Topic: interesting blog & half-frame article

[gregor]

A friend of mine, Mark Sullo, photographer and collector of ephemera wrote  a nice article on half-frame photography.  Makes you want to dig that half frame out and take it seriously as an art making tool:

http://houseofmirthphotos.blogspot.com/2010/03/anonymous-snapshots-from-half-frame.html

[astrobeck]

seriously.
it does indeed.

thanks for posting this.     

[wavebeat]

Yes, a big thanks from me as well.

Really enjoyable.

[Francois]

Very fun. I've tried shooting half frame with my Diana+ and luckily had no problem getting it printed as individuals 4x6... only had problems framing with mittens

[gary m]

Nice find, thanks for the link.

[gregor]

The link to half frame cameras brought up a few I didn't know existed - a one-off leicaflex! On eBay there's an alpa half frame for 4500 usd. Wow, but it's an alpa.

A friend gave me an alpa full frame slr & I asked him if he knew how much it, and the 3 lenses were worth. He didn't and I gave it back to him, telling him the astronomical value...

[gregor]

well, I just returned home after getting together with my friend who write this article.  He told me  awhile back that lomography wanted to re-'print' it on their site.  I was sceptical.  When I asked him about tonight he told me they offered him a $10 USD store credit in return for putting the article on their site.

And here I thought they we're going to something ridiculous like offer him low fee like 5o USD. As is often the case, lomography exceeded all expectations.  10 dollar store credit..... I was speechless.

[DS]

10USD? That's pretty shocking...

[Wensleydale Blue]

Well, I've been looking out for a used Olympus Pen F or FT for about a year now but they seem to be going for really silly money - regularly for ?150-?200 on E bay and even more in used stores which for 20+ year old cameras seems absurd.  I'm interested because of the  enlargement/grain size ratios but haven't really considered other cameras and manufacturers.  Is there anything else that I should be looking at?

Graham

[DS]

Well, I've been looking out for a used Olympus Pen F or FT for about a year now but they seem to be going for really silly money - regularly for ?150-?200 on E bay and even more in used stores which for 20+ year old cameras seems absurd.  I'm interested because of the  enlargement/grain size ratios but haven't really considered other cameras and manufacturers.  Is there anything else that I should be looking at?

Graham

I'm currently fixing up a Konica Auto-reflex P- it's a full frame 35mm SLR that can be switched to half frame and back anywhere in the roll. It's a lot bigger than a Pen F, but a lot cheaper....

There's a few of the early Auto-reflexes with this capability- also listed as Autorex and some in europe are rebranded as Revue- here's a link: http://www.buhla.de/Foto/Konica/eARHaupt.html

I quite like the idea of having this as a frugal camera that I can shoot half frames on but switch to full frame for something special

There's also the Yashica Samurai SLRs-  i'm not a big fan of slow fixed zoom lenses but they have some pretty funky features- there's a cheap one i noticed here:
http://www.rockycameras.com/samurai-x3-quality-12-frame-camera-999-1571-p.asp (no connection- just found the site)

[Wensleydale Blue]

Wow DS - that's a lot of thinking/research, not to mention typing in less than four minutes!  I'd come across the Yashica but not the Konica so I'll keep my eyes open and do I bit more searching.  Thanks for taking the T&T. Any idea when these cameras went out of production? 

G

[DS]

Wow DS - that's a lot of thinking/research, not to mention typing in less than four minutes!  I'd come across the Yashica but not the Konica so I'll keep my eyes open and do I bit more searching.  Thanks for taking the T&T. Any idea when these cameras went out of production? 

G

I'm waiting for some data to process so I have time to kill 

Late '60s I think.  They seem fairly bullet-proof in typical mid-1960's mechanical SLR style- mine has obviously been left somewhere damp as the prism is full of fungus so I'll take it apart and give it a clean. Need to find a lens for it too.

They're pretty rare but come up on ebay for about 50ish quid now and then if you're patient. The Konica AR lenses are fairly cheap because they can't easily be adapted to DSLRs other than Micro 4/3s so the digi crowd aren't that interested in them

Interestingly Konica sold adaptors to put Nikon F mount, M42 and Exakta lenses on these but the adaptors sadly seem to go for about the same price as the camera.

'pologies for threadjacking

[Diane Peterson]

I am thinking I recently posted an image from my first roll of film through an Olympus pen EES-2(?)..the camera was a gift from my new boss..she had no idea what it was and could not have been less interested..I wasn't sure about it at first but after that first roll I was hooked..of course it helps that it is 50years old and has the defintie look of vintage to the shots...I started looking on ebay for a Pen D..purchased one for high dollar amount with an explanation by the seller of "absolutely perfect condition, everything working in perfect order..when I got it I thought I must be doing something wrong since under no circumstances would the  shutter work..after 4 days of trying to get the seller to respond his answer was.."obviousely you know nothing about cameras and prolly don't even know how to trip the shutter."( and I quote.).
well, feeling like I would never see my money I sent it to my favorite camera repair person in New York.....he is fixing it!  Have to say however this is only the second time in my ten year history with ebay have I come across an obvious disreputable seller...just had to vent!.

[gregor]

The pen, konica & a couple Russian half frames are the mist widely known. Skorj has a nice thread here on FW of interesting & capable  half frame cameras.

Sean & others also pointed out a few nice ones. A quick search of the site will bring up the threads for these sweet cams !