Tinkering in the Shop - Introducing the Alpha 600

Early November. Halloween came and went (a favorite holiday of 2nd Shot) and it's now officially always cold. Being inside more often gives me more time to tinker in between filling orders and completing repairs. there's currently 8 cameras in the queue and each has brought more an more challenges to get these working properly. With these challenges come some experiments as well and it's always a learning experience. Some new things this week... shutter blade swaps, icky fungus lens swaps, substrate conversions, and custom color buttons (coming soon).

Completed jobs this week included 3 Sonar "no skins". If you ever want to simply get your camera fixed and cleaned, 20.00 will be deducted from your order. I like to call these "Terminators"... they look pretty sweet. Also, currently up for sale is a very nice custom SLR680 that features an SX70 body... the bodies on the SX70s were much sturdier and built solid and makes a nice pairing with the 680 electronics. A big plus... no more of the Impossible 600 film divot! Check out the auction here.

And speaking of customs, today 2nd shot finished up a prototype of what we're calling the Alpha 600. All the classic styling of the Alpha 1 but this camera takes 600 type film. No ND filters, no adjustments, no fuss... simply pop in a pack of 600 film and away you go. All the features of the Alpha 1 are there - flash fill, tripod hole, neckstrap posts, and use either flashbars or and electronic flash pack. These are available for custom order so if interested, please drop us an email. Shown below are sample shots using 600 film.

That wraps it up for early November. Next post, look out for a completed order of 6 fixers that needed quite a bit of time and patience, some more shots of completed orders, and more updates on the Alpha 600. Time for pics... Shop's closed!


A few shots of a 680 shutter blade swap and replacing a fungusy inner lens on an older Model 1. Screws were used on earlier shutter housings but later were changed to heat stakes most likely due to cost reduction...

The Terminators... I'll be bahk... *crickets chirping*

the 2nd shot SLR680. Classy, distinguished, intriguing, handsome... and all that stuff.

And finally *drumroll* introducing the Alpha 600 prototype. Also shown are pics taken using 600 film. These will be offered with custom colored buttons... more on that soon.

Sweet Sweet October...

What a month... I mean, WOW! What a month! Lots of repairs, lots of sales, lots of changes, lots of hurdles, lots of travel, lots of a whole bunch of stuff. But stuff is stuff. Move forward. Head up, shoulders back, and all that positive motivational yeah yeah yeah.

So here we all are moving into Fall and 2nd Shot is now in it's 8th month closing in on almost a year. The shop's getting a bit chilly but nothing a few logs on the fire can't fix. Once again, it's been nearly a month since the last entry so here's a few updates and some tasty pics to follow. 

Good news! The Australian SLR680 fixed up fine, just as I had hoped, and was received by its owner today safe and sound. Another satisfied 2nd Shot customer from around the world!... makes me feel all warm and stuff :). As I had mentioned, repairs have been steadily coming and going and it's been a fantastic month for 2nd shot and we hope to keep up the momentum. I also hope to post more cameras for sale if the repairs ease off a bit. Otherwise I have no complaints! :)

So for the pics! We have 2 batches of repairs that have been sent out to a favored customer here in NY consisting of various models, Sonars, Model 1s, and Model 3s, a beautiful little Model 1 that needed a bit of love that headed out for New Hampshire today, and a handsome Model 1 that went out to New Jersey. There's currently 10 cameras in the queue so it's going to be another busy 2 weeks ahead. I'm OK with that.

I've also started going through some Polaroid shots that I've taken in the past 2 years with my various packfilm cameras and conversions... I'll start posting a few here and there. They're a lot of fun and I miss taking them on a more regular basis. Ok... shop's closed!

Here's a batch of various models, all needing different levels of repair and adjustment. I think I set a record with this group, all 5 repaired, cleaned, reskinned, and tested all in one full Saturday. It's amazing what can be done when not constantly traveling!

A stunning Model 1 from NH... I really like this camera. Very little scuffs and flaws and the fit and finish was very tight. The band-aid was needed while I waited for new skins. I need to get out more often.

Another batch of Model 3s and a last minute Alpha 1 to throw into the mix... notice the Australian SLR680 ready to ship...

Finally, a few shots taken with my 110a conversion, a roll film 800, a custom 150 pack film conversion I slapped together, a leaky 250, and my first Polaroid - an Automatic 100. I love shooting black and white. I love to shoot pics of my kids, my cars, and my love, Dubbs (her name is Jenn for the record). Each format gives so many different results and it's so much fun to try each camera... all in working condition might I add and I try to use them all often. Even the roll film cameras (got a sweet stash of 47 film chillin in the fridge). To see more of my pics, check out my flickr page. More pics to come including a focus on my favorite camera, my J66 (yes, the underdog of the Polaroids) pack film conversion.