RobL Posted 26 December , 2008 Share Posted 26 December , 2008 Here's some photographs taken over the past few months using a Kodak No 2 folding camera and appropriate film, as used during WW1 and available from 1908-26. The poor pixellation is due to the scanner i'm using, apart from being out of focus etc the photos are very sharp and detailed A canal running by an old mill in Yorkshire (no trouble at this one though) Canal basin and industrial buildings in the West Midlands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 26 December , 2008 Share Posted 26 December , 2008 Rob- excellent. Especially like the canal basin. What brand of orthochromatic film did you use? Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph Posted 26 December , 2008 Share Posted 26 December , 2008 Rob, Photos are very good, would this be the sort of camera that anyone Officer or soldier could buy and run? Regards Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Barbara Posted 26 December , 2008 Share Posted 26 December , 2008 Very nice photographs, I also like the bike.. Barbara.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
River97 Posted 27 December , 2008 Share Posted 27 December , 2008 Rob, I agree, nice photo's, especially the canal basin, that's great. Are the camera's and film easy to come by and how much would they cost? Cheers Andy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWills Posted 27 December , 2008 Share Posted 27 December , 2008 Rob- excellent. Especially like the canal basin. What brand of orthochromatic film did you use? Chris I'm not sure it is orthochromatic film - the skin tones seem a little to light. Rollei/Maco still produce orthochromatic film, but it tends to be slow speed film. Cameras can be found in junk shops (you need to ensure they are in good order) or more expensively from speialist dealers You tend to get poorre contrast and more susceptibility to flare with older lenses, though some are very good indeed. The big difference is that the negatives tend to be larger. Film can be sourced from places like Silverprint in London - typically £3 to £6 a roll - according to type. Make sure you know how to get it processed. Orthochromatic film can be processed under a red safelight. Don't forget to sepia tone the prints! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J T Gray Posted 27 December , 2008 Share Posted 27 December , 2008 Hurrah - another vintage camera user! I'll get the digi out in a mo, and add a piccie of mine to this post. I use a No2 Folding Pocket Brownie Model B, and there's some pics from it here: http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...st&p=703145 And here it is: Andy, film isn't a problem - it takes 120, which should be available from any decent photographic supplier. As for appropriately aged Kodaks, the odd one comes up on Ebay, but I can't really offer advice on what you might find, or what it would cost to post to, Australia. You want to look for a No2 camera, though, as these will take 120. Unhelpfully, a 2A takes wider film... In fact in 1927 Kodak were offering 23 different sizes of film (with the biggest taking pics a vast 5"x7") so you need to take a certain amount of care. I believe prices of elderly cameras in Oz are relatively high - so watch completed prices on Australian Ebay (I assume you have one?) and get a feel for what they sell for. Some people start them at silly prices, then wonder why they never sell. As for cost the, the George Eastman House website unfortunately quotes prices in dollars and my Kodak catalogue is 1927 so just too late to find RobL's model (which one is it, by the way?). However a simple Ensign, a British competitor, taking 120 film in 1915 started at £1/1/0 - so a considerable chunk of an ordinary man's wages for some time! Unlikely to be part of an ordinary soldier's kit, and you would doubtless be in very deep manure if you were found with one anywhere near the front line. It might be a different matter if you were an officer, of course! A rather better bet for a trench camera might have been a Vest Pocket Kodak: http://www.geh.org/fm/mees/htmlsrc/mE13000637_ful.html If you can find one with a working shutter these can be used as 127 film is still available - just about, you may have to hunt round the web depending on where you are. The Vest Pocket Kodak Model B was a replacement for the "lazy tongs" model, so wouldn't be "period" to WW1. Not that most people would notice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobL Posted 27 December , 2008 Author Share Posted 27 December , 2008 Rob, Photos are very good, would this be the sort of camera that anyone Officer or soldier could buy and run? Regards Charles Yes, pretty much - it was small, basic and light, so easy to transport (and hide!), as well as one of the cheapest. It doesn't require a tripod but you could buy accessories including tripods for them. Folded up, the whole thing is about 17cm by 7cm and about 2.5cm deep. As for film, I just use Ilford 120mm b&w, can buy it from Jessops (about £3.80 a roll, but you only get 8 exposures per film), and Jessops also develop it, but it has to be sent away and takes a couple of weeks to process. As for acquiring them, pretty much anywhere - on ebay they tend to go for about a tenner at the most, my two were donated to me by another Great War Historian in return for a suitable donation to the RBL. Here's a few more, from a living history event in Italy back in October And for anyone interested, the bike is a 1916 Sunbeam, built for the French Army - only difference is that the chain is on the right hand side, and instead of a leather belt as on British machines, it's a proper metal chain. Prefer Douglas' machines myself though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph Posted 27 December , 2008 Share Posted 27 December , 2008 Rob, Thanks for that, the difference in the photograph is fantastic, it may sound daft but they look real!. Regards Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 27 December , 2008 Share Posted 27 December , 2008 I'm not sure it is orthochromatic film - the skin tones seem a little to light. Rollei/Maco still produce orthochromatic film, but it tends to be slow speed film. Film can be sourced from places like Silverprint in London - typically £3 to £6 a roll - according to type. Make sure you know how to get it processed. Orthochromatic film can be processed under a red safelight. Martin, That's partly why I asked. RobL's last post confirms that (Ilford is panchromatic). I am not (I hope) being overly picky, but I have a long standing interest in looking at how orthographic film (by far the most common in WWI) represents colours - in order to try and reproduce the effect digitally. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J T Gray Posted 27 December , 2008 Share Posted 27 December , 2008 I am not (I hope) being overly picky, but I have a long standing interest in looking at how orthographic film (by far the most common in WWI) represents colours - in order to try and reproduce the effect digitally. Chris Have you tried looking at the Flypast forum (http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=4), and searching for "roundel police"? While it's a running gag about experts and nit-pickers on colour schemes, it does come up often when a photo has been posted taken on orthochromatic film. Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Noble Posted 27 December , 2008 Share Posted 27 December , 2008 Hi Rob. Just come across this thread. Fantastic photos. Kindest regards. Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 27 December , 2008 Share Posted 27 December , 2008 Adrian, I had not - but will. My interest comes from looking at photos of kilts (and the disappearing yellow stripe in Gordon Tartan) and they way reds and yellows are rendered when scarlet tunics are worn, Thanks, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Poilu Posted 28 December , 2008 Share Posted 28 December , 2008 Very interesting pics. Here are a couple of pics of the Vest Pocket which was a popular soldiers camers. As you can see about the same size as a modern digital. Used to pick these up for around £20 - £30. Still common so try and get one complete with case and Autographic back/stylus. For 14-18 era aim for one with non-Japanned finish as here - the Japanned finish came out in 1919 IIRC. (edit - won't let me attach pics - tells me the 87kb file is too big at 19.97MB???) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J T Gray Posted 28 December , 2008 Share Posted 28 December , 2008 (edit - won't let me attach pics - tells me the 87kb file is too big at 19.97MB???) Sounds like the forum has the yips - have you tried using Photobucket? Or you could email me via the forum (I think you can attach things to those), and I'll attach it for you? Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobL Posted 1 January , 2009 Author Share Posted 1 January , 2009 Here's some photos of the camera itself As you can see, the stand for it is also the perfect size for supporting the camera when horizontal, the viewfinder moves as well With the older films, you used to be able to open the flap at the back and write on the negative, ie 'me and my mate John with a captured Jerry machine gun' with a special writing stick, then hold it up to the sunlight for a few seconds for it to work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Poilu Posted 2 January , 2009 Share Posted 2 January , 2009 Seems the forum photo glitch has been fixed so here are the pics: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunboat Posted 2 January , 2009 Share Posted 2 January , 2009 Rob The photos are excellent Supposing the details in the uniforms are authentic and the camera and film is authentic how would an expert know that the images are modern and not authentic from that period? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobL Posted 2 January , 2009 Author Share Posted 2 January , 2009 Rob The photos are excellent Supposing the details in the uniforms are authentic and the camera and film is authentic how would an expert know that the images are modern and not authentic from that period? They wouldn't, I guess - although in the photo of the two Tommy's, the one closest to the camera doesn't have the bayonet and scabbard in the bayonet frog because it was confiscated at Stansted Airport That and the SBR bags are empty because the event was in Italy, and we had to reduce as much weight as possible whilst still looking externally as authentic as possible so we'd stay under the weight limit (although again, the same person went over and had to fork out several hundred pounds!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 2 January , 2009 Share Posted 2 January , 2009 Rob The photos are excellent Supposing the details in the uniforms are authentic and the camera and film is authentic how would an expert know that the images are modern and not authentic from that period? There would always be the paper upon which the photos were printed, not obvious in an online viewing of course but in hand would be another story. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom compton Posted 2 January , 2009 Share Posted 2 January , 2009 Hello pals . I have a canadian kodak Toronto 22115. Vest pocket kodak model B . On the back says use Kodak film 127. I always think of it being a 1930s camera so what age would it be. thanks tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Poilu Posted 2 January , 2009 Share Posted 2 January , 2009 The model B was indeed a later model - produced from the mid 20's to mid 30's. This is a useful site for dating various VP's: http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Vest_Pocket_Kodak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom compton Posted 2 January , 2009 Share Posted 2 January , 2009 Thanks Max .Nice picture of it on that site.I dont know what i will do with it i will never use it ,when folded up its a bit boreing and when opened up and put on a shelf its a dust trap.tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 12 January , 2009 Share Posted 12 January , 2009 Inspired by this thread I dug mine out. I have a couple more but can't get at them at the mo'. I have sourced some 127 film and 120 (and apparently you can with a little ingenuity and 4 raw-plugs make 120 work in a 116 camera) so once the sun appears (may be a month or so here!) I will see what I can produce. All three seem to be functioning so.... we shall see. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred van Woerkom Posted 12 January , 2009 Share Posted 12 January , 2009 Chris, Can't wait to see the results. By the wat, what cameras are they ? All the best, Dred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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