Re: 35mm vs. MF

[Joe Berenbaum <joe-b@dircon.co.uk>]

At 21:14 09/08/97 -0400, you wrote:

>Joe:
>I remember that you posted to LUG that you had found an Ensign Autorange
>820.  Have you used it yet?  If so, what results?
>Randolph Carlisle
>
(I'm replying by personal email...)

Hi Randolph-

If that's the one I'm thinking of (16-on), it turned out to need servicing
so I returned it under guarantee and eventually was told it was "not
economically repairable". So I got my money back. Interesting though that
Classic Collection thought it was ok to sell- maybe they just don't look
very hard at their old cameras. But since then I found a 1948 Super Ikonta A
with uncoated Xenar in near-mint condition. The lens has been cleaned and
everything works, and it was cheaper than that Ensign! It's a strange world.
The only problem I have with it is that it is in rather nice condition with
a perfect leather case and so maybe I should sell it and get something
scruffier to actually use... The real advantage of a 16-on folder like that
is that it will go into a pocket pretty easily without its case, its barely
bigger than a 35mm compact. But then a mint camera will become less mint
every time you use it that way unless you're really careful. Why is life so
complicated? The negatives look pretty good to me. I'm still getting my new
darkroom put together so I haven't made any prints from it yet. At the
moment I'm using Rolleiflexes as much as I can because there's something
about them that I can't resist (if someone told me that the only cameras I
would ever use in future would be Rolleiflexes, I wouldn't be that upset).
But I will use the MF folder/s at some point.

I also found an early 1930's (I think) Ensign Carbine, probably the top end
model of that time, a sort of Autorange Carbine, that has an uncoated Tessar
and a Comopur Shutter. Oh- maybe this was the one you meant- but I thought i
only mentioned it on the MF Digest, but then maybe elswhere also. It takes 8
6 x 9 exposures on 120 film and I got it serviced and now it is apparently
working perfectly. It is old though; it has a wire sports finder, and a
front standard that has to be pulled out along rails on the bed, but
amazingly it also has a perfectly functional coupled rangefinder with
dioptric adjustment and a nifty rising front and sideways movements also.
Very strange to find such a well-thought out camera as old as this one
appears to be, but that also still takes current film. I haven't developed
my first test film yet, but that camera is currently looking down at me from
a tripod. I won't be able to print any 6 x 9 negs for about two months,
since that is how long it will take for me to get the 6 x 9 condenser I need
for my Magnifax enlarger. So it's 35mm and up to 6 x 6 for the moment I suppose.

And after all that- my favourite mf folders are the 6 x 9 Super Ikonta and
the Super Isolette.  

I wonder- do you have any weird old MF cameras, folders, Rolleiflexes,
anything like that? 


Joe Berenbaum