Vintage film cameras

[johnnyrod]

The folders are pretty low spec Kenzie, depends what you want. The Nettar was always a budget camera and this one has an f6.3 Novar lens and Telma shutter, all quite bargain basement.

Read somewhere about Kowa SLRs a while back, not sure if this one has a fixed lens or interchangeable, but they are said to be well-made and nice to use. I'm not buying anything for a while though! Probably...

[Kenzie]

Maybe I'll give them a miss then. Got my Hawkeye flash today. Turns out the Starlet is a 127 camera rather than a 620 which is a pity. Hawkeye is in great shape, just needs a clean. Outbid on the joblot with the AE1.

Sent from my Xperia T

[johnnyrod]

Yoko not sure if you're still looking for anything like this. Says £50 but also says make me an offer
http://www.gumtree.com/p/non-digital...ses/1189049018

Apart from Poundland, where are you guys getting film from?

[Kenzie]

Kowa sold for £9.99 plus post. Filmwise, I usually by Kodak EKtar from 7dayshop and if I fancy B&W then I normally pick up a roll of HP5 from Boots. Got some expired Kodacolour 400, Konica VR100. also had some expired HP5, Fuji Superia 120 and a roll of 110 Konica SR-V 200.

[yokohama]

Good price on that OM1 Johnny but it's a bit far so I'll stick with the OM2 I think. Also, unless it's very local, that's my buying done for a while as I'm off to Chengdu at the end of next week.
Film .. B&W I've been using WYcameras. I'd like to support the local camera shop but they want £7.99 for XP2x36 so it might have to be online for that. I haven't experimented much with colour yet but will. Always used to like Fuji Superia 400.
I forgot about the Kowa and went out for the afternoon.

[yokohama]

Kenzie, what did you decide to do about film for the states? I've been searching about it and consensus seems to be that anything below 800ASA is OK in hand baggage and should tolerate 5 scans or so. But it seems logical to assume that higher ASA films would take fewer scans before they start to fog.
I'll have at least 2 X-ray scans either way so to take film to China and bring it back for processing doesn't seem the best idea. Unsure whether to risk taking a couple of poundlands but don't want to process them only to find they've fogged.

[Kenzie]

The Kowa will be heading East, so I'll let you know what it's like. The Hawkeye is a French model which I didn't realise. So I now have the Hawkeye from Gremlins, the Brownie from Memphis Belle and I have another but can't think of it right now.

[yokohama]

Hahaha. So you bought the Kowa? I hope it's a good 'un.

[Kenzie]

Yeah, thought it worth a look. Johnny's fault again!

[johnnyrod]

Hahhaaaa, well hopefully it's as nice as they say. Is it interchangeable or fixed lens?

I was reading about film on planes the other day, the answers were very mixed. Some people successfully asked for a hand check, but you can forget than in the US. Some said it's no trouble, and the hand luggage scanner is much weaker than the hold (checked) baggage scanner so only put in hand luggage. Not so many stories of fogging these days it would seem, but I think I'd look to buy film out there most likely, or maybe wrap it in something, in which case they'll want to get it out and have a look at it. Maybe a tin box, something like that - X-rays penetrate less through higher atomic number metals so iron trumps aluminium.

The Poundland Agfa seems pretty good, the few times I've used Fuji Superia it was in SLRs with rather better lenses than my old rangefinders, so hard to tell the difference in quality of the film, but I don't think there is a great deal in it, other than you can choose the speed, will likely give it a go again sometime. I was thinking about low light so 400-800ISO film. I've only used Ilford HP5 in B&W in 120 at 125ISO, which is really great but a little restrictive.

Contessa has cleared customs so should be here soon! Be nice if it works, though I have only one Zeiss camera that worked out of the box. I'll have to shift the Certo off the kitchen table first...