Steve Maniscalco Photography

Savoy

Do you love toy cameras? Do you yearn for crappy, low resolution photos? Do you like carrying cute red plastic things in public? Boy, do I have a camera for you!

Meet the Savoy.

 

Functionally, the Savoy is a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye. It's small, plastic, has a single shutter speed and aperture, and it takes 620 film.  Actually, it's not quite accurate to say it is equivalent to a Brownie because brownies were better made. 

On the plus side of the Savoy...it's got that cute retro 60's thing going like nobody's business. On the down side...well, it takes pretty crappy pictures. Of course, crappy isn't always a bad thing. Heck, I know folks who spend a great deal of time and energy in photoshop making their perfect digital images look like they were taken with a crappy old toy camera.  With the Savoy, you can skip the manipulation and get right to the bad image.

 

Living right up to the image quality is the handling. Man, that's about as squinty a little viewfinder as I've ever seen!  As a bonus, the shutter won't fire if you don't mash down on it pretty decisively. 

 

Of course, you're dealing with a red window for the roll film. That doesn't bother me, since I have many other cameras with red windows. You do however have to spool your 120 film on to two 620 spindles before you can shoot, as the camera will not take a 120 roll on either side of the film path. You have to love a camera to put yourself through that extra trouble.

So, what kind of results can you expect? 

 

Let's just say you won't be burdened by an overly sharp image.

 
 
 I think I could take a q-tip to the plastic lens and maybe improve things a bit. On the other hand, if this picture from the old 620 roll I found in the camera is any indication, it never was a great one for clear images.

 
 In any case, if this sort of thing is to your tastes, drop me a line. I can be persuaded to part with it pretty cheaply. I'm just not likely to use it and I refuse to accumulate shelf queens.

(This post is repeated as a permanent reference page under my Cameras link).

Burial Ground

Cemetery on tribal land.

Iskra, PanF, Thornton's 2-bath developer

Desert Decay

Old broken down stuff makes a good subject for photography. I'm sure that's been a great subject for discussion somewhere.  I'm not sure why I would not find a freshly polished Porche to be an interesting subject, or why this old building would not appeal to me if it had windows and a little garden in front...but the fact is, I like the character of beat up and run down.  I don't think I'm alone on that count.

Yashicamat 124G, PanF, Thornton's 2-bath developer

Yashicamat 124G

Did I mention my brother sent me home from Louisiana with a like new Yashicamat 124G?  Well, he did.  It was given to him and I think he couldn't find where the memory card went, so he gave it to me.

I've shot a little bit of TLR in the past.  I owned a Mamiya C220 for years.  I just never really got to love it.  I don't know if it's just the passing years or the extra small goodness of the Yashicamat when compared to the Mamiya...but this was a very fun camera to shoot.  I'd intended to shoot a roll through it, then put it away and continue to shoot with the Mamiya 7, but ends up I was having such a good time with it that I just reloaded it and kept going.

It worked like a charm.  The built in meter seemed accurate and I'm very happy with the results.

These were taken in and around a small cemetery on tribal land just East of Scottsdale, AZ. 

The first two images were shot with a ND filter held over the lens so I could shoot wide open in the mid-day light. 

PanF, Yashicamat 124G, Thornton's 2-bath developer

One Camera, One Lens, One Failure

It's true.  I failed miserably at the "One Camera, One Lens" challenge I wrote about a few posts ago.

Yes, I loaded up the Balda as planned, and yes, I shot the three rolls I'd planned on shooting...problem is, on my last day of shooting, I took along another camera.  It's really not my fault (nothing ever is).  I'd seen some colorful things that I wanted to shoot and I was determined to shoot them with Ektar.  Unfortunately, I'd not yet received my Ektar 100 in 120, so I had none to load in to the Balda.  What's a guy with no discipline or free will to do?  Well, carry a 35mm camera loaded with Ektar of course!  And that's just what I did.

At least in the end, I did the honorable thing.  I confessed my sins over on the rangefinderforum and found that others had sinned as well.  Being a sinner among sinners, it was easy to find forgiveness.  I've uploaded my three entries to the challenge gallery where anyone who doesn't mind my lying/cheating ways can comment on my photos and by doing so, vote for them.  So far, I've only got two comments.  Either they don't like lying cheaters over there, or my shots aren't all that good.

I'm trying to decide which of those possibilities to believe in.

Forked

Another from the Balda Baldax for the one camera, one lens challenge.

I've been passing a large equipment rental place, on the way to my wife's workplace, for some time now.  I always thought these forks, standing high to attract attention, would be a good subject.

I like how they turned out.  In fact, I stopped another time to see what else I could come up with.

That's for another day/roll.

Ilford PanF+, Barry's Two Bath developer, 1/30th and f11

More From the Balda

Another shot from that first roll for the one camera, one lens challenge.

 

Not as good as the other I think, and not going to make it in to the judging.  Still, nothing to be ashamed of.

I've stopped at a couple of roadside memorials over the last few days and shot most of the next roll.  One good shot at least should come from that.  Now I need another subject...portrait perhaps?

A Challenge

Over at the Rangefinder forum, a challenge contest of sorts began today.  One camera, one lens, 14 days. It works pretty much like it sounds.  You choose one camera and one lens (no zooms) and shoot with nothing else for two weeks.  Participants will upload up to three images and judging is by the group.

It's been a while since I've done anything like this.  I do think it can be a worthwhile exercise, since constraining technical options can stimulate creative solutions.  After all, if McGyver had carried a gun, a pound of C4 and a telephone with him at all times, he could have solved all those problems without thinking.

I've chosen my Balda Super Baldax for the challenge.  I like to shoot medium format when I can.  The camera has a great lens and easily accepts filters.  It's loaded with Ilford PanF+ (50 ISO B&W).

I've Flipped...or, Fun With Brownies

In this case, I've flipped a lens...on my Brownie Hawkeye Flash.

Once again, drafting my son for the job.  He is apparently the only human being willing to sit in front of a camera for me.

 

At least Penny helps out now and again.

#1 Autographic Kodak Jr.

Not long ago, I blogged about an old 6x9 camera I'd gotten my hands on, the #1 Autographic Kodak Jr..  Well, with uncharacteristic speed, I've actually gotten a roll of film through it.  I was happy to find that it is in as good a shape as it seemed to be.  Worked like a charm.

My family and I went to a horse show as part of my older son's birthday gift. That seemed like a perfect chance to put this old camera to use.  So, I loaded up a roll of Ilford FP4+ (125 iso) black and white film.  This seemed the logical choice, considering the camera's capabilities and limitations.  Shutter speeds are limited to 1/25th, 1/50th, T and B.  I'd rather not shoot at 1/25th, so that left 1/50th.  Apertures ranged from f8 to f32 and considering the guess and go 4 position focusing, I'd rather be stopped down. 

Sunny 16 told me that 1/50th with 125 iso film would need f22 for "Winter" skies in AZ, so I took a chance, left the light meter at home, and shot at those settings.

With nine shots toa roll of 120 film on a 6x9 camera, how did I do?  Well, I've got 2 to show you and I'm pretty happy about that. 

I took 2 shots each of the ones I'm calling keepers, so that's 4 frames down.  One shot was so badly framed that it was tossed, blame that one on the very challenging little finder...that's 5.  One shot looks like I didn't get the front standard locked in to place correctly...that's 6.  Three shots were so dull I wonder why I pulled the trigger...that's all 9.

Here are the two I'm at least willing to share.  I like the virtual silhouette of this cowboy, walking over the show grounds.

 

I wish I'd pointed down just a touch on this one, it bugs me that I've cut off the bike tire.  Even so, I like the old time feeling.  The streaks of light showed only on this frame and the one right before it.  Not sure of the source, but must be light from somewhere.

 

Overall, a fun camera to shoot and far more capable than you might guess, considering the age of the thing.  I still see it as something of a miracle that the bellows was not rotted out after all those years...not to mention the still snappy shutter.

FSU Family Picture

Some time ago, I became a bit obsessed with putting together a "complete" FSU (Former Soviet Union) camera/lens kit.  I wanted to shoot rangefinder cameras and old Soviet rip-offs (evolved, but still rip-offs) of Leica cameras seemed to be the way to go.  Yes, quality can be spotty, but it can also be very good, and the cameras are relative steals.

"Relative" is a good word for it really.  Problem cameras bought from an unknown someone half a world away in the Ukraine are hardly a sure bet.  In fact, I went through a couple of cameras, at a loss each time, before finding good copies.  I was a bit luckier with lenses.

So, here is what I ended up with...though, not what I started out with.

 

I think I'll go right to left, because that's how the story goes.

On the right, we have a FED 2.  Not the most elegant looking of the FSU cameras, but pretty high up on the list.  For my tastes, the Zorki 3 is the prettiest of them all, but a good cheap one is pretty tough to find.  The FED 2 is solid and reliable enough, once you have one that is working, and the long rangefinder baseline is a nice thing for focusing in narrow dof situations.  Of course, you miss out on some of the niceties that modern cameras offer, like a hinged film back (the whole thing comes off) and a film advance lever (uses a wind knob).  Still, it feels good in the hand, the rangefinder/viewfinder is plenty usable and it peforms the basic function of light tight box very well.

Mounted on the FED 2 is an Industar 50, a competent, if slow, standard lens.  I didn't "go after" this one, it just sort of followed me home.  Works well enough though, and they're super cheap. 

Next, headed left, is the Jupiter 8.  It's a more modern standard lens, 50mm f2.  I don't love 50mm and have no pictures to show from it.

Next in line is the Jupiter 9 (85mm f2).  This is a pretty sweet lens. Not super sharp wide open, but good and appropriate for a portrait lens.  Nice bokeh.  This is the second copy of that lens I had, the first copy was in sad shape and, I think, suffered from inexpert "repairs."  This good copy was purchased from a member of the Rangefinder Forum.  Used gear from a forum member tends to be a much better bet than a random ebay purchase.

Moving on left, and mounted on a Zorki 6, is a Jupiter 12 (35mm f2.8).  It's an awkward little thing to operate, with the aperture controls sort of inside the barrel of the lens instead of outside.  The very large back element means it won't mount on some modern Leica Thread Mount cameras without interfering with the shutter.  As hot as I was to get ahold of this lens, I'm ashamed to say I haven't actually shot anything with it.

Let's see, only two things left.  On top of that Zorki 6, is a 35-135mm zoom finder.  It doesn't actually zoom through the entire range, there is some masking involved as well.  Even so, I can put one finder on the camera and cove more lenses than I actually have.  Very handy.

That leaves the Zorki 6.  In my opinion (I won't say humble), the Zorki 6 is the underated, undervalued camera of the FSU world.  The Zorki 1 and FED 1  both have the charm of looking very much like the early Leica from which they were copied.  Others in the Zorki and FED lines are less attractive than the "1" cameras, but offer this or that modern improvement while managing to miss the mark here and there.  Still others, such as the FED 5, manage to be too butt-ugly to overcome any of their dubious technical accomplishments.  The Zorki 6 though has some of the positive esthetic qualities of the FED 2 (please ignore the cheap rivited on name plate) as well as the FED 2's nice long rangefinder baseline.  On top of those good qualities, the Zorki 6 adds an actual hinged film back, a ratcheting film advance lever, and perhaps the second best viewfinder of all the FSU cameras (behind the Zorki 3). 

The only features a Zorki 6 gives up to a modern rangefinder camera are framelines for multiple focal lengths and a meter.  Both things that can be done without just fine in many cases.  One such case is in using the camera as a second body, to avoid the need to switch lenses or to provide a different type of film ready at hand. 

Last year, I took a hike with a Bessa R3A w/21mm lens, loaded with 160VC film.  The Zorki 6 came along with a 15mm lens mounted and Ektar slide film loaded.  This made for a versitile and light weight kit for a hike in the desert hills. 

Was my pursuit of this FSU kit worth the effort?  I don't know really.  I mean, I've got about $300 in to it and I'd have a tough time putting this much stuff together for less than that.  On the other hand, working without a meter and using external finders is quite a challenge...when compared to modern alternatives.  On the other, other hand, it sure can be fun to find out how much you can do with how little.

Misc.

The Mailman Brought...

Two new graphic lens boards from Canyonland Graphics.  The seller ships promptly and the boards look good.

On Its Way...

To mount on those new lensboards, I have a pinhole mount from Skink (Hey, I didn't name them), and a Fujinon 250mm f6.3 large format lens from KEH.  This is my first time buying from Skink.  I'll let you know how the customer service and the product turns out.  Shipping is from China, so it may be awhile.

I have bought from KEH in the past.  They are probably the best single source for used camera gear on the web.  You can beat their prices now and again, but not always, and their items are as described.  The have actual customer service people and a good return policy.  All in all, you can often find what you want, and you avoid the crap shoot that is ebay.

Recently...

I asked over at the Large Format Photography forum for the blog addresses of anyone who cared to share.  I figure I've been spending too much time reading political blogs (I'm a junkie) and too little time exposing myself to good work.  Sounds like I need a "Blogs I follow" post some time soon.

I'm Carrying...

The Balda Super Baldax, loaded with Illford Pan-F (50 iso, B&W film).  I need to remember to dig up my ND filters and put them in the bag.  I like being able to shoot narrow DOF in the daylight.

#1 Autographic Kodak Jr.

I actually do have a list of things I need to do, to get me along the path to my vaguely defined goals.  It's tough staying on that path at times though, and when distractions like this come along, it's darn near impossible.

I've seen cameras like this in shops and on ebay many times.  I've never really felt the urge to lay out the few bucks they go for and take a chance, but having one dropped in my lap is pretty much impossible to ignore.  This one came out of my Mother-In-Law's home.  Since it pre-dates her and her deceased husband, I can only speculate that it came from the generation before.

As you can see from the name plate, it's a #1 Autographic Kodak Jr.  Cameras of this general type were built from 1914 to 1927 (approx). As near as I can tell, this particular model was built in 1914 only.  That makes it about 95 years old! 

Condition is really very good.  Sure, the leather is a little rough around the edges, but the bellows are soft and seem light tight and the shutter and aperture are working perfectly.  That's pretty amazing for a camera that likely hasn't seen the light of day for 50 years or more.  Kodak sure built these babies well.

The camera was built to take A120 film.  What is "A"120 film you ask?  Well, that "A" ties in to the "Autographic" name.  Apparently the film had a carbon paper backing that allowed the user to write on the negative after a picture was taken.  There's a little narrow rectangular door on the back of the camera that gave access to the back of the negative.  The user would take the shot, open the door, and use a supplied stylus to make a quick note, "Aunt Sally by the Seaside," or something to that effect.  Once the note was made, you simply left the door open for a short time to allow that portion of the negative to be exposed from behind.  The note made in carbon would naturally block the light.  As a result, the note was transfered to the negative.

Very clever.  Of course, no one has made film anything like that for maybe 60 or 70 years now.  The good news is that, other than the carbon paper bit, A120 film is simply 120 film.  I've got a fridge full of that! 

So, what we have here is a nearly 100 year old shooter that takes readily available film.  The camera has one minor issue that has to be addressed.  The red window (used for viewing the numbers on the film's paper backing) has come loose.  A couple of drops of glue will put that right and I'll load her up to see what she can do.

UPDATE: See this post for pictures from this camera.

Test Shots

Ok, let's be honest.  If these shots were brilliant, I wouldn't be calling them "Test Shots."  I'd be waxing poetic (to the best of my limited abilities) over the qualities of the film and camera.  But, fact is, these are pretty much quick crap I shot to determine how this particular camera would perform.

The camera is an old Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash.  I bought a couple of these for very little money as "toy cameras."  They've been tons of fun and I'm sure I'll get some good images out of them when the opportunity presents itself.  In the mean time though, I'm limited to sitting the kid down in the front yard and shooting a roll from various distances to determine exactly how far away I have to be for a decently sharp image.

For these shots, I added the Kodak #13 close-up attachment I was lucky enough to find for a few bucks on ebay.  As always, my younger (more patient) son was glad to help.  Ok, I think he got some Wii time for his trouble...still I appreciate his efforts.

First shot from 4 feet.  This looks to be about as sharp as it gets.

 

Next shot from 5.5 feet.  You can see that we've lost a bit.

 

Of course, I could have just looked this up at the Brownie Camera page.  Heck, the .pdf of the manual says between 3 and 4.5 feet for the Hawkeye with the #13 attachment.  So, all I've really done here is burn a roll of film to verify what Kodak could have told me 50 years ago.  Of course, may way is more fun.

I have 2 of these little wonder cameras (often available on ebay for a buck or two plus shipping).  I've flipped the lens on the other one.  That gets you a little closer focus and produces a pretty interesting effect on everything no centered in the frame.  I'll shoot a test roll on that one soon...maybe even with the #13 attached. Close up and flipped.  Should be interesting.    

Not According To Plan

I don't shoot a lot of color film. I just prefer black and white. One of the reasons I prefer black and white is that I can soup that in my kitchen sink faster, better and cheaper than paying someone to do my color film.

So, the other day when I started to work on the rolls of film I shot on a business trip to California, I didn't pay a great deal of attention to what I grabbed, stuffed in the changing bag and loaded in the tank. In fact I didn't pay nearly enough attention.
Pouring the first developer bath out and seeing that bright orange color focused my attention very effectively. "Orange? It's not supposed to be orange? Oh crap!" I realized my mistake. I'd loaded the one roll of color film, out of the six rolls I'd shot, and was developing it in black and white chemicals. "Oh well," I thought, "The deed is done. Might as well keep going and see what we get."

I knew that some folks cross process film on purpose, but I could not remember anyone doing it with color film and black and white chemicals. I'm here to tell you, it works pretty darn well! The color is gone of course, mostly anyway. What I'm left with are some heavily toned negatives that seem to lose a bit in the shadows, but otherwise aren't all that bad.

So you see, not a total loss. In fact, they convert to black and white pretty well, so I can still make prints if I decide one of the images is worthy of that effort.

BTW, these were taken with a Balda Super Baldax, folding 6x6cm camera from the 1950s. You can read about that camera on my Cameras page, where it is currently the only entry.