| Author | Message | ||
     Spiderman |
Anyone here into vintage photography? I am not talking about collecting old cameras I am talking about using them... I just got a Brownie Hawkeye that I can get film for but the developing I have found is WAAAAAY expensive.... Any tips, tricks or places you get your vintage style film developed. The film i will be using is 620 roll I found out I can re-spool 120 film onto 620 spools which I may try. I have also seen 620 to 35mm conversions, any experience with those? | ||
| Xl1200r |
Spidey - My dad has an old 620 camera and a few rolls of respooled film. I don't think he's used it yet, though. He went on ebay and bought himself every camera he had ever owned, and that was part of the mix. I have an old Yashica-MAT that's in great shape, and a camera shop took a look and said the shutter speeds are all spot on - only thing that doesn't work in the light meter. Again, I haven't used it yet mainly because I can't seem to find anyone who stocks the film locally, and I'm just too lazy to search online and buy something which I have no idea what it is. BTW - I think you can buy that respooled 620 on ebay if you don't have your own darkroom. | ||
| Spiderman |
I found a store that sells 620 film on 620 spools, I was going to collect some spools then try the 120 re-spool. The big thing is getting it developed under $35 a roll  | ||
| Ourdee |
Spider', It isn't that hard to set up and run a darkroom. You can do the film in a darkbag. Once the film is off the spool and in the canister you don't need a darkroom to process it. One of my stepfathers was a pro. photog. I wasn't real good at it like him, but I had the basics down. I haven't did any film myself for 32 years. | ||
| Xl1200r |
I wonder if the development costs are that high for regular 120... | ||
| Swordsman |
Dude, just make your own darkroom. It's not that hard... in college, we just used a well-sealed closet. I was under the impression that the chemicals weren't that expensive. ~SM | ||
| Spiderman |
I was thinkin about it but the only available room I would have is going to be my indoor growing room for my garden... I did find a place that develops for reasonable prices! Dwayne's Photo in Kansas! Wat to go KS | ||
| Oldbiker |
Spidey......thanks for the link to Dwayne's Photo.....it just may get me off my duff to drag out my mamiya 645. Steve | ||
| Slaughter |
Roll your own! Darkroom - use gaffer's tape to tape yourself into the bathroom. I use Jobo roller-processors for standard size film (ebay CHEAP now) There are HUGE resources for film developing in the home. I even slit 35mm film down to 6mm width to use in my collection of vintage Minox ("Spy" cameras) You can also process your own film one roll at a time with a single-roll tank. High resolution film scanners are getting very inexpensive. You can go direct from film to print using a film scanner. Film is way cool. We even have a couple photo-chemical specialty shops that sell the raw chemicals to mix your own "soup" Fun stuff! | ||
| Slaughter |
Pic was taken with a 65 year old Minox 3 "spy camera." Image was scanned directly from the negative. Film was Kodak Technical Pan - hand-slit and re-rolled onto the tiny cassette in the darkroom (bathroom). Developed with Rodinal developer cut with Sodium Sulfite to soften the harshness/contrast of the Technical Pan. Amazing resolution when you realize that the image was SCANNED from a negative that is 8x11mm (image frame is actually more like 6x10mm) - something like 1/4 inch x 3/8 inch. Good film can catch a LOT of detail  (Message edited by slaughter on June 02, 2009) | ||
| Hughlysses |
Wow- cool! B-24? | ||
| Spiderman |
Well first I would like to make sure the camera works  I was thinkin about getting a 'Dark Box' and rolling 120 film onto 620 spools. From the reading I have been doing it is pretty easy and 120 film is under 2 bucks a roll  | ||
| Spiderman |
OH yeah, what scanner would you recommend for 120/620 film? | ||
| Slaughter |
That image above is a PB4Y2. Think B24 with single tail. That is one of the last images taken before they pulled the wings off of it with the loss of all aboard - it's an aerial fire fighter (or was) - and I live right by the Fox (Lancaster, CA) fire/tanker base. Pic of the same aircraft is from an accident investigation site:  Accident description (LINK) I'd have to recommend NOT using the scanner I use... I bought mine when high resolution film scanners were coming out and what I paid $3500 for you can now get for $300. I have an RFS3600 for 35mm and a Sprintscan 120 for medium format. I have as much in both those scanners as I do in my XB... but that was then, this is now.... Pro-consumer level scanners are still going upwards of $2000 and drum type are MUCH more... ...but... Here's a Canon film scanner I just looked at on Samy's Camera: http://www.samys.com/product_detail.php?item=11217 It will even do 120 film - so you might be good to go. It'll do high resolution (4800 x 9600 dpi) TRUST me on medium format color - that is HUGE... I wouldn't hesitate to buy anything from Samys - besides the director of sales in their Pro department is a Buell and Ducati racer: Jim Chaconas. (Message edited by slaughter on June 02, 2009) | ||
| Hughlysses |
That image above is a PB4Y2. Think B24 with single tail. That's a new one on me. Wow- "...left wing separated from the airplane..." is never a good thing to read. | ||
| Spiderman |
Wow there is a whole little subculture of these cameras Lots of reading and great info. I ordered some film for it for a test run. Then I will start spooling my own film and eventually start developing and scanning my own. Amazing how a free old camera can turn into a lot of money spent HA | ||
| Hexangler |
Some of the Brownie 2 series came in 120 film type. You can still find them rummaging around for under $30. You've got to open them up to see if they say 120 film required. They are mostly Canadian or European versions, because Kodak created the 620 film type to monopolize the American market. I've got a couple of them. They take old time pictures due to the fact that they only have one glass meniscus lens. http://www.brownie-camera.com/53.shtml  | ||
| Hexangler |
ps. There's a cool PDF on the Brownie 2 after this link: http://www.brownie-camera.com/manuals/no2andno2ab/ index.shtml | ||
| Spiderman |
you are a few posts to late there Hexy | ||
| Spiderman |
A good read for anyone who does medium format film, like a Holga or the old Brownie. The book focuses more on the 'toy cameras' but a lot seems to translate to the Box cams! http://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Cameras-Creativity-Michelle-Bates/dp/0240808401/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244116319&sr=8-3  | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Did somebody say "Old Cameras" I have a few. Never use them though: it is environmentally unsound. Too much work as well.   | ||
| Bbbob |
Wow, that scanner would make printing much easier & not take up much space (space is my problem) Developing I can do in the closet. Maybe time to take out my Rollei TLR's & start shooting again. Are there any reasonably priced scanners that would also scan 4x5 negs? Then the dust can come off the field camera. | ||
| Hexangler |
Is that Budweiser can in the second photo a 4x5 pin-hole camera??? If it is, I have the Pepsi version!!! | ||
| Hexangler |
Spidy, I also own that book! | ||
| Spiderman |
it's a great read. I read it in Borders last night and found it on Google Books this morning I'm thinkin about getting one of these too...  | ||
| Xl1200r |
Scanners - geez... I never thought of that. I take it you just scan in the negatives and inverse the colors? | ||
| Hexangler |
I don't own a DSLR, but I shoot them professionally (my bosses rigs). Lately, I've been doing digital stereo photography with digital point and shoot cameras. Mostly, I shoot film in B&W. With a dark bag, and a small stainless tank, one roll of 120 at a time. From there, you can scan the neg into the computer (I do this sometimes just to preview the images), or better yet, go out to your darkroom and make prints! You cannot beat fiber B&W prints with any digital media. I've got a Holga as well, and a Diana, but the Brownie 2 is still my favorite crappy camera! | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
 Hex, the Budweiser Cam is a 35mm with built in flash. Not a pinhole. iPhone photo above shows it open. | ||
| Hexangler |
What the crappy camera practice teaches you is that it's really not the camera, but the image and print that are photography. It is easy for us gearheads to fall into the trap of collecting equipment, but never practicing the art. I grapple with this fact constantly in the search for art in my life. Here is a photo I took with the Brownie 2F. It is of our families boathouse on a lake in Northern Ontario Canada. To me it is the only photo that I have taken of this place that really reminds me of that place. This is a scan of one of the prints.  I also photoed MotoGP at Leguna Seca a couple years back with the Brownie. When I get home, I'll post a couple of those as well. | ||
| Hexangler |
I can't wait to get my new iPhone! I tried an LG env, but found it very dumb, so I returned it. There is a software glitch in the LG that doesn't allow the user to crop images in the phone before sending them. I know the new iPhone will be great! |
