 Kathleen Reichle |
Konica Ft-1 Camera? I'm new to this site and I have a question for you all. Does anyone know anything about the Konica FT-1 camera? I inherited my grandpa's camera and lenses when he passed away and have been able to take beautiful pictures outside but I need to buy a flash and am not sure which one to buy. I am just learning about photography. I had thought about selling it and buying a new Canon Rebel but I think I will just learn with this one and wait until I can buy a Digital Rebel. Is this a wise choice? Is this camera worth keeping? Thanks,
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doug Nelson |
Try a google.com search. Look for a link to "Photography Blue Book", and try to live with the endless stupid pop-ups. Please, please,please keep this camera. The lens quality was state of the art for its day. Buy a bracket to set the flash off to the side, and look for an older Vivitar 273 or 283 flash. If it takes a PX625 battery, go to PX625.com for options.
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doug Nelson |
The FT-1 is newer than I thought. My source says it takes four AA's. If it goes on the fritz, buy a T-3 on an auction site. Those lenses are excellent, but they don't fit anything else. Your Grandpa wanted you to have this. Trust me; I'm a grandpa.
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Kathleen Reichle |
Thanks Doug! No problems with the pop ups (I have a blocker). The camera takes 4 AAA batteries. I just pulled the camera out (grandpa died 8 years ago) and took some pictures of my son and had to change the batteries. . . Is there anywhere online I can find instructions to all the lenses I have too? I have a vivitar close focusing auto zoom, a Konica macro-hexanon AR 55mm F3.5, a Vivitar auto wide angle, a Saitex auto 2x tele-converter and a Konica 35~70 zoom (the only one I have ever used). Thankfully before grandpa died he did show me how to focus the camera =) I figure I can use the wide angle for taking lighthouse pictures but I don't know what all the numbers are around the lenses. I usually set it on auto and I really want to learn to do it myself! Thanks,
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Jon Close |
There is a free online manual at http://www.butkus.org/chinon/konica_ft-1/konica_ft-1-splash.htm Re: numbers on the lens, "1:2.8" or "1:3.5-5.6" gives the maximum aperture available on the lens. They are ratios, equivalent to f/2.8 and f/3.5-5.6.
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Kathleen Reichle |
Thanks Jon. I found the manual. And I guess I need to study what apertures are! I have a lot of reading to do! ~Kathleen
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doug Nelson |
That Konica macro is a great one to have. You can take pictures of the children, and, if they move in too close, this lens will focus to about 9 inches. You can use it as a normal 50 as well. It has a lot of numbers on the barrel. Unless you do precise, professional close-ups, you won't need them. Konica 50 1.7's and 28's are very cheap these days. Get a Kodak book on 35mm photography at a camera store, or look for Time-Life's The Camera at a flea market. Jim here at betterphoto sells a good basic book, too.
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John C. Schwentner |
The flash for that camera is most likely dedicated meaning youve got to get the Konica original flash. I have a source for them if you want to send me an email
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John C. Schwentner |
An update to what I said. I did double check, and it looks like a Vivitar 283 or maybe other flashes could be used. But if you can get a new original Konica x-24 would that not be better? Doug is correct also, that is a wonderful camera and well worth keeping. I bought mine in 79 or so, and it is the first autowind slr to come on the market. Many Konica origianl lenses are also available plus accessories.
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John C. Schwentner |
Sorry I have to correct myself. I thought you meant FS-1 but you have a FT-1. Forget what I said about autowind, that is the fs-1. But flash holds true
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Kathleen Reichle |
Thanks John. I also have an F4 (at least I think that's what it is. Too lazy to go look). Here's my delimma though. I have all this equipment and have no idea how to use it. I would really love to have the digital rebel. My grandma told me to sell my grandpa's stuff to put towards the price of the Rebel. She told me that as long as I was replacing it all with another camera I was still doing what my grandpa wanted me to do. As much as I don't want to sell everything, it's not doing me much good just sitting in my closet. And it will take a long time to come up with all the money for the Rebel myself. So, if you were going to sell a camera how would you know how much it is worth? I took it to our camera shop here in town and they wanted to charge me to tell me. I really don't have the money for that right now. And I really don't want to just give it away for cheap if it is really worth something. The Rebel is $1000. My husband will probably never fork over the money for the Rebel because he keeps asking me to justify to him why he should spend that much money on a camera :) Anyway, I guess I'm just not sure what to do. Makes this a pointless post doesn't it!?! :D ~Kathleen
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John C. Schwentner |
No dear, you make good sense. I understand your dilemna with the film camera. Traditionally you would find cameras really never do hold their value, kind of like cars. Pawn shops are full of them, and even a brand new rebel would lose 1/3 of its value used off the bat. Its a shame but true. I have a Konica fs-1 top line with 300mm zoom lens portrait lens bags,tripod everything including filters cable releases you name it. Ive got about 1400.00 invested in it total. I bought the camera body new in 1981 and it cost around 300.00 then just for the camera. I have now gone to digital, Ive got a couple dimage Minoltas, that arent that expensive and I cant tell the pictures from the 35mm traditional. I will admit a Rebel is supposed to be tops, but for 1000.00 I can do without it. Not to ramble too much, your Konica is a very very good machine, and you will sadly find its probably worth between 35.00 to 65.00 on the internet, there are some on there for that even with extra lenses. I think for the little you would get for it, I would keep it as a serious backup for grandpa, and just hold out for the other later. You can get into the world of digital for immensly less money, and unless you are really going to be more than half serious you dont need a Rebel right now.
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John C. Schwentner |
P.S. Of course your husband should still buy you the Rebel JUST CAUSE YOU WANT IT!! AND KEEP GRANDPA'S TOO!
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Kathleen Reichle |
I had a feeling you were going to say that So here is what I decided. I will keep the camera and buy myself a cheaper digital. And then when I have really learned how to take pictures and if I ever get to the point where I can make money off of them then I will save my pennies and buy my Rebel. And my husband might be more willing to fork over that kind of money down the road when I show him that I really can do something with a camera! He has promised me that when he is done with school I can take some photography classes so. . . Gonna go research other digitals now. . . Thanks again,
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John C. Schwentner |
Wow, Kathleen, I wish my kids were as totally adult as you are! You are doing the smartest thing. The Konica is a wonderful treasure to keep (and use). Spend about 300 on a 4 mp digital and have a blast. The quality of the picture you cant tell with the naked eye anyway. I love my Konica/Minolta Dimage z2, and if youd like to know about it email me and I can really spend some time with you on it. There are, of course, good comparable models, but this one was so good I bought 2 of them. Fully automatic and also fully manual, your choice.
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