Some Random Dude

So not too long ago, I wrote about my purchase of an ultra wide-angle lens (I am really digging the photos it is putting out). The original notion was to pick up a 20mm (because I had heard so many great things about it) as well as a 28mm (because it is a little more suited for normal scenes). Well, the plan did not quite end up that way because, through one way or another, I ended up with a Hasselblad 501cm.
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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.

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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My photographic background is not much to be proud of. In one of my graphic design courses, the professor let us know that a large portion of our work would involve photography. I did not have a camera at that time and was lucky enough to be given a Nikkormat FT2 shortly afterward as a birthday present. I quickly jumped right into manual photography with no educated background. Nonetheless, I fumbled around with the camera enough to where I could take decent shots for the projects they were intended for. All work with my camera was a means to an end - as long as the shots turned out to my needs, I was happy. As you may guess, I many times would have to go through hundreds of shots and boat-loads of money (for a starving student) to get the results I desired. It never dawned on me to take a different approach with my photography as I was too ignorant to know better and too strung out on caffeine to think rationally.
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The doctor worked a miracle and our baby is good as new. Some fungus cleaning, shutter timing and a new mirror later, our Rolleicord is ready to take pictures. We are going to have to wait on our exposure meter to be delivered, but we have purchased our film and are looking forward to the photos this camera produces.
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