Some Random Dude

I have been thwarted up this this point with this camera - it made my 1975 Nikkormat FT2 look like bleeding-edge technology. Still, medium format photography intrigues me and I do not want to drop the cash for a more modern camera. Because of the camera’s age and evolution in medium format film, I only get 8 exposures in a roll of 120mm film which is intended to hold 12. In addition, the film advancement process will expose the corner of your film if you are in direct light and even the slightly careless. Perhaps the thing that kills me the most is the difficulty to focus with the waist level viewfinder and the 1/300 second maximum shutter speed - many of my photos turn out blurry due to this combination. I feel like I am trying to tame a wild beast with this camera - to say it is frustration is an understatement.

Still, some photos turn out well and I am constantly blown away at the potential of medium format. The photo you are looking at could (easily) be blown up to 8 feet by 6 feet. Doing that with a 35mm photo is going to be much more difficult. Additionally, when I actually produce a decent photo with this camera, it is a major accomplishment. I have so many holes in my knowledge of photography and this camera clearly exposes them.

After some significant talking and planning, we picked up our first digital SLR. My wife wanted to have the chance to experiment without the expense that film can bring. Considering the cost of high quality film added to the price of developing, being “trigger happy” with the camera can begin to rack up money. Ironically, our desire for a digital SLR was for both of to have a set of training wheels for our film cameras. If we wanted to experiment with a new type of shot, we could try shooting it with the digital and then go back for the final shot with our film cameras. Sure, there are going to be differences, but the ability for a dry-run with even remotely similar results is priceless.
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I finally got a chance to take some photos with our Rolleicord that we recently purchased. This little adventure has required quite a bit of commitment as we needed to purchase a handheld exposure meter as well as have the camera fixed and cleaned from head to toe. As you can imagine, your local corner-store does not carry 120mm film so we have to go to and stock up on film at specialty photography stores. Surprisingly, 120mm film is not too expensive, but I would assume that will change as film in general becomes more rare.

As the title suggests, shooting with a camera this old has been quite a learning experience. All the “modern” conveniences of my 1975 Nikkormat FT2 are greatly missed - I can only imagine how much greater the shock would be if I have been using a state-of-the-art camera all this time. Basic features such as a light meter and film advance aids - things you take for granted on cameras nowadays - do not exist on the Rolleicord. This makes you be conscious of every procedure in the photographic process. I have already forgotten to advance the film at least two times with four roles of film. I am assuming I will eventually learn from my mistakes.
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