Old Cameras

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Jan 22, 2011
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I was given eight old cameras made during 1950's-early 60's. Most are German made. I don't know if film is available for these anymore. I'm unsure what to do with them. I know they are not worth that much, is there a demand for these by collectors?
 
demand will depend on the exact models I would say. and condition of course..

But share some pics of the cameras here if you can, always nice to see old stuff like that.
 
Yup^^^
One camera can be $50, another can be $5000, despite both being from the '50s. Just share pictures of the cameras and any manufacturer's markings/labels.
 
If you see LEICA, you have gold.
Some Ziess lenses can be quite good.

As a general rule film is available.... however, 620mm can be hard to come by.
People who use 620mm generally roll their own.

As others have said, post some pictures.

You can also look at KEH camera and try to match up what you got.
 
Film shouldn't be a problem..... They're most likely 35mm or 120 which is readily available. 620 can be had by re-rolling 120 onto the skinnier 620 spools. Even 127 film is sometimes available but expensive (for those die-hard Baby Rolleiflex shooters).
 
I was given eight old cameras made during 1950's-early 60's. Most are German made. I don't know if film is available for these anymore. I'm unsure what to do with them. I know they are not worth that much, is there a demand for these by collectors?
I'll collect them from you if you don't want them.
 
It's fairly hard to value these cameras as the market moves very very slowly.

I say find some film and start shooting. Ilford XP2 is black and white but uses color chemistry, can be developed anywhere, and has wide exposure latitude for your inevitable goofups. Speaking of, if your cameras don't have light meters, or you can't find the mercury batteries to run them, there are cell phone apps that do the same thing.

There are a bunch of mail-order labs in Kansas, of all places, that will develop your film and send you a link to your photo scans online. They'll chuck the negatives unless you pay extra.
 

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The Contaflex is probably the best of the lot. The Voigtlander is probably decent.

The others look like consumer grade cameras, and I know from using one in the past that the T50 is pretty limited.

If they all have clear(mold-free and haze free) optics, they would be fun to play around with. If there's mold or haze, if you don't want to deal with cleaning up(and mold usually leaves marks even after it's removed) it's best to pass along with full disclosure.
 
Check Ebay for comparable.
It's the sold listings that count.

As above, Contaflex is the best of the lot, has a Ziess lens.
Voightlander is decent.
 
The Contaflex is probably the best of the lot. The Voigtlander is probably decent.

The others look like consumer grade cameras, and I know from using one in the past that the T50 is pretty limited.
I agree completely. The Contaflex is easily the best assuming it is in good working order. Contax is best known for their rangefinder cameras, of which broken examples can be found almost anywhere, but their SLRs (like this one) are probably much less common. I've never even seen one and know almost nothing about them.

I have exactly that same model of Voigtlander but ironically it doesn't function any more. I had it serviced once (apparently the lubricant in the mechanical leaf shutter can get gummed up) but eight or ten rolls of film later it stopped working again. But when it was working it was a super nice and simple easy to use camera.
 
I have my grandpa's Austrian-made Goerz Minicord, a 16mm subminiature twin-lens reflex camera that he used while in the "US Foreign Service" in the 1950s. I know he spent years in Cuba and I wonder what exactly he took pictures of. He never told us much of what he did. The camera works. It has a finger winder and can shoot at least one frame per second. It produces square images that are very sharp. The camera has a synch port for flash.





 
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