The Vintage Camera Club Thread

[Eyemo]

Good advice there...I used to shoot out of date Polaroid film on the back of my Anniversary Graphic...got some great "Period" shots..

[Quigley Brown]

Here's a collage of some of my collection (some are duplicated for the photo).

[IMG][/IMG]

[Eyemo]

Hi Quigley,
Could you tell me what the attachment is on the side of the Rolleiflex..

[Quigley Brown]

Hi Quigley,
Could you tell me what the attachment is on the side of the Rolleiflex..

I think it's to attach a hand-held shutter release.

[Eyemo]

Let me know if you wish to sell/swap that Rollie..

[Two Gun Bob]

For users of old cameras in the USA it's worth noting that B&H can supplied a limited range of film in 110, 127, 620 and 828 (Bantam!) sizes!

See: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/shop/3...7_620_828.html

But of course 35mm and 120 roll films are easiest to get from major photo retailers.

- TGB

You're describing a "folder" that's got bellows - there were hundreds of models of these, from dozens of manufacturers, made from the early 1900s until about 1960.

Re shooting oldies, the only kind of roll film that's still "widely" available is the 120 size. Many old box cameras and folders were designed for film sizes that are now long gone - 620, 616, 110, 127, 828, etc. (Yes, I know that there are boutique operations that spool obsolete film sizes, but they're obscure and expensive... and then getting these oddball film sizes developed, unless you're doing it yourself, is a pretty iffy proposition these days.)

Anyway, if you intend to shoot an old camera, vs. just putting it on the shelf as an art object, definitely stick to models that use 120 roll film (or 35mm, or 4x5 sheet film.)

[Two Gun Bob]

It's entirely possible to use old Kodak Brownies, though the older they are the lower the quality is likely to be because they use simple uncoated lenses.

Still, they can be fun, especially if you get one which uses 120 film as it is reasonably easy to get this. Use film no 'faster' than 125 ISO or even 50 ISO as these cameras were designed for 'slow' films, and use black and white rather than colour as the lenses are not corrected for colour.

To take the following photos I used a Kodak Box Brownie No.2 Model F, using 120 roll film taking 2 1/4" x 3 1/4" negatives (6cm x 9cm). No focus control (nominally 'sharp' from 12 ft to infinity), no shutter speed control (only 1/25 second or 'Time'), no double exposure prevention (key film wind with numbers in a red window!), exceedingly dim twin 'viewfinders' and the only method of adjusting to the subject brightness being a set of three 'waterhouse stops' in a sliding metal plate.

This camera was made in 1901 and still works!

Personally, I've been toying with the idea of picking up an old Kodak "Brownie" box camera like my grandfather carried during WWII, but I'm not sure what to look for or if I could even get film.

-Dave

[Quigley Brown]

It's entirely possible to use old Kodak Brownies, though the older they are the lower the quality is likely to be because they use simple uncoated lenses.

Still, they can be fun, especially if you get one which uses 120 film as it is reasonably easy to get this. Use film no 'faster' than 125 ISO or even 50 ISO as these cameras were designed for 'slow' films, and use black and white rather than colour as the lenses are not corrected for colour.

To take the following photos I used a Kodak Box Brownie No.2 Model F, using 120 roll film taking 2 1/4" x 3 1/4" negatives (6cm x 9cm). No focus control (nominally 'sharp' from 12 ft to infinity), no shutter speed control (only 1/25 second or 'Time'), no double exposure prevention (key film wind with numbers in a red window!), exceedingly dim twin 'viewfinders' and the only method of adjusting to the subject brightness being a set of three 'waterhouse stops' in a sliding metal plate.

This camera was made in 1901 and still works!

They really look authentic as if they were real snapshots taken by a WWII GI.

[Two Gun Bob]

Seimon, you need one like this 1939 Rolleiflex New Standard.

This is one of the more affordable yet high quality models of the time. The taking lens is an uncoated Zeiss Tessar f3.5/75mm, Shutter: Compur - Rapid, 1 - 1/500 sec., T & B.

Not for sale, but they do come up on ebay now and then. Mine cost £70.

Cool thread... Most of my vintage cameras are a bit...Batterd ..Anyone got a nice pre war Rolliflex to sell?..

[Two Gun Bob]

Thanks QB, that was the object of the exercise

We often forget these days that in the 30s and 40s not everyone had cameras and most who had them used very simple box or folding cameras and the results were really very soft due to the fixed focus simple lenses.

The more upmarket folders and 35mm cameras (second half of the 30s onward) were the domain of the well-heeled amateur. This type of Brownie, taking 620 film, was typical of the 1930s art deco period, a significant step on from the 1901 Brownie 2:

They really look authentic as if they were real snapshots taken by a WWII GI.