Chinon is a manufacturer that doesn't get enough credit. They've had a huge influence in photography in history and much of the time not even under their own badge. In this case we have the Chinon CE-II Memotron - one of the few M42 screwmount SLRs that features automatic exposure. The camera was rebadged as the Revueflex 5000 EE, Porst Reflex M-CE, and of course as the GAF L-ES. The camera achieves this party trick through a fairly simple mechanism - lengthen the shutter actuation so that the aperture has enough time to close and the light meter to take a reading before taking the shot. What's more - it actually works! The camera also features other superior specs despite being an "off brand" camera. I picked up this one in a package with the amazing Auto Chinon 55mm f/1.4 lens for basically the cost of the lens itself.
Specifications
Mount: M42
Design: Mechanical 35mm SLR
Focus: Manual Focus with Microprism/Ground glass
Shutter Range: 1/2000 - 1 with Bulb
ISO Range: 25 - 3200
Flash Sync: 1/100
Meter: TTL with shutter readout
Exposure Modes: Manual, Aperture Priority
Battery: 2x LR44
Weight: 620g
Other Features: Self-timer, Exposure Compensation, Multiple-Exposure
Manual: Butkus.us
Collection Information
Date Acquired: 12/29/2019
Serial Number: 146677
Purchase Price: $89 w/ 55mm f/1.4 Auto Chinon
Going Price: ~$30 body only- Collectiblend
Condition: Good but peeling leather
My Copy's Performance
Fantastic - all the features I've tried work beautifully. The only real issues I've had are minor. The leather wrap is peeling a little but that's no big deal. The microprisms aren't the best for focusing but usable. The shutter has a very long trigger and you have to be careful to press it deliberately and not too quickly to ensure that there's enough time for the meter to take an accurate reading. Otherwise the camera has more features than many other much more expensive cameras. It features multiple exposure support through a simple switch, the ISO range is huge going all the way to ISO 3200, a fast flash sync at 1/100s, and a top shutter speed of 1/2000s. It's simply a remarkable camera and one of the most advanced M42 cameras of all time. If you shoot any M42 lenses I'd suggest picking up one of these.
