Aires 35 #2

07-05-23

This was one of the first images off the Aires 35 taken at Thornby Hall Northamptonshire in April 2022. I was still recovering after my first pillion passenger ride for a few years on the back of my buddies Triumph tiger motor bike, the bench looked really inviting. We had coffee and homemade cake at the café and then a walk around the lovely grounds.

On the original scan I can read the small brass plaque on the backrest of the bench.

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One of the last images on the roll of Clarendon Park Congregational Church taken in March 2023.

So amazed at the lens on this little camera and how well the Fomapan 100 performed even after nearly a year of sitting in the camera.

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Rust Never Sleeps #2

22-07-19

Last few images from my rusty Franka Solida 11. These were taken at Beacon Hill in Leicestershire while I was out on a walk with the PhotoBuddies.

The Beacon (trig point)

Really Really Old Rocks

I was very pleased with the Franka camera, admittedly the weather was nice and bright so I could stop the lens down to f11 – f16 which helped with the depth of field, and the Ilford HP5 seemed to like it as well.

Rust Never Sleeps #1

16-07-19

Apart from being the title of one of my all time favourite singer songwriter’s albums it’s also a problem I’ve had with my old Franka Solida 11 camera. The first time I used it I got a lot of scratch marks on the film.

I bought the Franka a few years ago, quite cheaply, apart from the rangefinder not working (I have a clip on one) there were a lot of rust patches inside the camera. I gave the offending parts a good clean with metal polish before I loaded this roll, it has helped, but not quite got rid of all of them. I’ve since buffed the area where the rust was with a scouring pad, we’ll see how this worked with the next roll.

I shot these images in June on Ilford HP5+ and Dev’d the film in Ilford ID11.

Launde Abbey

Welcome

Sheep

Drive

Down

Love the countryside and calmness around the old abbey.

 

Canon 35MC

30-05-18

This is the third Canon 35MC that I have bought, the first two were really cheap off that auction site, neither of them worked very well, but I managed to make one goodish one out of the two, and was impressed enough with the lens quality to buy another from a dealer for £19.00 ($25.25 – 21.65 euro) The only thing amiss the dealer informed me was that the detachable flash wasn’t working, I have a working unit from one the others, not that I’m likely to use it. The camera looks brand new, with no signs of use. It needs two AAA batteries to work, at least these are easy to get. You set the film speed manually, there is a choice of, 64 – 100 – 200 – 400 – 1000 ASA, film loading and rewinding are automatic. The lens is a 35mm f2.8, 4 elements in 4 groups and focuses from 3 ft (0.9m) to infinity. It’s a clam-shell design so you slide the front cover (a la Olympus XA’s) to switch on the camera. The viewfinder shows the autofocus frame and a zone focus indicator which only registers the distance after you have taken the shot ! The automatic shutter runs from 1/8sec to 1/500sec, there is also a slow shutter speed warning lamp. The wind on motor is a bit noisy, typical of it’s era. What I like about it is the quality of the lens and it fits easily in a jacket/trouser pocket.

Loaded it up with some Fomapan 400 and took on a PhotoBuddies walk. I developed the film in Kodak D76 1-1.

Student Accommodation

Great Central

I remember catching a train from here to go to Nottingham Victoria when I was a lad in the 1960’s. The old Station building is being restored, and the area opposite is being developed (more student accommodation !!!!) and a Hotel.

PhotoBuddy

Not Sure What This Is

But I liked it.

Agfa Paramat #1

26-02-18

I took this image on Kodak Tri-X with the Minolta X700 using the macro setting on the zoom lens.

I bought the little Agfa Paramat about 10 years ago, ran 1 roll of film through it to check it was working and then put it away. Thought it was about time for another outing. It’s a half frame camera, fully auto, if there’s enough light you see a green dot in the viewfinder, and a red dot if there isn’t. Focusing is by guesstimating although there are markings for Portrait, Group, and landscape. The fastest film speed the meter will handle is 200 asa, so I loaded it with Agfa Vista 200 and set off on a cold but very bright day to the Botanic Gardens.

I was really surprised given the age of the camera and the bright contrasty lighting how well it functioned.

My feeble attempt at a diptych !

About half way through the roll of film the wind on lever started to get tight, I guessed it must have been condensation as the film had been in the fridge and I probably hadn’t given it enough time to acclimatise, but all was OK. The local quick photo store had their film processor down so I sent the film off to FilmDev, they did a really great job, lovely clean negs and scans (their minimum size)

 

Praktica Super TL #2

09-01-18

A few more images from the heavyweight Praktica Super TL with well out of date colour film.

Easter Island !

Keeping Time

Silver Birch Catching The Morning Light

Polarised

I used a Polarising filter on this shot and it gave a night time feel to the image.

Short Back & Sides

My Obsession 

This fencing sits around a lovely old large house which is currently empty awaiting conversion to apartments !!!!!! Can’t resist photographing parts of the fence line almost every time I walk past. 

I’ve just ordered some fresh colour film, wish I could afford Kodak Porta, maybe in the spring ?

Praktica Super TL

06-01-17

I bought this camera a couple of years ago but hadn’t used it because the original 50mm lens (Meyer Optik Görlitz) was well and truly gummed up, didn’t mind too much as it was from a charity and wasn’t expensive. So when my sister dropped in the Zenit 19  for me to look at I used the Bell & Howell 35-105mm macro zoom lens that came with it to test out the Praktica. I had some Kodacolor 200 film that came with another camera, I had no idea how old it was and judging by the results it was well past it’s best. 

What A Relief

Alternate Universe

Keeping Watch

Winter Eye

The camera weighs a ton with the zoom lens, but I enjoyed using it. The lens is very good, think it’s made by Tokina. 

Zenit 19 (House Brick !)

23-12-17

My sister bought the Zenit 19 from a charity shop for £10.00p hoping it would be a good starter film camera for my niece, and would I try it out to see if it works. I’d never seen this model before, it’s quite old but has some good features, shutter speed to 1/ 1000th of a second and stop down metering. The bad thing about it is that it should take two PX625 mercury batteries, I used 675 hearing aid batteries and a coil of silicon tube to hold them in place. The Zenit weighs a ton and the meter is really slow to react compared to a more modern film camera.

It came with a Bell & Howell 35-105mm zoom lens, which looks very similar if not the same as a Tokina. I decided to try it with my newer version Helios 58mm lens and a roll of Kodacolor 200, expired in 2001. The hardest part was trying to find a day with some semi reasonable weather.

Still Clinging On
 

Contre Jour Cafetiere & Hands

Watchful Eye 

Bokeh and Barbwire

St Stephens & Winter Sky

Barbwire & Snow

Captured Star

Knot & Ice

Not really a camera for a beginner, although I really enjoyed using it. Managed to get a Pentax Z50p with 28- 80mm af zoom lens for my my niece for only a couple of pounds more than the Zenit, it should be a lot easier for her to use, it’s certainly a lot lighter ! 

Coronet Rapier #3

18-11-17

Double/Triple Exposure

I’m sure this was mean’t to be a double exposure, but it seems like I forgot to wind on and took three images on the same frame. I added a Blue tint to bring out a bit of detail.

Fomapan 200, Ultrafin Developer, 7.5 mins @ 20 C

Coronet Rapier #2

16-11-17

Ratae Corieltauvorum

Ratae Corieltauvorum is the Roman name of the city I live in, the town has a long history and this structure is the Jewry Wall a part of a Roman bath house. There is a museum on the site which is being refurbished but no date for it’s completion. 

Inner City Skyline

Fomapan 200, Ultrafin Developer, 7.5 mins @ 20 C