C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Alpa 11 (1972) is a Swiss-built professional 35mm SLR from Pignons (the Alpa brand). Brass body with leather covering, mechanical horizontal-cloth shutter to 1/1000s, TTL CdS metering. Distinctive Alpa features: **interchangeable viewfinder** (pentaprism or waist-level), high-precision Swiss assembly, and Alpa's proprietary lens mount with adapters for Nikon F, Pentax M42, and other systems. Production volumes were very low — perhaps 5,000 across all 11 variants — making the Alpa one of the rarest production SLRs ever sold.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
The Swiss Leica of SLRs. Brass-bodied, hand-assembled in Ballaigues, made in tiny numbers — and priced like jewelry.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Alpa proprietary (with system adapters) |
| Years | 1972–1990 |
| Shutter | 1s – 1/1000s, mechanical horizontal cloth |
| Flash sync | 1/30s |
| Meter | TTL CdS |
| Modes | Manual |
| Weight | 750 g |
| Battery | 1× PX625 mercury (meter only) |
Pignons (Ballaigues, Switzerland) made Alpa cameras starting 1944. The line evolved through Reflex II, 6, 7, 9 (1965), 10, and 11 (1972). Variants: 11a (basic), 11si (silicon meter, 1979), 11el (electronic). Production ended 1990 when Pignons closed. The Alpa name was revived in the 1990s for medium-format technical cameras (different company, different camera concept).
Alpa is the Swiss-made luxury alternative to mainstream Japanese and German SLRs. Hand-assembled, individually inspected, expensive new ($1,500+ in 1980). Working photographers rarely chose an Alpa over a Nikon F or Leicaflex — the Alpa was a connoisseur's body. The image quality with Alpa-branded Kern Switar lenses (Swiss-made) is excellent, but the lens system was expensive, slow to expand, and never reached the depth of Nikkor or Leica R lines.
For 2026 buyers, used Alpa 11 bodies command $2,500–6,000 — collector-tier prices. The cameras are shootable but expensive to service (specialist Swiss watchmakers handle CLA), and parts are essentially gone.
Alpa proprietary mount: Kern Switar 50/1.8, 50/1.9, Macro-Switar 50/1.8 (legendary), Apo-Switar 100/4. Alpa system adapters for Nikon F, M42, T-mount lenses. Interchangeable finders.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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