As I am writing this, the sun has gone and left the rain to look after us. Reports suggest the sun will be back in a couple of days. I live in hope because I have not had time to go out and take advantage of the summer with my cameras.
Photographica gave the moths in my wallet sight of daylight, I bought a Rolleiflex6008AF. I had seen it on a stand two years ago when I bought the digital back and I hoped it might still be available. It was. I have not really had a chance to use it although I have dry fired it. I will need to become accustomed to its workings. I did use it to finish off two exposures on a roll started in my 6008i.
At the Guildford camera fair, in June, I bought a Polaroid SX-70 SLR camera. I sold my Rolleicord Vb in 1974 to buy one because I thought it would suit my busier lifestyle. One of the worst decisions I have made with my photographic hat on. I sold that after a year or so to get back to 'real' film with 35mm but it was not until 1985 that I came back into the Rollei fold with a 3.5F Whiteface.
SX-70's have had a cult revival since Impossible Project started manufacturing films for them - now sold, using licenced Polaroid logos, under the name of Polaroid Originals. Refurbished cameras are selling for high prices, £300 upwards; so seeing this one at a sensible price, I thought I'd give it a try. There are eight exposures in a pack of film as opposed to the original ten; the price is £18, or £2.25 per exposure. If you get the exposure wrong, the wallet gets an unnecessary pounding.... I'm quite pleased with the 1970's style of colour rendering. They also sell a B&W film which has a warm, soft, misty appeal.
Fuji have stopped manufacture of FP-100C peel apart instant film and the cost of remaining film packs is £40 upwards for 10 exposures. Fuji do still make the Instax mini cameras and film. I have one of the original cameras. A new camera costs from £60 and two 10 exposure packs, £20 (half the size of a Polaroid SX-70). The Leica badged Instax mini cameras cost upwards of £230.
That makes the SX-70 a reasonably priced instant camera system. Fuji decided a few years ago that youngsters were tiring of taking snaps of friends on their smart phones and liked to be able to hand around a real photo, hence the renewed push into the instant photo market.
Finally for those of you who may be disappointed that your submission has not been included in this issue, do not worry, I have saved it for next issue.
Contents:
- Front Cover: Santorini Sunset; photo by Anthony Sandles.
- 3 In Passing by David Morgan.
- 4 Your Forum.
- 5 Miscellaneous
- 6 Maltese Vintage Car Rally by Raymund Livesey.
- 12 Terry Calvert's photo competition.
- 13 For Sale and miscellaneous
- 14 Trip to Ambon, Indonesia, 2017 by Emil Reinold.
- 22 The Rise and Fall of the Twin-Lens Reflex Exhibition.
- 24 What a winter! First, a White Hell by Dáithí ó Scannláin.
- 28 What a winter! Then it was In the Mud by Dáithí ó Scannláin.
- Rear Cover: Fireflies Twilight Pyrotechnic display by John Wild.
