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Combinations – 2 Leicas, a Fuji and a Nikon in Auckland
We all like to do similar hobbies with our kids, I am lucky as my son is getting into film photography and this is a trip we took together to Auckland, using film cameras.
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Kiev 4 – The Non-Clone
The Kiev 4 is a beautiful, silent and graceful camera. It has a classic rangefinder design which just makes you want to pick it up and start shooting with it. Paired up with the well regarded Jupiter 8M Contax mount lens, it forms a formidable team. Especially with a very accurate focus, achieved through one of the widest available rangefinder bases, on paper it should be a dream to use. It is unfair to call it a clone, as it was manufactured using a significant number of tools and machines the Contax originals were made with. That is because it was built with plans and equipment taken from the Carl…
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BelOMO Agat 18K – Plastic Fantastic
The BelOMO Agat 18K is a bit of an oddity. It is a camera that by all intents and purposes sells itself as a toy camera, but has functionality which even some “better” made cameras lack. When you first pick it up is feels very light and is considered one of, if not, the lightest film cameras that use 35mm ever made. As it is a Soviet made camera, it continues the theme of Red October this month. The styling is colourful and playful. The camera does come in different colours to give the impression of fun. It is also the kind of camera that is ideal for not attracting…
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Combinations – Zorki 4 and Redscaled Film
Shooting with the Red October theme is one thing, shooting a Soviet Zorki 4 camera with redscale film is a combination that doesn’t get any more red. This ensures that the tool is red (aka Soviet), but also the result (aesthetically). The thought of this came through a suggestion from a friend on the yearly Red October theme that is shot by photographers that appreciate cameras made from former Soviet countries. They do have a reputation of quality issues, but also a fanatical following. This is sometimes attributed with the unique look the glass from the Soviet factories gives photographs. Redscale is a way of modifying how colour film is…
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Redscale Film – Reverse It!
The apocalypse will eventually come one day and when it is photographed it will be in redscale. Why wouldn’t it be? Artists would be aiming at a realistic look, and nothing does that better than urban decay in red. This article is also part of the Red October theme being posted this month, where I am shooting with Soviet cameras and red related items. It will be closely followed by an Combinations article where redscale film is used in a Soviet camera, a Zorki 4. Redscale is a method of modifying colour film so that it produces results which have a very strong red and yellow look to them. It does…
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Kodak Retina IIa – Coat Pocket Rocket
The Kodak Retina is a camera that holds a certain amount of mystique. It was made by a company that by the 1930s was more focussed on manufacturing film and generally created cameras to support that and the multiple formats they were introducing. Kodak never seemed to aim for or achieve anything above a second tier camera manufacturer, but the Retina was different. It was an attempt at a quality 35mm rangefinder, to compete on camera sales rather than just a supporting role. The Retina IIa is a 35mm folding rangefinder bellows camera, which fits well into a coat pocket, although it has a fairly solid, yet fiddly, construction. It…
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Nikon Lite.Touch 140 Zoom – A little bit of luxury
Everyone loves a little bit of luxury. The finer things in life. Not that surprising we then have a camera with gold trimmings like the Nikon Lite.Touch 140 Zoom ED AF. A camera that gives the feeling you are using something with leather seats and a top class gold finish. That is if you ignore the fact the camera body is all plastic, lightweight and all electronic. There is a real surge in the world of compact film cameras at the moment, with some models commanding extraordinary prices. This is especially true on some models in demand with either known sharp prime lenses (e.g. Olympus mju) or even some zoom…
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Jupiter 8 – A giant amongst the stars
The Jupiter 8 lens is a cult favourite due to its distinctive rendering. This Leica Thread Mount (LTM/L39) lens has become one of my favourite lenses to use on a variety of cameras.
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Werra 2 – Oh Carl, Werra art thou?
The Werra 2 is an East German fixed lens camera with a very unique film advance mechanism. I had a go at this camera which embodies minimalism.
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Zorki 4 – Attempted equaliser
The Zorki 4 is a Soviet built rangefinder camera based on the Leica cameras. I shot with this camera to see how it peforms, especially with Soviet glass.
