Last Roll From my Kodak Vigilant Six-20

A few years ago, I acquired a Kodak Vigilant Six-20.  I respooled 120 onto 620 spools, and over the course of 3 years shot 3 rolls with it.  The results were always quite good. The Vigilant Six-20 is a 6x9 format camera that came in many versions.  The one I used had the best features with the Kodak No. 1 Supermatic Shutter, with speeds from B, T, and 1-1/400 sec, and apertures from f/4.5- f/32.   The Kodak Anastigmat Special is a very good lens, too. An excellent lens/shutter combination that allowed 400 ISO film and reasonable shutter speeds.   

Another version of the camera, and priced lower, features a Kodak No. 1 Diomatic shutter, with B, T, 1/25, 1/50, and 1/100 sec shutter speeds and a Kodak Anastigmat f/6.3 lens.  Definitely not as fast as my camera, and certainly usable with 100-400 ISO film. It’s probably the more common version of the camera, since it was more affordable.

Unfortunately, I’d left the roll of Fomapan 100 in my camera for at least 2 years, with a couple of exposures still to be had.  The film had somehow become stuck and would not advance.  I ended up having to use pliers to wind the film.  I ended up with a “fat roll” which I promptly put into a black container.  I think moisture had caused the film to stick and that’s why I could not roll it along by hand.  

Now that I have a 4x5 camera, I decided to see if the lens and shutter assembly could be used on my Intrepid 4x5.  Now that I know that it covers 4x5, the 101mm lens has become my wide-angle, leaving the shell of the Vigilant lensless.  

Here are some shots from that last roll.  You can see where the film stuck and acquired some rust in one of the images.  I started that roll in the summer 0f 2024, on a photo meetup with the AVL Camera Club.  We visited several small breweries next to the Swannanoa River, all of which were destroyed a month later by Hurricane Helene and the flood.  The very last photo was taken early this year in the River Arts District, which I guess is fitting. 

The light leaks at the top are from the "fat roll"

You can see the spots on the right side where the film was sticking

These 6x9 cameras from Kodak are capable of some very good results, and if you don’t mind respooling the 120 film to 620 spools, they represent an inexpensive option for 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 inch negatives.  You’ll get 8 shots on a roll.  The cameras easily fit into a large pocket and do not weigh much.  However, you’ll have to make sure the bellows is free from pinholes - and the black fabric used for the bellows is going to need some liquid rubber or black fabric paint to fix. If the lens is free of haze, and the shutter works, you are good to go.  

These cameras were manufactured from 1939-1949, with 10 variants in lens and shutter combinations. The prices at the time ranged from $15 to $49. Today, you should be able to pick up a fully operational example for less than $25, and I certainly would not pay much more.

Another version that I owned in 2011

The Summer of ’76

The official logo for the 1976 bicentennial

I’ve seen this a lot in recent social media - “Was the American Bicentennial a big deal in 1976?” The writers of such posts are being intellectually lazy, since any dive in history will show that the Bicentennial WAS a big deal. America was out of Vietnam, Nixon was no longer President, having resigned after the Watergate scandal, and Gerald Ford was the incumbent.  The mood was pretty good, people were enthused, and there was a lot of Bicentennial swag to be had.  However, that’s the big picture. If you are asking what those of use who experienced it were doing, well, that’s a much different request.

I was 19, and looking for summer employment after my first year of college in Syracuse, NY.  My freshman year had been a rude awakening, and I was under academic probation.  That was a blow to someone that always had good grades in high school.  I had never really learned how to study, and there were lots of distractions to be had as a college freshman in the 1970s.  Anyhow, I had family living in Maine, and somehow I found a job as a summer camp counselor at a place called Wavus Camps on Damariscotta Lake near Jefferson, Maine. 

The flagpole at Wavus

Looking back, I don’t think I was especially qualified to be a camp counselor, though I did know enough about wood craft, nature, and wood shop to be able to teach 8-10 year-old boys.  I had 6 boys in my cabin, and we never received an award for the best-made beds.  Boy Scout I was not.  I was called “Uncle Obie” as all the male counselors were called “uncle” and the female counselors were addressed as “aunt”. The camp was not co-ed in daily activities, as the girls had their area, and the boys theirs. The was no co-mingling in the dining hall, but on Saturday evenings there would be some sort of co-ed interaction.  That didn’t extend to the counselors, who had plenty of co-mingling on off hours.  

I think the youngest were about 6 years old.

It was a pretty good summer. I don’t think most of us were really aware of all that was going on - no tv, no radio, and certainly there were no phones except at the camp office.  As the build-up to the 4th of July proceeded, we were going to be in a parade in the nearby town of  Jefferson, and take part if the festivities there.  Except that I didn’t.  I had come down with a really severe case of strep throat, which landed me in the camp infirmary. The camp nurse bathed me with water, ice, and rubbing alcohol to get my fever down, but when my temperature reached 105, I was taken to a small emergency center and given antibiotics.  Within a couple of days, I was almost back to normal, but I missed all the 4th of July events.

So, my best recollection of July 4, 1976 is some strange fever dream.  I heard the day was pretty good.  

My stint as a camp counselor was singular, and while that summer was 50 years ago, there are some good memories from then.  I wonder how those kids turned out - some were there while their parents went to Europe, and one was the Maine governor’s son.  Every boy had to take a weekly bath - in the lake, no less.  This was 1976, after all.  I wonder if any of them might remember “Uncle Obie” and his bug walks.  

My charges out on one of our hikes. These guys are probably thinking about retiring soon.

Alright, you’ve read this far. What about photography?  This is a photography blog, right? Well, you young whippersnappers, I have the photos from that summer - shot with my Exa 1a SLR.  At the time, I shot only slide film, because it was cheaper to get developed, and as a student, I didn’t have a lot of storage space, so the plus from that era is that the Kodachromes still look good.  On some of my time off I hitch-hiked along the coast, especially along US-1.  I can’t even imagine doing that now.    

After I scanned these in on my Epson V700, I did some minor editing, and looking back, I did manage to get some pretty good images.  What struck me most was how those kids looked pretty much like any kid from that time.  I don’t imagine that all of the children there came from well-to-do families, but certainly upper middle-class. That decade was before Reagan ended up ruining the American Dream.

There’s something to be said for that time. 

I wish that I'd taken more photos of my travels, but as I said, I had a limited budget for film!  

Yeah, I bet you thought of Jaws music when you saw this.

There were plenty of deer around

Wiscasset, ME, the old schooners are no longer there

Bicentennial calf with mama

Maine is a lovely place

So, that's a little trip down memory lane, with the Kodachromes to prove I was there.  That's the joy of photography.

Morning in the Garden

Let me preface this post with a few details about using a Nikon D80. “Why?” You ask.  The D80 shares the same CCD sensor as the Nikon D200, a 10 MP DSLR.  Unlike the D200, it does not meter with non-AF lenses, because that’s Nikon. Always dumbing down their “consumer-level” cameras.  I have a Nikon D200 (and D300, D7200 and Df), but the D80 is smaller, lighter, and it cost me $60.  Shooting it with manual lenses is almost like shooting a film camera, but with the instant satisfaction of seeing if your exposure is right.  While the camera does not know the aperture, you can easily change the shutter speed via the thumb wheel on the body, or change the aperture on the lens, or adjust the ISO to get what you feel is a good exposure.  Also, here’s where knowing the exposure triangle and estimating the light comes in handy.  The fact is, I also like the color rendering of those CCD sensors, and even shooting in B&W mode I get pretty good approximations of b&w film.

You can take excellent photographs with an old DSLR.  When the D80/D200 came out, they were considered to be excellent cameras, and they still are. Don't fall for the fallacy that you need the absolute latest digital to get great photos.  

I have used the Lensbaby Velvet 56 since 2018, and on a film body, it’s quite incredibly versatile. Wide-open at f/1.6 gives you some serious out of focus blur and a glow that’s really something. Stop down more than f/4, it is quite good, and since it close-focuses to the macro level, it’s great for flowers, etc.  I’ve shot with it on my full frame Nikon Df, and of course, everything works in A mode.  But on the D80, it’s going to be equivalent to about an 85mm lens in coverage, and I have to expose in manual mode.  Not a big deal for an experienced photographer. I’m not looking for perfection, I’m looking to make art.

Some of the images from this morning in Lightroom

So, this morning I took the D80 out into our garden. It had rained a bit overnight, the sky was cloudy, and very little wind. Perfect for what I wanted to do.  I set the ISO at 250 and upped it to 400 when I wanted to shoot at smaller apertures.  Most of the time I shot at f/4 to f/8, but in a few instances, I shot at f/2.8 and f/1.6.  

At f/5.6

At f/1.6 - wide open.   That's some glow.

I have been photographing flower closeups with DSLRs since 2006, and it’s great using odd lenses and experimenting with instant feedback and then making some adjustments.  That’s the beauty of an SLR, whether it’s film or digital.  And while I have also done similar photographs with mirrorless, I like using an SLR better, since I am seeing directly through the viewfinder, not an electronic rendering.  Plus, the battery lasts so much longer in a DSLR.  That’s my preference, and it doesn’t mean that you have to do it my way.  

I'd call this painterly.  Wide-open.

One of the things about the Lensbaby Velvet 56 that I like is that it can be a sharp lens when stopped down, but it can also give a dreamy velvety glow to images at wider apertures, and today, I really had some fun with it.  I did about 100 exposures in 30 minutes, just walking through out wildflower meadow and our more traditional garden.  The rain drops and soft light were perfect for what I wanted, and I got the shots.  

Senna leaves with drops

Virginia Spider-Wort

Purple Cone Flower is always a great subject

Hosta flowers

These Crocosmia flowers look like glass

Hydrangeas 

Hydrangea leaf

Hydrangea leaf

I sometimes feel that I am chasing down some unattainable level of perfection.  Maybe you do too.  In the end, if you like your results, that is what counts. If an image conveys an emotion, captures a feeling, a suspended moment that is beautiful, you got something that’s worthwhile.  Maybe it won’t happen again that day, but unless you are out shooting, you’ll never know.  That is one of the great aspects of photography.  Sometimes it comes easily, and sometimes it requires a lot of work.  I like being able to walk outside and have that opportunity to explore nature’s beauty right in my yard.

Ladie's Mantle leaves

Coreopsis flower

More Coneflower at f/2.8 or so

Coneflower at f/5.6

Well, it’s the Solstice!

AuTrain Bay, June, 2008.  Summer in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is pretty nice.

Summer Solstice, that is. The longest day of the year, daylight-wise. Still, it’s a special day. This year it is also Father’s Day.  My daughter, who is 38 (how can that be?), is visiting us, and that’s the best Father’s Day present.  It seems that June has just been flying by this year. Maybe it’s just because I’m older.  I think June needs an extra day.

I have been dealing with a health issue that is hopefully going to improve. My lower spine is causing me some awful leg pain that my doctor thought was arthritis of the hip.  I thought it might be bursitis, but a visit to the orthopedic doctor and some x-rays revealed that my hips are fine. It’s my lower spine that’s causing the pain.  I have to say, that the past month has been difficult, and the pain has put a damper in my mood as well as my wanting to go out and shoot.  Anyhow, I am on some medication that seems to be helping, and hopefully, I will be my usual jolly self soon.  At least I know that it’s not my hips.  As the doctor said, “I have some good news and some bad news.”  Hopefully, the spinal issue will not get worse.

Mine will be similar to this

I just purchased a monorail 4x5 to augment my Intrepid 4x5 field camera.  It’s a Calumet (Kodak) Orbit that I paid #112.50 + $19 postage.  I had one very similar to it when I lived in Ann Arbor.  Easy to set up and easy to use.  Definitely a camera for studio and around the yard shots, as monorails are not really travel-friendly.  My previous monorail camera had a custom case for it.  This is the same model camera that Ansel Adams used for many of this photographs in his series of books.  I’m looking forward to playing with it.

Marc Akemann getting photographed by Bill Schwab. Two great men gone. Photostock 2009.

In some years, I planned a photo day for the summer solstice.  A full day of photography from sunrise to sunset.  I won’t be doing that this year, as I am taking it easy.  In some previous years, it was the time to attend Photostock in Michigan.  Those were great times, and the loss of Bill Schwab means that the Photostock will no longer be held.  I met many people that I never would have met without Photostock.  Many of them are large-format and alt-process practitioners, who would not normally be in my “orbit.”  I really enjoyed those encounters with the smell of ether in the air.  

06/21/2012

Yesterday was “620 Day” and I confess that I didn’t even drag out a 620 film camera.  We have had 127 day, 120 day, pinhole day, toy camera day, 35mm day day, etc., and at one time, I did all those things, even Argus Day. Argus Day was by far, my favorite, as it made me get out an Argus camera and shoot with it.  My Argus of choice these days is the C-4.  

06/21/2016, Nikon 1J1.

Happy Summer Solstice!

AuTrain Falls, Argus C-4, June, 2008.