It has been a cool day, winter is on it’s way. It was very slippery on our first walk. Then my son came round and ran me into Harrison Cameras to collect my first medium format camera. I used to use Kodaks and a Rollei but the former weren’t proper cameras and the latter I didn’t have any great success with.
The camera body appears light proof and the lens shutters seem fine, difficult for me to tell but I popped a new battery in and it does know the difference between 1 second and 1/250th of a second. What the difference is time will tell. The focus ring is silky smooth on both this lens, the standard view 75mm and also on the portrait 150mm. It has a speed grip fitted but the winding and cocking handle is in the Speedgrip box. It is all boxed down to the focus screen and dioptre lens boxes for the waist level finder. I’ll use one of the canons as a light meter. This is going to be fun. I can’t guess exposure anymore. To be honest I never could on the Olympus OM1, I got used to guessing. Guessing badly for the most part.
I couldn’t wait to get back and investigate what I’d purchased. I had agreed to meet my wife for lunch. She is an awfully slow eater and as usual was late. Not Late enough. I should have invited the mother-in-law. I’d have been back in half the time or not at all. If she was in a particularly peckish mood I could have been eaten. In all probability it was worth the delay.
There were two of these in the box. In jewellers boxes. I suspect they are just light triggers. Even if I find out what they are they are probably obsolete. They appear to have a light sensing gizmo at the end , a transistor and a monster resistor all wired up to the standard female phone sinc socket.
I hope I can make this camera sing and dance. It is a bit plasticky but I'm thrilled to bits with it and hope I can give it a good home and do it justice.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
It was an interesting read even if I didn't understand half of it. I was impressed with the case as I do understand the concept of things to put things in. I understood about the wife and mother-in-law as well. It was funny. Hope you get a chance tomorrow to take some pictures. I'm betting Trevor won't get it for awhile.
ReplyDeleteDavid, my wife and I get on fine now we agree to differ and live miles apart. She is still a film star but as attainable as Jennifer Aniston or that really ugly one who was in Kill Bill and whose name must not be spoken or written. I hates the mother-in-law. The feelings are mutual and have been for thirty years.
DeleteI love big boxes of things that are cheap. It allows me to learn without pressure.
Trevor can have it if he wants it for a while. I'm not giving him any film with it though. He'll blame me for picking the wrong film and wrong film speed.
Dat is wel een hele grote uitdaging Adrian maar wel heel leuk.
ReplyDeleteBas, het zal leuk zijn. Zo leuk was had te kijken naar wat ik had gekregen. Mensen met compact camera's voor het dubbele van wat ik betaald voor deze.
DeleteWife? You are full of surprises Adrian ~ you don't even refer to her as your ex-wife. Do you have an ulterior motive that one day she will inherit the Van and all it's contents and have to sort through all this stuff. Having been there myself with a computer geek I can not tell you what stuff I found from 20 years of collecting.
ReplyDeleteCarol, she isn't my ex-wife, she is a proper one. I'm fully certified to prove it. We haven't lived together for years but I still enjoy her company. Now and again I do.
DeleteThere are some things in this world that are too cheap to leave lying around.
Well I am glad to hear you enjoy her company still. Marriages and relationships work in lots of ways and whatever works for you, good on you.
DeleteI'm guessing some poor old guy had this and was a a fair photographer. He has likely passed on and someone cleaned out all his belongings and you came along a voila! the stuff gets a new loving home. It's interesting that it was a completely different technology and took excellent photos.
ReplyDeleteRed, I'm thrilled to bits with it. I'll now have to learn how to use it and write down the settings for every shot or I will have forgotten where i went wrong.
DeleteAn interesting assortment of kit Adrian. Far too complicated for me now though.
ReplyDeleteThose little things in the jewelers boxes are indeed flash sync thingys. I used to have some many years ago when I tried to take proper pictures.
Slide film, that takes me back. I've still got loads from 40 odd years ago; I'd love to get them onto the computer somehow.
Thanks Keith, you'll have to show me how to use it.
DeleteJust get the slides scanned onto a memory stick or CD, if they are 35mm and mounted it good be a bit of a pain.
A real box of delights you've got there Adrian but, where's the viewing screen for the back?....How do you know if the pictures you've taken are any good?...lol!
ReplyDeleteI can see that your going to have hours of fun getting to grips with it, it'll be interesting to see the results and I'm sure that with the right amount of coaxing it'll produce results equal to anything that is about today...[;o)
Trevor, it is wonderful, just like the last three Christmases rolled into one.
DeleteI have two viewing screens but this has them in the top. It's a posh camera. It doesn't really matter what the pictures are like, it's never bothered me before.
I'm hoping I'll master it.
Hi Adrian You are like alitte boy in a candy shop with your new camera. I know you will have great fun getting your head around it all and exprimenting. Ilook forward to see you first photographs. Many yeara ago I had a camera with the same format and I lookedtaking B&W shots with it. Have a great weekend with your new adddition.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, It will hopefully become one of the family.
DeleteWell I've read it twice now and still scratching my head, it looks like you're going t have some fun with it though....
ReplyDeleteDouglas, it is shear lunacy. I have it in front of me along with the instructions and I'm scratching my head.
DeleteIt is very nice. I understand your fascination.
ReplyDeleteMaria, it'is both satisfying and frustrating.
DeleteAt times, I still long for my film SLR, Pentax K1000. Sadly, Photography has lost most of its mechanical charm. It's all digital and dependent on power. Mechanical devices gave us some degree of independence from a complex world.
DeleteSometimes I feel the digital age is a bit delusional.
DeleteMaria, this camera has electronic metering and shutter release. It has a A544 6v battery. It will work without it but only on timed exposures or 1/500s. I have put one roll of film through it. I'll just have a contact sheet printed. It will take me a while to get confident with it but so far I love it the focussing is accurate and a joy to use. The DOF preview also seems to mean something with the large focus screen. I'm dropping a test roll off for processing on my way to Boston this morning. I'll be excited picking it up on Friday. There is no auto exposure with the waist level finder so I'm looking for a second hand light meter. That's it then.....No more gear!!!! Until the next time.
DeleteYes indeed those are Flash Triggers. I used to have one but it died one day but I still have a different kind that works. Your Velvia slide film, you will have to be right on with your exposures as you will only have, plus or minus 1/2 a stop, to work with. Have fun. Enjoy your new camera kit.
ReplyDeleteHorst I know. It is beautiful film though. I shall put a couple of rolls of Ilford P5 through just to make sure the meter is working which it appears to be when compared with the Canon. The shutter seems fine but there is no real means of telling.
DeleteWell Adrian it's good that you have a hobby. It keeps you out of more serious trouble. The Bronica certainly is an interesting camera. I was in a gallery on Sunday that had a lot of one-off wet plate colloidian images (amongst others) for sale at quite interesting prices.
ReplyDeleteGraham, it's getting out of hand. You probably won't be surprised that i briefly considered converting the van shower so that I could produce wet plates. I decided fun as it is the mess and quality of the end result wasn't worth it.
DeleteWith that piece of equipment will do some fantastic photos.
ReplyDeleteI hope you found the place to store :))
A hug.
Laura, it all fits in the van. I'll get it packed away better soon.
DeleteAnd just where will you buy your film? And won't it be terribly expensive? (Our U.S. company Kodak has shut down for good -- is film still being made in the U.K.? Probably exposes my ignorance.)
ReplyDeleteBob, there isn't the range of film there once was but Ilford and Fuji still have a large range. I suspect it is made in China these days. I get 15 shots out of a roll of 120 film so colour or B&W costs just over £0.10p a frame.
DeleteFilm is never going to be mainstream but the local camera shop has shelves of it. Large format film is still available but I hope I'm not tempted.