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1910 Vest Pocket Kodak strobist studio portrait shoot
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 8:40 pm    Post subject: 1910 Vest Pocket Kodak strobist studio portrait shoot Reply with quote

Though strobism and adapting really old gear to modern DSLR and flash is the topic here, the Admins could perhaps move this topic to another subforum if you see necessary?

Take one cheap Chinese flash trigger/transmitter and two receivers plus 20cm of sync cable. Add one Sony Alpha 900, Mflenses.com member Arkku's Vest Pocket Kodak ca 1910 which has been DIY modified to M42.

Here, the strobes are triggered using the remote trigger.





Camera #2 is a Zeiss Ikonta 524/16 from 1956, with the Opton-Tessar 75/3.5. In this setup, the Nikon SB-800 #1 is triggered by the Compur Rapid shutter, whereas #2 is triggered by the master signal from #1





Did I forget something? Oh yeah.



Beer. They don't sell Duff over here so we settled for some Koff instead.

...to be continued with results...


Last edited by Esox lucius on Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:24 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It was definitely a memborable shoot for camera nerds and vintage enthusiasts. =)

After the focus issues were solved I believe Vilhelm got some great results as well, with the simple lens creating a wonderful “Hollywood glow” effect. (Some of the out of focus shots might also be usable at web sizes, the previews didn't look too bad on the laptop screen.)

I also took some “unofficial” shots with the Meyer-Optik Trioplan 100mm f/2.8 while Vilhem was shooting with the other camera. Of coures mine were without flash, wide open, handheld, ISO 2000, and models looking at the other camera… So maybe not the best technical quality but, hey, in B&W conversion the noise might pass for “film grain”. I didn't look through them all yet, but I think I saw a couple of interesting ones in the mix.


PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Add two friends, lots of make-up and a black backdrop. Set up some harsh light consistent with 50's style promo photos and expect... crap results?

Not at all. The Vest Pocket Kodak (ca 1910) performs decently when stopped down, though the lens is very simple. The tough part is nailing the focus, as focusing is done by moving the bellows.

first tries



flare resistance of 1910 lens is... errm



Pleeease, can we take a few more photos - for your mother?



No, not until I've fixed your bowtie



We'd like to have one of those expensive color photographs



Here you go, one bonus for free



All photos taken with the Vest Pocket Kodak DIY modified to M42. Camera body is Sony Alpha 900.

... next: Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85/1.4 ZF...


PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just for fun, not really for comparison: Zeiss Planar T* 85/1.4 ZF







...coming up next: (will take a few days to develop and scan) photos from the same session, taken with Zeiss Ikonta Opton-Tessar 75/3.5 on Kodak Provia 160


PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent fun, and good results too.

I've done something similar with a folder with no flash sync whatsoever. The deal: set camera to T, open shutter, manually trigger your flash set up, close shutter. Works a treat. Now, what we need is some old flash powder and let that trigger those electronic flashses Wink


img144BW SM by Nesster, on Flickr
Daughter took this via the above method, with the camera that started it all for us: a 30's Franka with a really poor Veolstigmat in a Vario shutter. That's me on the right and one of my oldest freinds who lives in Denmark with the cigar.


PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 10:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here are some of the shots I took with the Trioplan while Vilhelm was shooting with his cameras. These are just lit by the fluorescent light on the other side of the room, not by the fancy strobist set-up described above, so rather noisy and the Trioplan is not the best lens to use wide open, but let's call that “vintage lo-fi”, shall we. =)


I think this was taken of the same pose as the Planar version posted above. It's safe to say that the Planar wins in the amount of detail…


Ditto…






Meanwhile the following shots have the “official”, better lit (that is, lit) versions on film. I did actually manage to “catch” the flash in two shots but of course they were completely overexposed as I had my exposure set for the ambient light.

You are using WHAT camera?



Wow, extreme vintage tech!


This side of the frame is Mine!


Last edited by Arkku on Tue Nov 09, 2010 5:55 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 12:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great results, and really funny series!.

Congrats, and thanks for sharing. Smile

Jes.


PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 7:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I tried some shot with a dead VPK. I took the lenses out and mounted them on an M42 bodycap and used a helicoid to focus.

Images were of novelty value only as it's way too soft to even focus.


PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 3:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

martinsmith99 wrote:
I tried some shot with a dead VPK. I took the lenses out and mounted them on an M42 bodycap and used a helicoid to focus.

Images were of novelty value only as it's way too soft to even focus.


Focusing is the greatest difficulty, yes, but when you do get the focus correct it can be surprisingly sharp. For example, see the first VPK shot posted above.