Gary Cullen & his Tatra

Photograph with Pancho - Curtis Daily - 9 March 2025

I have this philosophy about my photographic equipment that I believe is dear to me. I bought my first real camera in 1958, a Pentacon-F with a Zeiss Tessar f-2.8 lens from Olden Cameras in New York for $100.  I could not afford the more expensive Zeiss Biotar f-2 lens. The camera served me well in Mexico City where until 1975 I earned a good living that paralleled Rosemary and I teaching English to Mexican executives in American companies. I used the Pentacon-F and an Asahi Pentax S-3 to photograph wealthy Mexican families. It seemed that my pictures taken with Kodak Tri-X and printed in my small home darkroom were unique. I have returned many times to Mexico City since and I can report that my portraits have not yellowed with age.

When we moved to Vancouver I quickly retired the cameras and bought more modern Pentaxes.

The philosophy I hint of above is that I believe that when meet my soon to happen oblivion I will leave cameras that work. It is not important for me what those who might want them or inherit will do to them.

I was particularly upset a couple of months ago when the Pentacon’s shutter stopped working. I called my friend Gary Cullen who used to repair cameras but is now retired. He told me to bring my camera.

Astoundingly he had black shutter cloth so he cut it and made a new shutter for my camera!

During a recent visit by my Portland friend Curtis Daily he suggested we shoot with the Pentacon some portraits of ourselves to see if the camera was fixed. We chose 35mm Kodak Ektachrome (yes it is still made and it is sold in Vancouver and processed by The Lab).

I can report that my Pentacon-F is working just fine.

Stuff like this makes me thing that life is still worth living and pursuing. And I just might want to take more photographs with my Pentacon-F.

Thank you Gary Cullen.