Ye Olde Camera

[Bercy]

Most camera shoppes have a kind of "museum cabinet", with ye olde cameras for sale, some at very modest prices. I expect like tube TV's a lot of these items are just going to the junk yard or chucked in a kids toy box. When you read the history of photography by Ricktas, I start wondering which these museum pieces might be a profound landmark, or how many lifetimes and generations this well bellowed Zeiss Ikon recorded.

Does anyone still secretly run away with a Rolleiflex and run off a roll of 120, for old times sake? Are the pictures better worse or most importantly -different!

[MattC]

If you are suggesting film is no longer being used, and film cameras are relegated to 'museum pieces' then you are sadly mistaken.
There are plenty of people still using film (myself included) for a number of reasons, including, dare I say, the superior results.

Have a look in the film section of this forum, or do a search for 'film' on Flickr to see some great photos.

[Bercy]

Humble apologies - I was not for a minute suggesting film was no longer being used. When doing a substantial shoot, I get out my Pentax 645 N2, and I still have a canon SLR film camera - and boy do I love running a roll of B+W film through it with a 50mm F1.4 on the front. No I was more interested in the mystique of using a really old camera. I was gutted when my mother sold her Zeiss camera for about $20 some pleasant camera merchant who made her feel like he was doing her a favour! I have some memories of using the camera - very distant, but setting little levers and dials, using the instructions on the inside of the fims packet - I think the Sunny 16 rule or something like that applied. I was really thinking about how much fun it would be to go really retro and see what you get! Square pictures printed on scalloped edged paper! It is not so much about film here, but rather having a hands on feeling of where photography has come from.

[MattC]

Ahh - no worries
I know what you mean about using really old cameras - I sometimes use an old MF folder - certainly get a few strange looks when using it, which I hope is because of the camera!

[RaoulIsidro]

My cute little Canon bunnies just had their regular workout last month.



I remember every moment how those nicks and scratches came about.
I still have the box of the F1 and it's scriptural instruction manual.

[ricktas]

I have a box brownie that gets a look in at times. Simple and fun

[Bercy]

Occasionally you get to look at some real old prints and they are so obviously different. In many pictures, whether in a 1950's Wedding album or seaside scenes yet not faded, you can see how much care was taken with exposure and composition, and with constrast; balancing the image. I do wonder whether 3 stops of IS 21 exposure metering points etc causes us to lose more that we gain. Now where was that M on the camera dial! Hey - Rick - any shots from the Box Bownie you would like to share - and is that Box 100 years old and still going? My wife has been through 3 compact digitals so far. I think I will get her a Box Brownie!!!

[fenderslash]

Yep, I love the old cameras. My oldest is a 1930s Zeiss Super Ikonta folding camera, but to be honest I never really bonded with it. The one I really love is my Mamiya C330f medium format twin lens reflex camera. It's 1970s vintage, so in the grand scheme of things it's not all that old, but it's fully manual, has great lenses, uses film. With no auto-anything it really makes me slow down and think about every aspect of what I'm doing, and any poor results are 100% the operator because this camera was pro gear back in the day and it is fully capable of great work. So, yep - I love getting out there with old manual film cameras.

[Bercy]

The human optic - coupled with a hand held light meter - DOF calculation and manual controls and boy - perfect shots every time!

[bigufe]

large format cameras (4x5 inch negative and bigger) are still being manufactured and used commercially. If you're interested in alternative processes or just want a zen experience I'd recommend it

[Bennymiata]

My first SLR was an Exacta, which my father gave to me in the early 60's.
This camera was ALL metal, except for the lens elements, and was also fully manual.
So manual, it didn't even have a built-in light meter.
It's amazing that after a short time of using it (and boy, did I use it!), I didn't need the light meter anymore, and just guessed the correct exposure, whcih was right at least 75% of the time.
Mind you, you had to wait until you finished the rol of film and have it developed (whichi normally did with my father in our darkroom at home) before you knew if the exposures were OK or not, but because every print was valuable, you did tend to take more time in your composition and looking at where the light was coming from.
Manual focus wasn't an issue, as no cameras had any sort of auto-focusing and it became quite intuative to focus by hand, and this is something I still do every now and again.
This skill comes in very handy for doing videos on modern digital SLR's too, and also for studio work.

I'm really sorry I let my father sell it some years ago, as I also had the very rare 3D lens attachment and viewfinder for it, which did wonderful 3D colour slides.
I wonder if you got a similar lens attachment for a modern SLR, if you could make good 3D images?

[selaw]

Don't know if they would fit into the classic old style cameras but I still have a pair of Nikon 35mm SLRs. An FM2 & EM. I love the bright clear view through the finder, the feel in the hands, the sounds of the crank winding film & the shutter release.

[Bercy]

I "lent" my Nikon - heck I can't even remember the model number, to a cousin. It was a few years ago. I recently asked her about it, and asked very politely if she could take the batteries out - if she was not using it! There is just something a little tragic about all the fine and very well made instruments being cast aside - I know it is progress.