Kodak's Signet 50 - 1950s retro

 

The OG Signet - Signet 35

Kodak's line of Signet-branded cameras began in 1951 with the introduction of the Signet 35, which replaced the ugly as hell Kodak 35 camera.  The Signet 35 was a stylish camera, with a nice 44mm f/3.5 Ektanar lens ins a Synchro 300 shutter. Compared to the Argus C3, the Signet 35 was far superior in aesthetics, size, and ease of use.  The only drawback of the Signet 35 was the tiny viewfinder.  It was a true rangefinder focus camera, and its compactness was its strength.  However, over time many examples of the Signet 35 have sticky shutters.  As do many lens-shutter cameras from over 60 years ago!

The follow-up camera, the Signet 40 (https://randomphoto.blogspot.com/2022/12/kodaks-signet-40-camera.html) appeared in 1956, with a more Art Moderne style, an Ektanon 44mm f/3.5 lens and a maximum shutter speed of 1/400 sec.  I think it's one of Kodak's most beautiful 35mm cameras.  The rangefinder patch is easy to see, and the camera is a real joy to use.

The Signet 50

The Signet 30 and Signet 50, introduced in 1957, feature a bottom-mounted film advance lever (single-stroke), A Kodak 44mm f/2.8 Ektanar lens, a bright-frame viewfinder, and alas, no rangefinder.  Quite different in appearance from the earlier models, they have that late 1950s "modern" design.  The body is largely Bakelite with aluminum fittings.  Both cameras use Exposure Values to set the shutter speeds/apertures. The Signet 30 lacks any meter, but the Signet 50 does have a Selenium meter.  The biggest change may be that the shutter is internally cocked (only when film is loaded) when you advance the film.  Earlier models required a separate operation to cock the shutter on the outside of the lens mount, just as the Kodak Pony models, which were the "low end" of Kodak's 35mm cameras line.

The Signet 50 is an attractive camera, and has a very nice, sharp lens.  After you press the shutter, a little "WIND" reminder pops up in the viewfinder.  The Selenium meter in my example reacts to light, but its not at all accurate.  Typically, one would set the EV number to what the needle points to on the meter that;s viewed on the top deck of the camera.  While I'm not a fan of the EV system, it's genius lies in the fact that once you select an EV, it locks in the combination of shutter speeds of apertures that give the same EV. So, say the EV is 14, which could be 1/250 sec at f/8 or 1/125 at f/11, or 1/60 at f/16, or 1/30 at f/22.  Hasselblad used this EV system on some of their lenses, and Kodak used it on some Retina models, too.  If your handheld meter has an EV reading, that's also helpful to use with this camera.  Of course, you can set the EV on the lens barrel to anything you want, but those speeds and apertures are locked into that EV number.  To an experienced photographer, it's a pain in the butt.

The Signet 30 and 50 models feature a slot on the back for Kodak's Exposure Cards. These are small laminated cards that feature EV numbers for a particular Kodak film with the light conditions shown.  They were also used on the Pony IV camera. 

In use, the Signet 50 is quite easy to work with, especially if the light isn't changing much in the course of using it. The viewfinder is big and a pleasure to use. I loaded the camera with a roll of Rollei Retro 80s, and shot with it one afternoon in September in the River Arts District of Asheville - my testing ground for cameras.  The zone focus on the Signet 50 is easy to work with, and if the Selenium meter were working, it would be sensitive from ASA 10-400.  Given that the maximum shutter speed is 1/250 sec, that's a decent range of sensitivity.  There is a cold shoe on the top of the camera, so you could use a small modern light meter there.   

I should add that there is a Series V filter ring on the front

Note, and this bears repeating, if you find one of these cameras, you need to have film in it to test the shutter! You can find the manual online at the usual place - https://www.butkus.org/chinon/ and don't forget to pay Mike for his valuable service.

Results

The Rollei Retro 80s is a contrasty film, and I was very happy with the results from the Signet 50.  The negatives were scanned on my Epson V700.

My favorite street art in the RAD.

If you find a nice working example of a Signet 30 or 50, it would certainly be worthwhile to buy it. Load it with a roll of Kodak Gold 200 and see what that 1950s technology does for you.

Film is not dead! Travels of a T-shirt

 

Sept. 26, 2025

So says this T-shirt that I received in 2005, from my long-time Flickr friend, Therese.   The t-shirt was sold by Looking Glass Photo in Berkeley, CA, and I wore it there when I visited Berkeley in 2016.  By that time, it was definitely vintage, and now even more so.  The sentiment expressed on the shirt was a rallying cry from long-time film users in the 2000's.  Digital had become a juggernaut, and on top of the rise in digital cameras, came the opportunity to pick up nice film cameras really, really cheaply.  I could visit several thrift shops in Ann Arbor, MI and come home with a camera bag containing an SLR body and a lens or two for less than $20.  Those were the days!  I also remember being able to buy short-dated or "expired" 35mm film for a buck or two a roll at a camera store.

October, 2005

At Looking Glass Photo, 2016

Of course, we didn't have a crystal ball that would tell us where this was all going, just that as film users, we were not going to give up our film cameras for those heathen digicams.  I got my first DSLR in 2005, a Nikon D70s, which I used for nearly a decade.  This was before the bounce-back in film and (used) film camera sales, and the trendy cameras becoming Canon AE-1, Pentax K1000, and those lovely yet unreliable  Contax T-series cameras.  Sometime around 2012, there became a groundswell of desire to shoot film from new photographers, and it has sort of remained steady.  Steady enough for Ricoh/Pentax to make a half-frame camera, the Pentax 17.  So, no film is NOT dead.  It will likely survive as a creative medium for decades. I don't know how many more years my t-shirt will last, but as I wear it only occasionally, I suspect it's good for another decade.  

There are a lot of reasons to shoot with film cameras - and there are as many to shoot with digital. Right now, digital mirrorless cameras are THE thing, and because you can adapt just about any lens to use with them, I don't see them declining in sales.  However, I still feel more creative using an SLR, either film or digital. But back to film -- I think what I continue to love about film cameras is that I can take a camera made in 1956 (the year I was born) and get great photos with it.  Film cameras have their own unique haptics and because I love shooting in b&w, there are a lot of choices in film, from really low-ISO of less than 3 to 3200.  The film is what makes "analog" photography so much fun.  Now, I have my share of digital cameras - probably more than I need or use regularly. But, when it comes to film cameras, I get more satisfaction in using them.  It's partly knowing the craft of photography, but also knowing that even the cheapest SLR is capable of wonderful results.  In addition, medium and large format cameras have amazing resolution, yet the cameras cost a fraction of what a digital medium format camera will cost you.  

So, you don't have to be one of those people that are either only film or only digital!  Use both, enjoy what you are doing, and make meaningful images.  Photography is a big tent, and there's a place for everyone.

The Vivitar V3800N - the last of the K-mount film SLRs

I have this lens in M42 mount, and it's great - and heavy!

You probably associate the Vivitar name with lenses from the 1970s to 1990s.    It’s a well-known brand in the photographic industry, or at least it was, as it went bankrupt in 2008.    There’s a lot of information about the Vivitar brand, and many people are familiar with the Vivitar flash units that were considered to be among the best, as well as the numerous lenses with the Vivitar name.  Vivitar rarely manufactured anything, but they had a lot of items manufactured to their specifications by OEMs, as well as simple rebadging of existing products, such as many of their lenses.  The Vivitar Series 1 lenses were at one time, among the best of third-party lenses, made by Kiron, Komine, and other Japanese manufacturers.    If you could not afford a Nikkor zoom, by golly there was a nice Vivitar 70-210 that could do the job.    I still have a 19mm f/3.8 Vivitar F-mount lens that I purchased new in 2002.    One of the all-time best 28mm lenses was sold by Vivitar in a variety of different mounts - the Vivitar 28mm/2.5 with a 67mm filter thread.    Sharp as a tack on a bare foot.

The Vivitar Series 1 70-210 zoom was sold in many different SLR mounts, and was an 
outstanding lens for its time. It's still a great lens, but make sure you get one that has not been abused.

The Vivitar 220/SL was a popular M42 mount body

Okay, but what about the cameras? Cosina manufactured a series of Vivitar-branded M42 SLRs in the late 1960s into the late 1970s.    The 220/SL, 250/SL, 400/SL, 420/SL, and 450/SLD are similar to the Cosina branded Hi-Lite series.    All have metal copal square shutters, B. 1-1/1000 sec shutter speeds, stop-down metering, hot shoe, 1/125sec flash sync, and are all in black. I highly recommend the 420/SL. You’ll find that prices for these well-made cameras to be quite low on eBay. They require a battery only for the operation of the meter.    In retaining the fidelity of Pentax mounts, the Vivitar K-Mount bodies, are the Vivitar XV-2 and XV-3 in the late 1970s, followed by the Vivitar V335 and V635 in the late 1980s. In the 1990s, we have the Vivitar V2000 and V4000, followed by the V3800 in 2001.    If you were to compare the the last few models of the these cameras made by Cosina, they compare favorably to the Nikon FM10, Yashica FX-7, and Canon T60, also made by Cosina. 

The V3800N that I own is a basic, competent 35mm SLR with a metal vertical focal plane shutter with a maximum shutter speed of 1/2000 sec.    Yes, the body is plasticky, but no more so than any other contemporary camera.    

Features of the Vivitar V3800N

•      B, 1-1/2000 sec shutter speed
•     a multiple exposure button 
•     hot shoe and PC socket for studio flash
•     depth of field preview button
•     self-timer
•     film reminder slot on back
•     uses 2 LR-44 cells
•     ISO settings of 25-3200
•     3 diodes in the viewfinder for +/- metering
•     takes K-mount lenses
•     shutter button with ability to take a standard remote release cable.

So, forget about the Pentax K1000, as the V3800N has better features.  But it’s not a Pentax, you say? Doesn’t matter. I’ve seen plenty of late model K-mount cameras from Pentax that suffer from electronics failure. The Cosina bodies are fairly simple, and proven to last. You have access to a huge array of K-mount lenses made by Pentax, Ricoh, Chinon, Cosina, as well as Vivitar and other brands, such as Tamron, Tokina, and Sigma.

This is a pretty easy camera to use, and it’s not at all bulky. The shutter has a satisfying “clunk” when you make an exposure. The controls are simple, straightforward, and really all that you need on a manual SLR.    

 The V3800N is the last of the basic 35mm SLRs made in the 2000s.    As far as I know, they were still being manufactured as late as 2012, and if you are lucky, you might still find a “new in box” camera on the infamous auction site.    The Promaster 2500PK is the same camera, and there’s another version of the same camera with the "Phenix" brand.    Since these cameras were aimed at the “low-end” you are likely to find some with problems attributed to misuse, since they are not built like a Nikkormat, but they are built like a Nikon FM-10.    If the camera is in good working condition, there’s no reason not to buy one, and prices for any of the K-mount V-series SLRs are ridiculously low - less than $50 with a lens, so there are definitely bargains out there. 

You can see the Cosina lineage in the FM 10

This brings me to another thought — imagine if Cosina produced these for today’s market? If one is willing to pay $500 for a Pentax 17, I’d think that a similar price for a Cosina-based SLR would be warranted.    It’s likely that it would sell quite well.    There are lots of K-mount lenses available, and I suppose that Cosina could OEM this for Ricoh/Pentax, or even as their own brand. Remember that Cosina sold the Bessaflex M42 mount camera in the early 2000s. 

The Canon T60, another Cosina-made SLR. The last of the
FD-mount cameras

I recommend the Vivitar SLRs due to their ease of use, proven technology, and ability to use K-mount lenses. Maybe you feel like people will look down on you because you have a camera with a Vivitar brand on it.    Don’t fall into that trap. You can take photographs with it and spend far less than someone thinking that the K1000 is the “perfect” camera.      

While writing this, I was searching for V-series cameras on eBay.    Wouldn’t you know it, I bought a Vivitar V2000 with a Samyang 28-70 zoom lens for $23 + shipping.    It arrived within 5 days, so after doing my usual checks to make sure everything was working correctly, I attached a Pentax 50mm/1.7 to it, put in a roll of Kentmere 400, and shot the roll at the Beaver Lake Nature Preserve.    If anything, the V2000 handles more like the Nikon FM10, as it has a shutter release lock when the film advance is pushed against the body.    In typical Nikon fashion, once you pull the lever back to its standoff point, it unlocks the shutter release an activates the meter.    The +/- diodes are on the left side of the viewfinder, whereas with the V3800, they are on the right.    The V2000 is a delight to use, as it has nice ergonomics  and feels right in the hands.  So again, the V2000 is also a good choice for a budget SLR.    

Camera-wiki has a lot of information on the various Cosina and Vivitar cameras, so if you want to know more, it’s a fantastic resource.    

Since these budget cameras use K-mount lenses, there’s a huge number of possible lenses available. Naturally, most people start out with a 50mm prime lens, and that’s a good choice. While there are not quite as many options for 50mm lenses as there are with M42 mount SLRs, there are lenses made by Pentax (of course), Chinon, Cosina, Ricoh, and the Vivitar-branded lenses, which are probably made by Cosina. You can’t go wrong with an SMC Pentax 50mm f/2.    However, the Rikenon 50mm f/2 is also highly regarded, as is the Chinon 50mm f/1.9.    

One to look for, the Vivitar 24mm f/2.8

I shot for years with just a Pentax MG with a 50mm f/2 SMC Pentax lens, and a 135mm f/3.5 SMC Pentax telephoto. Then, in 2000, I acquired an Takumar A Pentax 28-80 zoom, and my world was changed.    While I love my prime lenses, the short range zooms such as 28-80, 35-70, and 35-105 are definitely worth having.    In the K-mount tent, there are a LOT of different zoom lenses to be had.  Accordingly, there are a lot of different manufacturers and brands available.    Do your research and go from there.

The French Broad River: Before Helene

The French Broad River, late May, 2025. Minolta X7A, RETO Amber T800

It's been almost exactly a year since Western North Carolina was battered by days of rain and then Hurricane Helene. That anniversary is this coming Saturday, Sept. 27.  The amount of destruction has been told by many, and still, it touched everyone differently. Some lost everything, including family members.  Others lost a job, their business, their home, a few trees, a lot of trees, their car, and a sense of security that they once had.  Many people, myself included, didn't suffer much damage, but we were impacted by no running water for nearly a month, and several weeks of no electricity, no internet, no cell service, and we were the lucky ones.  But beyond the comforts that we lost, the natural world was also torn asunder with flooding, landslides, widespread tree blow-downs and changes to watersheds from the walls of water that swept so much away.

Near Reems Creek

Barnardsville, along Ivy Creek

River Arts District

Since moving to Weaverville NC in 2019, I enjoyed photographing along the French Broad River, which is just about 2 miles from where I live.  Riversides can be many things, and the curves of the French Broad River created some beautiful scenes.  The lovely overhanging trees, stretches of River Cane, whitewater sections, and picturesque rocks and water were a creative tonic that drew me to the shores of the river. I had planned a lengthy time period to photograph along the French Broad and the tributaries that feed into it.  However, that all changed a year ago, and those plans were literally swept away.  

at my house

My little bit of recovery therapy from the storm was to do what I know - photograph my personal view of the aftermath, while also staying away from areas that were so destroyed that anyone there not involved in cleanup and rebuilding would be a hindrance. So I stayed away from Marshall, and certainly did not visit the areas near the Swannanoa River which looked like a post-apocalyptic scene.  I had been to Chimney Rock a week before the storm, and a lot of it, and the road to it were destroyed by the storm.  If you want to see something about that area, I highly recommend Peter Santenello's YouTube episode where he visited Bat Cave and Chimney Rock in May of this year.  It's very sobering - and that was 8 months after Helene.

River Arts District, November 2024

Water distribution point, October, 2024. Holga 135

Verizon mobile access, downtown Asheville, Oct. 2024
Holga 135

Riverside Drive, October 2024. Nikon FE, Acros 100

Lyman Street, River Arts District, October, 2024. Horizon 202

Most of the places that I liked to visit and photograph are forever changed, and while nature does heal, it often takes a different timeline than what humans experience.  So, knowing that my long-term project was kaput, I decided to make a zine showing my experiences with the French Broad River before Helene.  My zine measures 6x9 inches, is 52 pages including covers, and is perfect bound.  It shows my interpretation of the river, and in black and white.  It's a testament to what was lost, and hopefully may be again, long after I'm not around.  

You can purchase it at my Etsy store for $10 + postage (US only). - https://www.etsy.com/shop/mfophotos

A few sample pages

In some good news, the Blue Ridge Parkway opened up new sections, so a few days ago I visited the Craggy Gardens area. It felt good to be able to drive there once again from my house, which is 9 miles from the Parkway.  More businesses along the French Broad have reopened, including some breweries, such as Hi-Wire and Zillicoah. 

Ledges Whitewater Park, July, 2025. So much damage.

I see more work being done in the River Arts District to remove rubble and restore/rebuild what was there a year ago.  I'd prefer that some properties get let go to become greenspace and natural areas.  

Riverlink Office in the RAD

Hi-Wire is open again

Many places are still in need of restoration, Sept. 2025

That half-buried SUV is still there. Sept. 2025

Wilma Dykeman Greenway, Sept. 2025

Craggy Gardens Visitor Center, 09/17/25

Things can change in the blink of an eye, and it will take some time before the region gets back to whatever is considered normal.  If we have learned anything from Helene is we are in this together, and compassion, cooperation, and community are important.  

It's been over a year since I have had this view. So nice to experience it again.