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A special moment! I love that she has taken on my countdown. You could only barely hear it in the video, I tried to boost the sound, but from watching me and from me taking thousands of photos of her, she now starts every photo with "ok ready? 3, 2, 1... click"! Proud moment!

I have a Welta here. Needs some attention, which I keep meaning to find time to do! I have so many cameras that are about 75%... All I need is about another five hours in every day. Is that too much to ask??

I would say give it another chance! I confess I have a bit of a fear of using cameras like this for my "normal" photography - ie travel, family etc., because the complication of using it discourages me from putting it to use on stuff like that. I have previously taken folders like this out for banal and innocuous photo walks, taking photos of nothing, and I come back disappointed. But I used this one for a little while, got more comfortable with it, and I recently took it to a wedding and I was thrilled with the results! Only got maybe 9/16 good shots, the rest I messed up, but the good ones were soooo good! Definitely worth the extra effort.

@ I admit I’ve used it only sparingly. I did think the images were good. I’m not thrilled with the framing up the shot using that simple frame viewfinder, but I could probably learn to appreciate it for what it is. It’s quite small when folded up, and that’s just crazy to think it’s possible for a 6x9 shooter. Will absolutely fit in a pocket. I’ll make a resolution to put it to more use in the new year.

The hidden gems of the film photography world!

All good questions, and I'm afraid I don't know the full answer to some of them. Bellini are an Italian chemicals company, you can find their website here: www.bellinifoto.it There is an option to see it in English. Not sure how much env info they have on there. I can tell you that the developer is just a standard paper developer, so you could choose which one you use based on its required disposal method. Fixer is just standard fixer, and as you're developing to completion it's sort of an optional step. In theory there shouldn't be any chems left in the paper which need fixing. I have been using fixer, just out of safety and habit, but technically it shouldn't be a necessary step. The two chemicals unique to this process (actually not unique to this process, but different from standard paper developing) are the clarifier and the bleach. The clarifier is a simple sodium sulphite (sulfite) solution. Quick google suggests that this is not considered harmful to the environment, and in fact breaks down into sodium sulphate which is used as a nutrient by plants and bacteria. The bleach is a potassium permanganate based bleach. I haven't mixed my own, but other recipes suggest that it might be mixed with sulphuric acid. Both of these are considered toxic to aquatic life. I've been pouring this into a storage tank for now, but I'll need to figure out how to safely dispose of it soon. Do let me know if you find any more info! The sort of good news is that the potassium permanganate bleach is a modern addition to the process. Historically the bleaching was done with a potassium dichromate bleach, but that is seriously nasty stuff. Apparently you get better results with the dichromate bleach, but that's not a good enough reason for me to go there!

They are absolutely wonderful aren't they? And to think, this one i was using here was made in the 1930s! And it is a beautifully crafted camera with an incredibly intricate mechanism... and which with just a quick clean it is still fully functional 90 years later! Insane.

Thanks!

In't technology 'mazin. More amazing than me...

I agree, they're not for high precision work. But you can still make some very nice images with them. The focusing on this one was very accurate, not zone focusing but distance based. I was using a laser range finder to get my distances and I got some super sharp focus on most images. This one is no good for macro, closest focus it will allow is 1m. You might be able to get some sort of push on lens adapter for it, not sure. But you also have the problem of framing. Even at 1m I was battling with the parallax. I thought I had compensated enough but all of those close portraits ended up much lower in the frame than i was expecting. I'm not pushing folders for every situation, far from it. My big message is that they're a lot better than people think! And the prices that some of these cameras sell for is just criminal!

@@the120ist Yes overall folding cameras are fun... as long as you can work within its limitation. And still unbeatable compactness-wise. I can easily put a 6x9 Ikonta in my pocket, can't do the same with those Fuji 6x9 RFs :D

I think I have a Perkeo... maybe not the II version though. I shall have to take a look in my boxes of cameras! Yeah taking photos of the kids is a nightmare! But we must keep trying, right? They're definitely getting better at putting up with me! So that's something!

I'm learning with the strip downs. I've done some simpler shutters with great results, including aperture blades. The older I get the more patience I seem to have for such things! You're right, it is a tiny hole in the bellows. Took my a long time to find it because it's actually not on one of the folds, which is where I was looking. The material has thinned around the lens retaining ring, just where the bellows joins the front plate. I actually think it's in a place where it will cope well with some paint, it doesn't need to flex there. I'll take a closer look at it and see what I can do. Sadly, despite the enjoyment I got from it and plans I have for it, I'm not sure it warrants the cost of a new bellows. hmmm... maybe. Paint first. Then we'll see! Yeah I totally didn't notice the trails in the sky, but lots of people have pointed it out. We're on the main London - North America flight path out of Heathrow. Planes are so high you don't her them really, so I forget all about it. But it's a busy airway up there.

@the120ist I watched a documentary on trails and it's not some conspiracy theories spraying it out from planes they say they use a different aviation fuel now and this is what's causing the problem with lots of carbon in it. it sure is getting colder and this is why I have left France for winter and I'm in Marrakesh at the moment and then we'll travel down to dahkla later where it's 28° plus. yeah the only way you should be buying one of those bellows which cost me £45 each is if the camera is worth hundreds I replaced lots of mamiya 6 cameras and need to sell a lot of them now and the cameras have to be the top end models you don't want a cheap nettar with a bellows being replaced because it's worth a lot less. I have a Pontiac block metal 45 which is a beautiful camera made out of a block of metal it's amazing do search for it. when you open the camera the shutter button comes up out of the body it's beautifully machined but I only bought it for £16 years ago and so I'm not going to spend £45 to replace the bellows because the lens is not the best lens on it?

Possibly a Franka Solida? There were a few versions of that, 6x6 folders and good quality too. I have at least one... another one I shall have to dig out! Damn that paying work. It just doesn't go away does it?? I find it a major hindrance to my photography. Mixed info on HC-110... I'm told that someone has bought the Kodak IP (again) and is now producing again. I've switched over the Bellini Euro HC and am happy with the results. Whereabouts in the world are you? How com shipping is an issue?

@@the120ist That's it, a Franka Solida in 6x6 format. I didn't really understand the camera when I bought it and it needs some love (taken to the field). The seller also restores the cameras (solid rep), so I have a nice instance with a working rangefinder. I'm not complaining about the paying work -- it more than pays the bills. But I'm a little burned out from a long haul without a break. I'm in western Nevada in the States. B&H won't ship either developer because of hazardous materials regulations. The camera shop in Reno kinda said "Huh, you want a developer?" Sacramento, California is a couple hours away and they might have a store that carries developers. Thanks for the tip on the Bellini HC. I'll see if I can get that from B&H and get it shipped. Thanks for the great work, Nick.

Great stuff, glad you're getting good results from it! I miss the first frame ALL the time. How long have I been doing this now?? And I still do it. Useless. I also manage to get myself the odd blank frame from the same thing, where I merrily wind straight past the numbers! I think if we get into a bit more of a rhythm with these cameras, we'd get used to the workflow! But all it takes is a single distraction (like putting the foot of the tripod in dog s**t) and I'm toast. Rhythm blown!

It should, in theory, have the same exposure effect on either colour or the film I was using, as the T-Max 100 is panchromatic. An orthochromatic film should have no effect. The only big difference between colour and BW film is that on a panchromatic BW film you'll get just brighter areas, whereas on a colour film you would expect brighter and redder areas, because of the windows. But I wouldn't instantly expect huge differences in strength of the effect. I was doing my best not to leave those red windows in direct sunlight too much, and I didn't get too much impact from it. They were not to blame for the light leaks, I've found the culprit of that, it's the bellows.

Apparently the scowl is my natural facial position. No wonder I get so tired when I spend the day smiling.... I did think about trying this with the portrait box, but I'm not sure how I would do the exposures. I don't plan on having a shutter on the box, just using the lens cap to do the exposures. I could do what I did on a previous video, god knows which one, and sit in complete dark, switching lights on and off for set times. Possible! I'm sure I'll try it!

The old oil on the shutter blades. Curse of about 50% of antique cameras. But fixable! Did you sort it out?

@@the120ist yep, half hour with IPA and cotton buds and its a good one, now have a Microflex TLR to restore

aaaah the choice of shutter speeds!! I mean, it's all very well having all these shutter speeds, but if they're not all that accurate then it's a bit of a waste of space! If I had your 8.5 though i would definitely be yearning for something faster. There are loads of 6x9 Ikontas and Nettars out there, they're easier to find than the 645s, and you'll probably get one of those for almost no cost. BW paper reversal in a folder - absolutely! It would work in anything. You'd just need to figure out how to keep the paper still. Small square of double sided tape onto the pressure plate would do the trick. And as you say, dark bag to change it. Easy!

Thanks very much! Glad you enjoyed it. I was pretty surprised when I started shooting this camera, I didn't expect the lens to be so good! But I guess Zeiss Tessars have the name that they do for a good reason!

Indeed... and attitude. ;) This really makes me miss the days when my kids were that age. They were a hoot then. (They still are, just as adults!)

Thanks! I struggled with the framing... that viewfinder on top of the camera is pretty useless at the best of times, but then that close up the parallax is hard to judge. I thought I was compensating enough, but apparently not!

Don't we all constantly reminisce about when our kids were a different age?? I'm bracing myself for these two becoming teenagers... my wife keeps telling me how bad it will be!

@@the120ist Ahahahahaha... maybe so, my friend. My kids gave us some challenges when they hit their teenage years, the middle son in particular. But, everyone survived and we remain tight. Your wife might be projecting! I'll bet she remembers being a handful for her folks and now is concerned about the payback.! ;)

I'm all about the budget experimenting! It's amazing what you can do if you think sideways at a problem! I'm just finalising the build of my portrait box now - plywood box with a 20 inch Air Ministry WWII lens, 20x16 back board and a fixed focal distance of about 7-8 feet... looking like it's going to be awesome! Cost won't quite compare to the cardboard box, but it should come in well under $300 (/£). Interesting about saving those negatives... I feel like I've maybe skipped a step in not having tried doing contact prints from paper negatives. I went straight to the reversal. I'll complete the portrait box build and then maybe look at taking a few steps backwards, try to complete my understanding of the process!

@@the120ist The portrait camera sounds great--look forward to seeing it here. Kind of like a Polaroid super "Big Shot" portrait camera except a lot bigger. It's not too difficult to transform it into a sliding box camera that can focus a bit if need be. The nice thing about shooting for paper negatives is that you can control contrast with MG filters. I normally use a 00 filter to increase dynamic range. Then, I can create as many copies as I need. But a direct to paper photo (reversal) is superb in its clarity and tones. I find it amazing that the reversal is capturing the actual image projected by the lens. Quite a magical process!

I think the simplicity is what makes it right? The simplicity and the complication, and that awesome authentic vintage look!

I think you're on the nail with that, I think the light leaks were when I changed location, and therefore the piece of film was sitting in the chamber for longer. I've gone over the bellows and done the torch test and I wasn't seeing any pinholes. But I'll check again. I think also if I am more careful with it, and cover it up between frames, I should be able to eliminate most of the leaks. I hope!

Aaaaaah, you're absolutely right! I've just checked the bellows again with a powerful torch and at just one angle I can see light creeping through right at the front, where the bellows meets the mounting plate! Thank you! I thought I had checked it thoroughly, but I obviously missed a bit. Should be quite fixable. Job for tomorrow!

Excellent investigative work there, sir!

I didn't really notice them until people started pointing them out on here! I was just thrilled not to have every view obscured by bloody pylons and wires!

They are special for sure! I've got a box of them sitting outside which I keep meaning to get started on, but never get around to! Glad I finally got my act together and did this one! I don't think it's an orientation thing, I was getting light leaks on portrait orientation shots as well. Back to the sun, definitely a thing. I also think, looking back on it, that it was mostly the first frame after a significant pause, or a move to a different location. Which would make sense of course, as that frame was sitting in the chamber, as it were, for longer. There don't seem to be any light seals, from what i can tell. More baffles, overlapping metal edges. But some of those are a tine bit warped. I'll have a tinker with it anyway. Using it off the tripod would be the best thing, because I could then fold it up and stick it in a bag between frames. Aaaaaanyway....

​@@the120ist Well, of all the vintage camera TH-camrs you are definitely the one to figure out how to fix the leak! Maybe just put some masking tape over the slits where light could slip through. Did that with my old Kodak Retina 119, and worked!

Oh yeah! Red dots, hadn't noticed them before. No shutters on my red windows though. Think I'll put some tape over them next time I head out.

Didn't even notice them until you pointed them out!!

Nonetheless your family shots are absolutely beautiful and the one your daughter took of you “sharp” 👌🏽. These folders were definitely made for black n white.

I was really impressed with this one. Should make a nice travel companion!

I have so many folders, I really should pay them more attention. More folder vids coming soon I think!

They great little cameras aren't they? I've shot with a nettar before, the model number escapes me for now, and I was happy with that. From memory I was taking photos of elephants in South Africa, and the shots turned out great. I'm sure it's on the channel somewhere. So much camera for so little money! Amazing.

Thanks! It definitely is neat... folds up so small!

They definitely can, I was very impressed with the lens. Shutters are pretty standard stuff for camera repairers, compurs and compur rapids. I can't claim to be an expert on them yet, but I'm learning!

@@the120ist nearly every one of my folding cameras needed the shutter mech flushing out with solvent to get the speeds (especially the 1 second) functioning properly.

@@russellspeight5175 They're prone to gumming up, for sure! The solvent flush is the quick fix, but the camera techs out there will crucify you for mentioning it! I've successfully serviced some simpler shutters, I'm close to feeling confident on one like this... close, but not quite there!

@@the120ist correct, they really do frown on it - but i flushed with kerosene (which no one does) and several years later they show no signs of gumming up again and that is what i judge it by.

It did work pretty well, although as you saw it was a pretty grey day. I'm not sure how useful it would have been over longer distances or in brighter light. I've definitely lost the dot on other occasions! This specific model was something I backed on Kickstarter, but there are loads of them out here right?

@@the120ist ta

@@the120ist Ive struggled with my red laser. I'm going to get a green laser rangefinder from one of the cheap chinese websites. Green lasers are always easier to see in daylight so that might be an answer.

@@robg3545 That's an interesting idea. I hadn't even thought of using a laser rangefinder until I happened to see this thing on kickstarter. But yes, difficult to see the red in daylight. Let us know how you get on with the green, if it works!

Thanks Chris!

Oooh, that's an interesting question. I don't think I know of a 6x7 folder. Plenty of 6x6 and 6x9. I bet there's a 6x7 out there... I shall start looking!

@@the120ist There is the Fuji GF670, but it commands big money unfortunately.