#3 Graflex Naturalist 4x5 large format camera

This camera came from the estate of an older gentleman who has been shopping at the camera shop for many years.  He had amassed a pretty nice collection of cameras over the years.  Apparently, this one must not have been one of his favorites, because I found it in the garage covered in dust and dirt.  If you look closely at the above photos, you can see cobwebs and insect eggs on the viewfinder.  I had never seen one before and I honestly didn't know what it was.  I saw the Graflex badge and realized that I might have something special here.  I was right, because it is considered as one of the rarest Graflex ever.  There weren't a lot of them produced in the first place and there are even less surviving examples today.  The Naturalist Graflex is similar to RB Graflex cameras, but this one was designed to accept lenses with focal lenghts up to 26" or 650mm.  A true single lens reflex, this camera has a film plane shutter with speeds up to 1/1000th of a second!  The adjustable viewfinder let the photographer stand above or behind in while shooting.  I doubt I'll ever see another one again.  This one sold to a gentleman in Australia.  Hopefully it's a prize in his collection.

#2 Leica M4-2 half frame camera

M4-2 w/half frame engraving

This one was brought in by a local camera collector/dealer, but it went right back home with him.  From what I have read, an employee at the Midland, Ontario Leica factory apparently made half frame modifications on M4-P and M4-2 cameras.  Leica does not show either camera as an actual production piece, but you have to wonder, if this camera was not produced at the factory, who did the engraving?  It certainly looks like Leica quality.  This camera certainly has the coolness factor going for it, but I'm not sure I would sink a lot of money into one.  I guarantee that anyone who has a half frame Leica wants enough money to make a down payment on your next mortgage.  If I was to start collecting Leicas, after kicking myself for waiting until the market was at an all time high, I'd start with one of my personal favorites, the black paint M6. I don't even care which version. The paint is not going to help you take better pictures, but it is so damn sexy looking.

w/film back removed 

At any rate, whether this camera was modified at the Leica factory or somewhere else, it was done very well.  The viewfinder and film advance was adapted for half frame so you can get 72 images on a 36 exposure roll.  Since its authentication cannot be verified, it scares me to think about overpaying for something like this.  I don't have much information on Leica half frames, but I figured this one was worth sharing.

#1 Nikon F Apollo with 50mm 1.2 and motor drive

I found this one on Craigslist along with a few other bodies and 9 lenses.  It's not very classy to brag about how little I paid for it, so we'll just say that I paid asking price and didn't even try to haggle.  The seller was extremely happy to get his asking price.  Anyway, this isn't the most exciting camera I've ever seen, but it was one of the cleanest Nikon F bodies I've ever come across.  There were hardly any blemishes anywhere, with the exception of a tiny, tiny ding on the prism.

This camera gets the "Apollo" designation due to the F2 style plastic-tipped advance lever and self-timer.  The name has nothing to do with the space program, though many people, including myself, have made that mistake.  I have probably tested thousands of cameras in all the time that I have worked at the camera shop.  On the shutter speed tester, Nikon F bodies are almost always accurate at all speeds.  The F bodies were introduced in 1959 and ceased production in 1972.  That means the newest F body is about 40 years old.  I would say probably 99% of the time I test an F body, the shutter is spot on. Not a bad track record for a 40+ year old camera.

First post.

I work in the used department of my local camera shop.  My job is to buy photographic equipment to resell in our store.  So much cool stuff comes across my desk that it's a shame I didn't start this sooner.  Over time I hope to add 100 different cameras to this blog and write a little something about each camera.  Here goes nothing.