Sunday 29 September 2013

photo from week 195 - Kodak Brownie Starmite

drummer/busker by pho-Tony
drummer/busker, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.
The gritty urban subject of this busker in a concrete jungle seems to suit the expired film with its imperfections.

photo from week 195 - Kodak Brownie Starmite

Seriously under-exposed, I took a chance with this one, as the camera has no "B" setting, I couldn't use a tripod and make a longer exposure, and outdoor mirrors are few and far between, so I made do with the rather poor light coming in through the window. The backing paper markings are much more noticeable on this one.

photo from week 195 - Kodak Brownie Starmite

Chinatown Aircon by pho-Tony
Chinatown Aircon, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.
As I had rather hoped, the backing paper markings are visible on the negatives, though in this particular photo they blend in with the subject matter quite a lot.

Thursday 26 September 2013

Week 195 - Kodak Brownie Starmite

Kodak Brownie Starmite by pho-Tony
Kodak Brownie Starmite, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.
This is a pretty basic 127 Brownie, it has 2 apertures, but no other controls, not even focusing. I've loaded it with a very expired roll of Jessop B&W film, which is marked "Made in Croatia" and no doubt comes from the Efke factory. I found two rolls of this fim in my dad's garage a while ago, the other one I used in week 80, that one showed backing paper markings on the negatives, and I expect (hope) that this one will too.

Tuesday 24 September 2013

photo from week 194 - Halina 35X

City of Sheffield Pipe Band by pho-Tony
City of Sheffield Pipe Band, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.
The City of Sheffield Pipe Band pose for a group photo after their performances at Manor Lodge.

photo from week 194 - Halina 35X

Once again the indoor self portrait necessitated using the slowest shutter speed, biggest aperture, and closest focusing distance, but I've just about got away with it.

photo from week 194 - Halina 35X

land girl by pho-Tony
land girl, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.
The photos from the Halina were somewhat lacking in contrast, I suspect this is partly due to the lens being uncoated, but the expired film may be a factor too. I took it with me to an open day at Manor Lodge in Sheffield, there were a number of 1940s themed activities, this is a land-girl using a pedal powered threshing machine.

Friday 20 September 2013

Week 194 - Halina 35X

Halina 35X by pho-Tony
Halina 35X, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.
These cameras are pretty common, they were made in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and are a heavy cast metal design loosely styled on the Leica's of the day, including a cheeky "homage" to the Leica red dot.
There is a four speed shutter (plus "B") and the f3.5 45mm lens stops down to f22 and has scale focusing.
Mine came in its original box, which has the slogan "A camera for good photography" on it!

Saturday 14 September 2013

photo from week 193 - Kodak ColorSnap 35

Colourscape by pho-Tony
Colourscape, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.
The colourscape is an inflatable environment in which one is overwhelmed by intense colours. It's a challenge to film and digital cameras alike!

photo from week 193 - Kodak ColorSnap 35

When the opportunity arises to use a hat that doesn't belong to me, I seize it. This is in the newly relocated Wakefield Museum, and was taken at full aperture and closest distance. I was surprised that it came out so well, I had expected it to be badly underexposed.

photo from week 193 - Kodak ColorSnap 35

window full of balls by pho-Tony
window full of balls, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.
I took the ColorSnap with me to the annual Wirksworth Art Trail, this window on the main street seemed to be filling up with coloured balls as the day went on.

Thursday 12 September 2013

Week 193 - Kodak ColorSnap 35

Kodak Colorsnap 35 by pho-Tony
Kodak Colorsnap 35, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.
The ColorSnap35, as the name implies takes 35mm film, it is a development from some of the earlier models which used 828 film (unperforated 35mm film with a backing paper).
There is a single shutter speed, but the aperture (marked in "EV") covers several stops. There is also a scale focus adjustment.

Wednesday 11 September 2013

photo from week 192 - VEB Perfekta

Park Hill by pho-Tony
Park Hill, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.
Park Hill Flats in Sheffield is the biggest listed building in Europe, it is built on a concrete grid pattern, which is well suited to the square format.

photo from week 192 - VEB Perfekta

Another long exposure, but this time I used the cable release socket and a tripod, there is no focusing on the Perfekta, so I used the smallest aperture to maximize depth of field, meaning this exposure was about one minute.

photo from week 192 - VEB Perfekta

Tudor Square at Dusk by pho-Tony
Tudor Square at Dusk, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.
Although this camera is pretty basic, it does have a "B" setting, so I was able to make this long exposure by holding the shutter button, with the camera firmly braced against the ground.

Wednesday 4 September 2013

Week 192 - VEB Perfekta

VEB Perfekta by pho-Tony
VEB Perfekta, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.
The Perfekta is a basic Bakelite box camera from East Germany. It has three apertures, and instantaneous plus "B" shutter, there is no focus. I like the chunky design of it, and with the simple finder erected it is quite a big camera. I've loaded it with some expired Fuji slide film.

photo from week 191 - Halina Mini 28 DF

Professor Jon's Flea Circus by pho-Tony
Professor Jon's Flea Circus, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

Although the panoramic format is usually used in the landscape format, sometimes it lends itself to a vertical composition. For this one I used the built in flash to add a little bit of light to the shaded performer.

photo from week 191 - Halina Mini 28 DF

I was lucky that the bright morning sunshine was able to provide just about enough light to prevent serious underexposure in this self-portrait.

photo from week 191 - Halina Mini 28 DF

home from the battle by pho-Tony
home from the battle, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.
The letter-box aspect ratio of this very simple camera leads itself to sweeping scenes such as this, where medieval women watch a 21st century couple walking away from a Napoleonic battle.