Camera sounds

A couple of members of the Vintage Camera Collectors group persuaded me to concentrate on where my two main hobbies (photography and audio recording) meet, and record the sounds of some of my cameras. Quite a lot of my cameras currently have film in them so I started with just a small selection. Unfortunately allContinue reading “Camera sounds”

Using a microphone to test your shutter speed

I shoot a lot with my vintage cameras. Many date from the 1950s and have probably never been serviced. I’ve no idea how accurate the shutter speeds on them are. For the mostpart, they are probably acceptably accurate, since they seem to produce reasonably well-exposed negatives. Except for my newest lens, a Horseman 65mm f/5.6Continue reading “Using a microphone to test your shutter speed”

Some photographic statistics

This week, I decided to have a look at some statistics about photos I’ve taken with my Canon 450D. Using a little Perl magic, I extracted the EXIF data from almost 7,000 photos that I’ve taken since purchasing the camera 10 months ago. The first graph shows the different focal lengths used in the photographs.Continue reading “Some photographic statistics”

Success with infrared photography

A while back I took an interest in infrared photography, and I bought a couple of rolls of Maco 820c infrared film. Using infrared film involves a huge amount of trial and error, and unlike digital cameras, you can’t take one or two pictures and check after each one. You have to shoot a wholeContinue reading “Success with infrared photography”

New camera: Braun Paxette Electromatic II

Hana went to a car boot sale recently. I half-jokingly asked her to pick up anything photographic if it was cheap, hoping to sell it on eBay for a few quid (and maybe even use it). Girl done good – she found a early 1960s Braun Paxette Electromatic II for not many pounds. The sellerContinue reading “New camera: Braun Paxette Electromatic II”

My 35mm pinhole camera

After I posted the other day about building a pinhole camera, I immediately ordered a body cap from eBay. Last night it arrived, and here’s how I made my pinhole camera. Making the pinhole “lens” Not only do pinholes have to be tiny in diameter, they should also be made through a thin material. IContinue reading “My 35mm pinhole camera”

Photography for beginners: Camera basics

Most cameras, even compacts, have at least some manual settings that you can adjust if you want to explore what your camera can do. As I mentioned in my introduction, the three most common settings to play with are the aperture, shutter speed and ISO. What the settings do Let me go into a littleContinue reading “Photography for beginners: Camera basics”