Fabrice on Film

  I designed this little adapter for my Kodak Kodamatic 6 x 10 camera. The camera looks really cool and folds up so it's easy to carry.     As such, I don't know if all the designs are identical throughout 616 cameras. But if you want to shoot panoramic-ish medium format photos on a budget, try it out! And let me know how it went. BUY THE 120 FILM ADAPTER FOR 616 CAMERA (Tested with Kodak Kodamatic No. 2)

There are several attitudes regarding broken cameras.  Some people would believe that you have a duty to fully restore them to their original appearance, and failing to do so makes you a vandal. Some people think they become trash and should be discarded.  And lastly, some people, if the two first options are uncomfortable or impossible, will think you can repurpose their parts to make something else. Now, I personally don't have a lot of respect for people who turn old cameras into lamp shades or paper weights.  A camera is a camera, and for as long as some of its parts can function, it should be used as a camera as much as can be, imho.  I recently came across a Semi-Leotax camera with a totally broken lens (glued focusing ring, moldy lens, completely destroyed shutter with parts jangling inside of it...). And I also had a $2 Holga, which I thought was very bulky and kind of hard to carry around because of that.  I always thought one of the Holga's weak points...

 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...

I picked up this Kodamatic Nº2 at a flea market for $10, because it looked great and because the shutter fired, but little did I know what challenges it would bring. The bellows had holes in it. The front lens focused at different distances than the ones marked. And it shot 616, a long-lost format. "Challenge accepted" said a little voice inside my head... I tediously sprayed the bellows with black sealant for two months. I measured the focus and corrected the distance markings using a laser rangefinder. Oh, and I designed and 3D printed adapters to fit 120 film inside it. Turns out the hard work paid off: the photos are simply beautiful! Largest negatives I've ever shot (61x108mm).