What is “Test Roll”? Photo geezers from way back, Martin and Lars try out different film cameras from yesterday, seeing IF they work, HOW they work and SHOULD they work?
If you lived nearby we’d meet up with you for a tasty beverage and blather about cameras. Since that isn’t practicable, “Test Roll” is the next best thing. Whether you’re new to analog photography or have lots of experience, come along for the ride. BYOB.
TRUTH DISCLAIMER: There might even be some truth in what we say. Maybe…
Did you happen to measure how far it lifts the camera? one of my tripods has a crank to lift the center column. I could duplicate the distance if I knew what it was.
where did you find the tiny brass screws to replace the drilled out rivets? I drilled out the rivets but the holes are only 1/16 wide and I can't find any screws or bolts that narrow.
Wow! Somebody that knows not only what the camera is but how to use it. Great I'm rather tired of seeing people that have never used one let along know anything about film photography. Keep up the good work guys. I've been shooting for 60+ years, don't forget Busch Precision Cameras ("the American Linhof")
Ahhh, beautiful! The use of the level bubble is critical for the parameter, I’d say. Thank you for this, gentlemen. And may I say, your photos are beautiful. Here’s a question: Have you done any Infrared with the C33? Also, what about exposure compensation as you extend the bellows? The close-ups achieved with bellows are exceptional. This feature raises the camera head and shoulders above the Rolleiflex, in my humble opinion.
I really enjoyed your channel. I love the inside you gentlemen bring to us all. I also enjoy those old wonderful cameras of a bye gone age.Also, the film that is now available. Although, sometimes it is trial and error, we just can't always tell with film that is now out there. Thank you both so, much. God Bless all. Roger
mum had this exact camera, the srt 101. One of my earliest memories is pressing all the buttons on it and opening and closing the back. it survived all of that so well that when I started really getting into photography it was the first camera I took around everywhere, school and everywhere else. I learnt how to create photos with this camera- the exposure meter was crucial when i still in the stage of basically not having enough gumption to figure out exposure myself. It taught me this and also that you need very little features to really take photos. Thnks for this review. they are great cameras.
This just confirms my belief that this is an ideal camera to learn analog photography. It gives you all the controls you need without doing all the work for you, but it also doesn’t make photography needlessly difficult.
Great episode ! I probably missed it being mentioned, but what film was being shot in the 4x5? Thanks Also, are the egg-shaped wheels supposed to happen while panning or not-panning? If panning, was it with the direction of the movement of the focal plane shutter ... or against that shutter's movement ?? (of course the image is inverted in the camera, so this could get confusing ...)
Minolta certainly was the red headed step child of 35mm cameras back in the 60s. Even though Minolta had many firsts in the industry, the imense popularity and perceived higher quality of Nikon and Canon kept Minolta at the Pentax/Olympia level in the market for decades. I love my SRT models and many incredibly sharp Rokkor lenses! Thanks for this, from a fellow “old guy”.
I enjoyed this, and not just because I have a long experience with Minoltas of the generation immediately following the SRT lineup. Going for a photo walk with the pair of you would be a lot of fun.
I really enjoyed this episode of Test Roll ! I became a Minolta SRT shooter more or less by accident. I had been a Nikon guy ever since my last year or two in high school in Canada, when I worked all summer to buy the original Nikon F Photomic (non-TTL model) with a 58mm f1.4 lens. Anyway, about 5 or so years after high school (and one disastrous year at college) ... I had sold my Nikon system to help finance the trip, and found myself hanging out in Tokyo (not knowing what else to do with my life). That was 1969 and around that time Minolta seemed to be dumping their 21mm f4 (mirror-lockup) Rokkor lenses with the external viewfinder that went over the top of the prism and was kept in place with the round fitting at the back of the prism's eye-piece. They were going for Y10,000 i believe ... or about US$28 in 1969-era money. I bought several of these and shipped them back to friends in Alberta, Canada to sell or use. Anyway that got me into Minolta and I stayed with the SRT until I moved to digital in the early 2000's with the Nikon Coolpix 5400 (and later Coolpix 8400) and so on ...
The 21mm sounds like a fun odd-ball lens. Maybe I’m just drawn to anything that is needlessly difficult, but there is something appealing about the fact that it requires the mirror lock up and defeats the entire SLR system.
@@larsbunch Sadly I don't still have any of the 21mm Rokkors that passed through my hands in 1969 or 1970 Japan. Before I left on that travel adventue and I sold my Nikon stuff, I did have the 21mm f4 (mirror-lockup) Nikkor for the F.
Another great video !! I'm glad I discovered your channel. Am floored by you guys only having 400-odd subscribers ! What film did you shoot with in the Alpa? Thanks !
I'm pretty sure were were just using Ilford Delta 100. It's a great black and white film if you are planning on scanning to digital immediately. If I was planning on making conventional prints, I'd more likely shoot FP4. Not sure when I'll get around to this, but I'd like to run a roll of color through the thing just to see how that goes.
Interesting process !! I had commented on the santa shoot video ... asking about this part of the whole tri-color thing. Good to get an idea of how it can be done !
You know, I didn't really think about it - I am so used to seeing motion blur in old photographs. I looked very closely at the scan, and I still think it is an eye blink. We did have quite a bit of ambient light and were simply using "bulb" when firing the strobes, so I'm sticking to the motion blur story. Anyway, I do appreciate you giving this a look. We had a lot of fun doing it, but I pretty nearly drove Lars crazy.
Yes. As Martin mentioned, there is motion blur because I opened the shutter in bulb mode and then fired the flash with my light meter. So there is a relatively long ambient light exposure made by opening the shutter for perhaps a second or so as well as the very brief exposure when the flash is fired. Most of the exposure is made by the flash, but there is enough ambient light to have a bit of blur.
Great video !! I just wish that in the "show more" area you could put some more info ... - like what f-number did you shoot at ... - watt-second power that the strobes were fired at ... - how the actual prints were made, i.e. how were the 3 "color" negatives merged (probably scanned, but then what?) - etc. Thanks !
Glad you enjoyed the video. I don't remember the exact f-stop but it was wide open... probably around f6 or something like that. The power supply on the flash system is 2400 ws and I had everything cranked up to maximum. Even then, I was worried I wasn't getting enough exposure. As it turned out, the exposures were adequate. To make the tri-color prints, I scanned the negatives directly on a flatbed scanner with a transparency adaptor and then aligned and composited them on photoshop. (If you look around in the other videos on this channel, you can find my kind of long video on the photoshop work as well as another video on making the platinum prints.). Martin handled the color prints by sending the photoshop files to an online lab.
Great video about the Mamiya TLR !! I had always wanted one and during the Covid times I went on eBay in 2020 and got a C330 prof. body out of Japan. It was not as "near mint" as described, and I informed the seller ... but did not return (too expensive to ship from Edmonton, Canada) , nor did I give him a bad review (that I recall). Anyway I also purchased from other seller(s) a 55mm wide angle and a 135mm telephoto ... do not have the 180 or 250 that you have :-( ... later I got a clean chrome 105mm at a swap meet for Cdn $55. I also picked up a Paramender from a local used camera store ("Classic Camera" ...now closed ... the owner passed away at age almost 90). I also bought some filters off Amazon. I have yet to put a test roll through it ... though I bought some fresh Ilford HP5 Plus back then.
Fotodiox makes adapters where you can mount a conventional mirrorless camera onto a grafloc mount and then take multiple shots at different positions that can later be stitched together into a larger image. I suspect if you look around you could find an adapter to mount a medium format digital back to the thing as well.
I love your channel! I always come away with something that I did not know. That includes those wonderful old vintaged cameras. My mom had this cameras and the photos we had were always sharp. It was always on the top shelf of her closet and was only brought down for special occasions. Always in its box and it had its flash unit which used two AA batteries. I grew up with it and wished I could still get some 620 film. I inherited this gem and still marvel at it with much affection. That's why I love this channel you guys let me see what those old cameras can still do and what it would it looked like today. Guys, thank you so, much.
one other thing, these are rare!, in part due to the use of the flashguns as 'lightsabres' in the star wars franchise, so most have been 'mutilated' into that, so not many survive, intact, if at all.
Nice eccentric camera, great video. Thanks! Btw, I used my father’s Voightlander Prominent I as my ‘first camera’ back in 1974, now THAT was an ergonomic nightmare! I soon saved up for an early Pentax SLR and never looked back.
Hi Guys, I've got a minature spring back. How is it converted to a Graflok back to accommodate the RB67? is there a kit? been trawling the internet and can not find an answer. thanks
I don't know of modern conversions. My miniature speed graphic was converted probably in the 40s or 50s. You might be able to find some new-old stock parts or find a "for parts" camera that has the miniature grafloc back. I also have a Graflex XL with the same miniature grafloc back which can take RB67 film magazines. These were standard on the XL cameras.
It's so interesting to hear your stories while explaining the photographs. As an amateur young photographer, you guys are a breath of fresh air, and your photos look very stunning. Thank you for your review!
This was my dad’s first 35 mm camera, he got it after his Rolleiflex was stolen. It was the first 35 mm “system” camera. The pentaprism could be replaced with a waist lever finder. He took amazing photos with it. I still have it.
@@martinkauper4991 luckily, I have no pin holes in my dad’s camera and I make sure to care for it so it doesn’t. I acquired another copy and no pin holes! I have lens caps on at all times when not in use.
Wonderful little camera! Man, I am begining to have a sweet spot for Argus, as I repair a C4 right now. Great shots, your videos make my day when I see them, tbanks for sharing!
What nobody mentions, how heavy these are. The so inclined buyer thinks reporter camera = light. Not the case! No wonder the Rolleiflex was such a success. Btw, between the 4x5" and 2x3" was also a 3,25x4,25". I have that. Already heavy, I dont want to know how heavy the 4x5" is. Let me mention, I like heavy cameras. But the heaviness is nothing for me in the Graflex. Perpaps it is more cause of bad balance.
I suppose at the time that these cameras were popular, they didn't feel heavy as the alternatives were quite a bit heavier. The one that surprises me is that the Linhof Technikas are supposed to be handholdable. Those have to weigh at least twice what the Speed Graphic weighs.
Love to see how the pros do it with the Graflex. Got a really great 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 Speed Graphic a week ago. Got the case cleaned up and the flash wiring replaced and tested it tonight and it works great. Got the lens and shutter serviced. Now I’m just waiting for film to come so I can get shooting. This was a camera I bought from the granddaughter of the original owner, she said she is 55 and have never seen it used, I’m glad I’m giving it a second life and hopefully soon this one will be back doing what it was made to do. Thanks for the great video!
I'm one of those people born after it was discontinued, but I bought a 1N several months ago because my grandfather gave me some of the accessories for it (he no longer had a body). Even with all its heft, it's become my standard travel film camera over smaller cameras such as my Canonet or Contina II. I've been able to take a lot of nice photos since I've bought it, mostly with a 100mm macro lens. I prefer using manual mode as much as possible but having a meter sure does make things a lot easier! I love that I have a lot of the comforts of modern cameras while still being forced to take my time and choose my shots due to being restricted by the number of exposures I have left in my roll. Thank you for the awesome video!
I love taking pictures but I can only use one hand so I use a small camera. I have a Canon ELPH 190 IS point and shoot camera. With the autofocus, I get beautiful pictures, better then those taken on a smart phone.
My first camera was a Holiday Flash. I received it around 1960. I never really bonded with it but in 1965 I received a Polaroid "Swinger". I loved that camera and had a lot of fun using it. The irony is I now have my Aunt's X-15 sitting on a shelf. She lived to be just over 100 years old.
My MIL had a holiday flash as her first, maybe a little earlier than that. I bought a NIB version for her along with two rolls of rerolled 127: I haven’t given it to her yet but I’m looking forward to it!
Wow, you're such a good looking inspiring duo, camera really loves you guys (pun intended)! I chanced upon this video and I think we need more of these, it's like 50s educational TV show, not by picture, but by vibe.
the C33 has become my absolute favorite camera to use. Unfortunately I went into surgery this morning for a hugely complicated hand operation following a motorcycle accident. I'm absolutely gutted that i won't be able to use this beauty for the next couple of months.
I've found some on ebay, although it's not the best place to buy film. If you can wait, Ilford offers that size in their yearly large format films special order. This usually happens in July and if you go through Freestyle or B&H it will usually deliver some time around the end of the year. While you can cut down large sheet film in a dark room, I don't recommend it as it's a good way to lose one or two fingers and you'll get dust and blood on the film. Good luck and thanks for looking at the video.
I had a Kodak Instamatic X15 camera. It was my first camera that I received as a Christmas gift from my mom in 1971. I think I still have it somewhere. Sadly, the film is no longer available In no one knows how to process it anymore. It was a great camera for little kid, because it was essentially full proof. The cartridge could load only one way in the camera and you saw the film advanced when you used the advancing lever. When using the flash cube a little red flag would drop into the Optical viewer if it was set on a flash bulb that it already been used. To take a good picture all the photographer would have to do is hold the camera steady while pressing the shutter button.
