# a new collector



## sordidsentinel (Apr 23, 2008)

I am a relatively new collecter, and somewhat of a photography newbie (I will be active in the beginner forums!).

I have a few oldies and was wondering about opinions from more experienced photographers on usability and value.

I use, on a regular basis, my *Pentax MZ-5*, it's not very classic, I imagine, as most of it is automatic if you choose for it to be.

My backup is my father's old *Pentax K-1000*.  I used this camera for the high school newspaper about 12 years ago.

And I recently acquired a *Voigtländer Prominent I*.  I believe this is really the start of my collection and it's in excellent condition.  It comes with a Proximeter II, Kodablitz flashbulb, a Weston exposure meter, and a Horvex exposure meter.  One lens came with it, a* 50/3.5 Color Skopar. *Some reading up on this camera reveals some exceptional quality but quirky design?  Is this true?  I would love to use it but it is designed much differently than any camera I have ever used...


----------



## compur (Apr 24, 2008)

The Prominent is a fine start to any collection.

Wonderful to own and admire -- not so easy to use.  But, then, that's
true of many fine, vintage cameras.

Some very good lenses were made for the Prominent like the f/1.5 Nokton and
Ultron lenses.


----------



## Mitica100 (Apr 27, 2008)

Great way to start! Yes, as Compur mentioned above, the Prominent is a wonderful camera when is working right. They were quirky but the quality of their lenses made up for that. The Skopar is a great lens design but I would really look for a Nokton. That's one of the best pairings for the Prominent.

Good luck with your collection, if you have any questions PM me.


----------

