seagull tlr

[ziedrich]

hullo,

my friend jus got me a second hand seagull from china. it still looks okay, some scratches here and there, lens looks good. however the self-timer is not working.

i like the view-from-top feature, think its great for street photography.

i've searched thru the forums and there arent many posts on the seagull (one is expired).

some questions for experienced medium format guys,

1. is it a good camera?
2. is it good enough to justify the cost of sending it for repair/ service?
3. where can i repair it?
4. can it last?

thanks alot!

[enghong17]

The seagull sure lasts, though not really worth it to repair, depending on which model u have. U can actually buy them off. The supplier is the same as the Hoya supplier. Not really sure where u can buy them at the camera shops but they used to cost between SGD$200-400, new.

Which model do u have? They are very cheap in china, esp the 2nd hand ones.

Edit:

Added some forum treads which i dug up, there is quite alot of discussion abt Seagull TLR, due to its price. Here are some:

http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthrea...hlight=seagull
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthrea...hlight=seagull
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthrea...hlight=seagull

Also try looking under the MF section of CS

[ziedrich]

hey thanks!

i think mine is 4A. its my first experience with top-down viewfinder n i like it alot, its much less obstrusive. wads ur model? satisfactory so far?

found a review here http://www.ephotozine.com/equipment/...fm?test_id=157

[enghong17]

Originally Posted by ziedrich hey thanks! i think mine is 4A. its my first experience with top-down viewfinder n i like it alot, its much less obstrusive. wads ur model? satisfactory so far? found a review here http://www.ephotozine.com/equipment/...fm?test_id=157

Me? I dun have a seagull, though i played with it often enough to almost buy it. In the end my mentor got for me a MF SLR, a Chang Chen. Difference is interchangable lens. I also used a Rollei which is closer to the seagull. The Rollei lasts much longer, due to its make, and of course cost differently.

The other close alternative to MF would be the Kiev 88, which is a copy of the Hassey though its a different machine altogether. A TLR's shutter is way softer though its stuck to 1 lens, which may be good or bad, depending on how u see it.

But for the price u pay for it, its well worth it if it lasts for more than a few years. If u want something longer lasting, look for Rolleicords or Mamiyas(<-they do TLRs too).

[Obzervr]

Hi,

Hope you don't mind me asking, what is a chang chen? Is it a brand of a camera?

Anyway, I am own an old original issue Seagull 4, the immediate successor to Shanghai TLR est more than 30 yrs old. Fortunate or unfortunately, a very good friend (who is not a photographer) is pestering me to sell me this cam to complete a vintage look of his home office and to shoot with it once in a while, unless I can get his one that is in equally good condition and comes with a leather casing for under $150. Tough.

Anyway, I am happy with this oldie, the one and only self portrait that I frame up in my room was taken with this cam. Gives a calming effect.

[enghong17]

Originally Posted by Obzervr Hi, Hope you don't mind me asking, what is a chang chen? Is it a brand of a camera? Anyway, I am own an old original issue Seagull 4, the immediate successor to Shanghai TLR est more than 30 yrs old. Fortunate or unfortunately, a very good friend (who is not a photographer) is pestering me to sell me this cam to complete a vintage look of his home office and to shoot with it once in a while, unless I can get his one that is in equally good condition and comes with a leather casing for under $150. Tough. Anyway, I am happy with this oldie, the one and only self portrait that I frame up in my room was taken with this cam. Gives a calming effect.

mnaged to find a web with a pic of my MF SLR......

http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/seagull.html

Scroll down, the chang chen DF-4.

[Obzervr]

Very Interesting. What options do you have for the lens?

[Mezzotint]

Originally Posted by enghong17 mnaged to find a web with a pic of my MF SLR...... http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/seagull.html Scroll down, the chang chen DF-4.

It's good to own a DF-4 or a DF-5, enghong17.

I own 2 Great Walls i.e. DF-2 & DF-3. Too bad they do not have hotshoes and PC socket on them. Great Wall is good for portraitures and using flashlight with radio flash trigger mounted on a hotshoe adaptor with a PC cable plug into the camera's PC socket. Flashlight fixed on a flash transmitter, mounted on a tripod, you can do wonderful portraitures by playing with light placement. Always wanted to do it but no chances. Been looking out and searching for a DF-5 for a long time.

I also did some close-ups and macro shots with my Great Walls with 3 extension rings which are hard to find in the Chinese market these days. Here's a pic of my Great Wall

[lonelywolf]

it is good in the sense of price. Those TLRs are of Russia style, simple, cheap and powerful.

I have a Seagual 4B, for my experience, it is not worth reparing the self-timer, since I never use that one.

It can last for quite long as long as u take good care of it.. mine is over 20 years already. Older than me.

[Mezzotint]

Coming back to Seagull TLR, I wonder if the Rollei or Mamiya TTL/Non-TTL Prism finder is able to fit on a Seagull TLR, be it 45 or 90 degree. Is it worth the money to do it? Howsoever will it help in capturing correct exposures with the TTL type? Is it easy to fit and take off?

I wanna hear some opinions and advises from other medium format users. Thanks.

P.S. some reference pictures.
http://www.photographical.net/tlr_ttl.html
http://www.baierfoto.de/mameng.html

[enghong17]

Originally Posted by Obzervr Very Interesting. What options do you have for the lens?

I tried puting my russian kiev M39 lens on the Chang Chen. It can only take macro. Cannot even focus. Not sure why too. But i am happy as it is with the standard lens.