Five Film Cameras (FTY Experiment, Update 2)

El Inglés asked: "Does this [the "Sweet Sight" post] mean you've chosen the OM-2 as your weapon of choice for the 35mm part of your [FTY] challenge?"

[Ed. Note: "FTY" means my 20-Rolls-of-Film "Forward to Yesterday" Experiment.]

So as not to be coy or cute, I'll just put the answer out there. Right now it looks like I'll be trying (left to right) a Contax RTS II, a Pentax SL, an Olympus OM-2N, a Nikon FE, and a Pentax LX. It's a combination of what I already owned, one I was given as a gift (which initiated this whole thing), and ones I purchased for the project. I'll shoot at least one roll of film with each of these cameras so as to discuss them.

I'm thinking of adding a certain "modern" AF 35mm camera to the mix too, maybe, but we'll see about that. I need to watch my expenses.

Also, there's no telling yet how much energy this project will have. Again, we're several months away from starting the posts, and several people have bet that I'll never get it done, which is quite possible, so "don't hold your breath or you'll turn blue."

I plan to try several medium-format cameras as well. These include a Pentax 645NII, a Rolleiflex 6008AF, a Rollei TLR, and a Yashicamat 124G. I want to shoot at least one roll of film in each of these cameras so I can discuss them. Of these, the Pentax and the Rollei TLR are borrowed and the other two I already owned from times gone by.

I actually have two of the Rolleiflex 6008AF SLRs, both of which are, as far as I can detect, absolutely LN. I got them as "open box" units from a seller in Japan back when they were just too cheap to pass up. Tried to sell them about ten years ago but couldn't get a decent price.

Only two of these cameras have been overhauled. John Titterington did the overhaul of the Olympus, and Mark Hama did the Yashicamat 124G.

I was pleased to find that my LX I thought was dead could be coaxed back to life again—it had a jammed finder which finally came loose, and I had long thought the meter was dead, but it isn't. The Rolleiflex SLRs were hampered by aging batteries but I've figured out how to solve that problem. (It had to be explained to me slowly and carefully.) You can get the innards of the batteries rebuilt; the scarce bits are the battery housings, but fortunately I bought a number of those when I got the cameras.

By the way, I want to thank all of you who have offered all sorts of film-related donations and loans, including, well, film! Lots of people have, and I'm behind on replying. For the most part I don't think I'll be needing anything else. However, grateful thanks for the offers, and for your kindness and support.

Please note!
As an aside, I want to emphasize that I'm neither advocating, nor will I be practicing, a complete "return to film" or a renunciation of digital imaging in any way, shape, or form. If I wanted to ride horseback again (something I did a lot of when I was young) I wouldn't sell my car and vow never to drive a motor vehicle again. 'Nuff said?

Mike

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

PWL: "What!!! Not a Minolta among them??? Sir, I am dismayed. (Sigh.) Even now, Minolta gets no respect...."

Phil: "I'm keen to hear what you make of all this as you work your way through it. I had my own back-to-film experiences starting about three years ago. The thing that really helped me is that I found that when I was shooting with film again, I slowed down and thought more carefully about framing and timing before firing the shutter: something I had learned to do at the beginning because film was expensive and you only had (what now feels like) a few frames on a roll. I find that has re-informed my digital photography, so to speak. I think I'm a better digital photographer now that I'm practicing some of those early lessons that film taught me."

John Igel: "Doesn't interest me in the slightest. Let me know when you start writing about digital cameras again."

Gary: "I will be following this with great interest, so don't slack, OK?"

David Comdico: "I'm looking forward to the film posts at TOP. The Olympus OM-2N is a fabulous camera. Small, great lenses, and an amazing viewfinder. It is a wonder how large it is for a such a small body. But I'm not sure you can really appreciate a camera or get to know it until you have used it for a while. Twenty rolls in one camera might do it. Regarding those 20 rolls of film, that's a mere 720 shots—an afternoon shooting digitally.  :-)   "

alex-virt: "I think if you just wanted to shoot film you would get one good modern SLR and just...shoot film. But this battery of half-century-old iron cameras clearly shows that your real intention is to relive the sensations of your youth. I'm afraid you're in for a big disappointment. Sorry.  :-)  "

Ross Attix: "GAS."

Tim Bradshaw: "So you're going to shoot 20 rolls of film over how many cameras? Seriously? Since I bought my CLE about two years ago I've shot 40 rolls in it. I'm somewhere near comfortable with it now, although I made the mistake of changing film stock at least once (not entirely my fault: Kodak are seriously taking the piss with the price of Tri-X). In another area, I've played my Gibson ES175 for maybe 20 years, all of that time with the same string gauges: I'm finally getting pretty comfortable with it, although the frets are now kind of worn. Seriously: pick a camera, pick a lens, pick a film, pick a paper, pick chemistry. Use that combination, a lot. Don't flit between cameras like some kind of insect. There's some guy who taught me this: I think he wrote a blog called 'The Online'...something? I forget the details. He knew what he was talking about: he wouldn't have done this."

Comments

[Daniel]

Canon EOS3 with eye controlled Auto Focus was very good. Some it worked well for, others not so much. Either way it was a very good camera. if you were one the Eye Controlled Auto Focus worked for (like Art Wolfe) you had a fast focus camera and all those excellent lenses.

[MikeR]

So, what do you still need, to remove all mechanical barriers. And, will you be setting up some sort of temporary darkroom?

[Michael]

Good luck with the project Mike but as a longtime visitor here my money says you've bitten off more than most people can chew, I hope you prove me wrong.

[Mark Sperry]

I run a lab here in Maine called Northeast Photographic. Glad to see you're giving film a try again. In my personal photography and my experience with my clients, photography isn't zero sum-best IQ wins. Cameras are fun, film is fun, editing photos on your phone is less so. Editing photos on your computer is further still less fun, especially if your day job is computer based.

Use that LX. I had mine serviced by 'the guy' here in the US, and have managed to acquire all three amigos of Limited FA lenses. This has cured me of any fancy Leica lust. But I would say I'm having the most fun shooting large format, and scanning with a Panasonic S1R in pixel shift mode, or printing in my darkroom with a Heiland LED cold light and an RH Analyser Pro. I got my 8x10 and 5x7 cameras new, my LED head new (for an LPL 4550XL very much not new), my CPP3 new, and my Analyser new. My point being that film as they say, is not dead. (I process paper in a Nova 3 slot which I got 2nd hand, but you can buy a new Optima12 right now from the same folks!).

Between all this and Ektachrome, good time to stop using film emulations.

[Tom Burke]

No Canons? Ah, I'd forgotten - you're not fond of them..... But there are a lot of older Canons, from various eras, that would be perfectly good. (After all, they did sell a lot of them...) If you want to stay with manual focus, just off the top of my head there would be the T90, surely a landmark camera; or something from the A1 era - there were a lot of AE-1 Program cameras sold - or going further back, how about an FTQL?

Of course, if you want to come further forward into the AF world, how about the early EOS cameras? Best of all, the lenses are still current, so there's no problem finding a s/hand lens. You can wonder at the awesome AF speed of the EOS 650 - well, it seemed fast in 1987!

[Kenneth Tanaka]

Well good luck with that, Mike.

My own current waste-of-time-and-money project is to strap the soon-to-be-released Hasselblad CFV II 50C back onto my lovely old 503CX and shoot like it's 1988 again! It's pretty ridiculous, actually, especially since I have the same sensor is a much better camera system. (shrug)

[RP Sagner]

I know this isn't really relevant, but I've long thought that the 6008 is one of the most beautiful cameras ever made.

[Richard Tugwell]

Ooh, that OM2-n still looks really nice and small. Coupled with that range of similarly sized small Zuiko primes 24mm f2.8, --> 85mm f2 all with 49mm filter thread..... luvverly...

[Not THAT Ross Cameron]

So is this all an excuse to go SLR shopping? :~)
And what about lenses?

[Peter Williams]

"...several people have bet that I'll never get it done, which is quite possible, so "don't hold your breath or you'll turn blue.""

Cough - Bakers Dozen: In The Museum
It'll be a year next month.

[Omer]

We had a steampunk convention here(Tucson) a few days ago and I was prepared to use color film at the outdoor venue. But at the last minute got cold feet and chose a digital set up. Still, the mixing of film and digital is proving to be fun and a way to keep from getting bored with one or the other.

[Nico.]

Is that the 60mm Makro-Planar on the RTS?

[Yes. I had that one too, in the much-depleted camera closet. Can't recall why or when I bought it. --Mike]

[Dillan]

It looks like a fun project, Mike!

[psu]

FWIW I have a Nikon 8008s that I know still works if you want to use it. 🙂

[sPh]

How about an SRT-201 or an XG-7? Both great film cameras...

[Kodachromeguy]

Mike, I am perplexed. When I learned via some earlier posts that you have a Contax RTS II and a Rollei 6008 system, I wonder, why you want any other cameras for 135 and 120? You can do almost any photography with these. Just load film and get started on your project. The 6008 is fantastic! (OK, it's a bit big and heavy....)

[mike in colorado]

Too many cameras! Pick one of those and put the others away. Far away. It will be fine.

[Allan Ostling]

I am going to enjoy this. I have a good selection of M42 and Pentax K-mount lenses, and there is a guide to Rollei-6000 series gear on my bookshelf.
I have used Zeiss lens on Contaflex and Contarex bodies, but never on Contax SLRs. I am eager to follow your upcoming experience with the OM lenses too.

I shoot two or three rolls of 135 film a week here in Phoenix (color and b&w), and some 120. I record everything which pleases my eye or looks like it may not last much longer: billionaire mansions, 19th century barrios, and people when I can find them on the streets, my "Phoenix Pompei Project." I hope the negatives will survive into a future which will not know what to do with data on SD cards.

My favorite lenses so far are the Hexanon 50mm f1.7, and the Pentax-M Macro 50mm f4. Tomorrow I am expected delivery of a Pentax-A Zoom 35-105mm f3.5 -- it has a dented filter thread which I can fix with a special tool.

I am so happy to have you back in our club!

[Tom Bell]

Back in the 80s when money first became “kimg” I worked for a while in hospitals in Saudi Arabia. I thought it was about money but I really enjoyed the work there. I also learned lessons .... crazy ones I know. I had used a Spotmatic followed by a little MESuper .
A photographer friend dissuaded me from the LX saying “ get a Nikon F3 ...you can afford it. Its what all the pros are using ...etc” . Well I did. It was clearly a great camera. Somehow though I missed so much about Pentax. On return to England I went into LCE store and couldnt resist trying the Pentax LX. Well it may have been a lesser camera for many but it just seemed SO right for me. The F3 sold well and I returned to the Pentax fold for another ... right through 1st DS, K200, K5.

I still have the K5 but the K1 was too brutish for me. It is clearly like an F3 built for pros ...not for me. So with sadness but much pleasure I jumped ship again this time to Fuji ... X100 ...X100 F and an XT1. This time with pleasure.

Ah but the LX1 .... that was and still is a thing of besuty .... and somehow these numbers keep ringing in my head ....31 .....43 .....77. I think you will love it.

[Steve Rosenblum]

Soooo.....my question is...how much can you possibly learn shooting just one roll with all of these cameras? I know that you have shot with a jillion cameras in your long career as a photographer, editor, and reviewer, but you have long advocated the view that you cannot possibly come to grips with a camera in such a short time--and I agree with you. So, what's up with this?

[Carlos Quijano Altamirano]

Too much gear talk. Go shoot and share the nice results.
Regards!

[Doug Doyle]

Dude! That’s a nice bandolier of cameras to work with. I (sadly?) found an eight element super Takumar and bought it. Of course, I didn’t have a body to put it on. I splurged on a newer Bessaflex. Gotta say that I am pretty excited.

[Bryan Geyer]

For those who shot B/W or color negative film (as most did), those old 135 format film cameras exhibited few important distinctions. But for those committed to ’chrome film (like me, for ~ 60 years), there were some very vital distinctions that came about in the early 1980s, chiefly with the release of the Nikon F3 body (late 1979). The typical 60/40 averaging light meters of that time were poorly suited to managing ’chrome exposure, but the F3 metering offered significant advantage. Indeed, the 80/20 weighted metering of the F3 was effectively the first "in body" meter to provide pseudo spot capability, and that asset materially improved my ability to control and manage my ’chrome exposures. The subsequent F4 of 1989 then offered true spot capability, as did most of the other 135 bodies by that time. Metering advantages, plus frame advance rate and AF accuracy, defined what mattered most if you shot ’chrome film. Most of the film era competitors found it tough to keep pace with Nikon and Canon; some simply stopped trying.

Bryan Geyer

[TomP]

Might I suggest for something seriously fun, high-quality, and different to your current bevy of SLRs - one of the high-quality AF compacts from the 90s.

Something like the Olympus mju-II (or Stylus Epic, as it's also known).

[John C]

I wish you success and look forward to seeing your updates on this. And if I may, I'd like to make a suggestion to encourage your success. Don't tie this project to any darkroom work. Don't even develop your film. Send it away and have it developed and scanned. (MPIX is a good lab but they only do C41. So, XP2 Super? You probably wouldn't mind that.) If you try to do your own lab work, I think that would take your focus away. Just enjoy shooting. (Sorry, the unintentional pun could not be avoided.)

[Rob de Loe]

Spring is coming, and your eye is sharp now. You got this Mike. I look forward to reading how much fun you had shooting those 20 rolls.

[Thomas]

The Yashica Mat 124G is a nice Rolleiflex copy, a fine camera. But you must develope the film and print in your own darkroom!

[Nigel Thompson]

Be happy to provide a Nikon F100 for the duration if it fits the bill.

[David Lee]

LX is a fantastic camera. I still have mine back at home. I have a special wood grip on her. She looks like a baby 6x7…

[Barry Reid]

Honestly. Pick one and stick with it. Each of those is sufficiently different to drive anyone swapping between them nuts - just for staters you’ve got three different shutter speed dial locations, two aperture locations and lenses which focus and mount in different directions!

[scott kirkpatrick]

When I have film urges, I look for something that no digital currently offers -- extreme wide ratio, e.g. the X-Pan. I like the challenge of finding a story which develops across that wide frame. Two of my permanently posted pics around the house are scanned from X-Pan negatives. I understand that Koudelka has a Leica S with a stripped down sensor to do this, but that's above my pay grade. And I like Carl Weese's 10x17 Korona work, but that's above my skill level. So the X-Pan rules!

[John C]

Mike, here is a gallery on Flickr that I have been admiring. Please read the description below this particular image. Seems appropriate..

https://www.flickr.com/photos/159607533@N02/49608470982/in/photostream/

[Dave]

Good luck with this fun project. There are more cameras I want to try than I'll ever have time and money for. I was just recently given something that had been completely off my radar, a Yashica FX-3 Super.

It gave me back the sort of full manual control I lost when I stupidly sold a Canon FTb Ql back in the '90s. But perhaps more importantly I now have a sense of what Pentax M and Olympus OM owners enjoy regarding smaller size and weight.

Back in the '90s a used Elan II was the first camera I really enjoyed handling and using. For me, it still possesses a remarkable balance of sophistication and simplicity, even if it must err on the side of a certain anodyne experience. I just replaced the film door latch on it, as all owners eventually must do.

An Elan 7e joined it last year. These are more reliable than the Elan II and yes the eye focus essentially works, even though the 7 lost some soul of the earlier model. Makes no sense; maybe I just prefer the silver color on the earlier model more. I keep these (and just bought a mint 50D) to share some lenses between both worlds.