Macro Shooters - This is what you need

[dje]

I am in Melbourne at present and visited a great camera store called "Michael's" yesterday. They have a large museum of old gear on the first floor. I really liked this one ...

[tao2]

Ah, the Contarex, when ah was a kid, a neighbour had a Contarex. Well he had it...sometimes. It was in immaculate condition because it spent around 9 months of the year in the repair shop. The lenses were prone tae seizing due tae the lubes used - they allowed a mould tae grow which ate/evaporated the lube in the lens. Ye didn't know ye had a problem 'til the lens seized and cold-welded - never tae be un-seized.

It was said that this camera, along with others in the family, drove Zeiss out of camera manufacture due tae the huge warranty bills created by these failures.

So, macro users...just say no!...

[jcuknz]

A good tale Tao but I would say no thanks for what it is

edit .. I already have similar and it simply does not get used and has not for the past couple of decades
I am sure it is a wonderful exhibit for a museum Dave

[dje]

Oh dear and here was I thinking what a marvellous precision apparatus .... And you guys have just dashed that romantic image

Dave

[tao2]

Hi Dave,

many folk described it as the Rolls Royce of cameras. An engineering marvel but unfortunately, with dozens of things tae go wrong with it. Unlike the car...ahem!

[IzzieK]

I don't remember not dropping by Michael's down Elizabeth Street every time I go to the city...I bought my first tripod there and still have it...When I saw your title, I thought..."Oh no!!! It took me sometime to cave it to David (the Turk) for me to buy the 100mm lens, now another macro-nism to add to my collection??" Thank goodness it was one of those lemons!!! Good shot through the glass though...

[deetheturk]

Nice capture Dave, but man it even looks heavier than my rig, after Boabs posts I think I will stick with my Canon

[loosecanon]

Sadly the bellows has just about dissapeared from slr photography. A bellows is rather good at pumping dust into the camera body and onto the sensor.

[xpatUSA]

Hi Dave,

many folk described it as the Rolls Royce of cameras. An engineering marvel but unfortunately, with dozens of things tae go wrong with it. Unlike the car...ahem!

In the distant past, a manufacturer of large Diesel engines had the bright idea of making the crankcase with a geodesic space frame (think Barnes-Wallace & the Wellington bomber). Unfortunately, it either warped with stress or had harmonic vibration, can't remember exactly, causing excessive piston/cylinder wear.

Bottom line was that an army of Service engineers followed ships all over the world armed with full sets of pistons and cylinder liners for instant dockside replacement. Damn near killed the Company . . .