Like many people around the world, I seem to have more time on my hands than I know what to do with as we wait out the COVID-19 Pandemic's initial onslaught. So I thought I'd start up a thread that will, hopefully, keep me and other Forum members with similar interests just a little bit busier.

There are already a few threads among our Forums which feature photos and descriptions of beautiful, and interesting vintage cameras collected by Forum members: all film cameras as best I can gather. I'd like the focus of this thread (no pun intended) to be on the photos taken with vintage cameras, rather than the cameras. Of course, it will always be instructive to show an image or two of the camera used to take a particular photo, and a technical description of the film and lens used, for context. But here, let's let the shots be the show.

Before putting up my first photo, I should say something about how I came into collecting vintage cameras, and making photographs with them. I have had an interest in photography since childhood. I was my Junior High Schools's official photographer for the student newspaper in the late 1960s (I was issued a Polaroid camera that only shot black & white film), and had the same job for my High School's student newspaper as well (I had to use my own camera -- a Canon FTb SLR). Later in life, I became as immersed in the world of digital photography as any photographer naturally would be. Then a few years back I learned about the origin of the photo known as "Bliss", which was the default desktop background image for the Microsoft XP operating system for many years. It turns out it's an unaltered image taken with a medium-format film camera: the Mamiya RZ-67. I made a perfunctory search on EBay for cameras like the RZ-67 and found out that they were relatively cheap and abundant. To make a somewhat long story short, I ended up purchasing my first vintage camera, a predecessor to the RZ-67 called the RB-67 Pro-S. I bought additional lenses and accessories as well. I found a print of an old professional photographers catalogue from the late 1980s and calculated the value of all the RB-67 gear I had accumulated: about $6,000 in 1980s dollars, and I was out only about $400 in present-day dollars. I think that's one of the coolest things about collecting vintage cameras: you can purchase for not much money today (Leica and Rollei cameras excluded), what was state-of-the-art and prohibitively expensive back in the day.

Now, on to the photos. Please post yours!

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Grand Canyon from the South Rim





Camera: Mamiya RB-67 Pro-S
Lens: 50mm wide-angle + No.25 Red filter
Film: Ilford Delta 100

 

Here's s short video that includes an interview with the photographer behind the Bliss image.

 

I picked up a Mamiya 645 two years ago it's been a really fun camera. I grew up shooting 35mm, but now work in digital video, and hadn't touched film in probably 15 years prior to getting the Mamiya. I just have the 90mm f/1.9 lens, but keep thinking of grabbing a 55mm to go with it.

Unfortunately for this thread, the camera is largely just used for family vacation photos.

 

That's a great on-the-spot shot! Must have been a bit challenging given the moving nature of your subject. I've seen some great work done with the Mamiya 645 -- it's an excellent system for sure. Thanks for posting up!

Edit:

Here's a link to a Medium Format group on Flickr. Lots of Mamiya 645 stuff there.

https://www.flickr.com/groups/mediumformat/pool/

 

Indeed, he has trained me to be real quick at pulling focus .

Thanks for the link. Wow, I'm somehow surprised that Flickr group has 30+K members. I guess there are more medium format nerds around than I realized.

How do you like your RB-67?

 

And that particular Flickr group has about 900k photos posted so far, though you'd need to be a registered user over 18 years old to see all of them (there are a few artistic nudes here and there).

I've been very happy with the optical performance of the RB-67. I can do 17x22in. prints with negatives digitized at 2400dpi and get excellent results. There was a steep-ish learning curve for me with the RB-67, and I find that if I put it down for a while I have to re-train myself a little bit. Thankfully there are some helpful YouTube videos.

 

If you have any really special negatives, I highly recommend getting them scanned in 16bit on a drum scanner. There's a shocking amount of data to play with in a 120mm negative.

One more snap from when our little dude was brand new to the world, wearing an outfit knitted by his great grandma:

 

Funny how having some time at home can bring back old loves. I have been a professional photographer for 21 years (amateur for 10 before that). I shot large format film exclusively for my work, until 2012 when I switch jobs and my current employer was all digital. I missed the darkroom, I missed film, I missed printing. So I set my basement back up as a darkroom, pulled my enlargers out of the attic, ordered fresh chemistry, broke out my view cameras and pulled the film out of the fridge (with expiration dates on some of 2003)...I have since ordered fresh film.
Images below were done for exposure and processing values- new tank system (not dip & dunk and I was used to in my previous life), so i was just shooting around the neighborhood hand-held using the built-in rangefinder just to get exposures to process.

Camera is a 1970(ish) Linhof Technika V (purchased new by my mentor and former employer who died in 2012), hand held with Cammed Schneider 150 lens.


Ilford HP5+, processed in HC-110 dilution H, in hand rotational daylight tank, scanned on Epson V700 for quick reference.

And the camera


And the basement on its way back to full darkroom- I tore down and rebuild the Durst from scratch after 20 years in storage. Wet room is the bathroom to the right of the enlarger.


I’ve missed this view

 

Copy that on the info. density for larger negatives -- especially when shooting something like Velvia 50, for example.

Definitely a special shot of your little dude

 

Thanks @JwRosenthal for sharing your story & test images. Wow, hand-held with that monster! Really looking forward to seeing what comes from your new old darkroom.

 

The tech cameras like these use leaf shutters so you do gain some “speed” hand held with them over focal plane shutters. But not having used one in around 15 years, I forgot that you really have to be rock steady if shooting under 1/100 or you get camera shake- which I did get a touch of on a few shooting at 1/50th (including some of the above- but only evident when you really blow them up).

 

And this was the basement bathroom- which was really just a waste of space. Toilet and shower are still there though so it can still be used as a bathroom if needed.
It’s a far cry from the 3.5k sq/ft lab I used to have back in the day, but it works and I can run up to 11x14 easily, 16x20 if I am creative with tray placement.
Still working out the little ergonomic things we take for granted in a well established lab like- where does the thermometer hang....oh, got to put a hook right here.

 

@JwRosenthal, that's an awesome home darkroom setup! I've still got the little Beseler I started with in high school. I bought chemicals and used it a couple years ago, but then my wife chewed me out for leaving her with the baby for 4 hours while I made test strips.' I'm hoping to get back to someday soon.

 

I’ve been teaching my lady film work- she has been using one of my Hassy set-up’s and loving it (mostly macro work of flowers and foliage- she has a good eye for it). She’s got the processing & scanning down herself, and I started her printing last night. I told her it was a 3-4 hour commitment, and after 2 hours of printing she was done and wanted to relax...then I reminded her that not only do we have wash them, then hypo clear and re-wash, but then also dry and clean up...4 hour commitment...the bloom was off that rose quickly.

 

Here’s 2 my lady took with “her” new to her Hasselblad 503cx/PME finder/150 lens w/Proxar filters (this was one of my wedding cameras from 20 years ago- glad it’s getting new life).

Ilford HP5/ HC-110 dil H, Patterson tank system.

 

Nice work! Love the Hasselblad square format. Your lady should almost feel obligated to wear a Moonwatch when shooting with a Hasselblad

 

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA






Camera: Pentax K1000
Lens: Asahi Optics 28mm wide-angle, un-filtered
Film: Fuji Velvia 100

 

Lovely! I shot the entirely of honeymoon in Hawaii back in ‘07 with a my Leica M3 and Velvia- the colors were so far from reality but gotta love that saturation! I did a slide show for my friends when we returned using my Leitz projector and a lenticular screen- the images were almost 3- dimensional. Nothing like projected chromes.

 

Ugh. This thread is not good for me. Now i really want to start printing at home again.I develop and scan, but dont think i can get an enlarger in without some major concessions on the honey-do front. I tried to get the kids interested in film but it did not stick. They both have good eyes, but the instant gratification of digital is tough to counter. They have learned that some of my cameras dont have a screen, but still reflexively look after taking a pic. Maybe i should try the lady angle....

 

As I moved away from shooting digital exclusively, I found that what I like most about film photography is that you generally end up with results that are NOT like reality. Rather, you're getting an analogue re-creation of the scene by means of chemicals and developing practices; we as the photographer get to choose the chemicals and developing process that suit our artistic objectives. I now think of a digital camera as simply a light-measuring device.