First Flex TLR

XA2inmypocket

XA2inmypocket

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I've seen one in what looks to be fair to good condition, although I haven't yet assessed if it is working condition, in a local charity shop. Priced at £20, I don't think that it is a great price, but if a worker, it could be a good price. Does anyone have any experience with these 1950s Japanese TLR cameras? Should I buy it?
 
Seen them going cheaper at the bootie..no idea about the camera but offer them £10 for it...yeah I know it's a charity shop but they got it for nothing.
 
excalibur2 said:
Seen them going cheaper at the bootie..no idea about the camera but offer them £10 for it...yeah I know it's a charity shop but they got it for nothing.
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Very magnanimous of you Brian.
 
RaglanSurf said:
Very magnanimous of you Brian.
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H'mm while executives on charities are earning big fat salaries :eek: £10 is better than it standing unsold for years and the charity shop might be happy with that amount esp if no one has been interested in it for months.
 
Hey, I'm no saint, I've found camera parts at recycle centres, I'd haggle a ten quid price on a Hasselblad at a car booty - but personal rule, I don't try to haggle in charity shops :D Internet research suggests nothing but that they are difficult to price. Certainly in the cheapo TLR category, but a search on Flickr shows some pretty good images taken on some. Somewhere suggests that they were a cheap Japanese copy of a Rollei.

One minute I say, cash flow aint good just now, then the next minute I'm coveting it.
 
Well if the charity is "help the aged" (in this country) then you never know I might need it one day ;)
 
I think you might be at that point already Brian.....:D
 
Looks quite an interesting and rare model if it is an olympus. I'd get it.
 
XA2inmypocket said:
Nah, unfortunately not.

Made by Tokiwa in the 50s - one of these:

http://www.tlr-cameras.com/japanese/Tokiwa.html
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Oh, now the thread title makes more sense. Initially I thought that you wanted information on your first ever japanese TLR camera and then I thought maybe you were referring to the Olympus Flex.

I didn't realise that there was a TLR called the First Flex by Tokiwa. I doubt that there is anyone on the forum with experience of this particular TLR. Usually, the big thing with regard to TLRs is not necessarily make or model, but condition, as these things are often 50+ years old. That said, this particular model is a bit obscure, so I'm not sure if the same rules apply.
 
If it's reasonably clean and the mechanisms appear to work ok then I'd throw £20 at it

On a tight budget, £20 can go a long way on basic needs but let's be honest in camera terms it's peanuts .....go for it, live a little and have some fun.
 
Update. I bought it. Very heavy compared to my Luby 166B. Focuses by the front of the camera winding in and out rather than on geared threads. Has an exposure counter, and stops at each one. Wasted a Foma film trying to work out how to operate it. It's around sixty years old, and I'm worried that it will leak light - especially around that focusing system. Unfortunately I didn't get time to try it out with a fillum.

Anastigmatic f/3.5 taking lens and max shutter speed appears to be 1/300
 
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Good on ya !..
Why did u waste a film......just run old 120 backing paper thru it if u dont have an old un wanted film to dry run with
 
Well keep thé film to test other stuff!!!!
 
Dont tell me ......its in thé bin!! Lol
 
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