Using Film Cameras Part 2

Choice of Camera, There are three basic types of camera, Folding with viewfinder, Rigid with viewfinder (both of these can have a built in rangefinder). Single Lens Reflex (SLR), viewing and focusing through the lens. The camera you select must relate to your expectations or disappointment will be what you experience, the best way I can advise, by example, is by giving the reasons for my own choice. If your only experience is a digital camera you will need to understand just how different using a Film camera is. And the advantages that vintage film cameras have.

For many years I used an SLR (Canon F1) with a set of three lenses in a gadget bag, very bulky and heavy after carrying it for any length of time, and incredibly, Digital SLR’s are even more bulky! There came a time when I became weary of the weight and bulk that I started to look for something smaller and lighter. In the late 1970’s when I started what was considered serious photography, I had tried one or two folding cameras including the Ensign Selfix 820 here, what struck me at the time was how compact a 6 x 9 cm folding camera was when folded and the stunning image quality that it produced, but it lacked the versatility that I craved and therefore ended up using an SLR, image quality not so good but still very good with careful choice of film and developer.

It is necessary to point out that my particular interest is in black and white film but even with colour the results can be stunning, also it is unrealistic to use filters on most folding cameras as the front of the camera cannot be closed with a filter in place and you will, in any case, have difficulty in finding them for sale. Choice of film and developer can make all the difference, two bath development can give good cloud detail and the absence of a filter is better for the shadow detail and the use of ISO50 film gives good contrast tonal range and definition when used with two bath developer that I describe Here (coming soon).

It should also be noted that it is desirable to develop the film yourself, not that difficult nor expensive, see ‘Developing the Film’ below.

Having had the use of interchangeable lenses, and I did make good use of them, my favourites being 20 mm wide angle, 35 mm semi -wideangle as standard and 100 mm for a short telephoto, eventually the realisation came to me that most of the time I could take very satisfactory photographs with a standard lens. Only occasionally was a wide angle or short telephoto desirable, before going anywhere a decision about the type of subject being taken needs to be made, for architectural type photography the 6 x 6 format is almost as good as a wide angle on 35 mm, the subject can be positioned in the upper part of the frame to reduce perspective distortion with a creative and considered approach, the foreground may be uninteresting and can therefore be cropped. For landscape 6 x 9 is unbeatable and for economy use 35mm format which will give 36 frames.

This is the basis on which my choice is made.

Developing Black and White Film, this is perhaps the most crucial stage of obtaining a good quality image, the choice of developer and process. My own choice of developer is D23, a Kodak formula that is very simple, 7.5 grams of Metol and 100 grams of sodium sulphite. Not a suitable developer for modern film on its own but in combination with a second bath of Kodalk (sodium metaborate) it becomes one of the very best developers that you can possibly use. If you get the timings and process right, will produce a wonderfully rich image quality.

More information will follow here.

To begin with the film must be put into the camera, the back opened, the empty spool should be in the chamber with the winding knob. The tape that holds the loose end of the paper backing removed and the film inserted into the other film chamber without letting the backing loosen, the loose tapered end inserted into the slot of the winding spool, the knob is then rotated until the film pulls tight, the back is then closed, the cover over the red window is opened and the film wound on, a series of dots will pass under the window to warn that the number approaches, slow down a little as you need to stop when the number ‘1’ appears, the window must then be closed to keep the light out.

You are now ready to take a photograph and you need to consider how the camera will be carried about. I use a compact bag of the type intended for digital cameras, into which the folding camera fits comfortably. In bright sunlight it is not necessary to use a light meter if you follow the sunny 16 rule (shutter speed is equal to film speed at f 16). The best shutter speed to use on vintage folding cameras is 100th of a second, I have found with my preferred development process (two bath) that ISO50 is a better choice as the development effectively increases the speed by one stop (to ISO100).

Before taking a photograph with this type of camera, everything can be preset for outdoor use, the shutter to 100th, the focus to the red dot or 20 to 40 feet (for middle distance), for bright sun light set the aperture to f 8. Using the developer that I prefer (see below) gives enough latitude and will support the shadow areas, if the sun goes in set the aperture to f 5.6 and be aware that the depth of field will be much shallower, and frequently the sharpness will softer - depending on the lens. It is desirable to adjust the development time to suit your camera and lens to get the best results.

When you find your subject, the camera preset as described above, take the camera out of its bag, press the button that opens the front, lift the popup viewfinder, set the shutter, frame your subject in the viewfinder and press the shutter release, the photograph taken close the front and the viewfinder, open the cover over the red window and wind on the film, close the cover and you are ready for the next photograph. It would be good practice to always wind on after taking a photograph even if there is an interlock as the camera is then ready for use.

For any lighting conditions that vary from those above, dark cloudy, evening, indoors, use a light meter to measure the light level, also a tripod and a cable release to avoid camera shake.

Using Vintage Cameras

With Black and White Film, Part 2.