can use with my collection of Pentax lenses.

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So imagine my surprise when a colleague asked me if I would be interested in this bunch of camera and lenses that he had and didn't know what to do with. He didn't even know what they were specifically, just that they have something to do with Pentax and he knows that I'm a Pentax shooter. Of course, I said yes in a heart beat.

He came to work one morning and dumped these stuff on my desk and lo and behold... it's a Chinon SLR, 2 Pentax lenses, and a Vivitar Macro 2x Focusing Teleconverter! To know what they are specifically, click here to see the larger version of the photo above - you should be able to read the specs on the items directly. The AGFA film is what came loaded in the camera, and the unrolled film is an Ilford Black & White film that I just developed after shooting it with this arsenal.

Needless to say, the camera was not in a good condition. The shutter/trigger mechanism was jammed, and the lenses were very dirty and had fungus all over. But the good ol' Prof (you can see his public gallery here) did a short work out of it and I got the camera and lenses back in a matter of days. All in full working condition, good as new. I later realised that the vinyl covering on the camera has shrunk so much and were coming off in places so I decided to just peel them all off. Had to do some disassembly so I can apply clear coating on the bottom brass panel and the metal back cover to prevent them from getting rusty. The front body seemed to be made of stainless steel as they don't get rusty at all.

I've uploaded some photos taken with this arsenal on the gallery but here are a few. As usual, clicky to embiggen! I merely scanned these photos directly using a flatbed scanner and didn't do much editing on them, so they might not look as good on the screen as they are in print. The next thing to do is, well... spend more money and buy a dedicated film scanner ಠ_ಠ

Accidentally on Timer Food Photography Helios 85mm f/1.5 Peleng 8mm Sisters

by Ade White
11 August 2009 • Categories: PhotographyLeave a comment »

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