Photo Tsotchkes

 Taken at the Columbus Museum of Art. 

It's fun seeing what's out there for gifts for the photographer.  With film cameras seeming so retro and chic, they are often used in advertising and as models for novelties and art objects.  Museum gift shops are often a great place to find obscure photographic-related gifts.  Not that I need any, but I appreciate that they are out there.  As part of the legacy of photography of the last century, old film cameras present an immense variety of form.  The mechanical aspect and solidity of them makes them special, and are often works of art in their own right.  So, wait for the day when instead of seeing a plastic reproduction of a press camera in the gift shop, we see a press camera on a pedestal in the museum.  

The latest cool thing I saw was a mechanical pencil sharpener that looks like a twin-lens reflex.  They almost had it right...but the crank for tirning the sharpening mechanism is on the back of the camera, not the side where it would be for the film advance.  Still, a fun and useful item (if of course, you use something even older than cameras.. a pencil).

Of course, there are those mini keychain cameras that have a flashing LED and make a shutter sound.  Might be something good to enrage mall cops with ;), and the multi-faceted lens in a card that looks like a Hasselblad (which can actually be used to good effect with a real camera).  Some museums  (such as the DIA) have plastic pinhole camera kits.   I think it's all good, and there is something for everyone.. even a $65 Weegee tie. (Note, I know that tsotchkes usually refer to freebies from trade shows, etc., but I think that is an appropriate use here.)

Another Nikon One-Touch Set

In 2010, I blogged about using my (new to me) Nikon One-Touch 35mm AF camera. I haven't used it nearly as much as I should, since I have so many other small cameras. However, the One-Touch is too good to let sit unused for long. In July, I shot a roll of Lomo 400 color film (made by Kodak)- which seems like an excellent match. To start out, I shot some frames while cycling around Marquette, MI back in the first week of July. The One-Touch, with its 35mm f/2.8 lens and quick autofocus is a nice choice for biking.

My daughter Jorie, on the bike path that runs from Harvey to downtown Marquette. The various bike paths around Marquette make it a wonderful place to bike around (or run, if you would rather use 2 feet). The sun was setting, but the camera auto-exposed the scene quite well.

Later in July, I traveled to Columbus, OH, and brought a bunch of film cameras, including the One-Touch. We stopped in some small towns along the way, and the One-Touch performed very well.

In Fostoria, Ohio.

Fire escape and brick wall, Fostoria, Ohio.

Inside the Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus, OH.

Outside the Franklin Park Conservatory.

As you can see, this camera performs quite well, and at one time it was a highly-regarded point and shoot. If you see one of these cameras for sale in working condition, buy it. You will appreciate its heft and solid feel. The photos that came from it are not bad, either. I'll try and use it more often.

Time Warp in Columbus

Last Saturday, Adrienne, Abby, and I drove down to Columbus and had a great weekend there. The city is really a photographic feast, and the various districts deserve more exploration. Our main purpose was to view "The Radical Camera" exhibit at the Columbus Museum of Art -- which was a wonderful and yet sobering show of the work of various members of the New York Photo League from the 1930s to 1951.

We also went on various walks around the city, and on Sunday morning, Abby and I explored the central part of the downtown area. It was nice being in a functioning city, with all of the things one would expect to encounter - coffee shops, stores, apartment buildings, banks, statues, office buildings, etc., and none of the despair and disrepair that Detroit seems to have in abundance. It was fun walking about early on a Sunday without much traffic on foot or on the street. We did encounter a strange camera shop called Chick's Camera Exchange, which is closed on Sundays, and I wonder if it is open much at all.

The sign looked promising...

Hmmm. the front window looks pretty untouched...long enough that the AA batteries have leaked out...

Looking through the front door, I saw lots of items that looked like the place was caught in a 1990s time-warp. There are kiddie bike on the floor with tags. An online search did not say that they were closed, but it doesn't look like a too-active place. maybe someone in the Columbus area knows. The store looked like a great place to explore.

Some Fair Images from the Debonair Camera

In my last post, I described buying a plastic Debonair camera from the store of the Film Photography Project. Turns out I was the first person to purchase the camera from the FPP store! On Friday, I took my Debonair around campus and into downtown Ann Arbor to see what I could photograph during the huge Ann Arbor Art Fair. I shot all 16 frames and developed the film yesterday morning. I used a roll of Freestyle's Arista 100 Ultra (which appears to be a Foma film), and developed it in T-max RS developer for about 5.5 minutes. Considering that the nominal exposure of the Debonair is 1/100 @ f/8, a sunny day will produce really bright highlights on light surfaces, and with the Art Fairs using many white-topped booths, it definitely shows. However, mid-tones look good. Here are a few of my favorite images:

Braids.

Different Strokes

Mr. Jo Jangles, one man band.

Overall, I like this camera a lot better than the old Diana, and it seems to be better constructed than the Holga, too. The rectangular 6x4.5 cm frame is fine, and it is easy to hold the camera and shoot in landscape mode. It has a standard flash shoe, so I will carry a small fill flash with me next time.

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.