Today, I got a new camera, which was probably brand new in 1975. I’ve been eyeing it for a week or so but with the lack of local processing, or so I thought, I decided my patience and budget could not withstand mailing out film to be developed. Then I discovered that the local Walgreens DOES process film. So, I bought the camera and honestly, I think it’s the hottest thing. No wonder the new cameras are coming out with retro styling. They look gorgeous.
But, first of all, I had to download a manual to work out how to use it. Then find film and load it, and then try and work out what the metering arrow really meant on an online forum, which I’m glad I did, because I would have overexposed the whole roll. Then, I’d press the shutter and … nothing. Because I keep forgetting I have to wind on the film to the next exposure.
So, with bated breath, I turned in my first roll to Walgreens, and waited to see if the camera, like, worked. I’m actually happy with how things turned out, despite not really taking photos of anything in particular. I hope it’ll help me be a little more disciplined. My goal is perfect shots (filling the frame, poses, and no cropping) straight out of the camera, and no more trigger-happy machine gunning and “Oh, I’ll fix it in Photoshop!”
A few observations: The colors are muted, which I love, I used Fujifilm Xtra 400, And shooting at f1/8, the DOF seems far more shallow than on my Canon 5D? Anyway, so far, it’s fun. And standing waiting to get my film back brought back a long-forgotten feeling of excitement, wondering how my pictures might turn out.
