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Voigtländer Bessa I – Folding it big
The Voigtländer Bessa I is a folding medium format camera, which shoots 6x9 and 6x4.5. I have used it for shooting during coastal walks.
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AGFA Karat 36 v3 – 36 Carat Camera
The AGFA Karat 36 is small folding rangefinder camera with a few quirks.
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Polaroid SX-70 – Instant engineering
The Polaroid SX-70 is a marvel of 1970s camera engineering for instant photography. See how it performs with modern integral film cartridges.
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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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Polaroid Sun 660 Autofocus Land Camera – Instant gratification
Square format, instant(ish) images, iconic and fun. No, not insta-social media, but a camera developed at the pinnacle of a company’s history. The Polaroid Sun 660 Autofocus Land Camera was sold at the time when Polaroid was a powerhouse in the photographic industry and was considered one of the most innovative companies across the world. There must be something hardwired into human beings to share images, especially when recording a memorable moment. Before the internet brought us the multitude of social media sites and apps, in the days when people rang each other to talk from a fixed line phone, Polaroid was producing cameras which allowed a you to make…
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Agfa Jsolette 4.5 – When J is not a J
The Agfa Isolette range of cameras have a cult following. That includes me as I own both Isolette and Jsolette labelled cameras. The ability to shoot medium format, especially 6×6, with a camera that is small and at a stretch pocketable, is very enticing. Throw in the fact that they look lovely, and you can understand the popularity. I personally like quite a few different “folders” as you can see by another review of the Voigtlander Perkeo I. This model is the Agfa Jsolette 4.5. Agfa has used the names Jsolette and Isolette interchangeably, as the letter J referred to an I in German. There is a misconception that the…
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Kodak No. 1 Pocket Autographic – The Original with EXIF Data
It’s 1926, you want to record details about your photo and don’t want to carry a notebook, enter the Kodak No. 1 Pocket Autographic. It might not be automatically recorded, but considering this was 91 years ago, that is quite progressive. Kodak folding cameras had been introduced just over 30 years earlier in 1895 and had slowly been progressing during that period. The other major line of cameras from Kodak at the time was the box cameras which were very basic. You can read more about one of them here. We owe a lot to both cameras, especially the folding Pocket cameras, which introduced the real concept of not only…
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Voigtländer Perkeo I
The Voigtländer Perkeo I is a small folding 6x6 medium format camera. It is as much fun to use as it sounds.
