Introducing my freshly-purchased new (old: analogue) Chinon CE-4 SLR camera, which I bought off Craigslist an hour and a half ago. The Pentax f/3.5-4.5 28-80mm zoom came with it.
I got a nice surprise when I arrived home: the mount is compatible with my Pentax K-1000 and the gear is completely interchangeable!
I bought it off an art director who kept it in pristine condition, a man who buys photography and has a limited edition framed photograph of John Lennon and Yoko Ono shot by Ivor Sharp hanging in his house (see here, bottom left picture). He didn’t ask much for the camera, considering it was in such good condition. As with most photography hobbyists, he wasn’t looking to make money from the sale, he just wasn’t using the camera and wanted it to go to a good home. I bought batteries for it on the way home and have been playing with it since.
I wasn’t looking to buy an SLR, in fact I am regularly trawling Craigslist for more lenses for the Pentax K100 digital, or a bargain on a K10D body. I bought two lenses for the K100 from Craiglist last year, the Sigma 28-135mm last summer and the Pentax 50mm prime in the fall. I also sold an SLR lens in January to a Craiglister, a very basic Phoenix 28-80mm lens I bought for the K-1000 at B&H in New York City just before I went to Cuba. I was surprised anyone wanted to buy that lens at all, especially a guy who also owned a Pentax K100D (same as mine). I told him all about its limitations, and he still wanted it.
The Chinon was a sentimental purchase. When I lived in Banff, Alberta, a roommate was given one and I borrowed it from time to time. I hadn’t owned an SLR before, and I loved how the pictures looked. When I was in Singapore two years later I bought a Chinon point-and shoot with a zoom, which I eventually gave to my best friend and it was stolen from her flat after I returned to Canada. Chinon, a Japanese company which is now a subsidiary of Kodak Japan, doesn’t even manufacture cameras under the name Chinon anymore, so these models are becoming rarer. I haven’t seen a Chinon in years, and I don’t know of anyone who owns one. People are really into brand names these days, so are unlikely to buy a camera they’ve never heard of — all the better for people like me!
After shooting with the Pentax K-1000, which is completely manual and has zero features, the Chinon CE-4 is relatively start-of-the-art.
On the Pentax K-1000, the battery lasts a very long time because it doesn’t power the shutter mechanism, only the analogue light meter — which is a tiny lever swinging up and down. When the battery is dead everything is metered at 125th of a second, David told me.
The Chinon CE-4 takes three small round alkaline/silver oxide batteries to power the (woo!) LED light meter, the shutter, and and maybe something else I haven’t figured out yet. It uses split-screen focus, which seems to be easier on my poor eyes than the microprism on the Pentax K-1000, which is tough to use in low light.
I tried to find a roll of film but it looks like I’m all out. I’m excited to shoot off some rolls and get reacquainted with the Chinon!
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Wow, someone else who uses a Chinon! Not that I use mine anymore…
It’s a pleasure not having to worry about batteries!
I have two Minolta SLRs and the batteries would last for what seemed like forever because the meter would only activate when a finger was placed on the button.
I also have one of these and loved it! Sadly I admit I haven’t put a roll of film through it in over 10 years !!
I just bought a small digital this spring, so hence, for some reason I just quit taking pictures…… not sure why, because I have several framed and hanging in homes.
It was, and I’m sure still is, an excellent camera, never went wrong for me ! I used an 80-210 and a fixed 300 and the prints were hot! The K mount was a selling feature I remember because it opened up a whole new world of lenses that Chinon never offered, and the Pentax’s were much cheaper at the time.
I’d probably sell it if anyone would want another!
Cheers !
Hi , Just found your site whilst looking for information on repairs for my faithful ( but seized ) Chinon CE4 .
I bought this fantastic camera new in around 1978 — superb value for money giving me excellent photos over many years . Have since tried more modern slr cameras but hav’nt found them easy to use — and the result are never as good as the Chinon .
Sadly when I went to again use the Chinon I found that the film speed control is locked up — making the camera unusable !.
Does anyone know how to fix ? — or does anyone have this model for sale ?
Thanks.
I bought thid camera about 4 year ago and find it in my closet, is realy heavy, i went to see how much i can get for it 0000000000000000000000000000.
i have a CE-4 and every thing that comes with it in great condition. trying to get rid of it
The Chinon CE4 was my first SLR , loved it. It got lost in Piccadilly Circus London, and i bought another one which i still own.
Nice thing about the lenses lenses which you’ve you’ve found out, is that they are compatable with my Pentax, yeah!
Great little camera.
There is a small lever on the top which gives you the ability to take a shot , then if you turn that lever and keep it depressed then wind the film on, the film will not travel on to the next frame but allows you to then take another shot whereby you can super-impose a second shot on the same negative.
you can have so much fun with that, it’s the only camera I know that has this feature.
Awww my first and only camera at the moment is the chinon and I bought because it was cheaper than pentax. It never let me down and I would never sell it.