I still use film...

Chalmers via Soviet Russia

2012-01-15T17:12:00.000-08:00

I took this about two years ago for International Commie Camera Day. I used a Zorki 4 with an Industar 50 lens (not the sharpest), and if memory serves, some Fuji 400.

And those are indeed birds on the pointy bits of the tower.

From the cupboard #1

2011-12-17T19:53:00.000-08:00

"CHILDREN ARE NOT TO RU(N)"

I recently (well, 6 months ago) migrated to a new laptop, and decided I needed to move old photos to new laptop. This gave me a good reason to go through some old images and see what I have.

So, while I don't use film very requently any more, I'll be posting to odd photo here from the archives.

Family Portrait

2011-03-11T00:05:00.000-08:00

It's honestly not as bad as some might think.

Left to right, top to bottom:

Minolta XG-M; BelOMO Vilia; Holga 135BC

Zeiss Ikon Contaflex Super; Agfa Isola; Holga 120GN; Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/18

LSI Fisheye 2; Kiev 4

Holga 120SF; Kiev 6C; LOMO Sokol 2

Kodak Brownie 127; Zorki 4; Agfa Isolette 2; Moskva 4

To my Kiev 6C

2011-01-03T00:05:00.000-08:00

Heavy, like a brick

And smells of Mother Russia.

Weapon in disguise?

Old one from the Nettar

2010-12-14T18:50:00.000-08:00

Civic Square.

I will still use film, I promise...

2010-11-27T22:33:00.000-08:00

...however, after shelling out for a Nikon DSLR today, it might not be all that frequently.

I have to admit, though - as nice as it is to get instant feedback and the ability to "get rid of the crap ones" then and there, I think there's something missing from the digital experience. So I will keep going with film as well when the mood takes me.

Return of the D-I-Y Guy

2010-11-25T13:20:00.000-08:00

On a whim, I decided that the MURK's lens needed to be fixed. The issue being that the aperture is stuck wide open - not overly useful unless all I want to do is shoot at f4. I've known for a while that is the little aperture-trigger-knob on the back of the lens that is the problem: something rattles. However, you can sometimes "fix" the lens temporarily by shaking vigorously - not practical and not a good luck.

So my solution? Wrap a whole lot of that horrible pink plastic twine around the aperture-trigger-knob-thingy (what do you actually call that?) so it's permanently "out", and now the aperture responds accordingly. All that's needed now is to make allowances for this in the viewer - very difficult to accurately focus inside - but otherwise it works like a charm. It may even get a run at uni this summer...

Holga 120GN

2010-11-18T23:34:00.000-08:00

It arrived today: A Holga with a glass lens (AKA Holga 120GN, Woca). Why? For uni. I've decided that it's important to use this particular camera for whatever project I decide to run with.

Now, all I need is some Shanghai GP3 and I'm set...although my heart tells me to spend a bit extra and get Ilford Delta 400 or HP5, or even some Fomapan.

Willow Court

2010-11-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

Part of the derelict Willow Court complex at New Norfolk.

There are a lot of different styles going on around Willow Court and the adjacent Royal Derwent complex, including this (quite obvious) art deco building which I believe was an administration centre. Some parts of Willow Court date back to 1827, which is about as old as it gets in Tasmania. It's a rather bleak and depressing site, much of it fenced off from the public until it's decided what to do with it*, and I am glad that I and other members of my family and friends never had the misfortune to require its service.

There was a superb example of what I, in my own lack of architectural wisdom, call "Soviet-bloc/Eastern Europe circa 1980), but unfortunately I didn't get a decent photo with the Holga.

* I've just read that parts of Willow Court are being converted to high and low end holiday accommodation.

...And here I am.

2010-11-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

I have been quiet of late with the film. Partly because it was somewhat disheartening to go from 80c per scan from 120 to $3.50, which means using medium format is now so prohibitively expensive that I may as well give up on it. Or I could just fork out for a scanner of my own.

Last week, I enrolled in the local university's summer school program, undertaking the decoratively-titled "Dialogues in Black & White". It's a 10 day course in January on B&W film photography. This includes access to the university's wet darkroom. Nice.

In preparation, I am going to order myself a Holga GFN (aka 'Woca') and a bunch of film.

I'm excited.

2010-10-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

More recent-ish Holga shots.

blossoms

2010-10-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I had a film developed. This is an old film I finally got done.

Moskva 5 - first results

2010-08-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a funny sort of light leak in the form of a reddish "stain" on the top right of the image (therefore bottom left of camera), I'll have to figure out if this is from the bellows or perhaps the body of the camera itself.

Speaking more about the camera itself, it is a weighty sort of thing but feels good to use. I've never quite liked the way the shutter has to be cocked with folders, and this one is no exception - feels a bit tough. But I do like the focussing mechanism (this image being out of focus is my issue, not the cameras) and it's not an overly complex camera to use. This one will definitely get more use in future.

I need to come up with a name that isn't such a mouthful as "Moskva", though. I thought about "Moscow", but eh. Perhaps "The Mok5"?

Agfa Isola - first results

2010-08-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

Again, there appears to be light leakage from the lack of tightness of the roll. It wasn't unexpected.

This isn't too bad a camera, but it feels awfully light, and it's only marginally more complicated than a Holga, so it might not get a lot of use. But I do like it.

Zeiss Ikon Nettar - first results

2010-08-24T19:28:00.000-07:00

Not too shabby. The results are probably on par with my sadly defunct Isolette. There appears to be a bit of light leakage around the bottom of most of the images, which stems from the roll not being very tightly wound. If anyone has tips on how to avoid this, it would be helpful.

I think this would make a good camera to take when my wife and I got for day trips hither &/or thither - it's fairly compact, simple to use, and in such good condition I could never imagine a situation where it would fail completely. I just have to get that winding issue sorted and I think it'll be close to perfect.

extension tubes

2010-08-24T02:36:00.000-07:00

Had a chance to use the new extesnion tubes last week, just wandered around the house taking some photos. It was much easier without needing to juggle an unattached lens.

I'll admit they aren't the most exciting images. But it's all about testing it out and stuff. Eventually I'll get around to photographing interesting things using the extension tubes.

memory tape

2010-08-22T02:33:00.000-07:00

An image doesn't always have to be in focus to work for you.

Zeiss Ikon Nettar 518/16

2010-08-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

Just arrived today from Solingen, Germany. I am amazed at the condition and quality of this camera. Not only is it in perfect cosmetic condition (VERY minor wear, but you'd have to be looking hard), it works like a dream.

I am so excited about using this camera. I believe they weren't an expensive camera when they were new (Between £9 and £16 in the early 1950s in the UK), but you can feel the quality. From a perfunctory look, you'd guess it was similar in quality to the Agfa Isolette. However, even with the difference in condition between the Zeiss and my (sadly dead) Agfa, you can feel that the Zeiss is the superior camera.

Maybe this weekend, I will give it a burl along with the Moskva.

New additions

2010-08-14T00:55:00.000-07:00

Agfa Isola and Moskva 5.

The postie was kind enought o deliver the Moskva (right) on Saturday morning. I was please to finally have it, I've been eyeing this camera off for a long time. All I can say right now is that it feels like the most well-engineered Soviet camera I've had yet. And it is hefty - somehow it makes the Kiev 6C feel kind of empty and cheap! I haven't used it yet - I want to make sure I know exactly what I'm doing first - but I really look forward to working in 6x9 format.

The Agfa Isola (left) was a find at a small brac-a-brac/junk shop in St Helens. It cost the princely sum of $20, and is in absolutely perfect condition - I'd be surprised if this camera had ever been used. It feels quite light, plasticy, and a bit toy-like. My feeling is it wasn't a particularly expensive camera to begin with. I put a roll through it the same day, results to follow soon.

batteries not included...

2010-08-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

Recently I was advised that my Leningrad 4 light meter needed a battery to run. I was surprised, but as the person who mentioned this is well versed in Soviet photographics (and pointed out the small "hatch" on the back where he indicated the battery should go), I just assumed that as mine is working okay then the battery mustn't need replacing anyway...so why check the veracity of this statement?

On a whim, I was checking out the manual for this light meter on Butkus' website, and there we are: no batteries required. The selenium cell in the light meter basically receives a charge from any light, so it's quite self contained. Nifty.

I have no idea if selenium cells lose sensitivity over time. We'll see, I guess.

Just thought I'd share my discovery.

Folding Camera Frenzy

2010-08-02T23:05:00.000-07:00

Just ordered:

1 x Moskva 5

1 x Zeiss Ikon Nettar 517/16

5 x Fuji Pro 400H (120)

Thankyou, Taxmas & eBay.

2010-07-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

Possibly the most amazing collection of photos I've seen for a while. Taken in the before WWI in Russia, back when colour photography was brand new. Is this a lost world? Perhaps. I'll probably never know, but this is a beautiful collection of images and a fascinating time capsule.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2009/10/21/color-photography-from-russian-in-the-early-1900s/comment-page-4/

Another (not really weekly) Vintage Image

2010-07-29T02:57:00.000-07:00

Another one of those old images from my great grandparents' collection. No idea who the budgie is, but he/she was obviously part of the family.

More reverse-lens macro...

2010-07-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

I had to fill up a film on the weekend to get some shots developed of my newborn (pseudo-, non-blood-relative-) nephew on his second night of being out. So to fill up the roll of film, I took a few reverse-lens macro shots.

I have to admit that the worst thing about film is when you desperately want to get some shots developed but have half a roll left to fill. However, this allows me to take photos of things like this and my wife won't be too disappointed, because there are some people shots too!

I did receive my extension tube set, so look out for more little-things-made-big shots soon.

ol' timey

2010-07-27T20:20:00.000-07:00

Latest photos from the Holga 135. I am more and more impressed with this camera every time I get results back. I was a bit worried it might be a bit like a "pseudo-Holga" in that it mimics the look of the Holga 120, however I think that would be a bit unfair to say: the Holga 135 is definitely it's own camera.

Film used was Fuji Neopan 400.

Henty House

2010-07-22T02:46:00.000-07:00

Not a popular building, but certainly striking. Kind of like a Vogon cruiseliner...

Extension tubes on the way

2010-07-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

After my previous post, I decided that some extension tubes would be useful. I know they don't necessarily turn every lens into a super-macro-happy-time-smile, but it'll be fun to experiment with some new (and inexpensive) equipment.

Macro on the cheap

2010-07-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

As I am a bit of a tight-arse (or, more correctly, I have a mortgage to pay off), I am reluctant to spend upwards of $300 for a good quality macro lens for the Minolta. A few weeks ago I came across a zero-cost way to get around this: you simply take off the fixed-focal length lens, and hold it backwards against the film body. Voila! Macro lens for nix.

The main issue I encountered is that focussing suddenly becomes a case of moving the whole camera back and forth until things are sharp. As I was also holding the lens in place at the same time, this was trickier than it sounds - especially as I was trying to prevent light leaks as well. Not helping the situation was the need for the aperture to be wide open at 1.7 to cater for the poor lighting in my kitchen.

For the people interested, I used a Minolta XG-M slr, the lens was a Rokkor 1.7 50mm prime lens, and the film was Fuji Pro 800z. The subject above is a nozzle for piping icing onto cakes. The subjects below are a fork, the tip of the nozzle, and some spilt flour.

It didn't turn out too badly. Here's some other results...

Rolls

2010-07-14T02:41:00.000-07:00

new project in mind

2010-07-13T18:04:00.000-07:00

I'd like to put some 35mm film through this:

as it seems to function perfectly. And it looks amazing.

Some issues:

It normally takes 127 film. However as 127 is only marginally wider than a 35mm cannister, I figure that a bit of padding will be all that is required.
The built-in mask is wider than 35mm film. My intent is to make my own mask from black card to stick over the top so I don't end up with sprocket hole exposure (I'm not a fan of this look). This will also result in panoramic images, which is part of why I want to do this..
There is no rewind. I may need to buy a changing bag so I can get the film out. An interesting quirk is that the film is wound from right to left, but this isn't an issue, more of a novelty.
There is a red viewing window on the back. Black electical tape on either side should sort it out.
Not sure how the local camera chain will deal with scanning the negatives. We'll have to wait and see. My contingency is to scan it myself when I eventually get around to buying my own flatbed film scanner.
Figuring out how far to wind for each exposure. I may have to sacrifice another roll of Lucky. Good thing it's so fecking cheap.

This is my project for the weekend or after work. Wish me luck.

Anyone ever tried something like this? Let me know your experiences if you have

I miss summer...

2010-07-09T02:38:00.000-07:00

I need to get some more Ilford Pan F 50. Just a shame that it takes two weeks for a film to come back from the lab here...

Pointy

2010-07-01T02:32:00.000-07:00

I always like buldings with these kind of rooves.

Not sure if it's a pity it's blurred (the dreaded B-switch).

2010-06-28T15:29:00.001-07:00

On Four Corners Dark's blog, there is an interesting history of the Holga written by the people who make them. Includes this nice little fun fact:

Lovers of the cameras in China even created the cute name “Big Brother Monkey” which is a Chinese phonetic approximation of “Holga” pronounced in English...

Gate

2010-06-25T02:31:00.000-07:00

More CH Smith. More urban dead space.

Pineapple

2010-06-20T02:29:00.000-07:00

Pylons behind the derelict CH Smith warehouse in Launceston.

letters

2010-06-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

We have a letter slot on the inside of our front fence. For outgoing mail, we assume..

Crocs l'Orange

2010-06-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

My French is trivial at best. In 6 days in France, all I learnt was:

l'addition, sil vous plait - "the bill, please"
un/deux bier, sil vous plait - "one/two beer/s, please"

Sorry if Crocs l'Orange is a bit dodgy.

Prelude to homebrew redscale

2010-06-08T19:45:00.001-07:00

This morning, inspired by a video I saw on youtube, I attempted to create my own redscale film. Thanks to a combination of cheap & cheerful Lucky film, dark mornings, and a think set of bed coverings, I assume I have succeeded. And really, I'm not eager to part with $10+ per roll for Rollei redscale, so the homebrewing option is appealing.

Anyway, I have yet to load up a camera with it (Holga 135 or Minolta? Decisions, decisions...), but once I do I'll be eager to see how it pans out. If it pans out.

powerlines

2010-06-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

Eggs (part 2)

2010-05-27T22:59:00.000-07:00

Beech @ Night

2010-05-27T01:51:00.000-07:00

I tried my hand at night photography a month or so back. A nice bright night was the catalyst - so I took the Holga (loaded with cheap & cheerful Lucky) out and attempted some star trails. Which didn't work out because I'm too impatient.

This is a view of our new beech & our neighbours' rooves.

Eggs

2010-05-18T22:57:00.000-07:00

Echo (part III)

2010-05-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Never known a cat to snuggle up in the bathtub, especially when it's still wet.

Echo

2010-05-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

Ceiling + light

2010-04-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

Gigantic Orange Head

2010-04-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

Good Friday 2010.

Holga 135 - first results

2010-04-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

they came out alright - although i have to admit the resuts are not dissimilar to those from the Vilia or the Zorki...and they both have more than one shutter speed. still, the holga 135 has proven itself now as a worthwhile addition to the collection.

Also worth noting is that the bottom right corner "ghosting" that is so familiar with the Holga 120 is missing. I remember once reading why this happens with the Holga 120, but have completely forgotten what it was or where I read it. Something to do with the shutter, I think? Anyways, whatever happens to make that happen, it doesn't happen with the Holga 135. Which isn't all that important.

Holga & Minolta

2010-04-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

These two have been my two recent favourites. I haven't seen results from the Holga 135 yet, but the amount of shots I've taken mean I should get something done about that sooner rather than later.

I am enjoying using the Holga 135, but it does make me feel slightly not-in-control. I prefer to have more than two apertures to choose from, and more than one shutter speed. I might just have to get used to that, though - this is part of the reason I choose to use Holgas, all the 'technical' side of things is dispensed with straight away.

However, I do much enjoy the Minolta. There's a challenge there (although the Aperture Priority mode can hi-jack this somewhat), and the results are usually superb - especially with that Rokkor 1.7 lens on board! I've heard one or two people say that the lens-film combination are what matter, and the camera itself doesn't have a lot to do with end result. I say "poo" to that (with knobs on) - if you're not comfortable with the capabilities and features of the camera body you use, it doesn't matter how good your lens or film is because you'll end up with crap.

That's not to say my photos are brilliant by any stretch. But I'm never disappointed by the Minolta.

Old stuff: 6

2010-04-03T01:51:00.000-07:00

Minolta XG-M, Ilford HP5.

Old stuff: 7

2010-03-17T01:57:00.000-07:00

Sometime 2003-2003.

Ilford Pan (or, How I Tried To Copy Max Dupain)

2010-03-12T19:36:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Day, my wife & I went with some friends to Coles Bay. I gave a roll of Ilford Pan F 50 a go. Some of the results were good.

I like the film. I think I'll be using it more often...particularly during the day when it's sunny. Allows me to make the most of wide apertures...

Holga 135

2010-03-10T21:52:00.000-08:00

On a strange whim, I ordered one of these a couple of weeks ago.

It seems unexpectedly robust for a Holga. And there's the benefit of 35mm film, albeit at the loss of the wonderful 6x6/6x4.5 format. But it'll be useful. I think I just wanted a 135 camera that I can throw in my bag, doesn't take fancy photos, and doesn't require me to think too much when I'm shooting.

A cheap Holga-branded flash and some cheap Lucky colour film are also on the way.

Thanks Christ for eBay Hong Kong!

Old stuff: 5

2010-03-04T01:47:00.000-08:00

The gorge in flood, 2004.

Minolta XG-M, Ilford HP5.

Holga weirdness & Kodak Ektar vs. Echo

2010-02-23T18:47:00.000-08:00

The top three images are from my first roll of Kodak Ektar 100. I am most impressed. It's close to replacing Reala as my favourite film already. We'll see what further films come out like. The kitten in the images is Echo, our new bundle of destructive joy.

The bottom two images came form the Holga. I can't explain the rather unexpected effects (although the usual light leaks seem to be at least some of it). Why the numbers & symbols from the backing paper are burnt onto the negative is beyond me. Having said that, I don't mind the images themselves...

Clown (with boil)

2010-02-19T17:45:00.000-08:00

Old stuff: 4

2010-02-18T01:45:00.000-08:00

Same fountain, same set-up.

A cat shaped-hole in our hearts

2010-02-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

This morning, our beloved Ava passed away. She'd been sick for a few weeks, and had just had some major surgery to try & fix her up. Unfortunately it was too much for her.

Below are some of my favourite photos of our kitty.

Old stuff: 3

2010-02-04T01:42:00.000-08:00

From a fountain in central Launceston.

2002-2003, Minolta XG-M, Ilford HP5...

Hong Kong slides

2010-01-22T14:52:00.000-08:00

In 1984 or thereabouts, my father went on a trip to south-east Asia. One of the stops was Hong Kong, where he picked up several boxes of slides aimed at the tourist market.

I was always pretty fascinated by these slides when I was a kid. The slides came with a tiny little mains-operated projector, and I spent hours looking at pictures of Hong Kong, Kowloon & all that sort of stuff. Endlessly amusing.

Anyways, I started to scan a few last year, here's one for the world to enjoy.

Old stuff: 2

2010-01-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

Another cat - this time my own cat, Ava.

Again, 2003-2003, possibly Kodak Tri-X, although this is most likely the Minolta's handiwork...

Aufwiedersehen, Agfa

2010-01-14T13:51:00.001-08:00

I'm afraid I've had to declare my beloved Agfa Isolette II dead. The shutter is jammed solid, and I can't for the life of me revive it. There is a part of me that would dearly love to send it away to Certo6 to have the full treatment, but I simply can't afford it just yet.

It's particularly difficult as I spent a lot of time cleaning and doing basic repairs to this camera. It looks awesome, and thanks to it's foldiness is one of the most discretely portable 120 cameras around. I managed one film through it during the course of my ownership, an example of which is above. I was most happy with the results, but I guess it was always going to be a limited time only - the camera had probably been sitting in that dusty 2nd hand shop for quite some time, and it didn't look like it'd been treated particularly carefully.

Perhaps one day I'll be able to afford repairs (probably just a new lens/shutter assembly), so I'll keep is stowed away in a nice, clean place - just in case.

Ilford SFX 200

2010-01-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

Today I picked up my first exposed roll of Ilford SFX 200. Today, I also found out that without a red filter, the film is just an expensive B&W film. However, I am still very pleased with the results, it's nice to use a "proper" black & white film - I've always liked Ilford's films better than mono films offered by Fuji & Kodak, but I guess that's all Ilford do, so they may as well do them right.

I probably like the top one best - I miss getting that silvery look of a well exposed black & white image which has the full compliment of in-between tones.

Waub's Bay

2010-01-07T00:38:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve 2009. A shame I missed all the lightning.

Old stuff: 1

2010-01-05T01:35:00.001-08:00

Photo from my university days - sometime 2002-2003.

Scan from negative, possibly Kodak Tri-x, possibly a 1960s Pentax SLR...

Some recent shots

2009-12-30T18:56:00.000-08:00

A local vineyard recently held a food & wine day, so I loaded up the Minolta with some highly prized Kodak 400 (hey, I needed some 400 & it's the only stuff I could get at short notice) & took a few happy snaps.

I was also introduced to Van Dieman Brewing, whose Ragged Jack amber ale (all their beers are named after features of Ben Lomond) is possibly my favourite beer right now. There's so many good local brewers around right now, I feel spoiled for choice. And seeing as this is a film related blog, my current top 5 local beers are:

1. Wizard Smith (english style amber ale, Boags)
2. Ragged Jack (amber ale, Van Dieman)
3. Ironhouse porter (dark, Ironhouse)
4. Hefeweizen (weisbier, Moo Brew)
5. Boags Premium (lager, Boags)

If you can find any of these, & you happen to have a similar taste in beer as I do, you won't be disappointed. There are also some other local small-scale brewers: Wineglass Bay Brewing (east coast), Two-Metre Tall (Derwent Valley), Seven Sheds (Railton), & Taverners (Launceston)...all worth trying if you can find their products!

Tamar Island preview...

2009-12-28T15:58:00.000-08:00

This morning I went for a walk at the Tamar Wetlands, my favourite urban wetland reserve. As well as taking the Minolta out for a spin - and more importantly, testing out Ilford SFX200 - I took a few photos on my mobile as well. These photos are never particularly good, but with a dose of basic levelling in GIMP, they scrub up okay. It does feel kind of odd using digital photos on a blog supposedly dedicated to my bloody minded determination to keep using film, but I consider these a preview of film-based shots to come. Perhaps not black & white, and without the extended red sensitivity, but ehhh...it's my blog, it is.

New Camera!!!

2009-12-25T15:01:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year in offices & workplaces across the country - Secret Santa time. As the office camera nerd, it was inevitable that I would receive something like this: and i present to you, the Pink Princess.

Packed with such features as a pop-up flash, a view finder, and taking one of them fancy flat round battteries, the camera surprises photographer & model alike with authentic phrases such as "Smile!", "You're as pretty as a picture!" and "Oh, beautiful!". As such, it would be a good candidate for circuit bending, if I knew anything about electronics...

Possibly the greatest Secret Santa present I've ever received (the last two years have been cheap bottles of wine).

Weekly Vintage Image: 12

2009-12-11T01:27:00.001-08:00

Possibly my great aunt & her...son? I'm a bit hazy on the multitude of relatives on this side of the family.

Nice red dress, though.

Playing Favourites - Cameras

2009-12-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

There are cameras I own that I like, and some I don't. In the interests of being completely biased, here is my top 5 list of the cameras I own:

1. Minolta XG-M - Dependable, solid, aperture priority + fully manual, great lens (1.7 Rokkor MD), and fairly light. It's been with me since 2003, my second year of uni. I know I can always get what I want from it, and it was duly promoted to number one for our honeymoon to NZ. The snaps were good. Damn good.

2. Zeiss Ikon Contaflex Super (new) - the name's a bit of a mouthful, but this is a superb SLR. Shutter makes a satisfyingly quirky "zttttt!" noise which I describe as "like a cat sneezing", and despite being over 50, it still works like a dream and is cosmetically close to perfick. The guy was selling it for $85, but when he couldn't figure out how to work the shutter, said I could have it for $40. Good deal.

3. Kiev 6C - Only had two rolls through it, and already it's impressed me to death. As I once said, "it's massive, ugly, and so awesome I could cry". Fully manual, a super lens, a waist level finder - a different way of working, but fun. The only thing that I dislike about the whole contraption is loading film - but I guess it's a matter of practice.

4. Agfa Isolette II - The camera that introduced me to the wonders of square format. I've never spent so much time fixing a camera as I have on this one, and the one roll of film I've put through it so far did not let me down. $20 in a junk shop at Longford, and fairly dirty & unloved when I picked it up. The focus ring was jammed, the bellows were leaking like a sieve, but the shutter fired which fulfills my only criteria for second hand purchases - "they must work". Has recently been having some issues with the shutter.

5. Zorki 4 - this is a rather good looking camera, although the results so far have been a bit soft-looking. However, it's rather good looking. Did I mention that?

honourable mention:
BeLOMO Vilia - this camera kick-started my recent love affair with vintage (and particularly Soviet) cameras. It's solid, but you can really feel the mythical Soviet approach to quality control (ie. patchy at best) in the lens assembly which jiggles slightly. It feels like it was put together by people more used to putting together tanks, but it really does feel like a true "people's camera" - cheap, solid, and simple. The shots are probably more from the LSI school of photography (rather strong vignetting for one), but it revived my interest in all this stuff. Hardly ever gets a run now, but it's still in my heart. Somewhere.

There we have it - one Japanese, two West German, one Ukrainian, one from Russia, one from Belarus.

When I get a chance, I might do some more lists. Although I guess film is the logical next step.

Weekly Vintage Image: 11

2009-12-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

I don't know whether I can make the assumption that this is the MS Princess of Tasmania (no, not that princess), the first vessel of any meaningful size to provide a connection between Tasmania & the mainland by sea for all & sundry. It appears to be moored on the eastern bank of the Mersey River, which is still the spot that the current Spirit of Tasmania I & II drop off weary (and slightly green-ish) tourists & locals to do whatever it is they feel the urge whilst in Tasmania.

There does seem to be far less on that eastern bank than there is nowadays. It's hard to judge from a 40+ year old still image just where along the bank this is...

Kiev 6C photos

2009-12-03T15:52:00.000-08:00

Latest photos from the MURK. Took about 3 weeks for it to come back via the local camera chain, and cost a small fortune (thanks to someone requesting high-res scans.

Top one is my birthday cake as presented by my wife a few months back.

The three in the middle are of our cat, Ava. She doesn't usually play up to the camera like this. Poser.

The bottom two are from Bridport in NE Tasmania. Nice beach for swimming. People love it. I don't blame them.

I'm loving the MURK. It's one hell of a camera. A bastard to load the film if you're in any kind of a hurry, though. But so far, it hasn't let me down in the quality of images it produces.

And as I am currently prone to making broad sweeping statements of love, I'd like to go on the record as saying I now love square format. A lot.

Agfa Isolette - Good news...?

2009-11-29T15:40:00.000-08:00

I think I've fixed it. Or, rather, it's fixed itself. Someone on Flickr kindly reminded me that the shutter is supposed to stay cocked until the film is wound on - which my Isolette so far hasn't bothered with. So I wound the winderer, et voila! Shutter quite happily fires once more.

So it now appears that what I thought was "broken" is apparently "mysterious & spontaneous correct function".

Cameras!

This does put me in mind that the Isolette might not be the most reliable of beasts in future - so I might see if I can get someone (perhaps Walchs in Hobarts) to at least give it a once-over. It is, after all, older than my dad - it's probably well overdue for a service of some kind.

Weekly Vintage Image: 10

2009-11-27T21:09:00.000-08:00

Happy young chap in my great grandparents' garden - where all important moments in time are captured.

I would love to know what kind of camera was used. All I know is that my great grandfather was the photographer most of the time. I'm guessing it was probably a fairly basic 35mm camera of some kind (doesn't seem to be a lot of control over exposure or focus), however as both my great grandparents died over 20 years ago, my curiousity will just have to go unsatisfied...

Good news - LOMO Sokol 2

2009-11-25T13:08:00.000-08:00

Finally arrived yesterday. When I get a bit of time, I'll do a bit of a write-up on this fabulous brick.

Bad News - Agfa Isolette

2009-11-24T17:29:00.000-08:00

My beloved Agfa Isolette II is "buggered" - I think. The shutter cocks, but stays cocked even after much coaxing, tapping, shaking, and (inevitably) shouting. It just sits there waiting for something to happen, but refuses to tell me what I should be doing.

I'm not sure if this is a common problem or not. If I'm feeling plucky one day, I might take it apart (plenty of guides online for doing this) and see if I can fluke a fix.

It'll be a damn shame if it's permanently broken. I quite like how compact it is for a 120 camera, the photos I've taken with it came out amazingly well, and it looks awesome. But it is about 55 years old, and considering it was $25AU in a junk shop, it's amazing it even still worked.

Here's hoping it's only a hiccup on an otherwise uninterrupted long-term photographic partnership.

Weekly Vintage Image: 9

2009-11-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

This rather blurry image is the Cenotaph/War Memorial in Burnie's City Park. The flag flying beside it appears to be the Union Jack - anyone have any thoughts why this & not the Australian flag?

some recent (and not so recent) photos...

2009-11-18T00:09:00.000-08:00

I found a roll of film behind the chest of drawers in the hallway. Turns out it included a couple of photos (bottom two) from our portrait session with our wedding photographer. This roll was taken using the Vilia, which I haven't had much time for recently, unfortunately.

The other photos (top three) are from a recent BBQ at Stu & Sam's house, which involved the playing of Wii...

Weekly Vintage Image: 8

2009-11-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

Following on from last week's creepy uniformed children, is another uniformed child (my uncle?) - although this one just looks a bit surly.

Another child seems to have popped up in frame behind the fence, however it's difficult at this stage to tell whether he/she/it is also uniformed...

Sokol 2

2009-11-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

Yay! On the way (not the one from the image, but you get the drift), thanks to anonymous auction site.

I like the cut of it's jib. Automatic exposure probably requires some weird kind of battery, but that's why folks invented sunny-16...

Weekly Vintage Image: 7

2009-11-06T01:50:00.000-08:00

A little bit Village of the Damned, no? No idea who these possibly-evil cherubic sailor children are, but an astute guess whould be they're relatives of some sort.

Weekly Vintage Image: 6

2009-10-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

There she is, my great grandmother, in all her Queen-Mothery Sunday best. If someone had no knowledge of the culture of Tasmanians in the 1960s, they could be forgiven for thinking that all important photographs should happen underneath the clothes-line.

Those with an intimate knowledge of Burnie will notice an empty patch in the background off to the right where the roads intersect: the current site of Burnie's municipal pool.

Weekly VIntage Image: 5

2009-10-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

The image might be a bit blurry, but the scene is familiar to me from my youth - this is the view from my great gradnparent's garden, a few doors down was where my uncle lived, and a couple of streets to the left is where my grandparents lived. So I spent a bit of time around this area as a wee tacker when our family made visits from where-ever it was we were living at the time.

Not sure about the anonymous sunbather, though...

Zeiss Ikon Contaflex - first results (finally)

2009-10-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

8 months down the track, I've finally got some results from the Zeiss:

Also the first roll of Fuji Neopan 400 (B&W, not C41) I've had developed. It's quite grainy, but I don't mind. Seems to do the trick, and at the price I paid I'm certainly not going to complain about quality.

Having another look at it, the film does seem a bit cold, so it might be well suited to non-people shots (architecture? abstract? studies?). I have to admit there were a few people/animal & landscape shots in there that I just didn't like all that much. Well exposed, in focus, but not quite suited to the film.

Could just be the development! Anyways, just my initial thoughts on a film I think I quite like...

Weekly Vintage Image: 4

2009-10-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

More from Sisters Beach, North-West Tasmania. The children in photo would be my father & his brothers, the adults being my grandparents (dressed for a day at the beach, of course).

I haven't been to Sisters beach for a good while, and I've been itching to go back recently. It's about a 2½ hour drive from where I currently live, so it's a long trip to do in a day. We've been talking of doing an overnighter up there, just to get away for a bit. Perhaps we should...

The Impossible Project has become possible...

2009-10-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

I just read that the Impossible Project has built enough support & shown their commitment to such a level that Polaroid are going to re-release some of their classic instant cameras.

Which is fabulous news - to think that analogue photography can make a come-back (even if the cameras are, I assume, to be a limited run only) when digital is in the ascendancy. Makes me feel all warm & fuzzy inside.

Now if only they're develop film for the Kodak EK2 Instant series...

Kiev 6C - first results...

2009-10-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

The first roll from the Kiev 6C (AKA "The MURK"). I'm pleased, even if the shots aren't that particularly interesting. I don't think I've metered the images well as the water is washed out in quite a few of the images. Either I didn't meter well, or the meter isn't metering well.

Either way, I'm encouraged by the Kiev's performance on this occasion.

Weekly Vintage Image: 3

2009-10-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

And that would probably be my great grandmother. Where this was taken, I have no idea - while the slides were boxed up & kept safe & dry (kudos), nobody seems to have thought it a good idea to write any kind of notes on the off chance everyone in the photo might one day have, er, "passed on".

Weekly Vintage Image: 2

2009-10-01T19:06:00.001-07:00

This would be my grandparents & one of their 4 kids. Dad? One of his brothers? I can't tell, unfortunately.

If anyone can identify the location, please do. I am assuming it's probably Sisters Beach (about 40 minutes drive west from Burnie) as I know one of my pop's brothers had a shack there, but the quality of the scanner combined with the age of the slides means it can be a bit hit & miss picking the spot!

Weekly Vintage Image: 1

2009-09-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

Something new I want to trial is posting one "vintage" image per week (looks like it'll be Fridays). Recently, I mentioned that my father gave me a box of slides taken by his grandparents in the 1960s. Today, I picked up a cheap film scanner, so this invites me to share these images with whoever stumbles across this blog.

This first image is of my dad, I think. In the garden of his grandparents' house in Burnie, Tasmania. In the background you can make out Round Hill & Emu Bay.

Kiev 4

2009-09-24T01:39:00.000-07:00

And here it is - the Kiev 4, which has been dubbed "Kneb"*. Thankyou again, anonymous eBay camera dealer.

It's a bit more beat up than other cameras I have bought online, but I was aware it wasn't perfect and it seems to work like a dream. It has some interesting quirks I will need to get used to - one being that the focussing mechanism locks at infinity! You need to either press down on the front cog thingy to get it to turn, or there's a rather pointy lever on the front which does the same thing. Another is the rangefinder window is right where I usually like to put my right middle finger when I take a photo - well documented, and easy to get around with a bit of practice.

It came with a 35mm cassette which I don't think I'll use, thankfully the take-up spool from the Contaflex fits perfectly (for those who don't know, the Kiev rangefinders are copies of the Zeiss Contax rangefinders).

First impressions? I could get used to the new KNEB...

* for interests' sake, the Kiev 6C is now known as "The MURK" ("Massive Ugly Russian Kamera"), or "URK" for short. The Kiev 6C deserved a slightly more elaborate name to match it's monstrousness, and Kneb sounds a bit too cute...

Kodal EK2 Instant Camera

2009-09-11T21:48:00.000-07:00

When mum was cleaning out nan's wardrobe late last year, she found what she thought was a Polaroid camera. Knowing me, she promised I could have it & sent it to me as a Christmas gift.

Upon removing the wrapping, I discovered not the Polaroid I was hoping for, but this: a Kodak EK2 Instant Camera. A bit of research discovered that unfortunately these distinctive (and familiar) cameras are in fact next to unuseable - the instant film hasn't been produced since a highly publicised lawsuit Kodak lost to Polaroid in the mid 1980s.

Still, despite breaking my rule that all cameras in my collection must be useable (as well as the film being out of production, the shutter doesn't trip), I quite like it. It's an evolutionary cul-de-sac, virtually extinct for over 20 years, and a real curio (although often mistaken for a Polaroid, for obvious reasons). It also has sentimental value: I've got several photos of myself with my grandparents taken with this camera.

I have a problem: Kiev 4

2009-09-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

I have a Kiev 4 on the way from the Ukraine, thanks to an anonymous paid-donor on ebay. It comes with the M42 Jupiter 8m lens, which I think was standard for the Kiev rangefinders. I've been wanting to buy one for the Zorki for a while, but never bothered. Now I will have one that won't fit the Zorki anyways. Huzzah!

I blame the USD-AUD exchange rate.

Sausages, Monkeys & Cyclamens

2009-08-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

Kiev 6C

2009-08-11T21:16:00.001-07:00

KNEB has landed in all his massively impressive glory.

I've decided that "The Beasht" is a bit of an obvious name, so this one will just be KNEB (the K is definitely not silent), in honour of the English rendering of the Cyrillic letters for "Kiev", as seen on the front. And he's definitely a boy.

Just for the sake of knowing, I weighed KNEB on the kitchen scales, and he weighs in at just over 1.5kg - about twice the weight of the Zeiss Ikon, which is small, solid & nuggety. KNEB is just a monster.

Took me a while as well to realise this morning what was so different about the view-finder: everything's in mirror-image. Bit odd at first, but I'm sure i'll get used to it with a bit of practice.

Welcome to the family, KNEB.

Reala gone?

2009-08-11T18:21:00.000-07:00

I was told today that Reala is no longer being manufactured. As I can't find anything to back this up, I'm running with the idea that it might have been a sales pitch (especially as the salesperson in question also said "we'll be doing an order soon, so if you want to buy 20 rolls, you better get in quick". Hmmmm.

I'll wait until I confirm this news before I start to panic.

Velvia? No thanks.

2009-08-05T17:10:00.000-07:00

When we finally booked our honeymoon to NZ, I went a bit nuts with the idea of taking the Minolta on a bit of a trip. I'd always regretted not taking it to Europe in 2007, so I was determined to make this a good'un.

So I stocked up on film: 10 x Reala, 2 x Velvia 100, 2 x Kodak slide film (not used).

After quite a while of waiting, I finally got the Velvia developed. Results above. The thing holding me back was that it was going to cost a lot of money to have them developed & scanned (about $42 each film done locally). SO thanks to a reasonably favourable return from Mr Swan, I finally got them done.

And I found out that I don't much like Velvia. It's okay, but not something I'll be using again. Feels a bit...er...over saturated. Silly thing to notice about Velvia, I know. But I just don't much like the feel of it. Over saturated & very cold (the examples above don't relfect this well, as all those scenes were fairly cold anyways).

Another learning experience. I'll stick to Fuji & Ilford print film in future.

Agfa success

2009-07-30T05:20:00.000-07:00

First roll from the Agfa Isolette. I'm pleased. I had to eyeball the exposure, but you can't really go wrong with 800 film, can you?

Kudos to local camera chain store for getting the job done well.

Now, bring on that Kiev...

I have a problem...

2009-07-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a decent tax return, I have one of these on the way.

Despite not having a good lab in town that develops C41 120, I have confidence in the specialist B&W lab to do a good job. That'll be the only way, I guess.

And yes, this already has a name: The Beasht ('h' very much intentional).

14 days to wait...

Latest arrivals

2009-07-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

From ebay: 5 rolls of Svema FN 64, expired 2004. Svema were one of the major film manufacturers in the Soviet-era, however I'm lead to believe that these days the film's more than likely just re-branded Foma. Even if it's not "proper" FSU film, the boxes are worth it alone.

And to something more useful - my new Leningrad 4 light meter, direct from the Ukraine. Terribly useful, particularly considering I've recently acquired a few meter-less cameras. I checked it against the meter in the Minolta, and they seem to more or less agree, so I assume it works correctly.

Old slides

2009-07-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

On the day of my wedding (February 2009), my dad gave me a shopping bag full of slides. Originally I had asked him to bring down some boxes of slides he bought in Hong Kong in 1984, which I used to enjoy looking at as a wee tyke - I thought it'd be fun to have a look, but mostly I wanted the tiny plastic projector he bought with them. However, somewhere along the line he also dug up another, much larger, and far more important box of slides.

You see, the slides were taken by my great grandfather, and feature images of my dad & his family in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Unfortunately I lack a projector to view them large (dad forgot to bring this down), and my flatbed scanner just doesn't cut it. The above images were attempts to scan with a flatbed - not totally flash, but a start.

These are probably some of the few images in existence of my dad as a child. Photography wasn't a huge part of nan & pop's lives when their kids were growing up.

It's nice to have a photographic link to the past. Dad says his nan & pop (ie. my great grandparents) used to go for a Sunday drive with their grandkids quite regularly. In fact the first slide I looked at I instantly recognised as a view of the Great Western Tiers from the Bracknell area. I hope to find a few more gems when I get them scanned (whether I buy a cheap neg scanner & do this myself, or have them done by the local photo chain, I haven't decided).