New Custodian

 There are times in life when things just fall into place without any serious planning. In my last couple of blogs I have spoken of why it makes more sense than ever to shoot film in the 21st century, this is based upon what I have learned since I returned to film photography in 2017. Film is still easily available, developing can still be done on the high street and getting your film scanned opens it up to digital editing and printing in the comfort of your own home. You can even still buy the equipment needed to build a darkroom to develop your film and print your shots for less than the cost of a decent second hand DSLR if you want to go down that route.

The Photography Gods must have read it.

I have been taking stock of my year of learning to shoot, develop and display my black and white film photo's. I am happy with it as I have learned so much about film photography and given my brain some much needed exercise too. Conversely I have also learned a couple of harsh lessons along the way about chemicals and their useful life etc. It is knowledge that will put me in good stead for the future and with that in mind, I began having thoughts about giving medium format 120 film a try.

The Photography Gods must have heard me.

I was contacted by a dear friend with an offer I could not refuse. My friend found a couple of cameras neatly stored in a box in a cupboard at his Mum's house. The cameras belonged to his grandfather and, as they were in good condition, thought I would probably enjoy using them.  The camera's are an Agfa Isolette 1 6x6 120 film camera and a No.1 Pocket Kodak Junior 6x9 120 film camera. I graciously accepted them and made a donation to charity, it's a win for everyone kind of thing. A few days later the camera's arrived and I carefully took my first look at them. 

The Photography Gods arranged a beautiful gift.

The 1950's Agfa Isolette 1 is in beautiful condition. My friends grandfather was an aerospace and marine engineer by trade and he looked after his own posessions as well as the aircraft and boats he maintained. I found that out when the Agfa opened smoothly on the press of the button. The bellows is in excellent condition and after a few moments of operating the shutter release, possibly for the first time this century,  I discovered the shutter speeds sounded good too. I have every confidence they will be reasonably accurate and loosen up with use. I then opened the back and quickly closed it again. There was an unused roll of Kodacolor II loaded and ready to shoot inside the camera. I have no idea how old it is, it could be several decades old or it could be just one decade out of date and I am tempted to shoot it and see what happens. 

The Photography Gods also arranged a challenge.

The 1930's No.1 Pocket Kodak Junior is also in excellent condition. The camera opened smoothly and the bellows are in great condition. Given the age of the camera, it is a UK only model sold from 1931-1933, I am going to be gentle with it and give the glass a careful clean before I even try putting film in it. I checked the shutter and it is working, but age and lack of use has made it a tad sluggish. I could probably happily shoot with it, but it's older than my Dad so I shall treat it with respect and arrange to have it given a professional CLA. For those who don't know that's Clean, Lubricate and Adjust.

There are lots of folk with camera's stored away, unused for years that, with the current Film Renaissance can be given new life, especially if they use 35mm or 120 Medium Format film. The price of film camera's are rising again and it is a good time to have a look for hidden treasures in cupboards and attics and give them renewed purpose. Maybe they are your own camera's left unused or maybe they belonged to an older relative. using them is an excellent way of re-connecting with fond memories of family members long since passed away. It's also an excellent way of ensuring the used film camera market remains bouyant for many years to come.

The only new film camera's on the market are fixed focus point and shoot plastic camera's that don't cost much, but you needn't be limited as professional grade film camera's can be bought for a fraction of their original cost and serviced by a new breed of camera technicians learning the art of precision engineering. The massive success of film photography in the 20th century is now it's salvation in the 21st and I am loving it. Here are the camera's I was kindly given, I will be using them in 2021 and beyond as my journey continues.

Agfa Isolette 1

No.1 Pocket Kodak Junior