Equipment

Posted by icrewzbot

The Pentax 17 has been out a couple of months and has sold out around the world. Initial price was $499, now its $550 plus $55 in sales tax. Cute camera but its, for the most part, a toy camera with minimal features. Pentax will likely sell 5-7 millions of these toy cameras. If you are a beginner in film photography, the Pentax 17 is very tempting. Perhaps if a professional camera was priced 6 or 7 times higher, it might make sense. When you can buy a legendary camera for less, why not start film photography with a camera format that is in high demand and hard to find. This is a much better made camera, It is a 6 x6 cm medium format cameraa instead of 1/2 frame. It provides the pinpoint sharpness of your subject while providing dreamy smooth bokeh, a very professional look. Focus, aperture, and shutter speed are fully adjustable by you. Like all vintage collectibles, condition is everything. Most of these cameras have had decades of use, passed from hand to hand, family to family, each adding wear and tear that greatly diminishes value. Even film cameras that are only 20 years old, in pristine condition, prices can be 5 or more times the price of those that showing wear and tear. I am getting a lot of spam so I can only respond if you leave a phone number. This is a medium format camera, 6 x 6 cm, capable of producing images of 60 to 80 megapixels. Much higher resolution than a full frame camera. My father bought this camera new in the early 1950's when he was stationed in Germany in the Army. He put perhaps a dozen rolls of film through it and babied this camera. This is German engineering at its finest! For a 70 year old camera, it is in pristine condition. I posted photos of the inside of the camera case. You can see there is virtually no wear, just the impression of the camera being stored securely in the case. Even when completely unused, over the decades cameras, like most mechanical things, require servicing. I recently had a clean, lube &amp, adjust (known as a CLA) by a world renowned camera repairman that is personally known to me. Whenever I visit him, he shows me cameras he has received from all around the world. A CLA is essential for these old cameras as the lubricants of the day were whale oil or other rendered animal oil which hardens or gets very sticky, sluggish, and prevents various mechanical components from operating properly. All of this goop has to be removed and replaced with synthetic lubricants that don't thicken or break down. This was a costly CLA because once he got into the camera, much more work was needed besides repairing the shutter to bring it back to "better than new" operating condition. Lenses were removed, cleaned and replaced, stripping old lubricants throughout, mirror cleaned. Should provide years of trouble free operation. Most of these cameras have spent their lives in a high humidity climate in Europe. As a result, they have internal rust. Many out there show signs externally with a condition known as Zeiss bumps, the screws have rusted under the leather coating. These are impossible to repair. This has lived in a low humidity, California climate. There has been a great increase in demand for twin lens reflex cameras as many film photographers prefer waist level viewfinders. Some are paying hundreds for waist level viewfinders to adapt to various film cameras. TLR cameras almost alway come equipped with waist level finders. Price is $499, firm. Check Relic Camera in Long Beach and So Cal Cameras to see their prices and inventory on vintage medium film cameras. Check Samy's cameras, the largest dealer in Southern California. They used to carry hundreds of used medium format film cameras. Check them out today. Medium format cameras are very rare and most have received very heavy use by professional photographers. This one takes commonly available 120 film which is available in a wide variety of color and black and white films. I have replaced the old thin leather strap with a a new, sturdy, thick cowhide strap to protect this beautiful camera. I have a few people that are interested but don't yet have the cash. I'm not able to hold it so it is available now. These a great for travel, portrait, and street photography. Diane Arbus really favored the square format. She used a Rolleiflex prior to shifting to a Mamiya C330. The Ikoflex TLR had always been considered a rival to Rolleiflex, many say its better. This camera was manufactured by Zeiss, the maker of the world's greatest lenses used for cameras, telescopes, microscopes, ect. The taking lens is a 75mm f3.5 Zeiss Tessar lens, same maker as lenses for the Hasselblad, Rolleiflex, Yashica T4 and Contax T2 point and shoot camera. The f3.5 is considered reasonably fast, the f2.8 on a Rollei will cost at least an additional $1000. Not really worth it since images get sharper at f3.5 and above. Outstanding optics. Made in Germany, of course. If you want to read about a CLA on a German camera as well as see how much it can cost, read the following: http://www.rolleirepairs.com/cla.htm Note that Harry says in his ad that expect to pay around $700 for a CLA on a German TLR. I have had several people express an interest in seeing the camera. Thus far, no one has scheduled a time to see it. I will hold it if you schedule a time to see it. No warranty is expressed or implied, sold as is.

May 11, 2026 $499.00

Location: Los Angeles, CA

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