photo from week 268 - Miranda 35 ME

Taking a mirror self-portrait indoors in winter with a simple camera is always a challenge. I found a sheet of mirrored plastic, which was not entirely flat, hence the distortion in the reflection.

photo from week 268 - Miranda 35 ME

There were intermittent problems with the film transport, so some frames are overlapping, and there were some double exposures towards the end of the film.

Week 268 - Miranda 35ME

Superficially this camera resembles the Lomo LCA, but inside it's a much more basic camera with a single fixed shutter speed and three apertures, which are not identified, but are each associated with an ISO setting. There is a built in flash which operates when the light level is low. I can't remember where it came from, I think it was in my dad's junk camera box.
I've loaded it with Agfa Vista ISO200 film from Poundland.

photo from week 267 - Smena Symbol

Most of the time the camera was well behaved, but on a couple of occasions there were overlapping pictures as the film did not advance a full frame.

photo from week 267 - Smena Symbol

In order to minimise focusing errors, I stopped the lens down, and used a tripod and the "B" setting to enable the longish exposure of around one second.

photo from week 267 - Smena Symbol

Taken at full aperture and closest range, the shallow depth of field separates the broken tree trunk from the background.

Week 267 - Smena Symbol

The Smena range was made in the USSR for 5 decades, there were around 25 versions produced during this period, though the basic specs remained the same.
The Symbol is one of the later models, the serial number on this one dates it at 1976.
I've loaded it with "Wells" a black and white film from Six Gates Films of Milan.