Film Just lost an old friend ...

Location
Switzerland
Name
Matt
No, we're not talking about a human being.

I've had a Minox GT or GT-E in my possession since I was twenty. Today, I stumbled over a hard-to-see edge and fell (I seem to only do this with a camera in hand ...). I hit the ground on knees and hands - the right hand still clutching my GT-E. While it didn't appear to have been harmed at first (it lives in a half-case, after all), it turned out that it had been knocked hard enough to unlock the back (I don't know if the film inside survived - we'll see) and, worse, jam the two-blade diaphragm. The camera is basically unusable the way it is now. I'll find out home much it would cost to have it repaired, but I guess I'll be faced with a rather cruel decision, i.e. let it go.

It's a shame. But it's the way it is.

M.
 
Yes, always the worst falls seem to be with camera in hand. That is how I tore my PCL just before Christmas 2018. I am just now recovered and calling it "back to normal" since the doctor has just agreed that I can avoid surgery with all it's complications.
My camera survived, fortunately; sad to hear yours was so badly damaged. I hope you do repair it; 10 years from now, when the repair is ancient history, you will still not be able to replace the Minox. It can become a story and example for the young ones.
 
As I think about it, these new-fangled cameras are actually pretty tough. My GX85 went down hard directly onto Portuguese granite and kept working. Once it hit so hard it took me a full day to get the lens hood off - it had been shoved so far back onto the lens. One of those falls was a backpack bump that caused an unimpeded topple of a 5-foot tripod with the camera on top onto the solid rock (Portugal is like 80% granite and 20% fertile farmland, and 20% coastal beaches, and 50% mountains, and 30% forests, and 100% great friendly people) floor of a municipal building. The crash stopped everyone in the building for a moment, but when I picked up the camera, it was fine.

Last Christmas, I fell hard during a training walk around town (training myself for long hikes on a pilgrimage path). I tore my PCL (the Posterior equivalent of an ACL), and I had my GX85 in my hand. A MAJOR scratch (fortunately one the bottom, not on the LCD), but it still works fine.

Hmmm, maybe not such "delicate electronic instruments" as I've been telling myself all these years. I KNOW any of those falls would have required at least a rangefinder checkup during the "good old days". Hmmm.
 
Thanks everyone for your support.

Life's funny sometimes ... Out of frustration, I visited my favourite auction site (nothing with *bay in it) and chanced upon a Rollei 35 SE in very nice condition, going for a song (they usually command a much higher price than used Minoxes). It's mine now, and might even arrive this week. I'll miss the GT-E, but not so badly now.

Anyhow, I'll take the GT-E to my resident camera magician (a retired repairman who's been extremely helpful and successful in resurrecting gear - but also honest enough to tell me when it was hopeless). We'll see what happens next. I doubt it's fixable, but I won't give up just yet.

Just imagine for a moment it had been the M10 in my hand - I'd be devastated, not just a tad angry with myself for that kind of clumsiness. I'll carry the marks for a couple of weeks anyway - serves me right.

M.
 
Thanks everyone for your support.

Life's funny sometimes ... Out of frustration, I visited my favourite auction site (nothing with *bay in it) and chanced upon a Rollei 35 SE in very nice condition, going for a song (they usually command a much higher price than used Minoxes). It's mine now, and might even arrive this week. I'll miss the GT-E, but not so badly now.

Anyhow, I'll take the GT-E to my resident camera magician (a retired repairman who's been extremely helpful and successful in resurrecting gear - but also honest enough to tell me when it was hopeless). We'll see what happens next. I doubt it's fixable, but I won't give up just yet.

Just imagine for a moment it had been the M10 in my hand - I'd be devastated, not just a tad angry with myself for that kind of clumsiness. I'll carry the marks for a couple of weeks anyway - serves me right.

M.
Matt, sorry about the loss. But I have had a Rollei SE since I was twenty and love it. It has been unused for some time but always been reliable. Was my first serious compact!
 
I had a bit of a heart-stopping moment this morning, as I accidentally snagged the strap on my X-T2 while spinning around in my chair, pulling it and the 55-200 off the desk to bounce on a hard carpeted floor. The thud it made was none too comforting, but there were no apparent signs of damage. Everything still seems to work OK, but I'll be watching closely for electronic glitches or signs of decentering.
 
They say that all's well that ends well - and even though I haven't seen the results yet, I enjoy shooting with the Rollei 35 SE a lot. It's a lot like a mini M6, minus the rangefinder, of course. But the build is impeccable, and while it's considerably bigger than the Minox, it's by no means big. It's quite heavy, though - but I like that, it certainly inspires confidence.

There's only one thing I'm not too happy about: I find focusing a bit tedious. There are rigid ridges on the side of the focus ring (most probably to prevent knocking the ring unintentionally), so it's a bit hard to get to once I remove the filter and shade to achieve maximum compactness, but in all fairness, I usually leave those on the camera anyway, and in that case, it's easy enough to focus. Using the aperture and shutter speed dials is a joy, and so's using the meter (hence the M6 reference - it's very similar in many ways).

M.
 
They say that all's well that ends well - and even though I haven't seen the results yet, I enjoy shooting with the Rollei 35 SE a lot. It's a lot like a mini M6, minus the rangefinder, of course. But the build is impeccable, and while it's considerably bigger than the Minox, it's by no means big. It's quite heavy, though - but I like that, it certainly inspires confidence.

There's only one thing I'm not too happy about: I find focusing a bit tedious. There are rigid ridges on the side of the focus ring (most probably to prevent knocking the ring unintentionally), so it's a bit hard to get to once I remove the filter and shade to achieve maximum compactness, but in all fairness, I usually leave those on the camera anyway, and in that case, it's easy enough to focus. Using the aperture and shutter speed dials is a joy, and so's using the meter (hence the M6 reference - it's very similar in many ways).

M.
I have a Rollei 35. The meter doesn't work, but everything else works fine and it's in good shape. Mainly it just sits on my shelf, but I do have one roll of film left. Might have to dust it off . . . if I can remember how to use Sunny 16!
 
I often use the Sunny 16 rule: shutter speed = 1/ISO at f/16. For instance, at ISO 100 aperture should be f/16 and shutter speed 1/100 s. I often abide by this rule, especially in sunny high-contrast scenes where the camera may overexpose and consequently blows the highlights.
With a couple of my film cameras, you have to use Sunny 16. f/16 for bright sunshine, going to f/8 for overcast weather. Luckily negative film generally is more forgiving of over-exposure than under-exposure so erring on the side of a wider aperture is not too much of a risk, I find.
 
I'm sorry to hear about the accident with the Minox, but I do like the Rollei 35 much more, so maybe it was an opportunity for you!
Actually, the SE versions I don't enjoy as much, since the meter inside the viewfinder is against the original goal of the camera: make all the settings at waist level, so with meter reading on top.
Enjoy!
 
I often use the Sunny 16 rule: shutter speed = 1/ISO at f/16. For instance, at ISO 100 aperture should be f/16 and shutter speed 1/100 s. I often abide by this rule, especially in sunny high-contrast scenes where the camera may overexpose and consequently blows the highlights.
LOL . . . I was being tongue-in-cheek, but my attempt at humor went awry. I'm rusty, but I used to use Sunny 16 all the time when I was in my hipster film phase a few years back.
 
Any news on the 35 GT-E? I just developed a roll of HP5+ taken with a 35 EL that I got off the ol' auction site in nearly new condition, came with leather half case, flash in leather case, and original box with a picture of the camera next to a pack of cigarettes(!). Every frame looks to have been perfectly exposed. I know some of these cameras have trouble with the electronically driven shutter not always working, but I seem to have gotten a good one, hopefully it keeps up. They are really cool little cameras!
 
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