For this set of photos I have used 2 different types of lenses to create these photos – 1) from a Kodak Brownie camera and 2) The viewer lens from a ‘twin lens reflex’ (TLR) camera. Neither lens has an aperture control but both will need practice in their use and in selecting suitable subjects. To use these lenses I bodge something up using my basic(!) DIY skills. But you need to start somewhere!
First the Brownie camera lens. This is very difficult to focus because it is a simple low quality lens and the digital camera has a sensor about 1/10th of the size of the negative. Most of the original prints would have been contact printed so the lack of sharpness wouldn’t have been so evident, so what you see here would be about 1 inch across in a contact print:
In this next image I had more trouble focussing the image. I tried to focus on the group of flowers but the foliage behind is in better focus:
For these next shots I moved closer to the subject:
I do like the tonality of these images which seems to go well with the softness of the subject. But the real art will be selecting suitable subjects.
The next lens that I used was easier to focus but also has different characteristics:
This TLR lens was easier to focus and has better definition but still has the soft-focus effect.
Setup for the photos
I am learning a lot as I go. I believe the approach works, I just need to refine my technique…
A couple of technical notes:
I have estimated that the focal length of the Brownie lens is around 100mm with an aperture of about f8 to f11 – there is not aperture control. The TLR viewer lens, a Halina, is marked 80mm f3.5. Again there is no aperture control.