Today, we will continue to introduce a domestic SLR camera, that is, the Seagull DF-103 produced by the Seagull Seagull Camera Factory. The main feature of the aircraft is that it also hides a shutter speed above the shutter speed of 1/500 second. The reason why I bought this Seagull DF-103 SLR, in addition to the above characteristics, the fuselage number of the aircraft is more likable.
According to the introduction of Li Xiaoxuan, a chinese camera collector and teacher in Tianjin, Shanghai Camera Factory was established in the 1950s. In September 1957, the relevant leading departments of Shanghai Municipality handed over the task of trial production of cameras to the Shanghai Watch and Glasses Company, which was subordinate to the Shanghai Municipal First Commercial Bureau, which had camera repair business, and established a camera trial production team. Prototype Shanghai 58-1 camera. Later, it was renamed the Camera Factory Preparatory Office. In March 1958, the preparatory office was assigned to the leadership of the Cultural and Educational Supplies Industry Company affiliated to the Shanghai Municipal Light Industry Bureau. It has absorbed six enterprises, including Daming Transcribe Supplies Factory, Haitong Craft Factory, Qinlian Stationery Factory, Zhengfeng Hardware Craft Factory, Shi Heji Electroplating Factory, and ZTE Factory, and jointly established Shanghai Camera Factory. Later, Shanghai Camera General Factory, Shanghai Camera No. 3 Factory, Shanghai Photographic Equipment No. 2 Factory, and Shanghai Colored Optical Glass Factory merged to form Shanghai Seagull Camera Co., Ltd.
The seagull DF-103 shutter speed adjustment disc is marked with a maximum shutter speed of 1/500 of a second, but after adjusting to 1/500 second, it can continue to turn a gear higher in the direction of the speed (Figure 1 below). This one and I were before in Hide the Highwell Pentax SP500 SLR camera! The Pentax SP500 introduced in the Article Made in Japan is the same (Figures 2, 3 and 4 below).
In his book "Chinese Camera", Mr. Zhuang Keming introduced the DF-103 as follows: "The shutter speed of the machine is up to 1/500th of a second, and other functions are the same as those of the Seagull DF-l camera." Teacher Wang Shiyuan introduced in his book "China Camera Collection" that the machine "is based on the Seagull DF-1 single-lens reflex camera, the maximum speed of the shutter is reduced to 1/500 second, and the other performance indicators of the whole machine are the same as the Seagull brand DF-1 camera."
Although neither teacher mentioned the shutter speed of the DF-103 above 1/500th of a second, they both believed that the machine was built on the DF-1. So below I will put a few comparison charts of DF-103 and DF-1 for your reference. In addition to the maximum shutter speed, the two are basically the same, of course, the difference between the selfie winding wrench and the viewfinder window is relatively obvious.
According to my personal analysis, the aforementioned Pentax Pentax SP500 SLR in Japan hides the maximum shutter speed in order to reduce the price and further occupy the market segment, so I originally thought that the Seagull DF-103 was also based on the above considerations (although I could not find the price of the DF-103).
However, after consulting several teachers who specialize in domestic camera collection, I found that my initial idea may be wrong, because several teachers told me that the reason why the original speed of 1/1000 second was hidden was because the performance of the machine could not be achieved! In particular, after consulting Teacher Li Dongchen of the Shanghai Overseas Chinese Photography Association who recently came to Beijing for exchanges (Teacher Li was formerly the director of the Factory Office of the Seagull Factory), this statement was confirmed.
I see! It seems that the seagull DF-103 camera model can be named so as not to waste the products that have been produced. It can be seen that the seagull factory, as a large household in the domestic camera industry, was still quite strict in the detection and control of product quality.
According to Mr. Zhuang Keming, the total output of Seagull DF-1 cameras is about 40,000 units, of which the shutter speed is less than 1/1000th of a second and becomes a DF-103. I didn't find the exact production of the 103, but the body number I see on the DF-103 doesn't seem to exceed 6000. Judging from this figure, the pass rate of seagull products does not seem to be very high, less than 90%.
Of course, this method of comparison and judgment based solely on the fuselage number is certainly unscientific. However, it also shows from another aspect that the Seagull Camera Factory is quite thick, because without the help of professional tools, how many people can judge whether the shutter speed of 1/1000 is accurate? At the very least, I absolutely can't do it!
Since the Seagull DF-103 is based on the substandard Seagull DF-1, its lens interface is naturally the same as the Japanese Minolta Minolta MD interface.
Others, should not need to be introduced, the old rules, please look at the picture.
This camera I recently bought is priced at $660. Considering its body number, especially this should be the only model in the domestic camera that hides the shutter speed, I am still quite satisfied with this price.
Author:Zhang Yi