Retro by swillinbillyflynn

Retro

I'm feeling guilty that for various work/travel related reasons, I have not been able to get involved in the Film February thing. So I thought I would at least make some sort of a token gesture here.

So here are some of my favourite vintage film cameras. A 1920s Kodak Box Brownie Model 2, a 1930s Kodak folding bellows camera and a 1950s Kodak Six-Twenty box brownie.

They all work and I have taken some quite good photos with all three of them. They were all designed to take 620 film which is no longer available but with the use of some nail clippers and a bit of sandpaper, you can modify the spools on readily available 120 film to fit them.

You can pick cameras like these up for peanuts as people believe them to be unusable due to 620 film not being made anymore. If anyone wants to know how to convert the 120 spools, I am more than happy to explain the process. Just give me a shout.

They are great fun to use and the best bit is that if you go out shooting with one of these, you will get so many people stopping and telling you how they had one just like it when they were young. This inevitably leads to lots of interesting and informative conversations.

I have collected all sorts of vintage cameras over the past year, including an Olympus OM 2n (No I don't think I'm David Bailey) an Olympus OM30, Two Pentax SF7's, Two Canon EOS 500's and a 700, a Chinon CP-9AF and a Chinon CE-5.

What I don't have is the time to do anything with them until the end of February.

Although I have just signed up with a group of film enthusiasts for a regular weekly session starting next month when I will be a bit less busy.

Enjoying seeing all the film shots being submitted to the ff15 challenge. It's good to know that I am not alone in my 35mm madness.
Very impressive collections and presentation.
February 16th, 2015  
wow very cool
February 16th, 2015  
What a great collection!
February 16th, 2015  
great old cameras to still have
February 16th, 2015  
I used to have a Brownie camera as a kid! It had been my grandfather's and took awesome photos.
February 17th, 2015  
Bloody brilliant, keep up the stella work. I so enjoy film, but sadly I just don't get the opportunity now (Time, the fire in which we burn)

Good to see such an interesting bunch of cameras here in action and to know they still produce excellent results for you.

I'm a big believer that everything will go full circle and film will become trendy again, just like vinyl, that no so long ago, you couldn't give it away. Now look at it, all retro and back in circulation.

Thanks again and take care :)
February 17th, 2015  
Things do have a habit of going round in circles, these are fantastic bits of kit......
February 17th, 2015  
@circuitburger I have been watching the Lomo film movement with some interest as it has gathered a strong following and is getting young people involved in using real cameras rather than their iPhones.
February 17th, 2015  
@susie1205 I just love them. The fact that they still work is amazing and it's like living history using them. :)
February 17th, 2015  
@fugitivemoments They still do. I might just post some of the shots I have taken on these as part of the Film February challenge. :)
February 17th, 2015  
@yaorenliu @fullcircle @anna45 @jennyjustfeet Thank you I just love the look and feel of them. They are quite magical. :)
February 17th, 2015  
That photo evokes so many memories!
February 27th, 2015  
oh there is an answer to my question... sandpaper you say?!
March 6th, 2017  
@kali66 And nail clippers. :)
March 6th, 2017  
@kali66 Here's a link to a video showing how the clip off the edges of the 620 film. You sometimes also have to sand the ends down to half the original thickness to get them to fit into certain cameras. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKkxdK52FwE
March 6th, 2017  
thanks i will have a go
March 6th, 2017  
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