Thrift Store Find: Pentax K1000 with a 28-70mm Zoom Lens.

This is a thrift store find. It's a Pentax K1000 with a 28-70mm zoom lens (f/3.4-4.5). The lens has no identification other than it's specs so I'm it is probably not an original Pentax lens. I will have to do a little research.

Other than a few dings on the filter mount ring, it's in good condition and seems to be fully operational.

It came without a lens cap, so the battery was dead. The Pentax K1000 has no on-off switch for the light meter. It turns "off" when you put the lens cap back on.

Battery Test for Pentax K1000:

Testing the battery on the Pentax K1000 isn't obvious. There is no switch or button.

To test the battery, set the ISO-ASA setting on the dial to 100.

Set the shutter speed dial to B (bulb setting).

Look through the viewfinder and look at the light meter needle on the right side. If the needle is in the up position and steady, the battery is good. If it is not, then replace the battery. The camera uses a 1.5v SR44 silver oxide battery or an equivalent. The LR44 battery is cheaper, but I don't recommend them, because they may leak and damage your equipment. I figure spending a little more money on the silver oxide battery is the better investment, because they last much longer than the alkalines and are lower risk for damaging the camera.

The battery compartment is on the bottom of the camera.

Thrift Store Find: iZone Digital Combo

I see lot's of Polaroid iZone cameras at the thrift stores, but this is the first time I've run across this particular model. I've never heard of it before either. It's called the iZone Digital Combo camera. It's an iZone camera with a built-in digital camera added to the top. According to the Land List, it was produced in 2000-2001 and originally cost $99.95.

It sports a .3Mp digital camera with 1Mb of memory, 18 digital photos at 680x480p, an RS-232 serial PC connection, an optical viewfinder with no display LCD.

The iZone section of the camera is a standard iZone camera. The analog and digital cameras are separate from each other, but appear to share the same power source, since there is a switch to transfer the 4-AAA power source from one camera to the other.

Unlike most of my thrift store purchases, I don't consider this a usable camera, as iZone film is no longer available and the digital camera requires an outdated PC connection and PC software to download the photos.

Cost: $5.99

Thrift Store Find - 35mm Kodak Retinette, Model 30

This is a Kodak 35mm Retinette, Model 30 that I picked up from a thrift store.  The Retinettes were popular, and Kodak made many variations of this camera. It was built as a less expensive alternative to the Kodak Retina cameras. According to Wikipedia, the Model 30 was first manufactured in 1958.

The Kodak Retinette, Model 30 specs are:

45mm , f/3.5 Schneider-Kreuznach Reomar Lens

Compur Rapid Shutter 

shutter range - 1/500s - 1s, B setting

aperture range - f/3.5 - f22

accessory shoe, M-X flash sync

self-timer

tripod mount

leather case

The camera is in very good condition, with all shutter speeds working, and the aperture appears to close cleanly. It is a basic camera, with no metering and zone focussing. The roll of film that appears with the camera was loaded in the camera when I found it. It is a roll of Kodachrome II. I sometimes like to get the old rolls processed, but unfortunately, there are no more labs that do Kodachrome processing. I am looking forward to running a roll of film through this camera.

Cost:$15

Thrift Store Find - Bedfordflex 127 film Twin Lens Reflex camera

I found this little gem in my local Goodwill store. The camera's nameplate fell off, but based on other images of similar cameras that I have found on the web, I believe it to be a Bedfordflex. It's a nice little camera. As an added bonus, it had an exposed roll of 127 film in it. I'm not sure if there is anything on it, but since I will be testing a c-41 film processing kit, I will process the film myself.

127 film, while rare, can still be found at online stores like BH Photo Video or Freestyle Photo Supply. It's a paper backed roll film, about the same size as 35mm film. The availability of this size film makes finds like these working cameras rather than obsolete display cameras.

Check out the Where to Buy Section for links to the stores that sell 127 film.

Cost: $2US

Thrift Store Find: Ansco 1045 35mm Camera

I found this Ansco 1045 35mm camera at my local Goodwill store for $2.

It is a simple 35mm camera with 1 shutter setting, 2 apertures, a fixed focus 38mm/f5.6 lens, built-in flash. I am loading an expired roll of Fujicolor SuperHQ to test it out.