My thoughts and activities in photography, camera collecting, current events, and photographic tips.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Today's Mail --The Debonair Camera
A few days ago I was on the Film Photography Project's web site and saw they were selling a 120 plastic camera for the unheard of price of $19.99. If you have paid any attention to the prices of Holgas and Dianas, this is a bargain! I immediately ordered it, and it arrived today.
The FPP folks are great, and included some extras, including a roll of expired Ektachrome 100 to shoot. The Debonair was made in Hong Kong, and I have no idea when it was made, but probably not too long ago. However the FPP folks got a supply of these, I commend them for pricing the camera so reasonably. It takes 120 film and instead of the typical square format, the Debonair has a rectangular 6x4.5 cm mask, giving you 16 images per roll. The lens has portrait, group, and landscape focus settings (from about 5 feet to infinity), and a maximum aperture of f/8. The shutter speed is 1/100 sec. So, for a sunny day, I'll use ISO 100 film.
I usually try to include sample images when I write about a camera, but you'll have to wait until I shoot a roll with this fun crappy camera. Meanwhile, if you are interested in the Debonair, I would order one ASAP, as I have no idea how many they have in stock.
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3 comments:
I like your writing. Many older people remember you had me. I took the camera in hand, it was the Yashica Electro 35. Now the time has changed. I'm now using nikon d40dx. I would like you to write more like it.Thanks you very much.
You were ripped off. I got a crate of 12 — yes, a crate of 12 — on Ebay for $40, including shipping.
Now, what I'm going to do with them . . .
Interestingly, the sunny / cloudy settings work by changing the shutter speed — the aperture is fixed (nice departure from the Holga/Diana model). And I like having a camera — well, 12 cameras, anyway — that restricts me to the "economical" 16 frame format. (Because, you know, shooting C-22 616 on a 16-frame Clipper is so much more sensible than shooting C-22 616 on an 8-frame Pioneer).
CJS
Well, I know about the eBay seller with the $7 Debonairs. I bought 4 of them after I purchased the FPP camera, which I consider a good purchase, because it helps the FPP folks with their program.
What I would like to know is how someone found a pallet-load of those cameras!
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