cola-cam

I bought this camera from ebay a couple of months back because I thought it looked pretty funny. It's just a basic film camera with no flash or fancy extras, I just bought it because I liked the design. It doesn't really look like a can of real coke and couldn't sit alongside real ones in disguise, but it is exactly the same size, very light, and takes mildly interesting pictures because it's cheap. I think it cost me about £8 including postage from Korea so it wasn't too bad.

There isn't very much that I can write about for this one, as there's not much too it. It takes 35mm film and doesn't need batteries or anything, it just winds. I do really like how you have to flick part of the can up to reveal the lens. 

EDCO update

So I bought a roll of black and white 120 film for edco, got back home and opened it up and turns out it takes 127 film which is a massive bummer. 127 is really hard to come buy and is going to cost ma a lot for both the film and the development of it. Whilst I was searching on the internet for a source of 127 film in the UK, I found a small website called onetwoseven.org.uk which is trying to keep 127 photography alive with as much information as possible in one place. Whilst browsing this i clicked a link named Great Wall as I recognised this as the company who created the original Diana.

Turns out Great Wall Plastic Company created two cameras called the Ilfoflex and the Bedfordflex, which also went under many different aliases just like the Diana. Aand by the picture, my TLR is an absolute spitting image with no difference but the name! Hooray! I hope it was made in that very factory before it shut down, I feel dead special.

Now I've just got to find me some 127 film and a place where I can get it developed speedy.

diana+

My DianaF+ comes next in my line of cameras, as it is a replica of an old 1960s toy camera and takes medium format 120 film. I got my Diana+ for my birthday last summer and absolutely love it to bits, the only problem with it being purchasing and processing the film, especially. You can see some of the photos I've taken using it here.

The DianaF+ is an updated version of the original Diana camera, as it includes plugs for the flash forks. Unfortunately I don't have a flash as they're around £50 or so but one day I'll get one. The original models were made in early 60s in the Great Wall Plastic Factory in Hong Kong and weren't particularly popular, eventually given away in children's magazines, and at fairs and carnivals as prizes. They later became popular when Lomography bought the original mould and began re-making them, as the popularity for poor quality cameras grew because of the soft, dreamlike images they create.

At the moment my DianaF+ takes 120 film, but once I have used it all up (I have several rolls as nowhere in Kendal sold medium format) I am going to convert it to 35mm with some tape, cardboard and foam. It is possible to buy adapters for the Diana+ but they are expensive and I have read nothing but poor reviews.

EDCO

Eddie is possibly the oldest of my small collection of cameras. I picked it up from Age Concern when I was back in Kendal at Christmas for £1, someone had chucked it in with the children's toys and i found it when rooting for some plastic junk. It is a tiny little TLR (twin-lens reflex) camera and takes medium format film. I haven't tried it out yet but have decided to use monochrome film so I can develop it myself at college.

After I bought this camera I attempted to do a bit of research into it, things like how old it is, something about the company, anything, but I had no success whatsoever. All I found was a company called Edco who make professional security cameras, so I'm guessing it must be the same people, but not a single mention of cameras for the consumer market.

Even though it has two lenses, they are not joined together by cogs like many other TLRs, as it has no zoom and a fixed focus. When I bought it the mirror by the top lens was missing but I have replaced that with a suitably shiny piece of plastic (glass was too hard to cut to the right shape) and it works perfectly. Below is the front view of Eddie, you can see that something was originally glued onto the top of the fold up part but after researching this type of camera I believe that this was probably just a logo.

Below is the rear view of my camera, there's not much to it so the only knobs are for winding on the film and securing the reels in place. I really want to know where this camera came from and how old it is. By the simplicity of the design, it looks as if it could be aimed at the younger market, such as children, but I honestly have no idea.

new brief

I have decided to use this blog for my next brief, otherwise I'm going to end up with far too many, so this one can stay for projects.

After missing the initial briefing just before Christmas due to the attack of a real mean cold, I have struggled to understand what this brief is about. Technology yes, but then what? I've read the brief, the PowerPoint, been to every session and asked questions of my peers but i just don't get it. So far, I think we have to choose some kind of technology and do something with it, but I'm not sure what. Past, present and future? All that has really been mentioned is photography, video and mobile phones, so I guess I'll begin with photography as it is something I am fond of until I know where to go next.

To get started, I think I shall put film in all of my cameras (or at least as many as I can afford to get processed), and make a comparison as they are all different in a variety of ways. Reckon I'll do a little write up of each in the mean time. Come to think about it, I need to think of a subject for my photography, I'll work on that.

book photos

These are some of the other photos which I am going to use for my book. I took them when I went to see my grandparents again in Boston Spa. I'm only going to use one image of each person, but I think that these all turned out quite nicely. Getting into the dark room in Vernon Street has been a little difficult though, it always seems to be full when I go there in my free time. I think for my next project I will try to use more illustration and digital photography due to this, even though the whole process of developing the films and enlarging photographs is very satisfying.  

The rest of the photos will be on my Flickr account in a few minutes.

diana+

Only two more days and my diana+ photos of South Shields should be ready. I hate Jessops. Going to try and develop my film tomorrow, then I'll have all my book images and layout finished and ready to print.