Stunning Kodak Bantam Special! Ektar f/2 Compur Shutter Beautiful camera, 100% functional, 100% fabulous! Start Price USD 175.00 Current Price USD 330.00 Time Left - Bid Count 13 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Thursday, August 28, 2008 End Time Sunday, September 07, 2008 Location San Jose, California See more about 'Stunning Kodak Bantam Special! Ektar f/2 Compur Shutter' Description Stunning Kodak Bantam SpecialPre-war, Compur Shutter, Ektar f/2 Lens Stephen Gandy of CameraQuest say, "With its beautiful Art Deco styling by Walter Dorwin Teague, the Kodak Bantam Special is one of the most beautiful camera designs ever." This is the pre-War version, and I understand that 18,000 units were produced from 1936 to 1938. I've bought, sold, owned and shot film with a lot of cameras, from 1918 Kodak folders, to medium format, viewfinder, rangefinder, SLR, TLR, stereo, etc, etc, so I've become a pretty good judge of condition and functionality. Not only is this a fine looking camera from a design and condition perspective, it's also in what I consider fully functional condition. I've got the camera here as I write this. The door release latch works fine, releases nicely, latches securely when the door is closed. The pull-out tab that lets you set the camera up in portait mode is fine (betcha didn't know what that was for! See photos below). The focus is stiff from not being used for decades, but it is not difficult to turn by any means, it's just stiff from old grease in the helicoils. The split image rangefinder is clean, clear and in proper alignment. As I focus on a pine tree about 400 yards away, she's dead on infinity focus in the rangefinder and on the scale around the lens. The viewfinder image is clean and clear. The bellows are in very fine shape, and I have no doubt that they are light-tight (no wear at the fold edges, they are in remarkable shape). The Compur shutter sets and fires at all speeds, from 1 second to 1/500 of a second as well as T and B. The shutter speeds all sound good, even the slow speeds seem fine, no sluggishness on the 1 second end, and a quick, crisp release at the 1/500 end. The aperture blades look good from f/2.0 to f/16. The slide on the window on the back door opens and shuts as it should. The wind knob works well, one direction only, and it does pull up completely to all easy removal of the take-up reel (which is there, a nice little black 828 reel). And, the button on the back that prevents accidental winding funtions as it should. The pressure plate inside the back door springs nicely, it's clean, parallel to the back door plane. The small tripod socket screw-in cover is present (many times lost over the years). The Kodak Anastigmat Ektar f/2 lens (a 4-element Tessar formula) looks pristine: the front surface is perfect: clean, clear, free of any damage or cleaning marks. With the shutter open, looking through the lens from the back side, I do see some minor dust and surface dirt, nothing major, but I suggest you know exactly what you're doing before you decide it "needs cleaning". From all I see on inspection, there is no reason that I can see that would prevent you from shooting a roll of film with this. There are film sources, for example the venerable B&H has some very fine Kodak Portra 160NC in 828 here, or head over to the Film For Classics website to grab a few rolls of Plus-X here. For more info about this camera, see Gandy's CameraQuest site here, and Brian Wallen has some excellent historical information http://www.prairienet.org/b-wallen/BN_Photo/KodakBantamSp.htm. The camera is truly in remarkable conditon, and it is fully fabulous and functional! Total weight, boxed for shipping rounds up to 3 pounds. Any items I sell which may be considered fragile will be packed appropriately and I will add $1.00 for all domestic (US) shipments to help pay for things like shippng materials, delivery confirmation fees and all that miscellaneous stuff that does add up! International shipments, I will add $5.00 for having to do customs/export forms and for standing in line at the Post Office. Given the fragile nature of this item, insurance must be included. I assure you this item is as described when it ships, but I can not be responsible for how it's handled in transit, so if it shows up mashed, mangled or broken, and insurance is our protection against any incidental damage. If you want to waive insurance, I can do so, but uou must acknowledge via email that I bear no responsibilty for loss or damage to a shipment!! Payment must be made via PayPal within three (3) days of the end of the auction, after which I will extend "Second Chance Offers" to other bidders. I'm a nice guy, and I hate to say this stuff, but if you win the auction, I expect you to pay. This is not unreasonable. I've had too many winning bidders decide they can't be bothered to actually pay for an item! You have 3 days to pay, and I do report all UNPAID as early as is allowable by eBay. PLEASE don't bother bidding if you don't intend to pay or at least communicate. The Fine Print: Terms and Conditions Yes, that's me at the center of the online auction universe as we know it! Howdy, folks. I've been an eBayer for over 10 years now, going back to February of 1998, just so you know that I've been around these parts for a while. I'm a regular guy, I'm not a retailer, I'm not based in some overseas location, and I treat folks the way I'd like to be treated myself. However, I gotta have fine print, so here it is... It is the seller's intent to be fair and honest and to conduct all transactions with the highest degree of professionalism and integrity. However, seller acknowledges that there are knuckleheads, idiots, scammers and cheaters, as well as just plain stupid people out there, so seller reserves the right to protect himself. By bidding on this item, you agree to all terms and conditions contained in this posting if you have the winning bid. If you have questions, ask them before bidding. This item is being sold AS-IS and with no warranty expressed or implied. Make no assumptions as to condition, functionality, fitness for purpose or value. Be sure you understand what you are bidding on. The seller reserves the right to consider all sales as final. Ask if in doubt. I do my best to answer all questions promptly, and I check my email several times a day. Payment is by PayPal only. International Shipping Okay but PLEASE KNOW YOUR COST BEFORE YOU BID! Powered by eBay Turbo ListerThe free listing tool. List your items fast and easy and manage your active items. Place a Bid!