Near the Avery brewery in Boulder county is an open space named Twin Lakes. Along the eastern side of the one of the reservoirs is an old irrigation ditch. We thought the flowing water and the dense vegetation made for an interesting photograph. This image was made sometime this last summer. We plan to head back and capture the same scene with snow and bare trees sometime this winter.
This image was made with a Mamiya 7 and Kodak Portra film.
Peace and Meditation as we wait………
First a visit to an open space in north Phoenix. You’d never know a road was less than a mile away.
Next, a roadway throgh the Saguaro National Park, near Tuscon.
IFor the 4th Quarter of 2020 I tested the Agfa Billy Clack No. 51, a 645 medium format camera from 1934/. The cost on EBay was $35. The Photos were quite successful, leading me to try my other less than $50 Pre-1940’s cameras:
| Pre-1940’s Cameras | Year | Cost | Format |
| Mom’s Kodak Art Deco 620 Camera | 1933 | Free | 620 |
| Kodak Jiffy Series II SIX 20 Camera | 1928-32 | $14 | 620 |
| AGFA Billy Clack 51 6×4.5 German strut folding | 1934 | $35 | 120 |
| AGFA Billy Clack 74 6X9 German strut folding | 1934 | $40 | 120 |
| AGFA Isolette 6X6 German Strut folding | 1937 | $35 | 120 |
So these are the primary cameras I will be using for The Frugal Film Project.
AGFA Billy Clack 74 6X9 is the January 2021 Camera I will Start with. Using Ektar 100 Film to capture the end of the Holiday Saeson.
The rest of the Cameras givin in no particular use order. I’ll just have to see what the conditions are and what’s going n that’s of Photographic interest. In other wirds, I’ll let the circumstance pick the camera and the film.
AGFA Billy Clack 51 6×4.5 I’ve had a lot of success with. So it may make more than on appearance in the project.
AGFA Isolette 6X6 shows some promise. I will probably reserve it for the faster B&W film, the Tri-X 400.
And now for the Kodak Cameras……….
Mom’s Kodak Art Deco 620 Camera. This camera needs a bit of a work out. It uses 620 format film (similar to 120 film). I’ve only put one roll of film through it. There’s no formal unboxing. M mom simply gave it to me Christmas 2019 in a cloth bag.
NEEDS PHOTO
Kodak Jiffy Series II SIX 20, The non-Art Deco version of Mom’s camera. I have not yet tested this camera. So we shall see…….
There are also some Post-1940 cameras, such as my Grandfather’s Argus Brick, which will likely be a part of this year;s Frugal Film. We’ll introduce those cameras as I apply thm.
Wrapping up the Q4 2020 postings. I have the Photo selections for the 4th Quarter below.. Click here he 2020 Posting Summary.
Frugal Film October 2020: Out of Focus
Frugal Film November 2020: Curves
Frugal Film December 2020: Salt River, Arizona
I thought about writing a summary of the origin and significance of the Retro IR Sensitive films as an aerial mapping film. But then I found an excellent history/summary by My Favorite Lens reviewing the Retro 400S. So check it out…………
Now we take up Part II of our IR Sensitive Film Tests. Here a comparison of Rollei Retro 400S and Ilford SFX-200 (My Standard). We again applied the IR 695 filter to both rolls. We know from our previous experience that this filter adds contrast to the Retro-films. So let’s jump in………
Images on the left are from SFX-200 and on the right from Retro 400S:
We ca see the obvious difference in Contrast. But it this first image it works.
Above, the contrast in the clouds for the Retro 400S makes it more interesting to me.
In the four images below,the lighter contrast (SFX-200) allows iu to see more detail.
Agai, here I think you choice my depend on personal aesthetics. There are qualities I like in both images.
S, we have determined in both cases that perhaps the Retro Films don;t really need IR-filter enhancement. So for our next test we are going bare. I’ll be comparing the Retro 80S with no filter to the SFX-200 with the IR 695.
I am continuing to introduce cameras that I intend to used for the Frugal Film Project and My Inner Monet Most of the cameras under consideration are Pre-1940. Although the Agfa Isolette first appeared in 1937, I believe my model is Post-1940. The Isolette was one of the earliest cameras to include significant plastic in the upper viewfinder housing.
The camera features a fold-down cover.
The Isolette is 6X6 Format. And we have a surprise ‘sample’ from the first roll of film:
Why not start the Year 2021 with some film tests………..
I had casually tried some Retro 80S on the drive home from Phoenix in 2019. But I wasn’t really planning on a comparative study and my image were not in pairs. So I decide to set-up a real study comparing Retro 80S AND Retro 400.S This is Part I where I will discuss Retro 80S.
The tests were conducted using 120 film and my Mamiya-7 cameras both with IR 695 filters. Ilford SFX-200 was my standard for comparison.
All of the SFX-200 imafes are on the left, and the Retro80S on the right.
In my first images from 2019, I had used a Dark Red filter for the Retro 80S. applying the IR 695 to the Retro 80S made it more contrasty than preferred. So I thin for an future use I would recommend using just a Dark Red Filter, instead of the IR 695 for the Retro 80S film.
Next up to start the year: Retro 400s……
I choose this image to sum up my feeling about the Year 2020:
A Word from My Inner Monet
Check here for my 202 0opes and Dreams.
What am I looking forward to for 2021?
Well, my brain tumor decided to return with a vengeance at the end of 2020, leaving me partially blind and with an uncertain future.
My Hopes? To maintain the stability of the sight that I have and retire on disability. Technically I am legally blind and cannot continue my work. But I can see well enough to continue with my photography. And there is a slim chance of visual improvement.
Right now I am waiting….Patience. As my surgeons try to decide if more surgery will help……
Hopefully Next Year will be better!
So I am going to go ahead and make plans for 2021, including photographic plans:
+Of course, continuing my own Blog
+Working with Pre-194’s cameras for My Inner Monet
+Continuing with the Frugal Film Project
+Continuing the Thursday Doors
+Continuing the Inspired By Series
+Adding more Pinhole work, consistent with My Inner Monet…..
+Occasionally entering contests; although not a high priority.
So I am Looking Forward to a Happy, Healthy and Productive 2021
Hoping that 2021 is a less ‘Prickly’ Year!
myvintagecamerasblog 