Saturdays Online: My Evolving Camera Family

Always worth revisiting this topic: Rangefinders vs. SLRs.  Read an easy to follow discussion here at The Darkroom. Fair and doesn't take sides.  In the end, your choice depends on what you are shooting and why.  Click on the links below to see example images for each camera type in my Camera Evolution.

If you have followed this blog for a while, you know that I made the switch from 35 mm to medium format 645 (largely before I started the blog).  I still use 35mm, but over time the Minolta posts have gone down and the Mamiya 645 posts have gone up.  The Mamiya 645, though, is still a single lens reflex camera (SLR), meaning basically that you view, focus and meter through the same lens.

One of my many Minoltas:

And Yes, we have His & Hers Mamiya 645's:

I had a small Canonet 35 mm Rangefinder, but never really took to it:

Then my husband read about the Mamiya 6X6 and wanted one.  So we got one.  Then it sat around for a while because he was more focussed on digital and so I started using it. Of course he then wanted it back!

I'd learned the ins and outs of Rangefinders by then and was ready to take the plunge.  I had observed photographers using the Mamiya 6X7 on workshops and field trips.  And since I prefer the landscape format to the square,  the Mamiya 7 became my rangefinder of choice.

But I found, that although a Canonet Rangefinder might serve well for street photography, the 10-shot per roll M7 didn't quite work.  So in my camera evolution (any by learning a lot about different camera options on the 52 rolls project).  I acquired the Fuji GA645 for medium format street photography.  We've already taken this on out for a spin at recent rally's.  I can't wait for Zombie Crawl 2017!

And yet, I still find uses for my 35 mm cameras, for special projects, as as my easy access ride along camera on road trips.  And now that I know more about Rangefinders, I use the Canonet more.


In a future Saturday Online offering, we'll take a look at some Experimental Cameras I Have Known.........

Kenosha Pass:Switching

And Donald sitting on the tracks taking a close-up.

Kenosha Pass: Rail Detail #2

More from Kenosha Pass: Rail Detail

Sorry, never got back to finish my Kenosha Pass postings.  I got caught up in paperwork for completing my degree.  It's under control now.

Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad

Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad

Kenosha Pass: Summer

This week we will revisit Kenosha Pass.  My Banner photo is from Kenosha Pass last Fall.  I still haven't found a photo that I want to replace it with......

More Photo Merge

Three merged 35 mm images. I kind of like the zig-zag effect caused by not using a tripod..........

Last Call for Winter........

Officially done in a few weeks, but don't tell the high mountain passes that!

Another View of the Octopus.......

Another View...........

Back side of the first sculpture.......

Minolta SRT-101 Film Test

Nothing spectacular here.  I just wanted to confirm that my 40+ year old camera didn't have any light leaks or other major problems:

Near Beaver Lake, off the Peak to Peak Highway.

Cornice on our neighbor's house, from Snowmageddon 2/3/2012.

Not Snowmageddon, but a Natural Snow Sculpture, Also from Beaver Lake.

Camera: Minolta SRT-101 circa 1966

Lens: Minolta Rokker MD 50 mm, f/1.7

Film: Kodak TMAX 100

Meet the Minolta SRT-101

 I have already satisfied my immediate camera plan from My New Year's Resolutions.  Let's hope the rest of the years goes as well.

“The cameras of the 1960s and 1970s have a better chance of working in 2050 than those made in the 1980s……”

I begin with this quote from Karen Nakamura’s Photoethnography, entry for the Minolta SRT-101.  The SRT-101 was introduced in 1966, as one of the earliest cameras with through the lens metering. The SRT-201 added a true flash synched hot shoe, and that was the only difference.

To synch this Hot Shoe you need a cable that plugs into the side.  I never use flash, so who cares!

I’ll also share with you a friend’s story of his experience with the SRT-Series in general.  Jamie was in a small plane crash or more like a very hard landing in a farm field (no serious injuries).  He had been doing some aerial photography and on impact his SRT flew out of his hands.  He later found it imbedded in the wing of the plane, and the camera still worked!

And that’s why I love my clunky, old, fully manual, all metal body SRT cameras.  here's another view of my latest family member……..

ASA Dial.

Most of my recent 35mm B&W images were made with my SRT-202 (also used for these photos), which was a 1970’s update (1975-1978).  A fully manual camera is s great place to start if you are experimenting with film.  And even if the battery dies you can still shoot as long as you are able to “guestimate” the proper exposure.  With constant use, that “guestimation” is usually workable, especially with B&W film.

Tomorrow a few photos from the SRT-101.....................