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Hi. I didn’t get many opportunities to update this blog in 2011 so I hope I can find more time this year. Here’s a quick update.

127 film is still a popular format and I hope to keep a good range of film types for sale. The availability of 620 film in 2012 may be a little more erratic as I find less time for production of the spools. I expect the next batch will be available in Mid February. 126 and 110 are not in production anywhere and there is unlikely to be any change in this status this year. These film types are simply too expensive to produce in small volume because of the complex plastic moldings that make up the cases. As regards 828, I will still spool the occasional batch whenever empty spools come my way. I have abandoned any ideas of having spools made as there is not much interest in the 828 format.

Thanks everyone for keeping film alive throughout 2011 and a happy new year to you all.

We all love 127 film. We’re having great fun shooting with these old cameras. This summer Photo Supplies will have 127 film on Special Offer, so that you can shoot more and worry less about the cost.

We have also included scan to CD in our low price of £7.99 for 127 film processing. This makes shooting in this format very cost effective so you can have even more fun with your vintage camera.

The Rollei Crossbird film is proving popular for cross processing for really vibrant prints. Don’t forget to stock up on our Macocolor too, as this is the last medium speed 127 colour film presently available, and stock will soon run out soon.

I will be making changes to the Photo Supplies website  this week in order to make navigation easier. You can now go straight to my online shop using the menu links on the left hand side. This makes it easier for all of you  regular visitors to go straight to the product you are looking for.

If you find anything broken on the website, please contact me and let me know.

My main products are 127 film and 620 film. I am working on bringing back some other film formats too so keep visiting my site for updates.

Many thanks.

 

I know some of you are getting a little bored with shooting 127 in black and white, so you will be pleased to hear that Macocolor 127 film is back in my store, along with a new E6 film by Rollei called Crossbird. This new E6 film is great for making super-slides or creating vibrant prints with deep colours when cross processed as C41. Spring is in the air and there are some wonderful colours to shoot.

To buy 127 film please click here

Don’t forget that I also sell 127 Black and White film for that classic look. 127 is a wonderful classic format so let’s keep using it and keep film photography alive.

 

Do you remember the camera you always wanted, before digital came along? You’ll often here me mention the virtues of eBay on this website in relation to vintage and collectible cameras, but it is also true that some really nice SLR cameras can be won for very little money. Of course they still do the job that they always did, which is take excellent photographs.

So what can you get for 20 quid on eBay? For me it was a Minolta Dynax 5, a camera I wanted a few years ago when they were popular, but never managed to afford. This camera features almost everything I could want from a 35mm auto SLR. While I still love to shoot with my old Zenith or my plastic fantastic toy cameras, this camera has the advantage that I can just point and shoot like today’s digital and will pretty much guarantee perfect exposure and focus. With it’s hi-tech modern styling it also doesn’t look out of place when you’re doing something more serious like taking wedding photos.

It’s true that Canon EOS SLR cameras seem to attract more bidders and therefore higher prices, but are they really better cameras?. I don’t know as I’ve never owned one.  I’m certianly happy with my recent Minolta purchase.

Firstly after using the old Zenit, this camera is so light I thought it might be filled with helium!. There are some very easy to use program modes, but it is also possible to use semi or fully manual modes. Auto focussing is swift and if you like, you can enable a nice handy beep to tell you that everything is ready to fire the shutter. On my quick test roll the lens is certainly sharp enough and the zoom covers a handy range. The flash can be disabled or can flip up automatically when needed, making sure you never miss a shot. Although I’m into classic cameras, I really love this Minolta. With this and a film scanner, there’s no need for me to go fully digital just yet!.

So what did I get for 20 quid? Click here for the spec as published by Minolta….

Other eBay cameras worth going for are some of the real classics and unusual cameras like rangefinders. These are great fun and very usable too. One thing to remember is that, whatever cameras you buy, here at Photo Supplies, I will most likely have all the batteries, film and processing that you need to bring your camera to life and get the most from it. What was your dream camera before digital? Did you ever own it?

Kodak 44A and 44B 127 roll film cameras are great fun. The modest Kodak Brownie 44A was may peoples first camera in the 1960′s and early 1970′s. These cameras can be obtained on eBay for just 99p and sadly people are literally throwing them away in the false belief that 127 film is not available. These cameras are commonplace, cheap and the film is still available here. They can be modified for 35mm film too and take some interesting photos included exposed sprocket holes which can be printed for a good effect. For more creative fun they also take 32mm push on lens filters which appear often on eBay. Push on a yellow filter and shoot dramatic skys on Efke 127 film.

I now have several of these 44A cameras, all bought for just £0.99 each,  so that I can shoot one on 35mm with sprocket holes, or another on 127 format just by selecting a different camera. Because they are so cheap, I can take them places I wouldn’t dare take a more expensive camera!.

The cameras in more detail…

Kodak Brownie 44A Camera

Solid metal/plastic camera with simple shutter (1/40th second) and two (or three on some models) aperture settings marked in expsoure value (EV) numbers. They are just a little smaller than F8 and F11, but since modern film has a wide latitude these cameras will work well in Sunny or Cloudy conditions  when set to 13 and in dull and overcast or indoor  when set to 12.  You can also get a bulb flash attachment for some great vintage indoor flash photography if you can find bulbs.

• Very Cheap to buy
• Simple point and shoot fixed lens
• Works from sunny to overcast or bright indoor conditions
• 127 format (or 35mm see below)
• Plastic Dakon lens, yet still quite sharp
• Slight vignetting and astigmatism adds to the vintage effect
• Double exposure effects are possible
• hard wearing ever ready cover protects lens

Kodak Brownie 44B Camera

This is the daddy of the two cameras. This has a focussing lens, aperture stops of F16 / F11 and F8 and shutter speeds of 1/60th, 1/30th and B. This gives the camera a much wider range of exposure options including long exposures. The 44B camera features double exposure prevention so you wont be able to do “double takes”, but you will always avoid accidental double exposures!.

• Cheap to buy but less common
• Kodak Anaston focussing lens (3ft – infinity)
• Basic exposure control 1/60 to B and F8 to F16
• Works for all lighting conditions including long exposure
• 127 format (or 35mm see below)
• Slight vignetting and astigmatism adds to vintage effect

While these cameras are not rare or collectable in the antique sense, they are real classics that many people were brought up with and take pretty good pictures. Here is a picture I took on Dartmoor, UK with mine.

Kodak 44A Modification to use 35mm film

127 film is still available for these cameras in both black and white and colour, but I have found these cameras will also take 35mm film with a very simple modification.  The camera is easily restored to 127 operation.

Before I go any further, I should point out that you will need a changing bag or dark room, or a makeshift dark box under your blanket, to remove the film and wind it back into the canister when it is finished. This only takes a few minutes but it must be done in total darkness.

The modification Process

1) Open the back, remove the two screws which hold the supply spool bracket. Remove the bracket and screws from the camera. You can keep these safe if you ever want to restore the camera to 127 use.

2) Tape over the frame number window on both sides of the camera back using two layers of tape each side.

3) Tape the bottom third of the viewfinder with a small piece of black insulating tape.

4) Mark the winder with a dot to help you count frame winding. A small piece of your black sticky tape can be used if you don’t want to permanently mark your camera.

That’s it, job done.

Loading the film.

The film canister is inserted near the bottom of the supply side. You’ll notice that the top of film sits nicely against a piece of plastic moulding. This conveniently holds the film canister in place. The film is then pulled across the bottom edge of the film gate and into the take up spool. Wind some film onto the spool so that it runs along the bottom edge of the camera. Don’t worry that the film goes slightly diagonal – it settles almost straight under tension. Shut the back. Wind the film on for two turns to take up tension.

From now on, wind one and a half turns for every frame that you take. A 24 exposure film will provide about 15 exposures.  I have not tested with a 36 exposure film yet but I expect that you can reduce to one to one and a quarter turn after fifteen or so exposures to gain more frames per film, but one and a half turns will guarantee enough spacing between frames.

Film rewinding and removal

You will need a changing bag for this, or a cardboard box under your bed covers in a nearly darkened room, or a proper darkroom.

In the dark, open the back and remove the spool and the cassette together. The film will have wound on to the take up spool.  Start winding the film back into the canister by hand. It’s easy to do and doesn’t take long. Once the film is fully wound in you can go into the light. The film is ready for processing.

Processing the film.

Ideally you should send the film for develop only at any lab, or process it yourself for later scanning. You can scan the whole negative and sprocket holes for an excellent effect, if you have a suitable scanner.

For a suitable processing lab click here

One thing you notice about these photo is that, because of the way the film sits over the gate, there is some unusual perspective (pincushion) distortion that can be used for artistic effect. For instance to add to or reverse the perspective distortion of buildings taken from below.  As you can see on these test images the Kodak 44A produces quite a sharp and colourful image, even on Kodak Gold film on a dull day.

If you are into plastic cameras and Lomography, the “35mm” Brownie 44A may be a great fun camera for you to play with. You can play with the perspective distortion and try cross processing films too. I’ve only tested the modification so far and I have yet to shoot something for real. Soon I will publish some more photos taken with this camera in my Flickr stream.

enjoy!.

Welcome to Photo Supplies UK. We are suppliers of film and camera accessories for creative film photography. We supply special and hard to find items such as 127 roll film, 620 roll film, 110 and 126 Instamatic film, flash bulbs and batteries. Please see about me for more information.