Holga 120N
I see the
world differently when I have this camera around my neck. I’m
different. Over the years when I’ve taken this camera out on
photograph hunting excursions, it’s generally just the two of us. I
do not bring a phone. I do not bring another person. In this
situation, It’s just me, my focus and attention and the world
around me: the one I see and the one the camera will record.
Holga 135BC
There are
many merits to the Holga 135. I don’t really know what they are.
35MM film is easier to procure and easier to develop than the 120
film my other Holga uses. It’s cheaper film too. For me, that’s
where the good times end with this Holga 135BC.
I have lost
a few rolls of film in this camera over the years. It can barely take
a 24 exposure roll. A 36 exposure roll will almost without fail get
torn in the sprockets. And no matter the length of the film, if it
sits in the camera for too long it will tear. This is probably just a
problem with this particular Holga. Needless to say, this camera is
not one of my favorites.
I’ve
had a few great exposures with this camera, and it does really well
with double exposures.
Vivitar
PN2011
Vivitar’s
PN2011 is by far, the worst camera I’ve every used. Superficially
speaking, this one really should be my favorite: it’s small, focus
free and very light weight. I also think the “panoramic” feature
is very cool. It isn’t a true panoramic camera, all it does is
remove a little from the top and bottom of the exposed frame. What I
really like about it, of course, is that I bought it on a half price
for blue tags day at my local thrift store. It was originally marked
to be sold for a buck and I got it for fifty cents.
I know,
however, many of my issues with this camera could have been solved if
I had been more diligent about the film I put into it. I don’t
remember what film I used. I would think that a very slow speed film
and the bright sunny day would have fixed many of the exposures.
However, that way not have been the case because there are incidents
of my having taken two pictures of the same subject back to back and
one came out and the other didn’t.
I took this camera with
me on a little bikepacking tour I took with my buddy Chris. The
camera was a secondary element to the trip and not a bad complement.
The real focus (partial pun) was spending time with Chris and riding
bikes.
Pentax
K1000
Of
all the cameras I've ever had, this one is by far the best. This is
possibly because this is the only real camera I own. Despite my
preference to toy cameras, this camera is an entirely different
experience. No matter what I point this camera at, it records the
exact thing that I see, I image and it makes the world appear as it
should be.
The only real drawback is the weight.
There
is no digital camera that can give me the same feeling this camera
gives.