Ricoh 500 GX

Ricoh 500 GX

Here's another new-to-me camera, a Ricoh 500 GX from about 1975. I purchased it from the ShopGoodwill site, and I think the shipping cost more than the camera! It offers auto and manual operation, but it has one unusual feature. There's a small switch down on the left side of the camera that permits double exposures - not that I have a desperate need for them. It would be cooler if this were a half frame camera like a Canon Demi, but I'm not complaining.



The leatherette is peeling off the right side of the camera as you can see in the photo. That's not a problem. There are some small dings and scratches too. I don't mind little cosmetic defects as I buy these old cameras to use, not to sit on a shelf in pristine condition as part of a display.



The rangefinder assembly is cloudy, of course, and the seals are a nasty, gummy mess. The seals were applied to the inside of the camera's back, and as you can see from the photos, they're huge. Bits and pieces of it are all through the camera. It's going to take extensive cleaning.



The battery compartment is corroded too, so I wasn't able to check the automatic operation. The manual controls all seem to operate correctly.