2800
train/no train
Arsenal Tube Station Triptych in Pink
One Roll Review - Rollei Retro 400s in 35mm
A quick review of Rollei Retro 400s -
Spring (strong) light, central London
process - 7 min in Ilfosol 3 (1+9); scanned with a Noritsu
Strong and contrasty
negatives, like pushed Tri X-
pleasing character
previous Londoners / 612
Tunnel B1
dreaming in redscale
streetlights Ep.719
Out of the dark // Ilford Delta 3200 • Holga 120N • central London
Horizon Perfekt
The Horizon Perfekt is the most recent iteration of a line of swing lens panoramic cameras made in the Krasnogorsky Zavod (Krasnogorsk Works) factory in Russia (formerly the Soviet Union); the same place where Zenit and Zorki cameras are made.
Released in 2005 in collaboration with Lomography, the Horizon Perfekt was released alongside a simpler version known as the Horizon Kompakt, which lacked the aperture & shutter speed adjustments of the Perfekt.
slow shutter speed
The Horizon Perfekt works by swinging a lens across the film from left to right. The fixed focus lens is baffled to only expose a thin vertical strip as it moves, like a scanner.
It takes extra wide images on 35mm film: 24x58mm compared with the standard 24x36mm.
The lens is a 28mm, so the vertical field of view matches that of a 28mm lens. The horizontal field of view is 120°.
The lens’ focus is fixed at a hyperfocal distance, to ensure sharpness at infinity at any aperture. You can control how much foreground is in focus by how much you stop down the aperture.
Horizon Perfekt Hyperfocal Distances
f/2.8 : 5.5m - ∞ / f/4 : 3.9m - ∞ / f/5.6 : 2.9m - ∞ / f/8 : 2m - ∞ / f/11 : 1.5m - ∞ / f/16 : 1m - ∞
Shutter Speeds
[1/500] [1/250] [1/125] [1/60] • [1/8 1/4 1/2]
The shutter speeds are split between handheld speeds (in white) and slower, tripod only speeds (in yellow). The two sets of shutter speeds are set on the same wheel, and a small switch on the top of the camera changes between the two gears. I consider the 1/60th shutter speed to be a tripod speed as there was noticeable motion blur hand held at that setting.
Loading film
When you load film into the Horizon Perfekt, make sure to feed the film behind both vertical columns on the left, NOT between them.
After you feed the film behind both rollers on the left, lead the film around the curved section to the other side and feed it behind all the rollers on the right. Connect the film to the take up spool and gently wind it on, checking everything is in place.
Close the back and wind on till you get to 1 in the frame counter.
This is what happens when you load it incorrectly, see the right hand side of the image:
Using the Horizon Perfekt
Wind the film on. Adjust aperture and shutter speed settings by using the wheels above the lens.
Use the bubble level, keep those horizons straight. Even the slightest deviation can cause notable warping in your images. Trust the bubble. Fire.
ignore the bubble and bend spacetime
Tips
Get your fingers out of the way. If you hold the camera in an orthodox manner with your hands on the left and right, you will likely get your sausage fingers in the shots. Use a handle to get your hands underneath the shot.
When you shoot with the sun directly in the frame, you will get a noticeable vertical band where the swing lens turns in/out of the sun’s glare. ←
Only adjust the camera settings when the camera is wound on, doing otherwise can damage the mechanisms. It is also advisable to not leave the camera cocked for extended periods of time, as the camera holds itself under a certain degree of tension when primed.
The actual exposure time is longer than the shutter speed, as the camera records data sequentially rather than all at once. The slow (yellow) shutter speeds are noticeably long.
Use negative film, 400 or 800, to give yourself good exposure latitude and shadow detail.
sunset in London today
Film / Sensor Size Comparison
A size comparison of film formats and digital sensors.
Digital Formats:
1/2.5” is your average smart phone camera sensor size
1” type sensors vary a bit in size and are usually used in compact cameras and drones
Micro 4/3 is a compact mirrorless system used by Olympus and Panasonic: 18x13.5mm sensor, similar in size to 110 film
APS-C a popular digital format (sometimes known as a crop sensor); based on the old APS format size of 25.1×16.7mm: sensors vary in size by a few millimetres between manufacturers
Full Frame, which is called so because it is the same size as a 35mm frame: 24mm x 36mm
44X33mm, also known as mini or ‘crop’ medium format, this is the sensor used in Fuji GFX cameras and Hasselblad X1Ds
54x40.5mm, the largest production digital sensor, equivalent to the capture area of 645 medium format, used in the £50k Phase One IQ backs, for example.
not shown:
various other small sensors around the 1/2.5” size (1/1.8” etc)
APS-H digital - older digital sensor size used by Canon, in between APS-C and Full Frame, bigger than APS-H film
Next up are the Small Film Formats, using 35mm as the cross reference:
disc film - now extinct, disc film is a rotating plastic cartridge with tiny 10x8mm frames
110 - the smallest currently available film stock at 17x13mm, this ‘spy camera’ style cartridge film was discontinued completely in 2009 and revived in 2011 by Lomography, who make a handful of emulsions in the format today
APS - originally produced as a high tech 110 film replacement, APS film can usually be shot in three different aspect ratios: C - classic, H - High Definition and P - Panoramic (which is just a cropped in frame of APS-H) APS film is functionally extinct
Horizon P - refers to the extra wide negatives (58mm) produced by Horizon swing lens panoramic cameras on 35mm film.
X-Pan - is the 35mm film panoramic format used by the legendary Hasselblad X-Pan, at 65mm wide.
Medium Format and Large Format:
35mm - 36mm x 24mm image frame - (35mm refers to the diagonal) the most popular format of the 20th century, traditionally used in amateur photography, sports and journalism where speed, efficency and portability are important
645 - the smallest of the medium formats, still 2.6 times bigger than 35mm. 16 shots per roll of 120 film.
6x6 - popular square format used by Holgas and Hasselblads. 12 shots per roll of 120 film.
6x7 - popular medium format due to its agreeable aspect ratio. 10 shots per roll of 120 film.
6x9 - same proportions as 35mm film, just a 5.2x larger negative! 8 shots per roll of 120 film.
612 - large 2x1 panoramic format, almost the same width as 5x4 sheet film. 6 shots per roll of 120 film.
5x4” - large format photography, comes in a box of sheets that you manually load into film holders.
not shown:
6x8 - rare medium format. Some Japan-only Fuji rangefinders.
610 - rare panoramic format. Plaubel Veriwide.
617 - extra wide panoramic format on 120 film, requires lenses with large image circles. 4 shots per roll of 120 film.
624 - insane super panoramic medium format, used by rare, specialised cameras. 3 shots per roll of 120 film.
This final diagram shows you just how big an 8x10” negative is compared to a 35mm neg, which is the small blue rectangle in the lower left corner!
5x4” - the smallest of the large formats
8x10” - the largest standardised film format commercially available, largest colour negative available, needs big lenses and big cameras!
not shown:
5x7” - intermediate large format size, less popular than 5x4” and 8x10”
ULF - Ultra Large Format refers to non-standard, larger than 8x10”, sheet film, which is typically made to custom sizes through a direct order with manufacturers, black and white only (I think). Ilford do some.
all diagrams © milofilo.com, cannot be reproduced without permission
Olympus RC
Olympus RC
Tech Specs
• E. Zuiko 42mm f/2.8 (to f/22) lens
• shutter speeds - 1/15 to 1/500 and B
• automatic shutter priority mode (A)
• hotshoe, cable release, tripod mount
• Flashmatic mode
• meter reads from ISO 25 to 800
• mechanical - can be used without a battery
• minimum focus distance: 0.9m
• 11cm x 7cm x 5cm - so small!
Pros
• sharp lens / useful focal length
• small and discreet
• simple operation
Cons
• ‘interesting’ bokeh
• no meter in manual mode
Operation
Set a shutter speed, focus with the rangefinder patch and shoot.
The camera’s battery assisted A mode is a shutter priority mode: choose one of the six shutter speeds and the camera picks an aperture and fires. If it is too dark or too light, the camera won’t fire. You can also set the aperture/shutter manually.
Flashmatic Mode
The best old-school flash mode!
First, get your vintage flash unit. Look for the GN (guide number) located somewhere on the back. A GN can be expressed in ft or m. Once you’ve found out the flash unit’s GN, line it up on the GN lever on the Olympus RC’s lens barrel (see below).
What is a GN?
The GN is the intensity of the flash unit, measured in distance (ft/m). Essentially the range of the flash at full power. The Olympus RC needs to know the intensity of the flash unit to give the correct exposure.
Now set the aperture dial to the ⚡ icon.
Now you’re in flashmatic mode. Focus and use the camera as normal. The camera will use your focus distance to control the aperture, nailing the flash exposure. Neat!
• Something to remember about setting the guide number in Flashmatic mode: the GN is relevant to shooting IS0100 film. If you are shooting faster or slower film, you will need to adjust your GN accordingly. For example, if you shoot with IS0400 film (two additional stops of sensitivity) you need to move the GN lever two spaces up to adjust. Technically speaking, the GN increases by x1.4 with each stop. All you need to remember is that for each extra stop of film sensitivity, you move the lever one space.
• The camera uses defunct mercury 1.35v batteries. However you can use a replacement zinc/air battery with a 1.35v output. You’ll want the WeinCell MRB 625. It is also possible to use other batteries with voltage adaptors.
• The camera body is small enough that you can get up to 40 exposures on a roll of 36!
Photos:
Tren de Sóller
The train to Sóller is a wooden narrow gauge electric railway, running from the city of Palma, Mallorca to the town of Sóller in the north.
The railway was initially built in the early 20th century to facilitate movement between the isolated Sóller and the island’s capital, Palma, cutting through the Alfàbia mountain range. In Sóller, the train connects with a tram which travels further down to the picturesque Port de Sóller.
The train now carries tourists to and from Palma along its scenic mountain route.
Photographs taken with a Sony A7 series camera and a Voigtlander 50mm 1.5 VM.
Svema 125 - 1 roll review
Unpredictable, odd and mysterious - Svema 125 is a strange film for strange times.
Read More