lamlux.net — Diana Camera Test!

I’ve been playing with this little toy camera i’ve acquired. It apparently has quite a following for its “Lomographic” qualities. It’s quite an interesting piece, I rigged it to use 35mm film and set to it.

Most of the shots are through the University of Akron, but a few are from Cuyahoga Falls.

It lended itself to great flaring, leaks, and of course double, triple and sometimes quadruple exposures.

Well i’ll leave you to look at the photos i’ve posted graciously on my sister site; lamlux.net.

davelam – film & digital a tumblr

davelam – film & digital.

I had a few moments so I decided instead of cluttering this blog with photos and what not i’d just clutter it elsewhere.

For randomly selected new photos I take from the days, check them out on my tumblr.

Bessa R2, First roll developed, Wow.

Going along with the experimentation with Rangefinders, I recently have been given the opportunity to use a Bessa R2. An rangefinder with roots in Germany, just like Leica but in less expense toward the users. For me it has been a great experience being able to shoot with such great equipment, it has totally taken me by storm, and I’ve only grazed the surface of the capabilities of the Bessa and the 35mm 1.7 Ultron. I’m definitely going to be shooting more with this combo! It’s fantastic, that and paired with the developing process at the photo lab ($.99 cent developing!) A huge thanks goes out to Teri!

Sample photo with Icicles off the house

See the rest on my FlickR
Bessa R2 – a set on Flickr.

Rangefinder Part 2 – Test shots in!

I’m pretty delighted with the first roll that i’ve run through my dandy and rather tired Konica C35A. I’m guessing the damage it sustained being dropped who knows how long ago may have shifted the focusing mechanism just slightly, as being completely focused just shows a bit blurred. But as a first rangefinder (and not really a REAL rangefinder), the advantages themselves are apparent. I have another roll to develop, with a bit more creativity involved. This is rather exciting, i’m going to research and hopefully find an negative scanner to use, so i’m not dishing out $6-7 dollars at Target to get the development process, then having to scan positives. If it were possible, shooting film would be more to what I would be doing!

Link to the gallery of samples below!

Recognizing the rangefinder, first with film!

Alot has changed since my last blog post, new laptop, new year, new toys to play with. So let’s start with this.

I picked up a Konica C35A today, for  a rather shockingly $9 dollars. For those unacquainted, the Konica C35A is an almost crude auto-exposure mechanical Rangefinder camera, which was perfect for what I wanted it for. Since my inception into photography with a rented school’s SLR, I’ve been meaning to experiment with other types of camera’s and other formats. I’ve recently bridged the gap into the world of the rangefinder. I’ve done my research, and so happened to have found this Konica at thrift store with no price tag. At the counter the guy simply gave it a quick glance and labeled it worth $9 dollars. It’s net worth online may not be much, if anything a pristine version comes at around $30 dollars, where as mine is not.

One of the core reasons why I wanted to try this type of camera out, is to partially understand the magic behind the Leica cameras. I’ve done plenty of online reading about how Leica’s and other rangefinder camera’s giving the photographer true control of what is being photographed, not stuck into the modern era of the half-press focus and shoot.

The second is the difference in design, and just how inspiring these rangefinders themselves are. There are mechanical advantages compared to SLR’s. Such as no need for a mirror to display into the viewfinder; less moving parts, equates to less noise, and not forgetting feasibility to just pull out of a pocket, take a snap shot, and know that the photo you just took (with alot less noise I should note) is of great quality.

I’ve been browsing through random flickr groups (see: http://www.flickr.com/groups/konicac35/) and different sites that the magic google spat out at me to conclude that if this camera does work, it may be one to just have around to play with.

I could babble days about my new found interest in the rangefinder camera’s, but until I develop my first roll and see how this rather small camera works, i’ll leave it to be speculation. If I find this camera suiting myself better, I may find myself lurking around for an Epson R-D1.

Pano Pano Pano!

I love pano’s, they’re an exception to the rule of shooting composition restrained by whatever the equivalent of a 35mm film. These were taken with my Kodak M1033 point and shoot, I picked up at Officemax this past week for $99 dollars. It includes a pano mode, numerous others. It’s great for taking texture pictures and catching overall ideas,  good or bad. Other specs on the camera include a 10 Megapixel sensor, 720p video capability and its stupid thin.

I enjoy Pano’s so much I dont think i’ll tire of them soon!