Camera Reviews - Kodak Brownie To Digital Slr

I am a shutter happy snapper and can't get enough of framing my world with a viewfinder. Once upon a time this was an expensive hobby, but since the digital era has arrived, I have had the opportunity to snap to my heart's content and edit my choices prior to printing. Sometimes though, I do miss the excitement and anticipation associated with using a reel of film, and the certain velvety quality it captures. In light of this, I have decided to put cursor to pixel and review a few of my favoured cameras in my collection.

The Kodak Brownie 127 - I picked this little beauty up for a pound in a charity shop whilst at university studying fine art. Loading this iconic camera with black and white 35mm film, I took to snapping some urban 'scapes and played around with multiple exposures. Having been used to automatic wind-on functions, it was a joy to be able to forward the film as far as my liking. Ultimately I ended up with a reel of film that was a progression of images with no framed borders. The Kodak is a delight to snap with, and process in the comfort of a secluded dark room.

The Holga Medium Format - Part of the Lomography team's treasure chest, this camera is an absolute bargain for medium format shooting. At a mere 50 GBP, the quality of this camera lies funnily enough in its cheap production and faults. Each camera has light leaks, due to the low budget manufacture, but this serves to create photos with a unique fingerprint. No two cameras have the same type of leak, and the streaks of over-exposure combined with the vignetting create subtly distorted images. The addition of various colour flashes and multiple exposure options makes this a camera that is great for experimentation.

Fujica ST70135mm SLR - This has to be one of my favourite 35mm film cameras. The quality of the photographs and the innate ease of f-stop and light metre combine to allow an earnest photographer to dedicate endless time to perfecting the art of photography. The manual function of cameras from this era (early 1970) give a simplicity that just can't be found in a modern semi automatic SLR. Having had trouble sourcing a macro lens for the Fujica I invested in a second hand, but incredibly good quality Pentax 35mm SLR. Unfortunately, even on the manual setting, I found the camera a lifeless lump that hampered creativity on every level. If only someone could bring back the old style SLR like the Fujica.

Nikon Digital SLR DX40 - Keen to embrace the digital revolution, I invested in a Nikon that is renowned for manual functions. Still slightly cautious after the soulless Pentax, I endeavoured to learn the functions of all the settings and the menu system before casting a verdict. Thankfully, the Nikon was a delight to handle, felt robust and has a picture quality that can be manipulated sufficiently to resemble the texture of a roll of film. The fact that it is possible to edit whilst snapping is a welcome blessing, reducing processing costs by a large margin. The only downside, which is due to the digital revolution, not specifically the Nikon is the accidental blurred or badly framed shot can be deleted before its accidental beauty can be appreciated.

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About the Author:
Dominic Donaldson is an expert in the photography industry.
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