Tag: film photography

Fail

That camera I bought on ebay a couple of weeks ago? The Nikon F-401? The camera with the autofocus that was going to make my film shooting life so much easier?

The aperture dial doesn’t work. It just spins, it doesn’t click. It doesn’t actually affect the lens’ aperture at all. Not even a teeny tiny bit. If you try to use the aperture ring instead of the dial as a work around? The camera doesn’t fire.

Failure. Total. The lens is nice though so I probably won’t send it back. Anyone know any place that fixes cameras?

Frugal Film Project

I wanted to do this back in January but it was cold out there and I forgot.

The Frugal Film Project is an internet challenge to buy a cheap camera and shoot a roll of cheap(ish) film through it every month for a year. The rule used to be that you had to grab the camera for under $50 but that was before prices ballooned during the pandemic so now it’s $75.

I bought my little Soviet TLR camera, a Lomo Lubitel 166 Universal, for about $40 so it qualifies. You’re supposed to use budget film but I don’t think such a thing actually exists anymore. Even cheap film is grossly expensive. I am going to play this game with the Lubitel and Kodak Gold 200 film. I started it on Memorial Day at Riverside Park in Methuen, a couple of weeks ago, so month number one is May 2025. I’ve already shot a roll in June too, in Harvard Square, but I won’t get that developed for a couple of weeks.

The camera only shoots 12 pics to a roll and (magically, for me) all 12 on the May roll came out okay. Here they are……..

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Film Thoughts

Two thoughts on the mountain of film I got back from the development lab today.

First, I need to learn how to hold my camera without leaning to the side.

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Every square format shot is tilted. Do I have one leg longer than the other or something?

Second, I am not vibing with this brand of film. I bought two rolls of 120 and two rolls of 35mm. I shot the two 120’s last week and one of the 35mm’s today. After I finish the last roll I think I am done with this brand. Oh well.