Sunday 28 February 2010

Week 10 - Gelto D-III camera


Gelto D-III camera
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

Japanese 127 rollfilm camera probably from the early 1950s, it takes 16 frames per roll. This will be my first venture away from 35mm this year, but I'm not quite ready to process my own 127 film, so I have respooled a 35mm film into a 127 backing paper. Obviously this won't completely fill the 3cm x 4cm vertical format, but the full width of the film including sprocket holes might give some interesting results. It was difficult to get the film centred on the backing paper (all done in a changing bag), so I will have to be careful about framing the photos.

notes on using the Argus C3

One problem with a project of this nature is that getting used to each cameras idiosyncrasies has to take place during the week of use. For many of these cameras, this will be the first time that I have used them.
A couple of things to remember about the C3, to wind on, you first depress the sprocket release button, then wind a quarter of a turn before releasing the button and continuing to wind until resistance is felt. Further winding once this resistance is felt is likely to tear the film. Secondly, the lever to cock the shutter shoots back up when the shutter release is pressed, and if your finger is in the way (which it will tend to be!), this impedes the release and seems to extend the exposure resulting in camera shake. Even though I was aware of this, I managed to forget on at least 3 frames.

Saturday 27 February 2010

photo from week 8 - Argus C3


car park
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

This is a square crop of a photo of one of the new car parks in Sheffield.

Friday 26 February 2010

Week 9 - Iloca II stereo camera


Iloca II stereo camera
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

On the antepenultimate day of February I'm loading a film into this stereo camera. It occured to me that I could try to use a 2 lens camera in the second month, a 3 lens camera in the third month and so on. I have a 3 lens camera, and several 4 lens cameras, so should be OK until April, but then it may be September (POP 9) when I can resume the theme. I have a homemade 5 pinhole camera, and a 6 lens attachment I have made for a FED camera, so maybe I'll use these. Not sure where my 16 lens Fuji Actionshot will come in though!

photo from week 8 - Argus C3


St Mary's Church
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

photo from week 8 - Argus C3


The artist in his studio, watched over by Jo Brand
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

Sean, my long suffering artist friend, once again agrees to be photographed...

New Arrival

This Agimatic cost me £7 on Ebay, it arrived yesterday. The camera was introduced in 1957 and made by the British Agilux company. The seller only posted one poor quality photo, and said that he had no idea if the camera was working, so it was a bit of a gamble. It could do with some light cleaning, but it all seems to be working, the 9 speed shutter looks accurate, and the camera has a built in uncoupled rangefinder and an uncoupled visual extinction meter. The lever to the left of the lens in the above photo advances the film with one stroke, and then is used as the shutter release. The lens is interchangeable, but I think there was only one other lens (85mm) made, for which there is a little mask that slides across the viewfinder window. All in all it seems to be a usable camera, and should make an appearance sometime this year.

photo from week 8 - Argus C3


mirror self portrait with Argus C3 camera
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

The next but last frame on the roll, there is a slight overlap with the final frame (seen on the left of this photo), probalby due to reaching the end of the film a couple of millimeters short.

Wednesday 24 February 2010

photo from week 6 - LOMO135 BC


Q-Park Liverpool tryptich
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

A tryptich of images taken in the Q-Parks car park underneath Chavasse Park in Liverpool. I think this kind of architectural subject often looks better in monochrome.

photo from week 6 - LOMO135 BC


new flats
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

New block of Flats at Chavasse Park, Liverpool. I used a colour film, but I think this looks better in black and white.

notes on using the LOMO 135BC

This camera has a clockwork motor to rapidly advance the film, it does this immediately she shutter has fired, and will do 8 frames for each winding. The shutter is very quiet, but as soon as you take your finger off the release, there is a loud clunk as the film jerks forward. I had some failures with this film, 2 obvious ones happened when in the very dimly lit Liverpool Maritime Museum, I inadvertantly turned the aperture ring in the wring direction, so instead of full aperture, I ended up with f22! Needless to say those frames are very thin, I didn't even bother scanning them. I also shot 4 frames in quick succession to make a panorama, but all but one of these frames was blank, I can't really explain that, somehow the film advanced but the shutter didn't fire.

photo from week 6 - LOMO135 BC


reflected self-portrait with LOMO135 BC camera
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

Today I took the film which had been in weeks 6 and 8's cameras to the local minilab, I'm now scanning them and tweaking levels etc. For a change, this mirror self-portrait was not taken in a bathroom or toilet, but rather in the lift of the Liverpool Tate Gallery. This camera came without a case, so I used the case for a Balda camera which is the same size.

Saturday 20 February 2010

Week 8 - Argus C3


Argus C3
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

I've transferred the partly used film from my week 6 camera (Lomo 135BC) into this Argus C3 ("the brick"). This model was made from 1939-1966, there were various changes introduced along the way, and this particular example dates from around 1950-51. The technique for winding on between exposures is rather idiosyncratic, and involves pressing down a film catch, holding it down while advancing a quarter or a turn, then releasing it and winding on until resistance is felt. I have found by practising on a spoilt film, that the Argus will happily tear the film if the winder is turned once the slightest resistance is felt. This may take some getting used to!

Thursday 18 February 2010

photo from week 7 - Leica IIIa

No need to say where this photo was taken. The glare from the sky is quite obvious with this 60 year old uncoated lens. Converted to monochrome in software.

photo from week 7 - Leica IIIa

Several second exposure, with the camera resting on the parapet looking down onto the stairs in the turbine hall at Tate Modern. The coloured blurs are the traces of people going up and down the stairs.

photo from week 7 - Leica IIIa

For 3 days this week I have been using a 1936 Leica IIIa camera with it's 50mm f2.0 Summar lens. I used a 24 exposure ISO 200 Kodak colour negative from Poundland. This is the inevitable mirror photo for this camera.

Monday 15 February 2010

Change of plan for week 7

I'm staying with my parents for a few days, so I've borrowed my dad's Leica IIIa (approx 1936 according to serial number). I'll run a 24 exposure film through it while I'm here, so the Iloca stereo will have to wait. The leica has the 5cm f2 Summar un-coated lens, which according to my dad, is nowhere near the quality of the equivalent Zeiss lens of that period.

Saturday 13 February 2010

Week 7 - Iloca II stereo camera


Iloca II stereo camera
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

I got this camera last year, and have only put one film through it. It is well made and has a full range of shutter speeds, it looks distinctly odd in use, as the viewfinder eye-piece is at the bottom of the camera, so you hold it in front of your forehead to take photos.
Apart from making stereo pairs, what I like about this camera is the way the pairs are distributed on the film, with two other exposures coming between each pair of frames. This makes it possible to create interesting juxtapositions when scanning the filmstrip uncut.

Friday 12 February 2010

photo from week 5 - Olympus Ecru


tree with low winter sun
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

Not much flare in this direct into the sun shot. If you like flare, the camera to go for is the Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim. There is a photo of this same tree taken with the Vivitar here:
sunburst tree

photo from week 5 - Olympus Ecru


Abbey Lane Angel
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

One of the angels in Abbey Lane Cemetery.

New Arrival

Arrived in the post courtesy of Ebay. This Bilora Radix dates from 1949, it uses the 'Rapid' film cassettes and takes 24mm x 24mm photos with its 40mm f5.6 lens. I will have to load the cassette myself, and so will also probably process the film. I have a number of square format cameras, so maybe I'll have a square themed month at some point.

Saturday 6 February 2010

Week 6 - LOMO 135BC


LOMO 135BC
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

I'm just about to put a film in this clockwork powered Soviet camera. I got it last year, but haven't yet had a film in it. The clockwork motordrive (no doubt inspired by the West German 'Robot' cameras) will rapidly advance up to 8 exposures per winding.
The lens is a 40mm f2.8 "Industar - 73". The shutter goes from 1/15 to 1/250 + B.

photo from week 5 - Olympus Ecru


1930s House
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

This house was built in the late 1930s, it seemed an appropriate choice of subject for the very first frame ever taken in this previously unused retro styled camera.

photo from week 5 - Olympus Ecru


self portrait with Olympus Ecru
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

Clearly the autofocus went for the mirror rather than the reflection! I can see there will be a whole series of photos taken in various toilets and bathrooms!

Thursday 4 February 2010

photo from week 3 - Sigma Mk1


the artist in his studio
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

This is my artist friend Sean in his studio, taken with a Prakticar 24mm f2.8 lens (made in Japan).

photo from week 4 - Ilford Advocate


St James Church, Norton
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

This is St James Church in Norton, parts of it date from the 12th century, while the rest is early 16th century. The relatively wide 35mm lens on the Advocate allowed me to get a reasonable composition.

photo from week 4 - Ilford Advocate


self-portrait with Ilford Advocate
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

I'm planning to take one photo each week including my reflection with the camera, hopefully they won't all be as obvious as this!
This was taken in the available artificial light of the bathroom, 1/25th second at f4.5 (full aperture on this model).

Tuesday 2 February 2010

photo from week 3 - Sigma Mk1


Beehive Works
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

Beehive Works is one of the few remaining small industrial units in the Devonshire Quarter, I quite like the light leak, I think it probably happened when the leader was retrieved from the cassette in the minilab. I usually leave the leader protruding to avoid this sort of thing, but the camera this film was subsequently transferred into (Olympus Ecru) has an automatic motorised rewind, so this wasn't an option.

photo from week 3 - Sigma Mk1


filing cabinet spacemen
Originally uploaded by pho-Tony

This was a little scene in the studio of my artist friend Sean. Three little spacemen standing on a filing cabinet, taken with a Prakticar 24mm f2.8 lens (made in Japan, bought new in the late 1970s).