Week 134 - Falcon Miniature

Falcon Miniature, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

Another 127 camera this week, the Falcon Miniature is a "half-frame" model which takes sixteen 3x4cm images on a roll.
It is very basic, with no focus, a single aperture and B & I (bulb and instantaneous) shutter settings.
It has an unusual feature in that a spare roll of 127 film can be stowed in the camera for a quick change on the road. Once again I'm using Efke 100 black and white film.

photo from week 133 - Luxette

The day the sun came out (it didn't last), a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

Looking around for something to use my last frame on, I saw this bird's eye view of a pavement cafe, probably in use for the first time in weeks, owing to the persistent wet weather the UK has been having.

photo from week 133 - Luxette

reflected self-portrait with Luxette camera and bowler hat, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

Although I could have used a tripod and the "B" setting, the sun came out and I decided hand hold this week's reflected self-portrait using the maximum aperture and slowest shutter. Even so, it was quite underexposed, but salvageable in post-processing.

photo from week 133 - Luxette

Jew's House Lincoln, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

This is Jews Court, on the appropriately named "Steep Hill" in Lincoln. The weather was better than forecast, so I was able to use the "Sunny Sixteen" rule to select 100th sec at f16.

Week 133 - Luxette

Luxette, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

The Luxette is a 4x4 format 127 camera, it has 3 apertures and four shutter speeds, giving it some flexibility when it comes to lighting conditions. I had been planning to use a more basic camera in what should be a bright time of year, but the UK has been having a long cold wet spell, so I thought I'd better use one which could cope with lower light levels.
I've loaded it with Efke 100 B&W film.

photo from week 132 - Koroll 24

Lincoln Cathedral, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

Another "full frame" shot from what was designed as a "half frame" camera. The vignetting in this one is less marked than in the self-portrait photo. I'm not sure why this is, as there is only one aperture, and no focussing, so I would have expected the same degree of vignetting in every shot.

photo from week 132 - Koroll 24

reflected self-portrait with Koroll 24 camera and Tam o' Shanter, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

This clearly shows the vignetting revealed by allowing the image to hit the whole width of the film rather than a 3x4cm rectangle in the middle of the frame.

photo from week 132 - Koroll 24

Gainsborough Old Hall, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

With the 3x4cm mask removed, overlapping exposures result from using the standard wind on proceedure, this is a series of four overlapping images of Gainsborough Old Hall. The colour cast is due to using expired film and then cross-processing it.

Week 132 - Bencini Koroll 24

Bencini Koroll 24, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

The Bencini cameras are very common in the UK, I recently paid £1 for this one, which is rather scruffy, but fully functional. I already have one in good condition, so was relaxed about modifying it by removing the film-plane mask which allows it to take 24 exposures on a 120 roll.
This modification allows me to make overlapping exposures in "24 frame" mode, or vignetted exposures in "12 frame" mode.

photo from week 131 - Olympus XA4

The Millennium Punchbowl, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

This punchbowl is on display in the Millenium Galleries, Sheffield. I braced the camera against the glass display case, and set the focus to 12 inches, with the expectation that at least one or two of the "Jacks" would be in focus. The exposure sounded like about 1/4 second.

photo from week 131 - Olympus XA4

reflected self-portrait with Olympus XA4 camera and Germany cap, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

I used a tape measure to set the focus on this one, as once again, in poor light, the exposure system will have selected a wide aperture with associated shallow depth of field.

photo from week 131 - Olympus XA4

top deck in the rain, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

It's been another very wet week in the UK, this was taken through the window of my bus home. I set the focus to the minimum, to catch the water drops on the window, there is no aperture control, so in the poor light, and with the meter set to ISO50, I expect the automatic exposure system selected full aperture for this one.

A Collector's Life For Me

A Collector's Life For Me, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

My column in this week's Amateur Photographer magazine is about the Russian Fotosniper that I used in week 87.

Week 131 - Olympus XA4

Olympus XA4, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

The XA4 is the last of the XA series, and differs from the rest in having a 28mm lens instead of 35mm. There is also focussing down to 12 inches (30cm), though with no rangefinder, some care is needed at closer ranges. The oringal wrist strap was made exactly 12 inches long as an aid to focussing, but mine is a replacement.
I've used this camera before, but not as a "camera of the week", I've loaded it with home rolled redscale film (a Fuji ISO400 colour negative, with the meter set to ISO50 to give 3 stops compensation).

photos from week 130 - Rollei A110

Paul Evans with "Away from the pod", a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

The first two frames on the Orca film are of my friend, the artist Paul Evans, holding a print of his drawing of an Orca.

photo from week 130 - Rollei A110

reflected self-portrait with Rollei A110 camera and black sequined hat, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

The sequins on this hat (50p, bootsale) are around the same size as the camera lens, the exposure sensor, my eye and the jacket buttons.
The damage on the emulsion was due to difficulties in loading the developing reel.

photo from week 130 - Rollei A110

NO STEP, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

I was planning to scan the negatives to include the edge markings and sprocket holes, so was on the look out for subjects that would tie in with this. All the 110 film I have used before has had an arrow below the sprocket hole, so I took this arrow to complement it, only to find the the Orca film doesn't have one...