A video about an old camera (and how you use it)
Hello there!
Typical of me to say "I'll do something simple" and then turn it into nearly a half-hour of content. I can't help myself sometimes...
Though really, this is a topic I've been excited to tackle, and I think you'll like it! I've been wanting to dive into analog photography for a long time, and while this is just one small part of it, it's a nice chance to dip my toes back into that water again. I have a lot of old film (and chemicals) that I should test out. The film is undoubtedly still good but the chemicals? Ehh... perhaps not. I'll probably make a fair bit of Connextras content when we go down that path.
Speaking of Connextras, there will at some point be an accompaniment to this video because something went very... oddly in the B-roll shoot which I wasn't anticipating. You can still see some of the lingering artefacts of it - but we'll talk about that later.
Heads up - captions for this will be a while. I've got a full day of non-youtubey stuff tomorrow so it won't be until the evening that I can get to them.
Comments (27)
I'm excited to see more about this camera. In particular, how does the focus prism in the viewfinder actually work?
I can't believe you simultaneously called me (for thinking your backdrop was composited) and my partner (for constantly joking about you being Captain D) all at the same time!!
Great job. I had an older mechanical yashika and a “box” 120 camera as well as a “state of the art” Minolta Maxxum with auto-focus (still in a bag somewhere in the garage). Your explanation of the relationship between aperture and shutter speed is way simpler and better than any of the courses I took back in the day. I look forward to more on this topic.
Great video!!! I still have my dad's Canon AE-1 he taught me how to use. I dont think that one is mechanical like the f-1 but still incredible what they packed into it. Wonderful video as usual.
Back in film school we used these awesome Sekonic analogue light meters that, as far as I remember, didn't need batteries. I don't think they still make the models we used, but it looked very similar to the L-398A Studio Deluxe III. I'm curious if any of the camera makers used passive light meters like that in their cameras? I also always wondered how the battery-less light meters worked. They were a lot of fun to use, and had a handy little calculator built right into the dial for figuring out exposure and f/stop for various film speeds.
You are thinking of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selenium_meter?wprov=sfti1
Back in the day I had an FE2 that could do flash metering with the sensor pointed at the film, and a nice needle for the normal light meter. Plus by then it was the post-mercury era so it used more modern batteries. I don't know how you'd do it now but in the day Kodak sold a kit for reversal processing TMAX to make black and white slides, that was fun.
Speaking of pronouncing weird things, in the aviation world, the FAA has Flight Standards District Offices, abbreviated FSDO, which is pronounced Fizz-Dough, because of course it is...
Holy shit this was an AMAZING video.
I've never had the itch for film photography (digital is just too damn convenient) and I'm only old enough for 1990s compact film cameras but the appeal of using a camera so mechanical is huge. Beautiful and fascinating.
I did it a lot when I was a student (digital compact cameras didn't have good quality already, DSLRs were way too expensive), now only now and then. The good thing about using film is that you have to think carefully about each shot because you're limited by the film, and it is very expensive. But using an old mechanical camera (SLR, or even double-eye, using 120 film) has a charm, and then having to wait until the film is developed. But I would only use B/W or slide film nowadays, for color, the DSLR is much easier (and probably better).
FYI: ISO is the name for the "International Organization for Standards". ISO is language independent and based on the Greek word for "equal". The organization name changes based on language, ISO remains unchanged. -- the things you learn from being on a standards committee.
ooooh, you have the f1.4 lens! I could only afford the f1.8 lens :(
Fascinating! My first REAL camera was a Minolta SRT-101 which is very similar to operate. I will have to dig it out and become re-acquainted with it. Thanks for the battery tip!
I use a F1n and it is one of my favourite cameras!
I love your nearly half-hour videos, please don't stop making the longer videos.
As a relative newcomer to the world of better-than-point-and-shoot cameras (look I got a steal on a Nikon DSLR) this actually helped me to understand some concepts I just couldn’t wrap my head around.
Very cool! That was really neat seeing how the camera did things mechanically. I even said "self timer?" right before you did. :)
I learned photography on a Pentax K1000, which operated in a fashion similar to your Canon F1. I wish it had all those functions your Canon has, meaning those performed by the levers on the front of the body. Even so, I love the mechanical simplicity of it.
I also learned on a K1000! This has made me want to figure out where it ended up..... I used to load my own film when I shot with that, so I still have all the reloadable film cartridges, too.... somewhere.
neat!
Haven’t seen those Lucky film in ages! Bring back my childhood!
Now I'm curious what your recording setup was for those viewfinder shots. Duc(k|t)taped a phone to it?
I just finished watching a newly-minted video by one of my favorite film photographers on YouTube, Nick Carver, when I get the notification of this one, so I'll just shut up and watch now.
Same here
So stoked to watch this! I got into film photography recently and I was kinda thinking bout suggesting you do some more videos on them. I'd love for you to do history on the invention of photography similar to your original videos on artificial sound.
You mentioned liking mechanical things, which made me think of a topic suggestion; the mechanical Geochron clocks. Not sure how that would work into a full segment without having one to disassemble. If nothing else it's a cool thing that exists and is mechanical.