Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/03/18

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Subject: [Leica] So.. what is the deal with Alpa Cameras?
From: creativevisions at verizon.net (Michael J Herring)
Date: Fri Mar 18 20:24:45 2005
References: <BAY19-DAV5E65B456B8D781D188C9DED570@phx.gbl><02ba01c529e1$09001d30$8ee34142@D1S9FY41><00c801c52ba1$30d4ab20$aa00a8c0@ic7max3> <006001c52bc4$90bb5e30$8ee34142@D1S9FY41>

Seth,

Thank you very much. It looks like I will need a great deal of luck.

Take care,
Mike
----- Original Message -----
From: "Seth Rosner" <sethrosner@nycap.rr.com>
To: "Leica Users Group" <lug@leica-users.org>
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 9:12 AM
Subject: Re: [Leica] So.. what is the deal with Alpa Cameras?


> Mike:
>
> You are well-informed: because the flange-to-film distance of the Alpa
> 35mm camera is the shorteset of any SLR camera, lenses made for
virtually
> any other SLR can be adapted to the Alpa. Some adapters are very rare
and
> therefore very expensive when you can find them. I have one of the
> Leicaflex-to-Alpa adapters that I was lucky enough to find some years
ago,
> virtually LNIB.
>
> Before that on-line auction place became so prolific, Karl Heitz and his
> company, Heitz Service Corporation, who had been the sole importers of
> Alpa cameras, lenses and accessories from 1949, was a good source for
used
> Alpas, since he was so well-known in the small Alpa world. Anyone
wishing
> to sell would sell to him.
>
> eB** caused his supply to dry up and became the principal source for
Alpa
> gear. Since total production of these hand-made, precision cameras
during
> the entire almost half-century history of 35mm Alpa was around 64,000
> cameras (phenomenal, eh? 1,400 cameras a year?), there are not very many
> out there.
>
> See www.karlheitz.com
>
> Sad to say, Karl Heitz died three months ago in his mid-90's !! after a
> six month illness. He had been active running his company until his
death.
> The company is now in liquidation but alas, there are no Alpa cameras or
> lenses in inventory.
>
> One caution: if you find an Alpa you want to buy on that site, ask for a
> clear description of its condition, i.e. meter, shutter, mirror, lens
> focus and diaphragm rings all functioning properly, and mirror, prism,
> viewfinder and lens glass all clear and free from scratches, fungus,
dust,
> haze, separation etc., and insist that seller assure you in writing of
> your right to inspect, have tested and return for full refund if it is
not
> as described.
>
> During the last four or five years, I have bought seven Alpas on that
site
> and have had to return four of them for refund after having done just
what
> I suggest above. And one of the three I retained required a $450.
service
> of which the seller agreed to pay half in lieu of giving me a refund.
>
> Good luck.
>
> Seth
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael J Herring" <creativevisions@verizon.net>
> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug@leica-users.org>
> Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 4:59 AM
> Subject: Re: [Leica] So.. what is the deal with Alpa Cameras?
>
>
>> Seth,
>>
>> Do you know of any place where you can find these late model Alpa 35mm
>> SLR
>> cameras? I have been told it is rather easy to adapt other optics to
>> them.
>> I live in New Jersey.
>> Thanks,
>> Mike
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Seth Rosner" <sethrosner@nycap.rr.com>
>> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug@leica-users.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 11:31 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Leica] So.. what is the deal with Alpa Cameras?
>>
>>
>>> Aha!
>>>
>>> Eric, this very high quality MF camera is the successor to a line of
>> very
>>> high quality Swiss 35mm cameras whose prodution started in the 1940's
by
>> a
>>> company called Pignons, S.A. in Ballaigues, Suisse, that also
>> manufactured
>>> parts, gears, levers etc. for the top-line Swiss watch manufacturers.
>> They
>>> were very quirky; early models were rangefinders, next lines featured
>> both
>>> rangefinder and reflex focusing in the same camera (!!!)and the final
>>> models were strictly SLRs. Alpa made no lenses. They were furnished in
>>> Alpa mount by Kern, Schneider-Kreuznach, Angenieux, Kilfitt.
>>>
>>> Their quirkiness made them relatively uinsuitable for what our group
>> terms
>>> photjournailsm or street photography as they are slow and
>> counterintuitive
>>> (e.g. the film advance-shutter cock lever protrudes from the front of
>> the
>>> camera and is drawn clockwise toward the rear!!!) Thus it is very slow
>> and
>>> deliberate in operation and was used more by scientists, laboratory
and
>>> research people than by PJ's.
>>>
>>> Tom Abrahamssen, who used to collect them, describes having
disassembled
>> a
>>> very early model of which he said the shutter mechanism and gear train
>> for
>>> the delayed action release were like the inside of a Patek Philippe or
>>> Rolex watch while the rest of the camera looked like it came from a
>> Soviet
>>> tractor factory! Later models are magnificently made, rivaling even
>>> contemporaneous Leitz and Zeiss production.
>>>
>>> Take a look at the history that I believe is on the Alpa website.
Capaul
>>> and Weber are a Swiss couple who bought the Alpa name and mark from
the
>>> receiver in bankruptcy in about 1990 and proceeded to design and
>>> manufacture this current Alpa camera that is built to space station
>>> quality levels, nothing automatic whatever. They too do not make
lenses
>>> which are still produced for the Alpa by some of the world's finest
>> optics
>>> manufacturers.
>>>
>>> I have had several Alpa's and 50mm lenses recently and still have a
>>> collector camera/lens combo like-new in box.
>>>
>>> Seth
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "eric" <leica_korenman@hotmail.com>
>>> To: "LUG" <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 6:36 PM
>>> Subject: [Leica] So.. what is the deal with Alpa Cameras?
>>>
>>>
>>> http://www.alpa.ch/
>>> Do pros really use these? Or just former sultans?
>>> Are these even snobbier than Leicas?
>>>
>>> I stumbled into these cameras on a stroll of the net today and I am
not
>>> familiar with them.
>>>
>>> Eric
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Leica Users Group.
>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Leica Users Group.
>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>
>>
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>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
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>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information


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In reply to: Message from leica_korenman at hotmail.com (eric) ([Leica] So.. what is the deal with Alpa Cameras?)
Message from sethrosner at nycap.rr.com (Seth Rosner) ([Leica] So.. what is the deal with Alpa Cameras?)
Message from creativevisions at verizon.net (Michael J Herring) ([Leica] So.. what is the deal with Alpa Cameras?)
Message from sethrosner at nycap.rr.com (Seth Rosner) ([Leica] So.. what is the deal with Alpa Cameras?)