MY VARIOUS CAMERAS
Cameras come in an incredible variety of shapes and styles from behemoths that require a bus to move, to sub-miniature spy cameras for clandestine affairs.The cameras that I make use of are mostly old and almost always fully mechanical which simplifies each model and which allows me to carry an external, reliable light meter for calculating exposure times.
Along with the cameras come a variety of lenses from macro to wide angle to super telephoto although in some cases (such as my twin lens reflex Rolleiflex) the cameras have a fixed lens. I generally carry one to two lenses while out working to minimize weight as well as to force me to compose by moving around my subject rather than just planting my feet and changing lenses!
My favourite lenses tend to be close to "normal" such as the 50mm in 135 format, 75mm in 120 format and 125mm in 4x5 large format. Lens choice determines so much of the final feel of each photograph that I am very mindful of whichever lens I decide to mount before I even look through the viewfinder or on the ground glass of my view cameras.
Film is another critical choice when making a photograph. It affects the grain, tonality, contrast, detail and sharpness of the final image. Black and white is my preference for analog photography and I prefer older, outdated Agfa emulsions especially. The old, expired films are much less predictable than new film but they also have their own unique character depending on their age, how they were stored and how they were processed. Oftentimes the films produce unusable results but more often than not they produce precisely the results I am looking for with my various subjects and themes.
Nikon S3 rangefinder from 1958. An elegant design made to compete with Leica's M series cameras, the Nikon is comparable, especially when it comes to the lenses.
The Pentax 645n is an autofocus medium format camera that allows me to work without needing to worry about wearing glasses to achieve sharp photos. I pair it with a 45-85mm
Pentax lens which makes it an incredibly versatile kit to carry with me most of the time.
One of my twin lens reflex cameras, the Rolleiflex k4c from 1957 with a Zeiss Planar 75mm lens. It is incredibly light and portable and not intimidating for portraits.
My Horseman Woodman 45 view camera made in Japan in 1994. A lightweight field camera that is a joy to use.
The Sinar f2 4x5 is my studio camera, a monorail setup with precision adjustments that are required for macro and architectural work.
My Horseman VH camera from 1975. It accepts interchangeable backs which allow me to make 6x7cm and 6x9cm negatives on many different films. It is my preferred camera for precise medium format work.
Leica M3 from 1956. These are considered by many to be the best 35mm ever made. No longer in my possession but I used it to make many of the photos in my portfolio. I replaced it with the Nikon S3 rangefinder camera which is of comparable build quality but has much more reasonably priced lenses and accessories!
The Pentax 67 medium format camera weighs more than I like to carry these days. I used it for a few years before giving it up for the much more portable Pentax 645.
A typical day out with my 4x5 camera will include several film holders, 3-4 lenses, a barkcloth, loupe, shutter release, tripod, light meter and a pocket knife! It all fits comfortably in a Wandrd Prcvk 31 Litre backpack.
Out working with one of my Rolleiflex TLR cameras
photo credit: Barbara Levy
