Film Camera 2019/7 – Konica C35 – Results

I put the film into the camera, closed the back and started to advance the film. Somehow it didn’t seem as smooth as with other similar cameras I’ve used. However, I pressed on and as I took shot after shot the film seemed to be advancing well albeit with a little roughness. When I got to the end of the roll and started to rewind it seemed much harder than usual. Had I done something wrong? Maybe I hadn’t put the film in properly? Maybe the film had not advance properly and was ruined? So it was with some trepidation that awaited the return of the scans from the lab. Maybe I’d get nothing usable back?

I seemed that I worried over nothing. The scans came back with 38 pictures. Unfortunately a good number of them were badly underexposed. At first I thought this might have been because of the battery I was using. However, as you’ll see from the pictures below not all of the pictures were underexposed. When the lighting was fairly even the camera exposed well.

It was quite a gloomy day and the underexposed pictures tended to have dark foregrounds and a bright sky. Could it be that the meter could not handle such a large dynamic range and underexposed because of the bright sky. Any of course because you can’t change any of the settings there’s not much that you can do to compensate.

The Rangefinder patch was relatively clear and I had no difficulty focusing.

All things considered it was pleasant to use. Not too much to worry about so you could focus on composing the shot. However, I suspect that I was expecting too much of the camera. I think it’s probably best for use outdoors on a bright, sunny day: a classic point and shoot camera with easy focus and, in the right conditions, accurate exposure.





Film Camera 2019/7 – Konica C35

When I first started collecting cameras around 2011 my focus was on compact rangefinder cameras like my Minolta Hi-Matic 7sii, my first serious camera. This Konica C35 was one of my first acquisitions. However, for some reason I never tried to use it. This may have been because although it’s a rangefinder camera it’s also fully automatic and the user has no control over either aperture or shutter speed. My Hi-Matic was shutter priority, but it also had the ability to manually set both aperture and shutter speed. Anyway for what ever reason I put the camera away and didn’t think any more about it until I recently bumped into it while cleaning.

A few specifications:

  • Aperture Range: f/2.8-14 (auto only)
  • Batteries: PX625 mercury (Now banned but can use zinc-air 675 hearing aid battery instead)
  • Exposure Control: Automatic
  • Film Advance: Manual
  • Film Rewind: Manual
  • Filter Size: 46mm
  • Flash: hotshoe with PC sync connector
  • Flash Sync: 1/25th sec.
  • Focus: Manual
  • ISO / ASA Range: 25-400, manually set. Includes some intermediate speeds such as 32, 64, and 320.
  • Lens: fixed 38mm Konica Hexanon 1:2.8
  • Manual Exposure Modes: No
  • Made In: Japan
  • Metering / Exposure: CdS / Automatic
  • Minimum Focus Distance: 1 meter
  • Self-Timer: Yes
  • Shutter Speeds: Bulb; 1/30th to 1/650th sec.
  • Viewfinder: Coupled rangefinder
  • Weatherproofing: No
  • Weight: 13 ounces
  • Years of Manufacture: 1971-73

There’s really not a lot to say about the camera. It’s small, light and has a decent, but not spectacular viewfinder displaying frame lines, parallax correction marks for closer shots, and a co-incident rangefinder patch. Apart from focusing the only thing you can do is put in the battery and set the ISO. From then on it’s point and shoot. The camera displays the combination of aperture/shutter speed that it’s going to select, which I suppose is marginally helpful (certainly better than many of the later point and shoots which give no indication of what exposure settings are being selected). There’s a PC synch connection on the side and a hot shoe on top. The CdS cell is on the lens so if you use filters it will automatically adjust. There’s no way to turn the camera off so it’s best to keep the lens cap on when not in use so as not to drain the batteries.

Bulb (“B”) lets you set long shutter speeds. Hold the shutter button as long as you want. Aperture is set to f/2.8. Flash Mode: metering is disabled and the flash is linked to the aperture with a manually selected guide number (this time rotating the GN ring on the lens to the proper GN given by your attached flash). Flash Sync is activated when anything is plugged into the hot shoe. The shutter speed is set at 1/25th of a second.

That’s about all there is to it.

Don’t know what came over me again

In an earlier post I mentioned that I’d acquired a Nikon D80, mostly because I wanted to see what it was like to use a Nikon Digital camera. Well – I’ve done it again.

It all started when came across posts like the following:

Kirk Tuck was also waxing lyrical about the benefits of older cameras, although in his case he was referring to Nikon Cameras (See:Just kicking back and enjoying the D700 and a little handful of cheap lenses.)

I’d always fancied having a full frame camera, but the recent generation models just cost more than I wanted to pay. I even took a look at the Nikon D700 and the Canon 5D Mark II (notice that the photographic community now seems to refer to the original 5D as the “Canon 5D Classic) – still too expensive.

So back to the original 5D. I managed to find one at a price that I could tolerate and decided to get it. I had a few Canon EF lenses from film cameras I had acquired earlier and figured that I could use them to see whether or not I liked the camera.

I won’t write a review here. There are lots of them on the web, including the four above. To me the conclusion of the first review above says it all:

Ultimately, it’s my view that if you’re looking for a cheap entrance into the world of full frame DSLRs, you can’t beat the Canon 5D Classic in terms of image quality, lens selection, and catching an outright bargain. The mixture of the beautiful sensor and the film-camera-feel makes it a compelling camera to use. It’s served me rather well over the last couple of years, and I intend to use it until it’s dying day; I really feel as it’s in a class of it’s own. Less really is more, the Canon 5D Classic is a perfect example of this!

I couldn’t agree more. Yes, it has a lower resolution sensor. Yes, its autofocus is primitive. Yes, the lcd is appalling. In many ways it’s rather primitive compared to current generation cameras.

But, and it’s a very big but, there’s something rather wonderful about this camera. Most of the reviews I read point out that it has a very ‘filmic’ feel. I’ll go a bit farther and say that to me this camera has come the closest of any digital camera I’ve tried to giving a film photography feel. The files it produces have a very film like look and the whole shooting experience it more like shooting a film camera than a digital.

I love it! (Although it should said that I don’t do action photography so I don’t need super-sophisticated autofocus (in fact I have trouble understanding all of the autofocus options on my Sony A77II). Nor do I make very large prints. I don’t “chimp” very much. So most of the disadvantages of this camera don’t affect me all that much.

For some pictures taken with this camera see:

A view from Spur Beach.
The last of the fall colors.
Autumn light over the lake.
The last of this year’s rose blooms
Glynwood – Overview
Glynwood – Around the main house
Glynwood – An interesting looking building
Glynwood – Old Farm Buildings
Glynwood – Residences?
Glynwood – Red Barn
Glynwood – Across a meadow
Glynwood – The boat house
Glynwood – A Waterfall
Glynwood – Fall colors

Film Camera 2018/3 – Olympus Infinity Stylus Epic (Mju II) DLX

The other day my wife wanted to go to a nearby Goodwill store to look for some pots. While we were there I took a look around. At first I didn’t see anything of interest – just one broken 1980s vintage point and shoot. Then at the back of a bin I noticed a case, possibly empty, possibly not. I took it out and had a look and, lo and behold, an Olympus Infinity Stylus Epic DLX!

Now I already have two of these (see: Finally found something at the thrift store; and Back to film: Olympus Stylus Epic where I’ve already described the main features of this camera)

Since I already have two why get another one? First the cameras that I have, while functioning well, leave a lot to be desired cosmetically. This one also appears to function perfectly (hopefully it won’t be plagued with the light leaks that tend to affect the Infinity Stylus line), but also is in near mint condition. Second it’s hard to ignore a camera that costs $5.99 (actually less. When my wife paid she got them down to $3.00) and sells at the moment on ebay for around $200.

Film Camera 2018/3 – Nikon N6006

I didn’t particularly want this Nikon body. I was more interested in the lens. But the price of the body plus lens was so attractive that I decided to go for it.

The Nikon N6006 (also known as the F-601 outside of the US) was launched in 1990. The Nikon F4 was at the pinnacle of the Nikon product line. Below it was the ‘prosumer’ Nikon N8008. Then came the N6006 aimed at advanced amateurs. Finally came the N4004 targeted at the beginner end of the market.

The N4004 was the first, coming out in 1987, and started to take on the modern camera “look”: electronic film advance; thicker grip and the newly introduced command dial to allow multiple functions without dedicated dials.

Then in 1988 came the Nikon N8008 with its four-button cluster on the left side and the command dial on the right. PASM shooting modes were introduced. This layout has not changed much since.

Enter the Nikon N8008, in 1988, with the new “push-button” interface and the new “matrix“ metering, which measured five segments and then averaged them to give the correct exposure.

In 1990 the N6006 was introduced featuring the same controls, and also including a built in flash, burst mode (2 frames/second rather than the N8008‘s 3.3), a slower shutter speed (1/2000 rather than the N8008‘s 1/8000). It was sold as a less sophisticated alternative to the N8008 but in fact had improved matrix metering and a predictive autofocus system that could track moving subects.

It continued to be produced from 1990-1994.

For more information see the appropriate section on the Malaysian Internet Resources site.