Week 161 - Diana F+

Diana F+, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

This is a recent acquisition, it was part of a job lot of plastic cameras. It's a recent re-make of the old Diana cameras from the 1960s (I used to have one once), there are a few additions, such as a built in pinhole and the ability to remove the lens (there are other lenses available, but I don't have any).
I recently found some Lomography brand redscale film in the sale at Urban Outfitters, it was £5 for three rolls, so a I bought a couple of packs.

photo from week 160 - Yashica Atoron

horse chestnut in the snow, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

An old favourite subject, the meter suggested an EV of 10, which the manual tells us gives 1/60th sec at f4, the depth of field table for f4 gives 1.8-10.4m as the sharp zone, I suspect the tree was somewhat further away than 10m.

photo from week 160 - Yashica Atoron

reflected self-portrait with Yashica Atoron camera and orange hat, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

There is no focus on the Atoron, depth of field is dictated by the aperture used, and in the dull winter light, the aperture here was fairly wide, so the focus is not the best.

photo from week 160 - Yashica Atoron

snowscape, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

The 8x11mm negatives are bound to be a limiting factor where it comes to image quality. There was a lot of snow this week, so it features in many of Atoron photos.

52 Cameras in 52 Weeks, the first three years

52 Cameras in 52 Weeks, the first three years, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

The first three years (156 cameras) are covered in this new Blurb book.
The entire book can be previewed here:
www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3970190
you can even order a copy from there if you want!

52 Cameras in 52 Weeks, the first three years

52 Cameras in 52 Weeks, the first three years, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

The first three years (156 cameras) are covered in this new Blurb book. This is one of the double page spreads, there is one for each week of the year, plus a brief introduction.
The entire book can be previewed here:
www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3970190
you can even order a copy from there if you want!

Week 160 - Yashica Atoron

Yashica Atoron, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

This week I'm using a subminiature camera, the Yashica Atoron uses Minox film in Minox cassettes, and I have recently found a firm who sell and process fresh Minox film at very reasonable prices. Previously I've loaded my own with home-slit film, and all the dangers of using razor blades in the dark that that involves! I've loaded a cassette of Fuji Superia from:
www.mshobbies.co.uk
I'll develop it myself, but at least I didn't have the fiddly job of loading my own cassette.

photo from week 159 - Diax 1a

Chatsworth House and reflection, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

A cold but sunny day, just before the snow arrived and made travelling conditions very difficult. This is Chatsworth House reflected in the river Derwent.

photos from week 159 - Diax 1a

35mm - 50mm - 85mm, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

Composite image showing the same view taken with each of the three lenses I have. The 35mm lens is markedly softer and less contrasty than the other two, I don't know if this is due to fungus or not using a lenshood, or any other possible causes.

photo from week 159 - Diax 1a

reflected self-portrait with Diax 1a camera and green four cornered hat, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

This was taken with the 50mm lens, at full aperture and with the focus carefully set using a tape measure. I can't remember the shutter speed, I think it was 1/25th, so I was careful to hold the camera as still as I could.

Week 159 - Diax 1a

Diax 1a, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

Detail showing the 3 viewfinders for different focal length lenses.

Week 159 - Diax 1a

Diax 1a, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

This little German camera takes interchangeable lenses, it has an unusual feature in that instead of using masks or lines in the viewfinder, it has 3 separate viewfinders, one for a 45-50mm lens, one for a 35mm and one for 90mm. These eyepieces are colour coded.

photo from week 158 - Yashica Mimy

Bingo, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

Two shots taken in quick succession, this is one way to fit the subject in the photo without having a wide angle lens.

photo from week 158 - Yashica Mimy

reflected self-portrait with Yashica Mimy camera and xmas hats on 12th night, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

There is no focussing on this camera, so the depth of field is dictated by the aperture, a small aperture giving a greater depth of field and thus allowing closer focus. For this indoor photo, I chose to underexpose to allow me to use a smaller aperture with a hope of getting myself in focus, and correcting for the under-exposure after scanning.

photo from week 158 - Yashica Mimy

winter tree tops, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

One technique I like to use with half-frame cameras is to take a series of exposures which together make an interesting image. These tree tops looked like a suitable subject.

Week 158 - Yashica Mimy

Yashica Mimy, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

This is a half-frame camera that I've had for a few years, but not used recently. It is fairly basic, with fixed focus and a single shutter speed, there is a selenium exposure meter which automatically sets the aperture, from f2.8 down to f22 depending on the light levels.

A Collector's Life For Me

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

THis month's column is about the Ilford Sportsmaster that I used in week 57.

photo from week 157 - Praktica IV

Permanent Fatal Error, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

I could feel something was amiss after about 20 exposures, and then the wind on kept turning but the feeding cassette spool stopped rotating, which means the film has broken, or at the very least the sprocket holes have been shredded. I put the camera away and took it home to explore in my changing bag, where sure enough the film was completely torn. This is the last fragment which was a photo of the "Greekt Temple" at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

photo from week 157 - Praktica IV

reflected self-portrait with Praktica IV camera and knitted hat, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

I got off to a reasonable start with this camera, but it lacks charm, and feels very clunky and coarse in use. This one was taken at full aperture at the closest focussing distance.

Week 157 - Praktica IV

Praktica IV, a photo by pho-Tony on Flickr.

The Praktica IV takes my back to my very first SLR, a second hand Praktica Nova, which is very similar to this model. Unfortunately, although I still have it, the Nova's shutter is stuck, so this is the nearest working camera I have. It seemed like a good way to start the new year. The camera is a bit of a brute, and the slow speeds don't work, furthermore the shutter curtain seems to have a number of pinholes, so I will need to keep the lens covered until I'm about to compose and shoot. The pinholes may provide some unexpected effects though...