My 8 Golden Rules for Cameras

After photographing for over 25 years, I realized the ideal camera(s) for me has to have the following:

-Very small in size / light
-WYSIWIG viewfinder if possible
-Manual focusing capable
-Cell / under or overexposure indicator
-Freedom to shoot - aka not having to worry too much about reaching the end of the roll too fast
-Give me an "analog photography" feel - aka the results need to feel like film
-Double Exposure capable
-Interchangeable lenses

These are my 8 Golden Rules for me to fall in love with a tool and incorporate it in my workflow.

Therefore, my favorite cameras to own and use are the following:

110:
-Pentax Auto 110 - 6 out of 8 Golden Rules, one extra point for being a SLR that fits in a jacket pocket and giving out outstanding results

35 half-frame:
-Olympus Pen F (with two lenses) - 8 Golden Rules attained! - extra point for the freedom brought by half-frame (72 exposures...)

35mm:
-Minolta X-300 - 8 Golden Rules attained!

Medium Format:
I'm still struggling with this one, and I'm not always sure whether or not it makes sense for me to shoot it given my Golden Rules, but here goes:

-Bronica ETRS - 6 out of 8 rules
-Semi Leotax 6x4.5 - 5 out of 8 rules
-Zeiss Ikon 120 - same
-FujiGA 645Zi - same
-Holga 120 - same

I also shoot experimental short films. If anyone reading this also does, for whoever might find it interesting:
I use mostly:
-a Canon 310 XL for Super-8mm
-a Pathé Webo for 16mm
-a Kinamo for 35mm.

All three of these cameras, I believe, are the highest ranking in my "Golden Rules" for each format. There are more bulky ones - with more functionalities - of course.

Comments

Replacing the leather on a Kodak No1A Series III Autographic camera

When I obtained the old Kodak camera, built around 1920-30, in 2020, roughly a hundred years later give or take, it wasn't in great shape. (I'm saying "obtained" because I didn't buy it knowingly, I bought a camera lot and it happened to come with it). The leather cover was very worn, and the outside as well as the inside of the camera was really dirty and grimy. I had no idea how to proceed, but I knew it was possible, so the thought that I could try and replace the leather covers of the camera to give it a new look, a new life, and possibly feel rewarded by the experience started to appear at the back of my head. I had bought replacement leather covers for my cameras before, from a store that sells precut leather stickers, but I had never been able to remove the old leathers (the timer screw on the Pentax ME super just won't come off), and I felt pretty stressed out thinking I might destroy one of my favorite SLRs. But here, the camera had no emotional or f...

Shooting with a Vermeer Curved Plane Pinhole Camera

One of the things I enjoy about shooting film is using cameras that were designed before the digital era, built out of nice materials, and meant to be nice to look at, simple to use, and durable. So when I found out about Vermeer cameras, I immediately wanted to try one out. Cezary Bartczak makes them by hand in Poland, out of wood, metal, copper, and each piece is numbered. The cameras, which come in blue or brown, are absolutely beautiful, and would look great in anyone's collection even as an object to display. The Vermeer Curved Plane Medium Format Camera The pinhole lens The beautiful, metallic knobs on top of the Vermeer Curved Plane Camera The numbered plate at the back, hiding the photo numbers window. And while many people out there think film cameras are not being manufactured anymore, the Vermeer cameras offer a good counterargument. Rather than giving money to camera manufacturers such as Canon or Sony, which perpetuate a business model based on...

The medium format camera Zenobia in its Gold Edition

Browsing the eBay listings, I came upon a medium format foldable camera for which I saw great potential... for being upgraded. Indeed, it seems that every single Medium Format camera of the brand "Zenobia" that I came across have all more or less suffered a similar fate: the leather coverings are chipping and falling off (a similar fate is found on Semi Leotax models and maybe some others). But what a fantastic opportunity to replace the dying material with brand new clothes! Zenobia before Restoration pt 1 After cleaning the camera, the idea crossed my mind to simply use it as such... but I quickly discarded the idea, as the camera's body was very sharp and very cold... Something strange was discovered when peeling off the old "skin": the makers had used a piece of Japanese newspaper between the leather and the metal of the camera's back. Or maybe this was a way for people during the war to exchange super secret messages? But since the camera was bui...

Fabrice on Film

Search This Blog