Medium Format Foray
I am a little sick today but I was feeling worse yesterday so perhaps I am getting better. It is the usual sore throat and icky overall feeling that makes you know tomorrow you are not going to want to get out of bed. I am not too concerned however, because it is the weekend now and it is pouring rain outside so I do not plan on taking photos unless things let up.
The wonderful folks at foliagenetwork.com say the leaves are not yet at their peak in my area, although they are very close. I agree with them that the trees are confused by these conflicting periods of very cold/warm weather we have been having. Some places the leaves are vibrant or falling off while 10 feet away they are still green as your neighbor’s lawn.
I am hoping the peak of color holds off until next weekend, although when they go, it is like lighting a string of Black Cats, they will not stop for you, you must stop for them. Besides the weather, I want the leaves to hold off because I have a lovely, delicious Seagull GC-105 medium format TLR camera coming my way via UPS!
I have always been fascinated by TLR (Twin Lens Reflex) cameras ever since I first saw one at one of my Uncles’ weddings when I was just a wee lad. When I started really getting into photography I went straight to digital because I am a geek like that, and that was the camera I had at my disposal. Of course I had used 35mm when I was younger, and even developed my own black and white film in Graphic Arts class in high school, but I had never shot 35mm film with an artistic eye. Because of all this, I never really thought about using any film camera, much less a medium format camera.
That all changed fairly recently. One day while perusing the local Goodwill out of sheer boredom I came across a cool looking old 35mm camera. I bought it for $7, took it home and looked up the instructions for it online. I came across Ken Rockwell’s website and found out what I had was a Nikon L35AF with an amazing 5-element lens! After shooting 1 roll with it at Mount Katahdin my interest in film was renewed. Now Doody and I love to go hunting for cheap vintage cameras at thrift stores and (if we ever find any) flea markets.
Despite my rekindled fondness of film, I had assumed it was prohibitively expensive to get into medium format photography, and hence never bothered to check. Do you see why ignorance is bad, children?
Thanks to Doody purchasing a Seagull TLR (Seagull is THE oldest camera company in China, so they know a thing or two) down in Portland, my interest in both TLR cameras and medium format photography was renewed. A little research online showed me 120 size film is not nearly as expensive as I thought it would be, and as you will see below, great cameras can be had on the cheap as well.
The camera that revolutionized the TLR market in the early 1900s and is the model all others have since copied was the Rolleiflex by Rollei. Rollei still makes cameras today and you can pick up a Rolleicord TLR for about $3500 (OUCH!), OR you can get a vintage Rolleicord, Rolleiflex (the amateur line of Rollei TLRs), or Yashica Mat off ebay for about $100 (+/- $50) depending on condition. A 50-70 year old Rollei or Yashica will take better photos than any modern 35mm camera if the lenses are in good shape. These cameras cost the same to repair as they do to just buy a working one, so only but a used camera if the seller guarantees the shutter works and the shutter speeds are correct, and that the camera as a whole is in good working order (never by “as is” or “seems to work”). Another major point: make sure the lenses have no scratches, are not fogged, and have no lens fungus.
Sorry, I suppose all that is for another post, but what I am getting at is that I went camera hunting! Now I should mention that there are many other types of medium format cameras besides the TLR type, but they hold a special place in my heart with their two lenses and top-down viewfinder, so that is what I wanted. After watching a couple dozen auctions (you have to be diligent to get one for $75-100 instead of $150-200) I found a Seagull TLR, supposedly used only a couple of times, in absolute perfect condition! I ended up picking it up for $96, and it is en route as I write this. I will definitely post later with high resolution photos and updates on my adventures in medium format negative and slide film.
So, beside the fact that I am a sucker for old cameras, why would I shoot medium format film? For one, medium format cameras just look cool. They have that vintage look and feel about them, are very interesting with their top-down viewfinder and, in the case of TLRs, two lenses. The biggest point, however, is that any decent-condition medium format camera can run circles around any digital SLR in terms of image quality. The reason for this is the size of the film. Only cameras approaching 10 megapixels or more can rival 35mm quality, so imagine how much quality you gain when using film 4 the size of 35mm!
Another great thing is that if I want a new digital SLR it will set me back $700+ (the Canon Digital Rebel XTi I want is about $700 with lens at a good priced store) while my Seagull is 1/7th that price! On the other hand, buying and developing large quantities of film is quite expensive if you are not being paid to do it, so I do still need that Rebel at some point in the future. There is nothing wrong with digital, but TLRs are just another fascinating facet of photography to explore.
Ok, time to head home and relax. I am still not 100%. Expect updates very soon!
PS: This post was purposefully contraction-free for no particular reason.
