Five at once

Recently, my cousin surprised me with five old cameras from my grandfather and my uncle. He rediscovered them while renovating the attic of his dental clinic (why it’s great to have an attic? Small things can hide there, while they pass their critical life phase between slightly outdated, old garbage and finally vintage classic). A very pleasant surprise and a great extension to the collection, which has now already seven family cameras in it. Here’s a short overview with the first test shots, as giving my current writing speed, the full reviews might take till 2018…

From top left to bottom right we have:

1. An Agfa Isolette 4.5 (1945 – 1950)
A compact medium format folder camera with nice patina, and the second Agfa in the collection.
Please read my detailed review here

2. A Franka Solida IIL (1958)
The second medium format folder, comes from Franconia and is equipped with an (broken) uncoupled light meter, but the calculator wheel helps in sunny f 16 calculations.
Here’s my detailed review

3. A Dacora super dignette (1962)
A viewfinder camera from Reutlingen, with a working light meter and zone focus.
Here is my review

4. A Kodak Retina II (Model 014, between 1949 – 1950).
I believe I still remember this camera from my childhood memories, but probably there was another Retina Rangefinder in the family next to my Kodak Retina Reflex S. As a Retina rangefinder folder was still on my “want” list, I am especially happy about this one.
And here is the review

5. An Exacta Varex VX (1955 – 1956)
My first “camera system” and “fastest” SLR comes with a curtain cloth shutter, four lenses (including a 85 mm portrait lens and a 205 mm telephoto) and an additional waist-level viewfinder

And the final review of this series

I already ran films through the Franka, Dacora and Kodak, all working. The first Exakta roll ~~should come back next week and I’m currently testing the Agfa~~ is back, seems to have some issues with the shutter, but the Agfa works perfectly. Here are some test pictures, sadly I used for the Retina shots an inaccurate light meter, but at least they are sharp.

Franka Solida II L