It’s Hip to be Square

Cameras

6 Jul

As a kid I probably watched too much telly.

“You’ll end up with square eyes!”

my parents would shout. Their predictions have come true and I’m looking through square eyes.

I’ve been thinking about a Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) camera for a while. They have that vintage camera look and style that makes me think of the 1930’s and old black & white films. TLR’s have seen resurgence in recent years and the discovery of Vivian Maier has made one particular TLR camera extremely desirable. Has square become hip again?

Above—My Yashica MAT 124G medium format Twin Lens (TLR) camera.

I started casually looking around to see what was out there. A Rolleiflex would be nice, particularly the 2.8f. They are beautiful looking cameras and the lens is amazing but jeeez… prices have gone stratospheric. Thanks a lot Vivian!

I settled on the Yashica MAT 124G. Manufactured between 1970-1986 it was Yashica’s affordable alternative (copy of) to the Rolleiflex but for a fraction of the cost. I started looking around and soon picked one up in mint condition; not a mark on it and no fog or fungus in either of the lenses. A medium format camera that produces 6x6cm images, almost as big as the frames from my Mamiya RZ67 but a much lighter camera to carry around. Smaller and more discreet too.

I’m used to viewing through a waist level viewfinder and the pop up magnifier works well but I’ll try not to compare too much with my Mamiya RZ67. They are completely different, the Yashica is small-ish, light-ish and hangs discreetly-ish around my neck. I’m finding the shutter speed and aperture controls a tad fiddly but I’m sure this will pass the more I use it. The leaf shutter is almost inaudible and would be perfect for candid street photos but the winder is noisy and will blow your cover.

Focusing is a breeze and for critical focus there is a pop up magnifier to help nail it. Zone focusing is easy with clear f stops and distance scales marked on the focusing knob, which turns with just the right amount of smooth resistance.

It has a built in light meter but I need to source a battery that fits so I don’t know if the meter works or how accurate it is. I use a handheld light meter anyway and I’m getting better at reading light myself.

*An example of quick-fire zone focusing. A swift turn of the focus dial set to approx 3m and probably around f8 before the cat ran off.*

I’ve already shot a couple of test rolls, Ilford HP5 and FP4 at box speed and the results are as I’d hoped. I shot a few regular spots with tricky light so I could compare. I used various shutter speeds and apertures to test everything was working and the images look well exposed. The lens produced just the right amount of contrast for me, didn’t seem to flare badly in harsh side light and is plenty sharp. Maybe a tad distortion in the corners but adds to the overall charm and character of the images.

But a camera is not just about looks or cost. I’m smitten with the process; loading a film and winding it on until the arrows meet the mark. Looking down into the viewfinder and seeing the world framed on ground glass, the sounds, feel and the smell of film cameras is to me part of the art and process of what I like to do.

The below comparison images are taken on different days.

Ilford HP5

Ilford FP4

Negatives? I’m Feeling Positive!

Not really much to moan about. I picked up a bargain and I could easily sell this on and double my money.

It’s a mere f3.5 taking lens compared to the f2.8 of the Rolleiflex but there’s plenty of bokah at that aperture. It performs well wide open and is tack sharp when stopped down.

The clicks from the winding arm are loud but not over bearing, I like the sound. I don’t find the weight a problem as I’m used to lugging an RZ around.

Stray light often gets into the viewfinder chamber when composing a shot.

I guess my main beef would be loading the film. I’ve found it tricky keeping the leader paper in the take up spool when winding on up to the arrow marks. This caused the film to be further back than it should be and so the first shot was cut off. But holding the paper down as I wind on solves this.

The camera feels good in the hands at waist level. Adjusting shutter speed and aperture will get easier with more use and the shutter locking lever helps eliminate firing the shutter accidently.

I need to shoot some more with this camera and of course see how it performs with some street portraits but for now looking down into the viewfinder the future is bright and I feel hip.