Ifbaflex TTL 35mm - Camera Review by Zulupt

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This camera was given to me by a friend on my birthday, he said that somebody he knew had it stored in a closet for many years and he wanted to get rid of it.

This camera was given to me by a friend on my birthday, he said that somebody he knew had it stored in a closet for many years and he wanted to get rid of it. The camera arrived in a old leather bag but in very good conditions, on its red velvet interior have found a camera that I’ve never heard or seen before, an Ifbaflex TTL along with three lens, cable release and filters, all in almost mint condition.

I have found almost nothing on the web about this camera, I even e-mailed some photos to an camera expert but even he didn’t knew what camera was this, according to him this is a copy of a old Cosina camera, other said that this was a copy of a Voigtlander VSL, but I really don’t care, it is a great camera.

Ifbaflex is a 35mm camera, it has a reflex body type with commutable lens (M42 screw mount type) and it is completely manual; It also has a built in accurate light meter with a needle indicator on the viewfinder, a tripod thread, a cable release thread, film type selector (colour/b&w/empty), ASA/ISO selector, X/Y flash cable entry (without hotshoe) and self-timer.
This camera is incredibly heavy, specially with the telephoto lens, the construction is solid, the camera is all made of metal and it seems quite rough and very well built, with a very reliable and simple mechanic.

I am starting to do some personal photos with this camera, especially B&W portraits and I am loving the experience the quality of the photos taken by this camera is awesome and, despite of being to heavy, it is a pleasure to use it, the sound and feeling of the shutter release is amazing, that hard “KLACK!” is music to my ears.
This camera is perfect for portraits, his light meter can stand high ISO films and it is very accurate.

What I like in this camera:

Quality
Light meter
Sharpness

What I dislike in this camera:

Very heavy
Lack of information about the camera

written by zulupt on 2009-10-18 #gear #ilford #35mm #review #slr #b-w #reflex #ttl #ifbaflex #m42-screwmount #fuji-x-tra

7 Comments

  1. lomosexual_manboy
    lomosexual_manboy ·

    What an interesting camera. You may not know much about it, but the pictures speak for themselves.

  2. stouf
    stouf ·

    Pretty camera and nice shots ! Good job !

  3. herbert-4
    herbert-4 ·

    I think your Ifbaflex is a rebadged Rollei-made Voightlander VSL(???) made in Singapore (or maybe Germany) in the middle 1970's for sale in France, exclusively. I got the info off eBay seller blurbs while shopping. The German version is 1/2 to 1/1000 & B, the Singapore version is 1 to 1/1000 & B with Copal (?) shutter. It's supposed to be a VERY good camera with FANTASTIC lenses. I don't know how reliable any of this is, but enjoy your wonderful windfall!!

  4. herbert-4
    herbert-4 ·

    Also, wonderful gallery!!!

  5. zulupt
    zulupt ·

    Thanks for commenting ppl ;)

    @herbert-4: This one is made in Japan, it is 1 to 1/1000 & B mode with Copal shutter, it also has an iso range from 25 to 1600.
    It seem to be VERY reliable, untill now it has taken all the punishment from a regular use.
    Thanks for the extra info m8 ;)

  6. rere_0211
    rere_0211 ·

    Looks like a repacked Cosina Hi-Lite. Are the following specifications correct?

    keepfreefromdust.com/camera_info.php?camera_id=387&comp…

    BTW: The Ifbaflex M 102 TM is the French version of the Voigtländer VSL 1 (TM).

    Regards, rere_0211

  7. rere_0211
    rere_0211 ·

    My fault, the Ifbaflex ifba TTL is a repacked Chinon CHINONFLEX TTL and the Ifbaflex T1000 is a repacked Cosina Hi-Lite. Hope this helps ;)

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