Saturday, May 17, 2014

Wider

No, not wide angle, just wide.
Wider.
Than the 6x6 I've been shooting.
The Miniature Speed Graphic camera shoots 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 sheet film, but I got an adapter so that it can shoot 120 film in a 6x9 format:


















The Adapt a Roll thingy was made for 620 film, a Kodak proprietary thing, but it can also shoot 120 film as long as you're careful.
More on this later.
I took the camera to school so that the kids could try and have a go:

























Three shots I gave them.
I got three blank frames.
Nope, no Auto setting on this puppy!
The aperture works fine and the shutter sounds okay:

















I haven't had time to go out with it so I shot mostly around work.
The camera is deceptively simple.
I say deceptively for if you don't know what you're doing well, you don't know what you're doing.
If you know what I mean.


















The light leaks there are because I took the film out in daylight.
The 620 spool is slightly smaller in diameter than the 120 spool so the top most exposures on the spool are well, exposed on the top and bottom.
I sort of forgot about that.
I since have changed out the film using a change bag, one of those things you use to do things in the dark.
















That's part of my cell block there.
I'm off to the left.
I shot the camera tripod mounted though I suppose you could use it without.
It weighs about the same as my DSLR, though it's a lot larger and bulkier and I would need to check the adjustment on the rangefinder.
I'll do a more complete review on this thing later.

















It fun to use!
Just like in the olden days, you have to take your time and compose and set everything up before taking your shot.
As long as you know the basic camera functions and the Sunny 16 rule you are good to go.
I'm thinking about using this camera as a final exam for the advanced class, you know, to make sure they know what they're doing.
I also have a folding camera that shoots in the same wide format.
I've had trouble composing with that camera; my shots are crooked and uncentered mainly because it has only a rudimentary viewfinder.
I was wanting a more reliable camera to shoot this 6x9 wide format but I'm not sure this camera is it, mainly because of the portability.
Which I will test hopefully later today.
Stay tuned.

2 comments:

John Romeo Alpha said...

Sigma 15mm f2.8 diagonal fisheye lens? Whoa!!!

limom said...

It's only an okay lens on a crop sensor as it works out to like 23mm or so. Close focus is great though.
I think it's works better on full frame, but I don't have a camera to test.