Old Cameras, why bother?

I am not, personally, interested in fuelling industries that have a need to keep producing new stuff that isn’t substantially or objectively better than what has already been manufactured.

Manufacturers need to keep “improving” cameras so that people will get FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and go and buy the new one while the old one gets cast aside like an unwanted child's toy. But caveat emptor, those “improvements” may not be of any use to the photographer.

The X-Files

A bit like Mulder in the X-Files, photographers “want to believe”.  Marketing will sell “improvements” as the silver bullet to why you don’t take world class photographs.  If you buy into the marketing hype and your pictures aren’t great, you can blame the choice that you made in the camera shop.  Oh damn, I bought a Nikon when I should have bought a Canon!  Why didn't I pack whatever lens you left at home?

The range of cameras and lenses in any camera shop is amazing, but we all want to believe the marketing. We want to believe that there is a technical reason why our brand new camera or lens doesn’t make us Ansel Adams.  

Ansel Adams, or any other photographer of note, put the hours in, generally using the same camera for years and years, honing their craft, learning how photography works from a practical point of view, eventually making a catalogue of worthy work from many thousands of rolls of film or memory cards.

Back to the narrative...

A camera should take a picture. If it does that, well we are onto a winner, aren't we?

The way the picture is captured may matter to some. 

I might need a camera to capture family moments without a lot of fuss and bother or making my family pose while I muck about with settings only to be disappointed and frustrated at the results. A decent quality P&S that does all the heavy lifting, so those family memories can be captured quickly and easily and largely without anyone knowing, should fit the bill.

Equally, I may need a camera to capture the family portraits using a shallow depth of field, pin sharp focus and bang on metering. Enter the SLR or DSLR.  No P&S will achieve this and it is nonsense to expect it to.  The SLR/DSLR with a number of lenses will be the best bet. But do I need a brand new one? No I don’t. Most SLRs will work just fine and the DSLRs with a 20Mp, or larger, sensor will produce 8x10 prints of a great quality.

Where DSLRs are concerned, we have full frame sensors that were supposed to be better than APS-C, but the hype rarely met the expectation and certainly did not improve anyone’s photography.

Then we have Mirrorless cameras, that removed the mirror from a DSLR and made everything smaller and lighter, but better?  Obviously more portable and the lenses were smaller and lighter too.  But those Micro Four Thirds sensors weren’t full frame and therefore not very good?  Well the MFT sensor was perfectly good and is capable of really decent results. I'd challenge anyone to take an 8x10 print of the same subject taken on a MFT and  FF DSLR and tell the difference at normal viewing distance.

Medium format cameras are lovely but no one makes one new now so you have to go second-hand.

Large format cameras are still made but these are niche, and there are plenty of second-hand options here too.

Today cameras, of all types, are plentiful on the second-hand market, so naturally if considering a new camera purchase, that is where I’d tend to look first. New to me doesn't mean new in the box.

Why use old cameras? Well why not? They exist and in many cases have had very little use and so represent great value for money.

Obviously you need to beware of hype as some old cameras have achieved cult status and their second-hand prices have sky rocketed.

But old cameras are perfectly serviceable, if they work for the photographer and produce results where the expectation, unhindered by hype, meets reality then isn't that all that matters.  Some old cameras were underrated when new and damned by the reviewers with feint praise. In the cold light of a second-hand purchase, reappraisal will often be kinder.

Buy an old camera, be kinder to the planet and just enjoy the photography!

N.B. If you want to buy a brand new camera and can afford to do so, don't let anything I say deter you. But please list your old kit with a sensible, not hyped, price and keep the second-hand market buoyant.

Single Holga Photo - 5

This Holga Photo was taken in Brittany France on one of my forays over there.  I like the photograph because it exudes calm. It was a bit of a misty day and the day was starting slowly. I remember that we, the lady wife and I, went for a drive.  We ended up stopping at this destination, I've not recorded where though, for a cup of coffee and I loaded the Holga and took some snaps.  This one was the best of the roll, in my opinion.

Two yachts at rest

Single Holga Photo - 4

Holga Photo number four is a colour photograph taken near my home in Somerset. 

A Holga will struggle to focus down as closely as was required for this image. I carry a magnifying glass in my bag. You can focus the magnifying glass by looking through it and when you are happy, keep the magnifying glass still, and move the Holga so that the lens touches the magnifying glass.  An that way you have a close up adapter for the Holga. Framing can b a bit hit and miss, but in this case a hit.

This was taken in Autumn and the leaf had fallen and lodged in the cleft between two branches.

Single Holga Photo - 3

This Holga photo was taken in Swansea Marina on a cold, early spring day. I was experimenting with using the bulb setting on the Holga.  This frame was the one from the roll that stood out, most of the rest were a blurry mess. This one is still blurry but is at least recognisable for what it is. I like this shot because the rope holes and opening on the bow form a kind of surprised face.

Single Holga Photo - 2

Taken on the Holga in Bathurst Basin, a triangular dock area to the east of Spike Island. You can see the general Hospital building to the right.

I love the dappled light under the trees. I think the Holga has handled the scene well.

This is an area of Bristol that I know well and I still enjoy visiting, especially with a Holga.

Walking along the dock at Bathurst Basin

Single Holga Photo - 1

One of the things that I love about the Holga camera is it's ability to surprise you. This photo has such a painterly feel to it. I remember when I took it not feeling very hopeful about the frame. However with the Holga camera you need to keep shooting, even if you are not feeling great about the roll.

When I processed the film and looked at the negatives this one jumped out.

The photograph was taken in Pill, near Bristol.  The name "Pill" comes from the Welsh word Pîl which denotes a tidal inlet or harbour. My maternal Grandparents lived in Pill until the 1980s, when they moved to South Gloucestershire.

My Mums cousin operated the Pill Ferry from Pill to Shirehampton when I was a kid. His name was Robert. These boats reminded me of those days.

Pill Ferry

Two boats resting until they are needed again.

Redscale Harman Phoenix 200

For this blog post I have converted a roll of Harman Phoenix 200 to redscale. Harman technology sell their own version of this as Harman Red 125. Given that this film is officially available as a redscale film, the only other one on the market is Lomography Redscale XR, I was excited to se what this emulsion could do in the redscale space.

Harman Phoenix is supplied in a red box and isn't a general colour film in the same vein as Kodak Gold, for example. Harman have described Phoenix as the initial steps on their colour journey and Harman are inviting photographers to get involved in that journey. Phoenix is a limited run film.

Harman own the Ilford brand and manufacture some really excellent black and white emulsions in HP5 Plus and FP4 Plus.  They are not known for colour film.  To create a colour film from scratch is a costly business and without the might of a corporation like Kodak behind them, then the research and development of a new emulsion might prove too expensive to even try.  Harman came up with a strategy that they have been completely upfront about.

1. Create a colour film, that may not be perfect but the sale of which will fund the next stage of R&D.
2. Invite photographers to use the imperfect film and provide feedback
3. Use the feedback to improve the chemistry and go to step 1

Harman have since created Phoenix II, which is a refinement of Phoenix  but still not perfect as a general colour film. But photographers are being involved in the development and really enjoying the experience.

Given that Phoenix was a limited run, it has started to run out, but Phoenix II is now available.  Phoenix is also staring to expire at retailers and so there are deals to be had on expired rolls of this emulsion.

My roll of Phoenix was gifted to me by my good friend Dave Whenham. Dave has an excellent blog here --> Dave Whenham Photography.

Dave also, very kindly processed the film for me too. So thank you Dave for your help.  Thats why I see this roll of Redscale as more of a collaboration.

The results from Phoenix redscale are excellent and so I will definitely repeat the experiment.  By the way, I also have a roll of Phoenix II that I may convert to redscale.