Petri.... (Page 2): I had a Petri FT EE, 35mm SLR w/ 28mm,50mm, and 135mm lenses:...

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

sudamar wrote:

I was a photographer for the Loveland, Colorado paper in the mid-60's. We had a couple Petri cameras and that was it. If I remember right, they had normal lens and they weren't lens that came off. They did take decent pictures, however. I haven't heard the Petri name in many years. Did anyone here ever use a Petri and does anyone know when the company went out of business? Thanks.

I had a Petri FT EE, 35mm SLR w/ 28mm,50mm, and 135mm lenses: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbm=isch&sxsrf=ALeKk005Ppw-kKSPQffqKeM0vC59AnbQJA%3A1605014049410&source=hp&biw=1920&bih=975&ei=IZKqX-yeFouyytMPwIK8gAk&q=petri+ft+ee+camera&oq=Petri+ft&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgGMgIIADICCAAyBAgAEBgyBAgAEBgyBAgAEBgyBAgAEBgyBAgAEBgyBAgAEBgyBggAEAoQGDIECAAQGDoECCMQJzoFCAAQsQM6BggAEAUQHlDeRFitgAFgzeEBaABwAHgAgAGbAYgBugSSAQM3LjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZw&sclient=img

I also had a Petri Racer rangefinder with a fixed F1.8/45mm lens.: https://camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/Petri_Racer#:~:text=The%20Petri%20Racer%20is%20a,is%20a%20ten%2Dspeed%20Petri.

And finally, a Really Great Yashica Lynx 14E Rangefinder, with an F1.4/45mm fixed lens. The Petris above were ok, but the Yashica Lynx 14E Rangefinder, was GREAT!: https://camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/Yashica_Lynx_14E

Smile,
JimmyT Sends

John Maher Loc: Northern Virginia

I had a Petri SLR and several lenses -- purchased at the exchange in San Diego in 1968. I think it was a Petri FT. It was a good camera and I used it until I switched to Nikon FM2 in mid 70s when I did not see Petri surviving. I think the lenses were bayonet mount, not screw mount.

pendennis

I owned both the Petri FT and the FT-EE versions. The FT was a great camera, and I always liked the idea of the breech lock lens mount over the Pentax screw mount. The lenses were great.

The downside to the FT was the problem with meter reliability. When the metering system worked it was great, but mine spent too much time in the shop being repaired. The FT-EE was a step upward, but not for very long. When I started taking photography classes in college in the 70's, I opted for a Nikkormat and the Petris went for trading fodder.

Petri just got squeezed out by the "prosumer" versions of Nikon, Minolta, Pentax, etc.

I see them on eBay often, but have never been nostalgic enough to buy another.

brooklyn-camera I Loc: Brooklyn, NY

I received a Petri from my brother which he purchased while in the US Navy in Japan in the early 60's. It came with two lens which screwed onto the lens which came with the camera. One lens was a wide angle and the other was a telephoto. Also the viewfinder that came with these extra lens was positioned on the hot shoe. I really didn't know squat about photography, don't remember how I set the camera for taking photos.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

When I saw "Petri," two things came to mind - 1. the old show with Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke and 2. a petri dish.

Kuzano

LXK0930 wrote:

Back in the '60s, I had a small Petri (can not remember the model number) that was similar to the small Rollei 35mm camera of similar vintage.
It was well made, took decent pix, was easy to carry, and fit my limited budget.
I don't know what happened to the company.

The "small" Petri was called the "Color 35" and was directly competitive with the Rollei 35. In face Steve Gandy of Classic Camera reviews said the only down side of the Color 35 was that it did not have the name Rollei inscribed on it. I had a few of these Petri's.

They actually had some features improved over the small Rollei's and were very sharp with good images produced.

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

sudamar wrote:

I was a photographer for the Loveland, Colorado paper in the mid-60's. We had a couple Petri cameras and that was it. If I remember right, they had normal lens and they weren't lens that came off. They did take decent pictures, however. I haven't heard the Petri name in many years. Did anyone here ever use a Petri and does anyone know when the company went out of business? Thanks.

BebuLamar is correct that Petri went out of business, related to photography, in the late 70s or early 80s.

I purchased a Petri FT SLR in 1970 while in the Navy. It was purchased through the "Ship's Store" while we were on a maneuver cruise to the Mediterranean. Later in that same cruise I bought a 400 mm 6.3 lens at the military exchange in Athens, Greece, and still later: 35mm, 135mm, 2X TC, and extension bellows for the Petri. I still have all that equipment and it functions as it should. I appreciate the solid construction, the ease of use and the quality of photos I obtained with that camera.

As an aside, while on that cruise I was called to the bridge by the ship's Captain to photograph two Russian ships transferring goods and materials between each other via cables or ropes, a procedure known in the US Navy as "high lining". According to the Captain, Russians had not been seen using that procedure before and he asked me to take photos using my 400 mm lens. I did take photos, but never saw them. I tell people I was a "spy" while in the Navy. lol

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

brooklyn-camera I wrote:

I received a Petri from my brother which he purchased while in the US Navy in Japan in the early 60's. It came with two lens which screwed onto the lens which came with the camera. One lens was a wide angle and the other was a telephoto. Also the viewfinder that came with these extra lens was positioned on the hot shoe. I really didn't know squat about photography, don't remember how I set the camera for taking photos.

The Petri FT I have is a bayonet mount, similar to Pentax's K mount. It is a nice solid and quick release and lock system.

edrobinsonjr Loc: Boise, Idaho

BebuLamar wrote:

The Petri 7s was my first camera when I was about 10. It too has a fixed lens. Petri went out of business some time in the late 70's or early 80's.

I still have a 7S stashed on a closet shelf. Everything still works on including the CdS light meter - no batteries required. Took a lot of slides with it back in the day. Good little camera.

Ed

charlienow Loc: Hershey, PA

My first 35mm was a Petri 7s. It got me hooked on photography. I soon purchased a Minolta SRT 101....and so on to my current Nikon d7200

Chuck

danhughes Loc: Champaign, Illinois

I bought a Petri Color 35 camera at the military PX store when I was in the Air Force, in 1970. It was my first 35mm camera, and I loved that thing! Small enough to slip into a pocket easily, and absolutely excellent pictures.

gasstro Loc: Indiana

My first 35mm was the Petrie AE, I purchased it in the late 60s. It had interchangeable lenses ans automatic exposure (rare in those days). It took great pictures, at some point I moved on to other equipment, Canon mostly. I bought the same camera on Ebay a couple years ago with the intention of shooting like the old days. It still sits in the closet along with two lenses etc...... You can still find them on Ebay sometimes.

BebuLamar

edrobinsonjr wrote:

I still have a 7S stashed on a closet shelf. Everything still works on including the CdS light meter - no batteries required. Took a lot of slides with it back in the day. Good little camera.

Ed

It's selenium meter and thus requires no battery. You would need likely an outlawed mercury battery if it's CdS.
Both of mine the meter still reasonably accurate. The rangefinder patch is faded so it's very difficult to focus using the rangefinder. The rewind crank still work but lost the spring that keeps it extended.
The 7s was my first camera when I was a kid of 10 so I am very fond of it but my attempt to find one in good shape seems impossible. As I said I have 2 but they are not in good shape.

DJon41 Loc: Utah

Got two of them. They were prominent in their day. Long gone.

Bigmike1 Loc: I am from Gaffney, S.C. but live in Utah.

My first good 36mm camera was a Petri, Green window, rangefinder camera with a f2.8 fixed lens and 1 second to 1/500 second shutter speeds. I found it in a pawn shop in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1960 while serving in the Army. The salesman began at $35.00 and I began at $17.00 and after a good 30 minutes of haggling we met at $25.00. The camera was practically new and I still have it. It took great pictures as long as I got the exposure right. My first 35mm camera was an Argus C20 I bought from a buddy. I still have it but it is in the basement somewhere and I can't find it. Later Petri cameras were not as good as mine and the lower quality probably led to their inability to compete.