The Point and Shoot Pity Party Project

There have been times when I have felt like the proverbial "cat lady" of Vintage Cameras. These instances have occurred when browsing a Goodwill or seeing an auction lot of a handful of cameras online, only to take pity on a rather ordinary camera passed along for very cheap sale, on the expectation that I might somehow find a use for it. 

This tendency offers a quick cheap fix for the perils of GAS that pervade the photographic hobby and is relatively harmless, except that I make a point of shooting any camera I acquire as long as it is possible. 

The result is that I am now often saddled with taking along an extra camera or two to work through a roll to get some results from these adopted cameras to see what they can do. As the bulk of these cameras aren't coveted by collectors and have since been shunned by consumers, there is often little online to document them and of what they may be capable.  Therefore, I shall be featuring periodic posts with mini write ups of these cameras to spotlight them and their results, offering at least a small online glimpse at what they can do. In the interest of economy, film choice is likely to be "whatever I have laying around." 

Cameras that ideally fit the mold of this sort of feature should fit the following criteria:

• A point and shoot, focus free or AF consumer targeted camera, of compact nature.
• A camera with few if any special desirable features aside from flash settings and zoom. 
• A camera that cost me no more than $5.25 total, including tax or shipping. 
• A camera that wasn't anything I had an interest in an acquiring prior to me seeing it. 

I will continue to feature many point and shoot cameras in their own more comprehensive articles, but such cameras will break one or more of the criteria above. Hopefully this will prove to be a novel way to document some basic camera models that have been largely forgotten since digital cameras (and smart phones) took over the vast majority of the consumer photo business. Enjoy!

$20, 21 Rolls. A Color Celebration!

The term "do-it-yourselfer" is pretty much a common part of conversational parlance these days, fueled to a large degree by the abundance of home improvement stores complemented by television networks devoted to featuring all of some of their programming to the "DIY" concepts.  Since moving a year ago, my weekend life has involved a oft-frustratingly expanding "Honeydo" list that only seems to grow as each project is finally completed. 

Given this, the thought of processing my own film had never quite appealed to me.  That was until I began to look at what professional developing was costing me.  Despite being a quirky guy with a camera, I'm also a frugal guy with a family, and thus, I began to develop my own black and white film, which proved to be a particularly simple enough exercise once I adapted my methods to something that works pretty readily around my sometimes involved home life. I'd figured that self-processing of black and white film would be as far as I'd venture, and that was fine, given that I'd expected color to be far less forgiving to my methods.

And then, as luck would have it, this all changed.

While perusing the Film Photography Project store, I stumbled upon an offer so good, I simply couldn't resist considering it.  For the measly sum of $19.99, I could get a Unicolor type color processing kit, in addition to 2 rolls of Vision 50T film.  I had just been considering picking up a couple of rolls of the film as it was, but it seemed the Rem Jet backing made it a tough film for which to find processing.  Not only would this address the need to find processing for such film, but it also tossed in the film I would have bought anyway as a bonus!

After a modest amount of online investigation into home processing with such a kit, in which pretty much every review stated that color processing with this kit was actually far easier than initially expected, and also reading that the stated yield of "8 rolls" from this kit had a great deal of elasticity if rolls were processed within two weeks of mixing, I figured that this small investment was certainly worth a try.  And I also figured that if I planned out my batches smartly. I could do as others had testified, and process at least 16 rolls of film from this 8 roll kit.

Without going into great detail of the process (there are already many resources that very capably detail the procedure far better than I could), I can unquestionably say that this was one of the best investments I've ever made.  Processing the first batch was both exciting and terrifying, but once I saw results from this, I managed to calm down to make slight revisions on future batches to make the process a bit more controlled and predictable.  

The ability to process so much color film so cheaply will enable me to really pick up the pace on postings, and has already enabled me to do things that I'd have been hesitant to do otherwise.  I've managed to test several "new" cameras, do a wider variety of things with many of my existing favorite cameras, try different film brands in a variety of ways, and of course do a quirky thing or two that I'd have likely passed up otherwise if it wasn't so affordable and accessible to process color film.  You'll begin to see some of the results of this vast experiment in the coming week.  

And in the meantime, it is only fitting that I provide some sample images from each roll so that you can see just a small fraction of what is to come!  For now, I'm keeping the film and camera of each a thinly veiled secret until I post the accompanying posts of content. 

Roll 1 

Lots to Come

I realize that posts have gotten to be erratic, but I can assure you that my enthusiasm hasn't waned, or that I'm not working on material.

In fact, I'm in the process of one of my most ambitious projects: namely that to develop color negative film myself, and it requires a lot of shooting, batching of rolls and processes to make as cost effective as I want.

The good news is that my initial attempts at it have met with success, and once I finish up this mega batch of film, I'll be able to give quite a bit more dimension to camera reviews, film reviews, and I've got a nice bit of truly quirky stuff up my sleeve that this project will help me in as well.  

For now, a sample result of self-processed film, taken on the Argus Argoflex Forty on Ektar 100.  

Stay Tuned! 

Medium Format Cameras on a Budget: Five Under $50

There comes an inevitable time for most people who shoot 35mm to consider stepping up a larger format.  The 135 format is certainly tops when it comes to convenience, film and camera selection, and image quality in relation to its size and yet despite all of these great attributes in this comfortable format, there is often something alluring to the moving into medium format to get a larger image size, or simply to broaden one's experience in photography as a hobby.  

For the medium format novice, the options are often a bit confusing, and this combines with price tags that can provide some "sticker shock" to someone used to being able to find a trusty old SLR on the cheap.  Given this, it is readily understandable that many who may actively shoot 35mm and are looking to do some exploratory dabbling in medium format, may never elect to try it out based upon the prices they see for gear.

But there ARE options out there; options that will enable the photographer a great deal of photographic control and provide some outstanding image quality without breaking the bank.  At the challenge of my buddy James at The Casual Photophile, I've assembled a nice starter list of medium format cameras that one can find for under $50 that run the full gamut of what medium format has to offer. These vary between formats as well as camera style to encompass the breadth of the "medium" so to speak. 

Same Scene - Four Cameras, Four Films

On my (now not too) recent trip westward to Oregon, I made it a point that I would ensure that I would aim to have one scene that I would shoot with every color film camera at my disposal at the time.  As it was, I wound up holding off using my last shot on two of these cameras to ensure that I could perform such an experiment.

Finally, on the afternoon of June 20, at a stop called Corbett's View, overlooking the Columbia River Gorge, I took the opportunity to snap away to get results that I could compare.  The samples, already featured in several of the Film Folio features, are shown below

Zeiss Ikonta A 521, Agfa Rollei Crossbird 200 Film

Agfa Billy Record I, Expired Kodak Ektachrome 200 scanned with Color Restoration. 

Welta/Rodenstock Citonette, Provia 100F.

Balda Lisette, Velvia 50.

Overall, light leaks aside, there is a lot of differences in how this same scene was rendered on four different cameras and films.  I thought I'd have a clear "winner" in the batch, but I can't say that I do.  Nor can I say that one of these completely fails in its rendering.  It is a very interesting example of how the same scene can be given a remarkably differing appearance based largely on the film.  

And as we head into colder weather, I'm certainly glad to have these vestiges of a trip west in warmer temperatures! 

Hot Shots - Classic Scenes of Warm Weather

Collecting vintage slides can be quite an interesting treat, while being able to pinpoint the location where some of these classic scenes were taken (and to readily provide a comparable scene today) makes it even more historically rewarding.  My ability to be able to do the location spotting has varied.  In some cases, I've employed the assistance of others prior to posting these images, while in others, blog followers have come forth to help locate the location of a classic scene.  Mostly, however, I've been assisted by having some advance knowledge of the location from writing on the mount, specific location clues in the image itself, or specific mention in the auction listing.  Lacking this, I've had some very satisfying times finding a tough location, or conversely, an arduous amount of clue searching to arrive at the presumed proper spot.  

I begin to find that the more that I collect, the more I encounter some great images that fall into the very last category mentioned above, either whose precise location is a mystery to me, or for which I really can't provide a good "then and now" comparison using online resources.  For these reasons, all too often, these great photos tend to languish in a a Kodaslide storage box, wanting to see the light of day on my Monday morning feature, but set aside week after week as I choose other images that more readily lend themselves to being able to be pinpointed.  

The inability to provide a precise location is the sole thing that precludes me from featuring these shots on the Monday feature, but that notwithstanding, these are some excellent images stretching back decades.  They deserve to be spotlighted, and I'm taking the opportunity to do just that in this feature.  Enjoy! 

There are times when I am at a complete loss for words when I think of how a color photographic image can survive decades in such a pristine state.  This is one such case.  The "ready-mount" for this image dates it, incredibly enough as March 11, 1941! Yet, it truly does appear as if it could have been taken just days ago.  The only locational clue is that it was taken in Miami, Florida, but I have no idea exactly where.

Eight Reasons Why I Shoot 120 Film

Not too long ago, I was asked by a friend and fellow film fan "So do you ever shoot 35mm any more?" It was a simple but good question, given that the answer at the moment is "No."

After all, there are a wealth of GREAT reasons to shoot 35mm film, such as the wealth and variety of equipment, including some with outstanding optics as well as many of the advanced technological features seen in present day digital cameras, with a number of these advanced cameras available for less than the cost of even a basic zoom digital camera.  In addition, 35mm is more economical, providing more frames per roll of film than my beloved medium format, typically allowing 3 times as many images per roll, which translates to more shooting fun.

So with all this going for it, why would I elect to shoot medium format instead of 35mm?  It's a question that bears thinking about, and certainly bears answering, and I've gladly provided some responses below.

1 - It's Easy on the Eyes - Since I shoot "slide" film predominantly, I find it handy to look directly at the film to assess photos prior to scanning them.  While I'm by no means "poor" in sight, my rods and cones are not exactly what they once were, and looking at a 120 slide, I can pretty readily evaluate exposure, focus, and color in my images at a glance, whereas I've picked out "good" shots on 35mm slides at a glance only to find that they are not at all focused when looking closer.  Besides, it is amazing to look at something that actually looks like a "enlarged" scene when looking at one's film rather than just a "thumbnail" type of view.

Long Green, MD - Agfa Billy Record.  I could readily tell by looking at this 6x9 transparency that it was properly exposed and focused before ever using any magnification.

Classic Kodachrome Monday #19½

This Week has an extra Kodachrome Feature, to commemorate the Men and Women who have served our country.  Initially, I was going to comprise a feature article based on a lot I won that was purported to be the slide collection of a former Military Man, expecting it would tell a compelling tale, but it was not to be.  Regardless, I've compiled a small collection of various slides of a Military theme that I am very pleased to share with you here!

Our first few images take us to the Korean War in 1951, as a trio of Privates enjoy a little levity for the camera.

Classic Kodachrome Monday #17½

This Week has an extra Kodachrome Feature, to commemorate 51 years to the minute when the last streetcar plied the streets on Baltimore, officially ceasing to operate at 6:34am on the morning of November 3, 1963.  I'm posting over a dozen Kodachromes of the final days of streetcar service showing the era leading up to this fateful time:

Why: Streetcars were my entry portal into history.  I took many trips to the Baltimore Streetcar Museum as a child and was very quickly enthralled with these tangible links to another world that once existed in my hometown before my birth.  While the degree of my enthusiasm waxed and waned a few times over my adult life, the interest never went away at all.  Over the years, I've managed to acquire some original photos of the system, particularly in its later days, and am gladly sharing some of these today.

Route 8 was one of the last two streetcar lines among Baltimore's once comprehensive system.  It actually holds the official honor of being both the longest and the last streetcar line in the system.  Its journey into town would start at in the middle of Washington Avenue in Towson, where car 7382 sits on October 23, 1963. 

The Time Camera: Capturing Moments in Time from decades ago.

Could this be the greatest advance in imaging since color photography?

Imagine, walking up to a scene, setting your camera on a tripod, selecting the time capture feature from the feature set, and then keying in any date and time from the past 100 years, before finally taking a long (3-9 minute) time exposure that is able to capture a "light signature" that can not be detected by the human eye or most conventional optics.  When the waiting is finally over, you are greeted (hopefully) with a usable image of that exact spot on the date and time you selected.

This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the Time Camera.

Catonsville Junction Streetcar Loop near Baltimore as seen in late 1961 through the time camera, on a five minute and 40 second exposure.