I’ve been getting back into photography lately, and I have a few thoughts on it.
Basically, photography is one of those hobbies I leave for a few years, and then suddenly want to get into it again. This time, the bug has bitten me hard. I first splurged on a Minolta Autopak 460T from Etsy. This is a 110 format camera, and I always loved the ease of use for that format. I was so glad to find out that Lomography makes 110 film, so I went to the local camera store and picked up some LomoChrome Purple and some Lomo Orca film.
And then I saw the Reto UWS right below those films. I thought “I should get a cheap 35mm camera so I can use the more common film stock” and bought that at the same time. My haul looked a bit like this:
Cool. Set up for a while, yeah? But then I wanted something a bit nicer than the lil Reto UWS. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a cute camera, very pocketable, and even though I haven’t finished my first roll from it, I’m excited to see what the pictures are like. But it’s VERY flimsy. I wanted something that would stand up to some heavier use and had more control over the exposure settings, like an SLR. Enter the Sears TLS 1000 MXB.
Now, this one isn’t quite in a condition I’m comfortable using it yet. It badly needs the light seals replaced, and I plan to do that myself when I get a bit of time. But aside from that, the only issue is that the shutter doesn’t work right at speeds 1/4 second or slower. I can probably fix this myself, but for now I’m gonna let it be and just not do long exposures. It is a BEAST though! Nice and hefty, and aside from the light seals and shutter speed issue, it is in great condition for $30. I even have plans to customize the colors with paint and replacing the leatherette.
Cool. I’m good on cameras for now, even though I want the Reto3D so I can do some trichrome infrared at some point. And one other, but we’re coming to that.
So, I got some cash in (as you do) and today I went to go pick up a used film scanner for once I start developing my own film. I figured it looked in basically-new shape, it was $100 less than the exact same model I was looking at on amazon, so I’d pick it up nbd. So while I was at the camera store, after I had already paid for the scanner, I saw it.
The Pentax 17. The only one left in stock.
If you’re not familiar with film photography, you might not have heard about this camera. It’s a brand new camera design that was released earlier this year. It sits above the ‘flimsy reusable-disposable’ category of my Reto UWS, but below the ‘luxury expensive’ category of film cameras like Hasselblads and Leicas. The Pentax 17 is basically selling out everywhere as soon as it comes in. People are desperate for a brand new film camera in this bracket.
Now, I only had the cash to get one or the other. Still gotta get school supplies after all. And, I had already planned on getting this camera if I could find it later in the year. But here it was, and on Tax-Free Weekend. So what did I do? Returned the scanner and got the camera, of course.
Look, I never said I had good impulse control.
Anyway, I am really loving the look and feel of the Pentax 17. I like that I can shoot so many pictures with it that a few duds won’t ruin my enjoyment. I actually super like working with film, because the instant view of a digital camera or phone camera makes me worry about getting it just right before I ever snap that photo. With film, it’s kind of freeing because I have the delayed gratification and an element of chance. (I am not a photography technical-perfectionist and I think slightly underexposed or grainy images have a certain charm to them.) Once I get a few rolls of film finished up, I’ll set them aside for when I can set up a processing station with a dark bag.
So that’s how I’ve been. Look forward to some photos in the future!
