Centring on Centon
[Advance warning - this post is decidedly nerdy. Folks of a delicate disposition beware....]
When I think of 35mm slr camera brands, names like Canon, Nikon, and Olympus readily come to mind; maybe if I’m being more budget-conscious in my considerations, then these brand names might be the likes of Chinon, Praktica and Centon.
“Wait!” I hear you say, “Centon.. who are they?”
Well, chances are, if you live outside of the UK you may not have come across the name. Jessops, a well-known photographic retailer in Britain has used it as their house brand since the latter part of the last century. It was used on a number of 35mm cameras including four slrs. Their provenance, however, is a tad unclear.
From what little I can gather, these cameras were the result of an arrangement between Jessops, and two camera makers, Cosina of Japan and the Shanghai General Camera Factory of China (whose own brand name was Seagull). One Centon model, the DF-300 was a variant of the Seagull DF-300, itself a copy of the Minolta X370n. There were two very similar looking models, the K200 and K400, though these used the Pentax-K style lens mount.
The fourth model was the K100. This is the one I have, which came to me from (yes, you've guessed it) another amble around the 'Bay a couple of years ago along with a matching Centon 28-70mm zoom. Both items arrived in essentially as-new condition and all for the same price as a few rolls of Kentmere. To be fair, though, these cameras were a relatively inexpensive offering back in their day, too.
Although there are rumours on the web that it is based on the Pentax K1000 (some of this venerable camera's basic functionality may suggest this), my suspicions lay more with it being an offering from Cosina, maybe with some input from Seagull. Outwardly it resembles my Yashica FX-3 Super 2000, another rebadged Cosina, yet the contoured, rubberised grip gives more of a nod to the Cosina C1 and it's siblings. The K100 has less functionality than the Yashica (no self-timer) yet has a more modern, electronically timed, shutter. So, who actually made it? Well, perhaps after all these years, the answer’s lost in the mists...
Once upon a time in the dim, distant past, my camera snobbery would have meant I probably wouldn't have given the Centon brand a second look, as it wasn't exactly a name dripping with street cred. Having acquired this little camera, though, I've had a bit of a rethink. It's appealing, somewhat minimalist looks and a surprisingly solid feel impart a greater sense of confidence than I would have imagined. The very basic feature set aside, there's very little to complain about (other than maybe the film speed setting is difficult to see clearly. This is small fry, though, when baring in mid that the K type lens mount gives access to a huge range of lenses from numerous manufacturers including, of course, Pentax's highly respected glass.
How reliable is it? How long will it last? Who knows? Time will tell, although I'm probably not the best person to ask - my photographic output is pretty slow generally and, as I tend to hop 'n' skip between various cameras as the mood takes me, the little K100 isn't likely to see a high mileage. Never the less, when I do use it, I enjoy the experience. All good fun.
*
Well, if you made it this far, I do appreciate it. Thanks for joining me on this perusal of a less than common camera. Until next time.
* * *
If you enjoyed reading this please consider making a contribution to our collective future and help plant a tree. All proceeds go to:-
* * * * *
A great set of images to accompany this Ralph, and it is oddly fascinating to learn what deals companies make to secure their ‘own brand’ products. Thanks for sharing.
All new to me (the nerd-esque portion)! Loving that bare tree, though. And all those power images. All very cool!