Spartus Press Flash Camera

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I just acquired this ugly camera (so ugly it's beautiful, sorry), and it seems to work, but there are a couple of problems with it. 1. The flash bulbs don't seem to be available except at great price; 2. the flash battery chamber will not take standard modern AA batteries (the directions inside the loading chamber say "remove paper covering"); 3. you have to hold the "time" switch up the whole time you're holding the shutter switch down for time exposures; 4. there's a hole on the right hand side for which I cannot figure out the purpose. I can live with 1-3, but I'd really love to know about 4.

-- Peter Lutz (mariner8378@hotmail.com), April 24, 2001

Answers

Here's where you can get a manual: http://www.manuals2go.com/1f.htm Here's a blurb http://cameracollection.tripod.com/PageP061.html Here's one for sale on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1231891423 I hope the hole you refer to isn't the viewfinder.

-- Charles Clemens (eo11@midwest.net), April 24, 2001.

Thanks a lot, Chuck! No, the hole is not the viewfinder - that was an easy one to figger out. It really looks as though this hole on the lower right side, which is in front of the winding knob, might be intended for an aux. flash unit, but none that I've ever seen. It's easily 1/2 inch in diameter. Then again, it could be for a cable release, but again, there's the size factor.

It was nice to find out when it was on the market, though. I've created an album for mine at picturetrail.com but haven't posted any pictures to it yet - I'll send you a link when I do. - Pete

-- Peter Lutz (mariner8378@hotmail.com), April 26, 2001.


My Press Flash arrived from an eBay seller just 15 minutes ago and there is a little bulb in the hole that you mention. It's probably a battery tester. There are also batteries stuck in their compartment and they seem to be AA's. I have an adapter that allows me to use #25 press bulbs in cameras that use screw-base bulbs. The camera is in great shape except that it needs a good cleaning and some really slow film. Wish me luck.

-- Robert Traina (nenue@inreach.com), January 05, 2002.

I removed the batteries using a hammer and punch (they were very corroded) and found the reason for the directions to remove their paper covering. The negative contact is not the base of the battery as is the usual method, but the side. There is a small metal spike protruding into the battery chamber about 2/3 of the way down from the screw cap. I tried removing the covering from a Duracell battery and it came off readily. The camera was designed to use B&W film of around ASA 50 for daylight shots and ASA 100 for flash.

-- Robert Traina (nenue@inreach.com), January 06, 2002.

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