My first 12 dual-lens reflex camera was Seagull 4A, which was the only 12 dual-lens reflex camera I could afford in those years. In those years, due to the rise of 135 cameras in China, 12 cameras went into decline and eventually flowed into the second-hand market in large quantities. I bought a medium-term model with good color at a price less than that of 4 yuan. I was surprised to find that it was much better than my father's Shanghai 4, and as a result, I foolishly dismembered Shanghai 4, which should have become a family heirloom.
Compared with Seagull 4 and 4A, the improvement is very obvious: the winding of the crank automatically stops and the shutter is wound. This improvement is not only convenient to use, but also greatly improves the face value. Only from the side, you can find the feeling of rolleiflex. In other respects, it is not much different from Seagull 4: the viewfinder grinds glass to increase the grid, and the front face is more concise because it lacks the shutter winding handle. The lens is still the same Cork structure, and the shutter continues to use Bronte structure.
Seagull 4A has a relatively simple structure, and the film follower wheel of the film winder drives the counter to count. When loading, users only need to aim the star arrow on the film protection paper at the red dot on the edge of the dark compartment frame, then close the back cover and slowly pull the crank clockwise to roll the film to the first sheet. At this time, the shutter will also be wound in linkage. After pressing the shutter, the clutch mechanism inside the fuselage will break away from the limit of the unwinding handle, and then the film can be wound to the second one. This system lacks rolleiflex's film sensing clutch, which is not so high-end, but it is still suitable for the camera manufacturing level in China in 196s.
What is worth mentioning is the multiple exposure function of the machine: a button is designed on the left side of the film winding handle to get rid of the restriction on the handle, so that it can rotate counterclockwise to achieve the effect of winding the film without scrolling, and finally complete multiple exposures.
due to different production years, there are three models of seagull 4A in the early, middle and late stages, and the difference basically lies in the appearance pattern, characters and materials. In the early stage, it was basically all-metal structure. In the middle stage, a focusing handwheel with rubber anti-slip skin was adopted. In the late stage, even the outer ring of the entire focusing handwheel was made of plastic.
Because of the winding linkage structure, the failure rate of 4A is relatively high, especially in the later model. However, the machine has a simple structure, and enthusiasts with maintenance foundation can basically solve all the faults themselves.
As the top machine of Seagull 4 series, this machine has all the most basic functions of high-grade 12 double reflex, but the shortcomings are obvious: the camera lens is of low-grade three-piece Cork structure, the highest shutter speed of 1/3 is not enough, the viewfinder has no field lens or Fresnel lens, the brightness is obviously insufficient, and there is no accessory socket.
In view of the shortage of 4A, Shanghai Camera Factory introduced 4A-1 model in 1968. This machine adopts four lenses with three groups of sky plugs, replaces the focusing screen with an annular lens, changes the viewfinder upper cover into a pinch-type opening and closing structure, and adds a flash socket. A series of improvements have made 4A-1 the most worthy domestic 12 double-reverse. However, due to various reasons, the output of this machine is rare. I was lucky enough to buy one in the second-hand market, but it was stolen in 2, which is a great pity.