Week 105 - Start (Cmapm)

Start (Cmapm), a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

What better camera to start year 3 with than a camera called START? This Soviet camera is around 50 years old, it was based on the German Exakta range, but internally is very similar to the much more common Zenit range from this era. It has the ubiquitous 58mm f2 Helios lens.

photo from week 104 - Ensign Selfix 820 Special

Ho ho ho - reflected self-portrait with Ensign Selfix 820 Special camera and santa suit, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

My last reflected self-portrait of the year has a festive element to it. By using a tripod I was able to stop down to f22 in order to be sure of enough depth of field. The exposure time was 1 second.

photo from week 104 - Ensign Selfix 820 Special

Christmas Eve Sycamore, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

Taken on Christmas Eve at about 3pm, the low sun shows up the ridges and furrows on the grass.

photo from week 104 - Ensign Selfix 820 Special

winter foliage, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

This was taken on a Boxing Day walk in Rother Valley Country Park. The aperture was quite large, and the focus was set to the minimum of 5 feet. I like the shallow depth of field that results.

Week 104 - Ensign Selfix 820 Special

Ensign Selfix 820 Special, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

This is the last week of the second year, when I started in January 2010, I really didn't know if I would keep going, but far from losing interest, the project has galvanised my interest in continuing to use old cameras.
The Ensign Selfix is a well specified (and very heavy) folding medium format camera. I can't remember where this came from, but I know I didn't pay much for it, and at the time I didn't appreciate how sought after these cameras would become. It takes 120 film, and has built in masks to allow 6x9cm or 6x6cm images (8 and 12 per roll respectively). I've opted for the 12 frames and loaded it with a roll of "Lomography" ISO400 colour negative film that I found in the remaindered box of a museum gift shop, thus rendering it a bargain.

photo from week 103 - Wide Pic Panorama

underpass, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

This kind of subject seems well suited to the panoramic format, quite a lot of grain/noise in the darker areas, again due to under-exposure.

photo from week 103 - Wide Pic Panorama

reflected self-portrait with Wide Pic Panorama camera, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

Unsurpringly, even with ISO800 film, this one was underexposed due to the low light levels at this time of year.

photo from week 103 - Wide Pic Panorama

suburban rainbow, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

Another rainbow, this time I angled the camera to fit it all in!

photo from week 103 - Wide Pic Panorama

horse chestnut and rainbow, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

We had some very heavy rain this week, but I didn't feel to precious about risking this cheap and cheerful camera getting wet. This is one of two rainbows I saw this week.

Week 103 - Wide Pic Panorama

Wide Pic Panorama, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

I'm using another charity shop camera this week, this one cost 75p. There were many variations of this style of cheap and basic point and shoot camera. Some models have retractable masks to allow for normal full frame photos as well, this one is panoramic only. I've loaded it with Fuji ISO800 colour negative film in view of the low light levels around the winter solstice.

photo from week 102 - Chinon Bellami

flocking, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

This camera slips easily into the pocket, so I was able to quickly get it out, set the focus to infinity, and let the camera take care of the exposure in the few seconds that these birds were circling overhead.

photo from week 102 - Chinon Bellami

reflected self-portrait with Chinon Bellami camera and leaf-patterned hat, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

This indoor photo was at the limits of the camera's range, particulary as I set the ISO to 50 for this one, a deliberate 2 stop overexposure to prevent the meter being fooled by the direct light from the window. I kept as still as I could, and the exposure felt like the longest the camera is capable of, 1/15th of a second.

photo from week 102 - Chinon Bellami

pink raindrops, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

The camera seems to work fine. I used it in a range of lighting conditions, and all the negatives seem to be correctly exposed. It really is a very compact design, slimmer than the Olympus XA series, if it had the shutter speed range of the Olympus, it would be a serious competitor.

Week 102 - Chinon Bellami

Chinon Bellami, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

I'd never heard of this camera until I spotted it in a charity shop for £3. It has "barn doors" to cover the lens when it's retracted, rather reminiscent of the Voigtlander Vitessa that I used in week 89, and the Laack that I used in week 18.
The doors are opened, and the lens extended, when the wind on lever is moved backwards. The batteries that were in it were corroded, so I wasn't sure whether it worked until I got it home and put some fresh ones it. The exposure system is fully automatic, with shutter speeds from 1/15th to 1/500th sec.
I've loaded it with a roll of Kodak ColorPlus ISO200 from Poundland.
The rewind crank is missing, so I will have to unload it in a changing bag.

photo from week 101 - Voigtlander Vitoret 110EL

bauble tree, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

A seaonal shop window display, I braced the camera up against the glass, the exposure felt like about 1/4 second.

photo from week 101 - Voigtlander Vitoret 110EL

reflected self-portrait with Voigtlander Vitoret 110EL camera and Xmas hat from Poundland, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

The tripod was necessary for this indoor shot, the exposure was around 2 seconds.

photo from week 101 - Voigtlander Vitoret 110EL

stairwell shadows, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

I was quite pleased with the results from this camera, the lens is sharp and the automatic exposure works even in very dimly lit places. This was taken in the stairwell of a new museum near Amsterdam.

Week 101 - Voigtlander Vitoret 110 EL

Voigtlander Vitoret 110 EL, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

At this time of year, daylight is in short supply, so I chose to use this little 110 camera which is unusually well specified. It is fully automatic, with an electronic shutter giving speeds from several seconds up to maybe 1/500th. It appears to work, though I have not used it before. I've loaded ith with Konica film which expired in 2001.

photo from week 100 - Watch Pocket Carbine

Mop, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

This was the last exposure on the film, I wanted to finish it off so I could develop it, so this was taken inside near a window, with the camera on a tripod and a time exposure of 45 seconds at f32.

photo from week 100 - Watch Pocket Carbine

reflected self-portrait with Watch Carbine camera and droopy Xmas hat from Poundland, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

I wasn't too surprised by the scratches, as the film was very stiff to wind on, and it felt as if it was dragging on something inside the camera. This was an exposure of several seconds at the minimum aperture of f32, chosen to get the maximum possible depth of field, as this was shot at the closest focus possible, 3 feet.