Film photography

It used to be such an important thing for me to take film photos. Such a comfort to use something that was part of my past, something so unpredictable and also so “real”. At some point, this interest started to slowly fade for me, never completely, but the time that it took to finish a roll of film was longer and longer. I was thinking these days that it will come a time when I won’t be able to process my films any longer and that this is not so far in the future. I really want to use this sunset time, to shoot more film, while I still can. Here are some photos from the last two years, some of them taken with my Welta Weltix and some with Diana Mini.

During the first lockdowns, in 2020, when the city seemed such a distant place, full of regret and longing, one of the many things that I was worried about was that the place where I process my films will never reopen.

Panoramic camera

I have used again these past months my very cheap plastic panoramic camera. These photos are from January to March, shot on a very, very expired Kodak 400 film (a flea market find from a couple of years ago, when I bought several expired rolls, but I did’t use all of them because I don’t like the blue hue these films had). But somehow, in this camera and in this winter months, I really like the blue color of this photos. It was mostly fog when I shot these images, and the old film has the right atmosphere. I liked spending a slow evening scanning these winter images, now when spring is almost here. 

Olympus IS2000

I received this nineties macro camera as a gift in October. I immediately put a film in it (a fresh Fuji 200), but I shot the last frame only a few days ago. So these photos were taken in the last 3 months. I expected sharper results from this quality camera (I think it used to be  expensive, at least my uncle, who gave it to me, remembers that he splurged on it). I’m not sure how often I’ll use this camera, as it is quite heavy to carry around, but definitely I’ll give it one more try, maybe in summer when the light is better.

 

Optior x3

Optior is the first Romanian camera produced by I.O.R. (Romanian Optical Factory), in the mid fifties. It is a very simple metal camera that takes 120 film and I really like the results it produces. In time we have found 3 of them, so now each of us has one.

We should really use them more, now that days with more light will be here soon. Here are some of my favorite results from bright winter days some years ago.

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays and Vintage Charm parties.

From the train window

It was so good and needed for me to take a long train trip. Just watching out the window and reading my book. From time to time, the train would be very slow, letting us see every detail of the trees and of the rays of light on the forest floor. Far away foggy hills. The Danube. And above all these the strange, ethereal sound of the rails, so long and high-pitched and melodic.

I took these photos with my Olympus Mju 1 camera and a very expired Kodak 200 film.

Smena Symbol

I really like Smena cameras, they are small and relatively reliable, kind of quirky, too. I have a few different ones, from different periods and I kept thinking that I should take a group photo of them all at some point. Till then, this is a Smena Symbol that our friend Oana gifted me. It was produced from 1970-1993, but I think this one is from the eighties. It’s practically like new, I don’t think it was ever used.

Most of the images are taken on my way to school, in the morning. I was hoping the long exposures would be sharper, but even if I did put the camera on the bridge railing, still it was difficult to keep it steady when I’ve pushed down the exposure lever. But blurry as they are, I think they are kind of realistic for my sleepy morning walks.

 

Home

I have finally finished and processed a film from my pinhole camera (an eighties plastic point and shoot  that we transformed into a pinhole camera). These are some of our rooms, this winter and beginning of spring, in different moments of the day, taken in long exposures (between 20 and 50 minutes).

Pajtás and Utitárs cameras

I have wanted a Pajtás camera for years, but never found one cheap enough. Two or three years ago I finally found a reasonably priced one (I think I payed around 8 Euros for it). A few months later, I found the Utitárs too, even for cheaper and this one still has its case. These are Hungarian cameras produced between 1955 and 1962. Pajtás means “companion” and to me this Hungarian word is so related to my childhood and to socialist stories and cartoons I would watch on Hungarian television. Utitárs means “travel companion”. They are very simple, bakelite box cameras, with integrated direct eye-level view finders and with only one shutter speed: 1/30 marked M, plus bulb (marked T). They both have 3 apertures: f8, f11 and f16. So, everything is very limited with these cameras, you simply need to have the right amount of light, not too dim, not too bright. They take 120 film.
I first used the Pajtás and I had beautiful results. The Utitárs wasn’t so great, but I used a very expired film. But, besides the film, I think that unfortunately the plastic lens is too scratched. So, I think I will use the Pajtás more in sunny and cloudy spring afternoons.
Pajtás photos:

Utitárs photos:

Linking up with Vintage Bliss Tuesdays and Vintage Charm parties.

 

Druh Synchro camera

This was one of the first cameras I bought with the intention of collecting cameras (I already had a Zenit E camera, some point and shoots and of course my digital camera, but these were bought/received for practical reasons). I really wanted a medium format camera and the price was right for this one. It is a Polish camera made between 1956-1960, with some very basic settings. The lens can be screwed back in the body and the camera is quite light, easy to carry around. I don’t have many examples of images taken with it, as I don’t use it often and also the camera is not very reliable. But on these autumn images, the light leaks are nice, in my opinion.

Druh means friend in Polish. I also have two Hungarian cameras from the same period whose names mean friend and companion. I will also post those soon.

Panoramic and four lens camera

At some point, I have remembered that in the late nineties someone borrowed me a panoramic point and shoot camera and that I was completely fascinated with the results. I remember wanting to use it for a few more rolls of film, but its owner needed it and I had to return it. After remembering this, I have started looking for such a simple, plastic camera at the flea market. I have found this red one new in the box and I also have a black one. In the right light the results are beautiful, I think I should use it more often.

The four lens plastic camera was also a very cheap find. I’m not that thrilled with the results, I only have a few shots that I find acceptable. But, maybe I should try it again with some more dynamic subjects.