manila camera style - a conversation about cameras

Sent in! Toy and Box Cameras, Part I.

Recently, there are a lot of hooplas about toy and lo-tech cameras, thanks in part to websites like the Lomographic Society. As alternatives to the Holga and Diana cameras I thought I try the original point and shoot vintage cameras of the 1940s and 50s. They can be gotten from Ebay or flea markets much cheaper and are better constructed.

The first one I got was the Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash, a simple bakelite box camera from the 1950s. It has a simple meniscus lens with one aperture, approximately f16 or f22, two shutter speeds, about 1/30 of a second and a B setting for timed exposure. The image is viewed through a small bubble window on top reflected though a polished mirror in front of the camera.

The camera is designed to take the practically discontinued 620 medium format film, however, my Brownie Hawkeye can take 120 film rolls provided the 620 take-up spool is used at the receiving end. It produces 12 6X6cm images. An accessory flash gun (hence the name), close-up attachment and yellow filter are also originally available with these cameras.

Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

Sent in! An Olympus Trip 35! Unfortunately, it’s caretaker sold it before he could take photos using it.

The “Trip” got is name to appeal to it’s intended market: people who wanted a simple, compact and convenient camera to take while on vacation.

Check out this website on the Trip. They even some some custom ones!

Ever think of getting a camera tattoo?

Super Baldax! Sent in! How Super!

I enjoyed my Zeiss Ikon Nettar very much but I wanted another folding camera with a rangefinder and a better lens so I got myself a Super Baldax It’s a German made folding medium format camera with a coupled rangefinder. It has a Schneider-Kreuznach Radionar 80mm f2.9 lens and Prontor-SVS shutter. Uses 120 roll film to produce 12 6x6 cm shots per roll. Balda Kamera Werk made it in the 1950’s.

I like the compact design of folding cameras. I can carry it around in my coat pocket and yet produces large medium format negatives.

This particular model is slightly heftier than my Zeiss Ikon Nettar because of the rangefinder and the bigger & faster lens. It is still, however, more compact than my Rolleicord or Yashica TLR cameras. The viewfinder is also used at eye level so it’s easier to focus and compose the image.

So far there are no light leaks in camera, something that is always a concern with these 50 year old or so folding cameras. The Radionar lens is a little soft at wide apertures but is better at smaller f8 or so.

I find that there is hardly any room for me to hold the side of the camera. The lens door swings horizontally and is too close to the side. I had to cradle the camera at the bottom. I would have preferred the lens door to swing up and down. The rangefinder/ viewfinder is bright and contrasty enough, comparable with my other rangefinder cameras.

Not another "Limited Edition" Leica...

Sent in! A Beautiful Zeiss Ikon Nettar 517/16!

Boy, are we lucky to have this sent in! What a beauty!

According to it’s caretaker:

I wanted a folding medium format to easily carry around in my coat pocket and to supplement my Rolleicord IV. The first one I got was the Zeiss Ikon Nettar 517/16 with a Novar 75mm f6.3 lens. The camera is a simple and inexpensive folder that takes 120 film. It is a scale-focusing camera, done by guess estimating the distance of the subject. The Novar lens is not the high-end type for this camera; nevertheless, I’m happy with the sharpness and contrast of my images.

Finally, some photos taken using it, on Fuji Neopan 400, developed with HC-110, dilution B.

Make your own rangefinder!

First, we dared you to make your own lightmeter.

Now - CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR OWN RANGEFINDER!

Sent in! A Folding SLR!

Polaroid SX-70 Blend Film

In October 2006, a brand new SX-70 film pack was licensed by Polaroid and produced at the Netherlands plant in small batches, with only word of mouth and Web to advertise it. It very cleverly used an integrated neutral-density filter and modified 600 film chemistry to yield vibrant colors, strong contrast, and high resolution. As the cartridge was made to its original SX-70 specifications, and the ND filter was placed over the opening of the film pack and not the lens, it allowed for full and normal use of all the camera’s functions. Unfortunately, when Polaroid ceased production of all film, the SX-70 Blend died as well.

Polaroid 600 film

Many SX-70 owners modify their cameras to use Polaroid’s more recent 600 film, although it is now discontinued. SX-70 and 600 film are not exactly the same, however, the 600 having some extra little ‘nubs’, so photographers must either use a playing card or dark slide from a used Polaroid film pack to help slide the 600 film into the camera or slice the nubs off the cartridge.

Another problem with using 600 film is that its speed is two stops faster than SX-70 film, causing overexposure. To address this issue, some photographers simply set the exposure dial all the way to “darken” and replace the small ND filter over the electronic eye with a similar clear filter. Polaroid itself recommends placing a 1-stop ND filter over the lens, and replacing the small ND filter over the electronic eye with a clear piece of plastic (as from a CD case). Even with these modifications, SX-70 users may find they need to set the exposure controls fully to “darken.”

Perhaps the most effective way to use 600 film is to have the SX-70’s exposure electronics electronically modified to accept the film’s higher speed. The advantage to this type of camera modification is that the camera will expose the film correctly without the use of filters or exposure adjustments. Full exposure control is retained, and one does not have to worry about forgetting to set the exposure to “darken” each time the camera is opened. Furthermore, this type of modification allows the camera to benefit from faster exposures, as it causes the camera to function at a true ISO 640 film speed. These modifications are very difficult to perform except by experienced camera technicians.

“If all goes to plan, the Polaroid factory in Enschede, Amsterdam, will soon be making film again thanks to its new owner, an eccentric Austrian artist and businessman named Florian Kaps.

…Dubbed “The Impossible Project”, the development of new film for Polaroid cameras launches today. Working with the Manchester-based black and white photography company Ilford, the machinery is in place to produce film of two exposure types, each compatible with both the classic SX-70 cameras popular with artists and the more modern 600 series.”

Robot Royal - Mechanical Rapidfire!