My “advanced compact” camera is getting on in this digital age (six years old) and I’ve been looking at what I will replace it with. Features wise it stands up well against current cameras but the sensor is noisy and the processing is slow. So while comparing the features of the current cameras I started to think about what the equivalent costs would be if I just used film and some of my older cameras. So lets say I choose Kodak Ektar at $7.50 per 36 exposures and pay $3.50 for developing (I do my own scanning) that’s $11.00/36 = 0.30 per image. So if I were to shoot 15 images a week for 52 weeks that’s 780 images times $0.30 is…… drum-roll…… $240 per year. With the current cameras I’ve been looking at costing twice that much I think that it’s actually economical in the short term to continue and even increase my film use. The bonus for me is of course the pleasure I get from using the older cameras.
Of course when I want to do something where getting the image is critical I will still use my DSLR which is gratifying as well.
A quick sketch I did, I took pictures every minute or so and then put them together as a video. Just a fun exercise as I haven’t used pastels for some time.
I have no idea who this is, or more acurately who this painting of a photographic representation of a person depicts. Yah I just typed that. I find it interesting how some of us cling to memories and others just let them go. This is actually the first of these paintings that I have finished from photo’s I have found I’m sure that things will evolve as I continue.
Some more images created with the Sony DSC-V3 and an infrared filter. The available light was very low so really I should have removed the neutral density filter that I use with this combination but I didn’t and so the image sharpness suffered for it as I ended up with shutter speeds in the 1/4 second range while handholding the camera. There is no excuse for laziness, at least that’s how I think the saying goes but you can always claim that that was the look you wanted.
Previously I described the Baby Bessa and it’s workings. Now for some examples. I’ve included the film edge around the image so you can get a full sense of the aspect ratio. The film used was Kodak Ektar 100. I used what could be arguably the best light meter in the world a DSLR, It’s accurate and gives immediate feedback including a histogram.
Here is a comparison crop between a 14Mpixel DSLR image and the Voigtlander unfortunately there is some motion blur in the Bessa image but as this is a typical result I have included it anyway.
This could also be titled the camera that makes you ask “Did I advance the film?” This is a medium format camera that you can actually put in a pocket, as I do. It folds so compactly and flat that it can be easy placed in cargo pants pockets or a jacket. The main drawback to the camera is that the film advance is not tied at all to the shutter, what this means is that you can easily double expose an image or forget that you have already advanced the film and leave one blank. It forms an image on the negative that is 42mmx 55mm with the 55mm comprising the vertical. So you get 16 exposures from a roll of 120 film, at least you would if you remember to advance the film at the right times. The 75mm lens provides an angle of view of about 48 degrees that would be roughly equivalent to a 50mm lens with 35mm film. The compur shutter reaches 1/300 second at it’s fastest and the cocking mechanism is at the lens. The shutter is then tripped using the lever on the right front, this requires the use of the left hand to trip the shutter which is different from what you would expect from any modern camera. And by modern I mean any camera made in the last 60 years. The film advance does move the film forward one frame and then locks, the film is then advance-able again when you slide the film counter lever to the left. The camera opens via a button on the bottom but then requires pressing against the bellows supports until they click into position. The Bellows are folded back in by pressing against the supports in the opposite direction and then gently pushing the bellows back inside.
Camera dimensions Width (128 mm),Height (89 mm), Depth at side (30 mm), Depth at lens (42 mm) Weight (515 grams)
You may have noticed that the image dimensions I provided differ from 4×6 or even the 4.5×6 that you may have found elsewhere but they are the area of the negative each frame takes up and not the actual image size.
In my next post from this camera I will provide some sample images.
When I took this image this previous summer I had no idea that my Uncle had taken such a similar picture from so close a vantage point some 48 years earlier. I have been scanning his slides for him and for the rest of my family and was taken aback by how little this scene had changed. This is particularly true when I compare it to my own images where the world around me changes at such an incredible rate. These pictures also reminded me how photography can be a form of collecting where we try to recreate what we have seen before and want for our own, sometimes I think it’s better not to dwell too much on other peoples images to avoid the pitfall of mimicry.
