RolleiCord (CC: Camerafiend)

My most recent camera purchase was an early model Stereo Realist from 1951. For my birthday though, I wound up with something much more current. I figure three years newer is enough. My latest camera is a Rolleicord IV from 1954. I’ve wanted a beautiful Medium Format camera for a bit to use in the studio and in nature.

What is medium format? Without getting too technical, medium format takes a 6×6cm sized negative. It’s much larger than those taken by a normal 35mm. Now there are many flavors of cameras that can take smaller or larger sized images on the medium format film but 6×6 is certainly the standard.

The camera was purchased off Craigslist for $200. This marks my second Craigslist purchase with good success. The photographer selling it was actually running a roll through it as I knocked on his door. You’ve got to love that sort of dedication and he was thrilled when I told him that it would be used and well cared for. I wouldn’t want such a beautiful camera collecting dust either! He was selling it to make some extra cash and he was offloading some less-used gear. As I left he asked if I had any film for it, when I said no he gave me two rolls of Kodak Panatomic-X film, rated at 32 ISO and expired way back in 1986. I thanked him and was on my way.

Read More…

Sans-Reel

It seems that in the developing world everyone is always interested in something new. Just like there are countless plug-ins for Photoshop, there are countless things you can do to Analog (Film) Photography to adjust the outcome of the image. Different films, developers, developing techniques to name a few..

There are even some people who damage the delicate emulsion on film on purpose. Why? Because scratched, burned, boiled, cracked and decomposed film can really give some amazingly artistic effects.

Read More…

This weekend I was able to take my Beseler 67SC for a spin and create the first enlargement I’ve made in a long time. My first in this century, that’s for sure.

It’s not perfect, it’s quite overexposed. I didn’t use an easel or a grain focuser but I think I like it.

Enlargement

Exposure time was five seconds, way too long so I already know I need to invest in some ND filters to drop the light down enough to get proper exposure time to between 10-15 seconds. Lens was a 50mm 3.5 set at f/8. Paper is a 5×7 sheet of Ilford Pearl #3 RC. Developed in Kodak Dektol, since the print was so overexposed development time was mere seconds.

How’s the print you might ask? Even overexposed, the tones blow me away. Of course the process is fun too. The smell of an 8×10 tray of stop bath out in the open, the safelight casting a red glow over everything, the glow in the dark dial on my darkroom timer. The best part? Placing your exposed sheet of paper into the developer. Completely blank and watching it come to life right before your eyes.

Even if you have no interest at all in film or the whole wet-process, at least experience it once. Find a friend or take a class on working in the darkroom. Get an appreciation for what we had to do before digital. And if you don’t end up appreciating the process, you at least get to feel like one of those old time detectives working in the red-lit darkroom. So, there ya go.

My first roll of C-41 developed this century.

Two nights ago I developed my first roll of C-41 (Color Film) in years. If you would have told me that I would be back in the darkroom developing C-41 when I made the switch to (nearly) pure digital I would have laughed. I still shoot and process black and white for giggles and love how cheap and great for modifications the film is. I do still shoot slides for our local photography contests and for the thrill of seeing my images projected on a big screen.  Slides (E-6) get sent out for professional developing, however that may be the next processing kit I may purchase.

Its funny though, I don’t remember C-41 developing being this easy. How easy? Well, if you already develop black and white, have a thermometer and somewhat accurate timer (a watch with a second hand will work fine) – you can develop C-41. Guaranteed. There are too many articles on the internet today that scare people out of developing themselves – don’t believe it!

To compare, lets go over black and white developing first in case we have some readers that may be interested in the process but have yet to start..

Read More…

Minolta-16 (Captain Kodak CC)

Have you ever shot a roll of film only to forget about it? Then you find the roll, forgot what is on it and debate if you want to get it developed or not? One man’s trash may very well be another man’s treasure. Would you pay to develop a roll of your own film that you’ve forgotten about? How about a roll abandoned in a camera?

Two weeks ago I purchased a Minolta-16 Sub Miniature camera on a popular auction site. I was looking for a different style camera altogether and ran into this gem. It had one bid at a few bucks so I upped it by a dollar or two. A day later I receive an e-mail stating that I won it. I researched a few specifications of the camera, found out that finding a camera with a film canister inside was rare, looked at a few replacement options, hand-loading and since I was leaving for my ABQ trip in a day I promptly forgot about it.

I was back home on Wednesday and finally opened the camera. Low and behold, there was a film canister inside. With a quick peek I realized there was also film inside of the canister. This really fueled my curiosity, what could be on the roll? Long story short, I load the film on the reel, put it in the new tank and develop in Rodinal 1:50 for 13 minutes.

Read More…

Dumsers Ice Cream

Are you a black and white film shooter? Always wanted to try? Want to get back into it?

What better time than a $5 Kodak rebate on a purchase of five rolls. Until December 31st, 2009 you’ll get $5 back by mail on the purchase of five rolls of T-MAX 100, Plus-X 125, Tri-X 400, T-MAX 400 or T-MAX P3200 film! Any size and it doesn’t matter if you purchase single rolls or a five pack. Get five of your favorite or one of each to try, the rebate is for ANY of the films which tells me any combination too.

So, dust off that old camera and get started. You know you’ve always wanted to!

Product Links:
Kodak T-MAX 100 ISO, 35mm – 36 Exposures: Adorama
Kodak Plus-X 125 ISO, 35mm – 24 Exposures: Adorama
Kodak Tri-X 400 ISO, 35mm – 36 Exposures: Adorama
Kodak T-MAX 400 ISO, 35mm – 36 Exposures: Adorama
Kodak T-MAX P3200 ISO, 35mm – 36 Exposures: Adorama

Rebate Link:
Kodak $5 Rebate form on Black and White films: Click Here

Going Down

Every so often Man decides to break from the pack and go crazy. I really don’t need to cite examples, we all know at least one crazed excursion by a male family member.

Well, over the last week I had mine. It started with finding a Canon Elan IIe body and battery grip for $43 at KEH.com. It was originally intended for shooting the occasional slide and since it’s an EOS body, I can pack it neatly in my camera bag and use my regular EOS EF lenses with it. No harm.

Somehow, from receiving the camera on Monday and today, I purchased and shot a roll of Ilford FP4 125asa film, dug out my old developing hardware, purchased new chemicals, mixed and prepared them, took a huge nearly-pass-out breath of stop bath fumes and developed my first roll of film in years. I even took it to the lab this morning, had them drum scan the roll and print me 4×6’s. Not that I really wanted prints, but hey, I really wanted a quick look at my hard work.

Read More…

Staticmaster

A few days before Christmas I was given a box of ‘Antique Cameras’. All of my family and friends know that I collect antique cameras, restore them whenever possible and even go as far as repairing them to working condition when I’m totally bored.  The holidays came and went and really I had forgotten about the box of goodies, with everything else that was happening.

Tonight I pulled out the box and started going through its contents. The box wasn’t actually full of Cameras, but certainly related – Darkroom equipment. Inside was an old stainless steel 35mm developing tank with two brand new unopened stainless reels inside. In their original yellow box were two Kodak Darkroom Graduate glasses, 16 and 32oz. I opened the box and the glasses were there, intact and in perfect condition. Kodak logo and markings on the glass still very much ’stuck’ and didn’t seem to want to get rubbed off any time soon. Between the two glasses was a page from the Baltimore Evening Sun, Thursday May 23rd, 1968. Hey look at that a Safeway ad. Two Dozen Large eggs, $0.79.

Digging deeper, a Hayes K-2 Photometer with an old style power cord and plug that just beg you to plug them into a modern outlet. “I won’t burn down your house” it says, but we’re not buying it.

Another toy in is an accurate and fast reading Kahlsico analog thermometer. A Prinz hot shoe flash with a collapsible metal dish that slides out and clips to itself – It looks like a miniature satellite dish, in fact, I think E.T. used it to phone home. A bakelite Film Winder in fantastic condition (To wind your own film from bulk rolls to 35mm canisters) and a funny little plastic box on which the only thing I see is ‘Nuclear Products Company’.

Uh oh.

Read More…

From the office to you.. A touching story I saw on MentalFloss (thanks to PhotographyVoter for linking it) about a Photographer who took a Polaroid photograph every day for almost 20 years. You’ll have to read the story to find out the rest – but this very short article is very well worth the read.

Link: http://www.mentalfloss.com
Via: http://www.photographyvoter.com