Beautiful camera Howard. It is the first time I see this kind of mechanism for loading/unloading the film. It is very interesting to see all the design ideas they had back then. Also, the build quality shows how it was develop for lasting forever (not that much for nowadays cameras). Recently, and thanks to your videos, I got a Konica SII and cannot wait to go out and take some photos. Thanks for the videos.
Hi, and thanks for your comment. As you say, the earlier days brought forward some interesting ideas and Ricoh tried a few. I hope you enjoy your SII, I really love mine. Cheers, Howard.📸
Thank you for posting this video. I have a 500, and like you said, there isn't much info on them out there. Mine is almost exactly like yours, but with a few differences. One being that mine does not have the flash sync (red) lever on the lens, though it does have the pc socket in the same location. Another being the rewind release lever on the back. Mine is a push button in the same location with a leatherette insert to mach the camera back. Mine also has the letters E.P. stamped into the bottom of the film advance lever in a small diamond and the knobs to open the back are a little different, with no markings on the right knob, and a plainer ASA/Din scale on the left. I'm guessing that I have one of the later versions. I have ran film through it with good results, but it sure is a quirky little camera to get used to.
Hi Herrmann, I'm not sure of your model but I am very happy to hear that your results were good. They were very well built and yes, they are quirky. Cheers, Howard
With the back off, fit the film cassette into the left hand side, it will only fit one way. Pull the film across and using the teeth on the drive roller, rotate the take up spool until the silver clip is in position so that you can feed the tip of the film into it. The camera will probably cock as you do this so remember to fire the shutter. Repeat until the film is securely attached, use the rewind knob to remove any slack and replace the back. Wind it on and fire it twice and you should be ready to go. Just make sure that the rewind knob is turning as you cock the camera. Hope this helps. Cheers, Howard
Hi Andrew. I have a 500GX which is very similar to yours. It's an interesting little camera but as you say, the build quality is vastly different. Cheers, Howard. 📸
A very interesting camera Howard, and an excellent review. This looks to be very nicely constructed. It is going back a bit, but I seem to remember my Uncle buying a small Ricoh camera that had a wind up spring motor drive, sometime in the 1970's?.
Timely video for me as I have this version coming to my home soon. I also have a Konica Auto S2 that I use a lot and it takes great images. Looking forward to the Ricoh.
Hi Terry. Two very different cameras. The Konica Auto S2 is my opinion one of the very best 35mm semi automatic cameras from that era. The Ricoh 500 is very well built and fully manual, much earlier, but also be very capable. Have fun, Howard
Thank you for showing to us this beautiful example of a well build rangefinder from japan I haven't noticed so far. It's always a pleasure to meet cameras new to me on the internet and the film is the right medium to show it in operation, as you did. Thanks again end best, Albrecht
Hi Albrecht. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. It's a camera you don't see very often and is probably overlooked for that reason. Thanks for watching. Cheers Howard. 📸
Very nice Howard. I was thinking about you the other day. Recently, I bought a camera. Haven't done that if a while. The seller, like myself, use rangefinders. We're in a running conversation about cameras. I'm recommending your channel to them as a source of info. Hopefully a new subscriber.
Hi Brian, good to hear from you again. Thanks for recommending the channel, nice to hear about the running conversation with the seller. Us rangefinder users gotta stick together. Just out of curiosity, which camera did you buy? Regards, Howard
@@howpow Good morning Howard. Thank you for the reply. It's nice to hear from you again, too. I crossed over to the dark side and purchased a Soviet camera. A Kiev 4 copy of a Contax IIa. I'm very impressed with it so far. Test film goes to the lab today. It is awkward to use. Its not a fast camera by any means. The camera has been thoroughly reviewed here on RU-vid. Unlike the other Soviet camera I have, the Kiev is more substantially built. If the lens is as good as the camera, it may be a keeper. Do you have any experiences with the Contax line of cameras? I don't. With gratitude, Brian
@@avnostlga Hi Brian, I bought a Kiev 4 many years ago brand new in box, but it was one of the very last ones made and quality had slipped. It didn't work for long but while it did I quite liked it. I liked the focusing system, the wide base rangefinder and from memory the lens was very sharp. Apparently the earlier ones were much better built. Have fun, Howard
@@howpow Apologies for the delay in a reply to your last message. I had a health issue, that thankfully resolved itself. How often can we say that? LOL I had heard about the Kiev production quality dropping through the 1980's. The camera I have was manufactured in 1976. That's too bad the camera you bought didn't last. It is a very smoothe camera. I'm still waiting to receive my test roll. For no good reason I left the film with a pharmacy instead of my usual lab. Convenience isn't convenient when it's been several days without receipt. Lesson learned.
@@avnostlga Hi Brian, glad to hear that your health issue resolved itself. From what I've read over the years, the 70's cameras were definitely better built. I really liked using mine until it broke. Let me know how your photos turn out. Cheers, Howard
