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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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Minolta 110 Zoom SLR – The flat wonder
To try out 110 film there are only a few higher quality options, with the Minolta 110 Zoom SLR being one of them. This is very distinctive looking camera, possibly designed to resemble an original Cylon Raider! What it does show is that Minolta, in their heyday, was very progressive and not afraid to try new ideas. 110 film is not widely available in 2018, with Lomography being the only company producing this format. It is more of a niche film to try rather than something you would burn through lots of. If you like big grain and small photos, then this is for you. So we have a camera,…
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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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Combinations – Fuji GSW690iii and Kodak Ektar
Combine two classics like the Fuji GSW690III and Kodak Ektar 100 and take them out the Australian countryside. The results are sure to be good.
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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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Polaroid Spectra – Almost Instant
The Polaroid Spectra is an advanced integral instant film camera, offering wider photo dimensions and additional controls. However, I and others do hit some operational issues.
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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.
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Canon Sure Shot A1 – Summer Love
The Canon Sure Shot A1, also known as the Autoboy, is a waterproof compact camera. This is a very fun camera which I always take on holidays.
