Old Beaters: The Joy of Bottom Feeding
by Gene Wilburn, March, 2003
To her discomfort and undoubted dismay, my wife has witnessed my discovery of
eBay. In the past two months I have won bids on three used lenses, all
screw-mount Pentax Super-Takumars: a 50mm f1.4, 35mm f2, and 135mm f3.5. The
total cost: less than $150 USD. The lenses all arrived safely, and all were in
good condition, ready for use.
Three of the author's old beaters
The reason for the purchases was that I had acquired (been given, actually) an
"old beater" -- a working Honeywell Pentax H1a 35mm SLR that predates the
Spotmatic, has no built in metering, and has shutter speeds only to 1/500. Old
Beaters are cameras that are past their prime, in most eyes, and have been left
behind in the wake of "progress". Castaways, if you will. And as the tidal wave
of digital sweeps through every boulevard and alleyway of photography, more and
more older film cameras are destined for the midden heaps of garage sales, pawn
shops, uncles' closets, and auction sites. To younger photographers these items
may look like the jetsam of the past, but to those of us who grew up with them,
many of these cameras and lenses are old friends and acquaintances. Nothing to do
with sentimentality (that's not entirely true but pretend it's so), there are
treasures out there: early Nikons, Leicas, Canons, Hasselblads, Pentaxes galore,
Contaxes, Minolta SRT's, Olympuses, Besselers, Fujicas, Ricohs, Rolleis,
Yashicas, Voigtlanders, Kowas, Bronicas, Kodaks, Arguses, Zorkis, well ... you
get the drift.
Why would anyone want to bother with these old beaters, assuming they're in
working condition? The simplest answer is that many of these cameras and their
lenses were, and still are, very, very good. The solid mechanical workmanship of
the bodies and the respectable lens quality offer excellent value and good
shooting. They're bargains, and they're fun to use.
At least I find them fun to use, but I'll concede that you may need to be the
right kind of person to enjoy shooting with older cameras. I've found that being
an older photographer helps -- growing up with mechanical, non-auto-anything gear
I still find it natural to shoot by turning a focus ring, setting an aperture and
shutter speed either by guess (Sunny 16) or by hand metering, and advancing the
film with a flick of the thumb or a turn of the crank. No big deal. You get quite
fast at it if you do it enough. In fact, I get a bit flummoxed by modern cameras.
Too much whizz, whirr, kachingazip for my taste.
It goes without saying that the definition of "old beater" will vary from
photographer to photographer. For many, an old beater is a camera you can keep in
your car for shots as they arise, without worrying if the camera gets stolen.
Ditto for cameras you can take into harsher environments without overt concern
for the equipment. I once worked with a guy who was an avid fisherman and carried
a beat-up old Fujica with 50mm lens on his trips to take photos of his catches.
One photographer I met swears by his FED2 with retractable 50mm lens as his
"walkabout" camera. In general the connotation of "old beater" is a camera that
is somewhat beat up, like some of the Leica M2's and M3's still carried proudly
by their owners. Cameras with war stories.
But a lot of old beaters are not beat up, they're just ... not current. They
may actually be in fine condition but are so far behind the technology curve that
they've been left behind and forgotten. My Olympus OM-1's are old beaters of this
type. I bought them new, have taken good care of them, and they still work a
treat after thirty years. The Zuiko prime lenses are quite respectable by any
standards, but, as with most old beaters (Leicas being a notable exception) the
lenses are now bargain priced. This presents an opportunity: I've picked up some
used Zuikos for very reasonable prices. Being a bottom feeder has some serious
financial rewards.
Not that I'm not a collector, as I keep reassuring my wife. It's just that I
have a few cameras that are over thirty years old: six of them actually. They
drifted into my house over the years and stayed, like stray cats. I use all of
them, some more than others. I like to change pace by grabbing one of them, like
my Rollei TLR, and head out the door for a different style of photo shoot. Or
switch to rangefinder from SLR or vice versa. With the relatively low cost of
these cameras, you can afford to experiment with different camera formats.
Or collect. I'm delighted to hear stories about individuals who collect
certain kinds of cameras simply for their historic and sentimental appeal. They
had one and always liked it and now they collect. One person I read about
collects Exactas. Another collects (and repairs) Contax cameras and lenses.
There's a Fujica website maintained by a Fujica collector, and similar collector
sites exist for Olympus, Pentax, Canon, Nikon, Leica, even Argus C3's. These
collectors are creating small, contemporary museums of cameras and lenses. At
least someone is enjoying these treasures of the past.
Photography students are natural candidates for old beaters. A beater SLR kit
with a set of excellent prime lenses can cost as little as a new SLR with a slow,
crappy, zoom. And because most beaters are manual cameras, they reinforce
learning the fundamentals of aperture, shutter speed and focus. Getting an older
camera that is in good shape and works reliably is the trick, of course, and
there are some old beaters out there that are in worse shape than some old cars
in the junk yard.
Things to watch for
The most obvious disadvantage of old beaters is that they're, well, old. All
cameras can break and older cameras can be particularly difficult to repair due
to lack of parts. Many of them (Leicas being a notable exception) may not be
worth repairing. If you have, say, an old Pentax or Minolta system and the body
goes, it is often cheaper to pick up another used body rather than repair the
broken one. Or to proactively pick up an inexpensive used, but working, body to
keep around as a spare.
Forget the built-in metering. Light meters in most older cameras are a weak
link. They frequently have not stood the test of time as well as the rest of the
camera and either don't work, work inaccurately, or require specialty replacement
batteries. You may luck out and find a beater with a good meter, but on the
whole, plan to use a hand held meter. I use a Sekonic L-389M Studio Deluxe II
incident meter partly because I enjoy its wonderfully retro design, but any
modern external meter will do. Some models, like the Gossen Digisix, are small
enough to be mounted on a camera's accessory shoe.
Earlier lenses are frequently not as well coated as their modern counterparts.
Old beaters favor B&W photographers who are unconcerned about how well a lens
renders color. On the other hand, some older lenses, because they're softer and
less contrasty than modern ones, make nicer portrait lenses, even for color. It's
a tradeoff. There may be more tendency towards flare and lower contrast in
older lenses, but not always. Lenses are individual and generalizations are just
that.
Most older zoom lenses are not as good as today's zoom lenses, but the prime
lenses are usually at par. Stick with primes if you want the best results with
older gear. And stick with name-brand primes -- you'll enjoy your Rokkors,
Super-Takumars or Zuikos more than third-party lenses.
The main culprits in old lenses are scratches, fungus, embedded particles or
noticeable discoloration and fogging. Aperture blades should be free of oil and
the focus ring should work smoothly. Watch for dints that can prevent filters
from being screwed onto the lens. If a lens is clear, and free of these defects,
it should still give years of good soldiering.
Where to buy? I'd first check the classifieds here on photo.net. With old
beaters it's nice to know where they've been and dealing with honest fellow
photographers is comforting. I've personally had excellent dealings with
KEH, a used camera exchange in Atlanta,
Georgia. Used lenses classified as "bargain" at KEH are true bargains, good
lenses at reasonable prices and not too beat up. If my recent purchase of a used
Zuiko 35mm f2 lens is typical, their "excellent" rating equates to "mint" on
eBay. And that brings us to eBay. To be honest, I've had nothing but good
experiences purchasing used camera equipment on eBay. I check the ad carefully,
check the seller's ratings, ask questions of the seller if I have any (partly to
judge the manner of the response), then check the going bid prices to see if
they've remained reasonable. They often go too high so knowing your prices is
important. My largest purchase on eBay was a Leica CL with 40mm Summicron, and it
turned out to be every bit as nice as described. But there are negative stories
about eBay too, so caveat emptor.
I think the best place to obtain old beaters, particularly camera bodies, is
from family and friends. In the 1970's it seems everyone owned a mechanical 35mm
SLR. Many have sat idle for years, and if the shutters haven't seized up through
lack of exercise, they can be excellent acquisitions and are frequently sold for
pennies. Sometimes (as with my Pentax H1a) they are giveaways from someone who
hasn't used them in ten years and who would now rather go digital anyway.
Savoring the Experience
Sure, a camera is just a mechanical-optical device for capturing light on
film. Just a tool in the hands of the photographer. All real photography takes
place between the ears of the photographer. Great photographers can take good
pictures with any equipment. Yada yada yada.
Phooey. Yes, these bits of received wisdom are true, but they only tell half
the story. Photographers are also equipment lovers, connoisseurs of mechanical
minutiae, aficionados of quality lenses, appreciators of fine design. Some
cameras and lenses simply "speak to us": something visceral happens when we hold
them and use them.
I personally think this visceral hit occurs more often with older cameras.
There is something in the heft and feel of older, mechanical cameras that is
missing from many of the newer polycarbonate models. Some of these new cameras
are superb instruments, to be sure, and are just what the professional needs, but
they don't bring the same aesthetic to the table. Call it "design as art form" or
even "form follows function", many older cameras are beautiful machines you can
enjoy and savor like a single-malt scotch or a fine red wine. Some are not so
beautiful, but have a scruffy personality that makes them endearing. And they
still take good pictures. And they're cheap (Leicas being a notable exception).
So in addition to being a literal description, "Old Beater" is also a term of
affection and endearment. If the term bothers you, you can use the more upscale
term "Heritage Camera", but "Old Beater" suits me fine.
So, hats off to the fine cameras of yesteryear! Keep 'em snapping and keep 'em
alive! Salut!
Gene Wilburn is an Information Technology professional who lives in the
Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. His hobbies include music (folk singing
and acoustic guitars), reading, writing and, of course, photography. He maintains
a website at
www.NorthernJourney.com
Article created March, 2003
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, March 02, 2003; 11:47 P.M. 
