November is Medium Format Folding Camera Month!!

[Alex Hawley]

From the results of a recent poll (http://www.apug.org/forums/showthread.php?t=32517), November is Medium Format Folding Camera Month.
To participate, all you have to do is shoot some film in a vintage medium format folder, between the dates of November 1 and November 30, then post your best shot in the APUG Gallery. Only one photo per participant please.
Any vintage medium format folding camera is allowed. We are including the Baby Graphics (2-1/2x3-1/4) and the vintage Plaubel Makinas.

Why have a MF Folding Camera Month? The idea is to showcase what can be done with a vintage camera. The MF folders were the most popular family-type snapshooter of the 1940s and 1950s, until 35mm became the rage. There is a wide variety of them. Exposure and focusing is all done manually, often "guessing" on the focusing distance with uncoupled rangefinders. But they can still produce quite good results. I noted that one of the Ilford Postcard winners was shot with an Agfa Isollette.

So, if you have one, please join in. Remember, take your best shot during November and let’s see what happens.

[Jeremy]

time to load up the iskra!

[Nancy]

One photo per participant or one photo per camera?
Alex, what folder did you end up getting?

[athanasius80]

Woo Hoo! Time to dust off the Rexo.

[Alex Hawley]

Originally Posted by Nancy

One photo per participant or one photo per camera?
Alex, what folder did you end up getting?

Good question Nancy. Let's keep it at one photo per participant.

I got a Bessa 1, and the learning curve is somewhat steep!

[MattKing]

Originally Posted by Alex Hawley

The idea is to showcase what can be done with a vintage camera. The MF folders were the most popular family-type snapshooter of the 1940s and 1950s, until 35mm became the rage.

1940s and 1950s - those are babies

I'm hoping to submit something using this camera shown below - it's only been about 39 years since I last used it regularly.

Matt

P.S. - any guesses about how old I was when I did use it regularly?

[Stephanie Brim]

My Agfa Billy is ready and raring to go!

I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to scan it, though.

[MattKing]

Originally Posted by Stephanie Brim

My Agfa Billy is ready and raring to go!

I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to scan it, though.

Contact print it - then scan the contact print.

That's what I will have to do with the (approx.) 6cm x 12cm negative that my Six-Sixteen Kodak pictured above will produce when slightly adapted for 120 film.

Unless I am willing to try scanning both ends of the negative separately, and then d!g(t@l)y stitching the two together .

Matt

[Stephanie Brim]

I think the one hour lab in Fort Dodge would let me scan them there, but the fee is enormous. I'll see what I can do.

[MattKing]

Originally Posted by Stephanie Brim

I think the one hour lab in Fort Dodge would let me scan them there, but the fee is enormous. I'll see what I can do.

Stephanie:

Even a cheap used flatbed scanner will do an acceptable job if you scan prints - at least for gallery postings here. I have a 5 year old scanner at the office that was cheap to start, and outmoded by the time I got it, as surplus, for free, and it does an okay job on prints.

In fact, the document scanners in a lot of modern photocopiers probably will do an okay job - see if there is a print shop near to you that will scan a contact print and give you the jpeg.

You could also use a close-up or macro lens on 35mm to photograph the contact print, then scan the 35mm negative - just be sure to keep the contrast low.

Matt