52 Cameras – Week 13 – Chinon CM7

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(The report on week 12 will be delayed, due to a 36 exposure roll and an incredible deal I found on a Crown Graphic. Details later.)

This week marks the beginning of a new month, thus a 35mm camera is next in my informal rotation. I've selected the Chinon CM7.

George inspects the CM7 for clues as to its age.

The CM7 is a Japanese SLR of unknown age. I'm guessing it dates from the late 1980s. It features an electronic meter with three LEDs visible inside the viewfinder to indicate over-, under-, or correct exposure. Focus and exposure settings are completely manual, controlled by a ring on the lens (aperture) and a knob next to the shutter release (speed.) Shutter speeds range from B to 1/2000. Film speed is set using a ring below the rewind knob. It has a hot shoe for flash. The meter and shutter are activated by pulling the film advance lever slightly away from the body, in similar fashion to my favorite Nikon FM2.

My example is another Goodwill find, and it came with a 28mm f2.8 “Aetna Rokunar MC Auto” lens. I've found that I really enjoy shooting with it despite the cheap plastic feel of the controls. It's simple to operate, has a very satisfying mirror 'thunk', and makes beautiful images. As it is not extremely valuable or rare, I find myself more likely to carry it for general use.

I've had a partial roll of Kodak Gold 200 loaded for a while. Here are a few favorite images from the past to tide you over until I finish and process it.

Lawn
Fence
Alma mater
Shot on HP5 and stand developed in Rodinal 1+100.

 

References:

Camera Wiki has an article on Chinon which gives some history but nothing specific on the CM7.

But Mike Butkus has the manual, of course.

Want one? Probably eBay is your best bet, short of making a lucky find like I did.

 

From the Archives:
Simplifying

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Recent events have led us to look at simplifying our lives. We started with the ‘stuff.’ A truckload or two of junk, whatzits, and assorted things left our lives, then the pace slowed.

I’ve also become aware of the level of digital distraction in my life and how much time it absorbs. I don’t want to spend my life in a chair with my laptop perched on one arm, reading blogs and emailing. So, a few changes:

I’ve thinned my Google Reader list.  I monitor dozens of blogs, some better than others, some more frequent than others.  All interested me at one time, but in aggregate they are too much.  Each blog was evaluated using a nebulous formula involving post quality, post frequency, and general enrichment of my life.  More than half are gone, including the LOLcats, Happy Chair is Happy, Sleep Talkin’ Man, and that strange Japanese blog with the cute cat with things on his head.

I’ve done a similar thinning to the Blogroll here.  If you didn’t make the cut, don’t take it personally.  The ones that remain are all strongly recommended reads.

I’ve also cleaned up some clutter in the sidebars here.

My Twitter stream will go dormant, except for automated announcements from the blog.  Facebook updates are now restricted to a maximum of two daily.

Project 365 will continue, because I enjoy it and it only has 5 weeks to go!  The blog will continue as time and inspiration strike me.  I don’t expect much of a change there.

I intend to evaluate all of the apps on my phone.  I suspect many can go.

Email will be evaluated.  Mailing lists, groups, and other sources of large quantities of mail will be kill-filtered.  Advertising will be sent straight to the SPAM folder.  I hope to increase the signal-to-noise ratio.  Friends will always be welcome, of course.

And finally, in a little less than an hour I intend to begin my first Wireless-less Wednesday.  No internet for 24 hours.  It should be interesting.  Wish me luck, and we’ll see what I’ve accomplished when I come back.

Week 11 – Pen EES2 Results.

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Shooting with the Pen EES2 was not as fun as I had hoped. I haven't worked with it enough to trust the selenium/automatic combination. I could trust an uncoupled selenium meter because I can compare its readings to my opinion. With this camera however, I never know exactly what it's doing.

 

The size and weight are nice though. With more practice, I think I could come to like it.

 

The results were unfortunately a failure. Even with the twin miracles of film scanning and photo manipulation, I was unable to salvage any presentable images. I have captured nice shots in the past with this camera, so I believe the problem was with my flea market film. I will put the camera back on the shelf for another day, and I'll shoot a test roll of the film in a known camera.

 

In the interim, here are a few good shots from the Olympus Pen EES2 from earlier this year.

 

Channel Marker, Salisbury Beach Reservation

Hi!

Diptych

Shot on in-date,cold stored Ilford HP5+.

Week 12 – Agfa Solina

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“In your Agfa Solina you have acquired a camera of the highest technical perfection. Everyone will congratulate you on your purchase.” – Agfa manual

The Solina was part of Agfa's Silette line of fixed-lens viewfinder cameras manufactured between 1953 and 1974. Some were also sold in the US under the Ansco name. Mine appears to be an early version, featuring the Color Apotar f3.5 45mm lens and Pronto 1/25-1/200 shutter. It uses a guess-focus system, and unlike later versions it has a simple viewfinder and no metering capabilities.

I found it in my local thrift store recently for $8.00 complete with a decent leather case. The case says “Made in Germany” in English, so I believe this was an official export model despite carrying the Agfa name and not Ansco.

Beth chose the Solina for this week's shoot. I could not decide, so I sent her into the camera closet with instructions to pick something cool. I think she succeeded. I'm considering making this a feature every 4th week. I've loaded it with one of my last rolls of Ektachrome E100G, and I haven't decided whether to cross-process it or not.

References:

Manual

Camera-wiki

eBay – as of this writing, there are 2 similar Solinas and a whole bunch of Silette variants up for auction. Happy bidding!

 

Adventures in babysitting

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“Medic 9, umm, check your CAD notes.”

I flip the Toughbook screen open as my partner scowls from the driver’s seat.

Response to the clinic. Non emergency, but bring up your equipment as the staff is having trouble.

Uhhhh. . .

After a quick consultation with the dispatcher we decide this sounds like an emergency. No one can define what ‘having trouble’ means. Off we go with a cacophony of sirens and diesel clatter.

We find a stable patient. The only trouble consists of the clinic’s inability to procure a medication from their pharmacy. It’s a med we carry handily but also one the patient doesn’t need.

We extricate her from the clutches of the clinic and take her to the real hospital who can fix her problem.

—-

“Medic 9, the overdose. . .”

The city is blowing up this afternoon. We’re coming from an absurd distance, but BLS and the engine are ahead of us. They will do what needs doing and keep the patient alive until we can get there.

The radio sounds ominous. Confirmed overdose, CPR instruction over the phone, the engine asking how far away we are.

We arrive to find the crew loading her in the other ambulance, awake and talking. She hasn’t needed any medications; she’s just a bit sleepy.

I ride in with her just in case. We talk, and that is enough to keep her awake.

—-
“Medic 9, the ALS transfer, no equipment requested.“

A first grader, going from the local children’s hospital to the big city one. She doesn’t really need paramedics; we are there to make a nervous mother and a nervous doctor feel better. If Bad Things happen, we can deal with them. She smiles and cracks jokes as we roll into the warm evening, the perfect antidote to the day.

Week 11 – Olympus Pen EES-2

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For this week's camera, we swing the pendulum from medium format to sub-miniature. The Olympus Pen EES-2 is a half-frame camera from 1968-1971. It uses regular 35mm film, but it produces a 24x18mm image instead of the usual 24×36. This makes it a great camera for traveling, as you can fit up to 72 images on one roll.

The EES-2 uses a 30mm f2.8 lens which is roughly equivalent to 45mm on a full-frame camera. It's a viewfinder camera with a guess focus system. The lens barrel has four pictographs ranging from portrait to landscape with a positive notch at each. Exposure is automatically controlled using a selenium cell mounted circumferentially around the lens. Exposures from f2.8 to f22 may also be manually selected with what I believe is a 1/40 shutter speed. Automatic shutter speeds are 1/40 or 1/200. It has both a hot shoe and a flash sync socket.

The Pen series of cameras was designed to be small and light for everyday use. While it is a nice size, I don't find it appreciably smaller than a lot of my other cameras. If fact, it is both larger and heavier than my Olympus 35RC rangefinder.

I'm using mystery film this week. I found a pair of bulk loaders with film for $10 at a flea market last weekend. The right thing would be to run a test roll, but instead I've loaded a short roll in the Pen. I don't have the patience for a full roll of 48 or 72 shots. I've discovered in the darkroom that the film appears to be good Kodak Tri-X 400. As I don't know how old it is, I've rated it at 320ASA. We'll know soon.

References:

Olympus Pen series at Camera-Wiki

Manual from Mike Butkus

Oly Pen EE-series on eBay.

 

More than a job

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More than a job?

More than a job?

I received this in the mail yesterday. I’m not sure of AFSCME’s audience or intent here. The photo jumped out at me though. Untucked shirts? Improperly sized gloves? A rat’s nest of ECG cables?!

This is an organization which wants to represent us professionally? It’s “more than a job?” Obviously it wasn’t more than just a job to the marketing people who created the brochure.

Sorry guys, it gets a FAIL. I never got beyond the cover.

Week 10 Results – Super Ricohflex

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I have heard large format photographers claim that their cameras force them to slow down when shooting. I experience a version of this phenomenon when shooting a twin lens reflex.

Red Rock Park

The waist level finder forces one to let the camera hang, look down, and frame carefully. The reflex mirror causes the image to be reversed from side to side, forcing me to think more when framing. On the Super Ricohflex, I often use the flip-up loupe magnifier to ensure a proper focus.

Power

It’s a nice camera to shoot, although not as smooth as my Yashicamat. The shutter requires only a light touch to set or fire. The focus is still stiff, but it does work. I’ve been working on my Sunny 16 technique for meterless cameras, and most of my shots required only minimal post-processing.

Flea Market

Emmett

This is another camera which cannot be mistaken for a modern digital and will definitely attract attention in public.

(Shot on Ilford FP4; stand developed 60 minutes in Rodinal 1+100.)

Week 10 – Super Ricohflex

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My first twin lens reflex. This was actually the second one I bought but the first to arrive on my doorstep.

Built in the 1950's, the Super Ricohflex TLR features a pair of 80mm lenses geared together for synchronous focusing. Top shutter speed is 1/200 and aperture ranges from f3.5 to f16. It takes 12 6x6cm exposures on 120 roll film, and there is no meter. The shutter is cocked by lifting a lever and fired by depressing it. There is no double exposure prevention.

Mine came with a nice leather case which has a red velvety lining. It uses hinges instead of leather flaps, which has likely increased its service life and helped keep it in good condition. When it first arrived the focusing mechanism was very sticky, but it has freed up with use.

I've loaded a roll of FP4 and already shot most of it.

References:

Camera Wiki

Manual courtesy of Mike Butkus

Want one? eBay as usual.

 

52 Cameras – Bonus – SMENA 8M results

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I enjoyed shooting with the 8M. It does have its quirks; the shutter cocking lever tends to hit my finger when it releases, causing a slow shutter, and the film counter has the incorrect number of hash marks between the numbers rendering it mostly useless.

It has a removable takeup spool; it seems as if it were designed for a dual cassette film system and adapted to standard 35mm although I've not found any reference to the feature. Rewinding requires holding down the shutter release while turning a knob. This sounds counter-intuitive but it works.

Overall it's small, it's light, and the results were nice. This is all FP4 stand developed in Rodinal.

These first two may look familiar.

Beth

Cricket

Overhead

Check out the International Commie Camera Day group on Flickr for more great Soviet results.