Nice eccentric camera, great video. Thanks! Btw, I used my father’s Voightlander Prominent I as my ‘first camera’ back in 1974, now THAT was an ergonomic nightmare! I soon saved up for an early Pentax SLR and never looked back.
Another great video !! I'm glad I discovered your channel. Am floored by you guys only having 400-odd subscribers ! What film did you shoot with in the Alpa? Thanks !
I'm pretty sure were were just using Ilford Delta 100. It's a great black and white film if you are planning on scanning to digital immediately. If I was planning on making conventional prints, I'd more likely shoot FP4. Not sure when I'll get around to this, but I'd like to run a roll of color through the thing just to see how that goes.
I'm sorry you both found the Prisma such a dreadful, hopeless camera to use. I have handled many Alpas, (including a Prisma) and used several different types. Yes, they are unconventional designs but I personally have always been able to adapt to imaging with unusual cameras such as the Alpas, Prominent, Werra, Exakta, Vitessa, and various others, without much difficulty at all. As you appear to feel the Prisma has few, if any, redeeming features and will not be loading it again-perhaps you'd like to consider giving it to a committed film photographer who will actually use it regularly, and who has the skills needed to maintain and repair such an exotic design?
Alpa 35mm SLR cameras have always been IMO a flim-flam. They were made in various models from the 1950s to the collapses of the maker, maybe in the late 1980s(?) Each model was behind the times in terms of features. They were poorly made, often having to hand file parts just to fit the cameras together. No repairman would work on them as a result. They acquired a reputation as some sort of ultra camera though advertising because (1) they were sold for twice the price of the best 35mm cameras. (If it costs a lot, it must be good.), and (2) they were made in Switzerland. (If you make fine watches, fine cameras must be a snap.) They were sold only through an importer in NYC which specialized in high-end, odd ball European cameras. The lenses were made by other manufacturers, and they were always very high quality, if very expensive. The great lenses made folks overlook the camera itself. It is very rare to find an Alpa which works, particularly the later models. They were sucker bait new, and they are sucker bait used. The two lenses it is remembered for are the 55mm 1.9 Switar "Macro" (macro only because they put it in a close focusing mount, otherwise nothing special) and the 100mm 2.0 Switar, which is exceedingly rare, then and now.
Nice eccentric camera, great video. Thanks! Btw, I used my father’s Voightlander Prominent I as my ‘first camera’ back in 1974, now THAT was an ergonomic nightmare! I soon saved up for an early Pentax SLR and never looked back.
Another great video !! I'm glad I discovered your channel. Am floored by you guys only having 400-odd subscribers !
What film did you shoot with in the Alpa?
Thanks !
I'm pretty sure were were just using Ilford Delta 100. It's a great black and white film if you are planning on scanning to digital immediately. If I was planning on making conventional prints, I'd more likely shoot FP4. Not sure when I'll get around to this, but I'd like to run a roll of color through the thing just to see how that goes.
I'm sorry you both found the Prisma such a dreadful, hopeless camera to use. I have handled many Alpas, (including a Prisma) and used several different types. Yes, they are unconventional designs but I personally have always been able to adapt to imaging with unusual cameras such as the Alpas, Prominent, Werra, Exakta, Vitessa, and various others, without much difficulty at all. As you appear to feel the Prisma has few, if any, redeeming features and will not be loading it again-perhaps you'd like to consider giving it to a committed film photographer who will actually use it regularly, and who has the skills needed to maintain and repair such an exotic design?
Alpa 35mm SLR cameras have always been IMO a flim-flam. They were made in various models from the 1950s to the collapses of the maker, maybe in the late 1980s(?) Each model was behind the times in terms of features. They were poorly made, often having to hand file parts just to fit the cameras together. No repairman would work on them as a result. They acquired a reputation as some sort of ultra camera though advertising because (1) they were sold for twice the price of the best 35mm cameras. (If it costs a lot, it must be good.), and (2) they were made in Switzerland. (If you make fine watches, fine cameras must be a snap.) They were sold only through an importer in NYC which specialized in high-end, odd ball European cameras. The lenses were made by other manufacturers, and they were always very high quality, if very expensive. The great lenses made folks overlook the camera itself. It is very rare to find an Alpa which works, particularly the later models. They were sucker bait new, and they are sucker bait used. The two lenses it is remembered for are the 55mm 1.9 Switar "Macro" (macro only because they put it in a close focusing mount, otherwise nothing special) and the 100mm 2.0 Switar, which is exceedingly rare, then and now.