Month: November 2017

About 2 years ago I bought two boxes of assorted cameras at an auction. In the boxes were some interesting beasties.
Three Kodak Brownie 127 cameras (Model 1, Model 2 and Model 3). A Coronet Clipper (unfortunately there was a problem with one of the hinges so I sold this for repairs). A number of small compacts (which I moved on via Ebay). A number of 35mm models. But amongst all of this was an odd man – a Bencini Koroll 24.
Look them up on Google. It takes 120 roll film but you can get 24 images per roll. The images are 4.5 x 3 cm in size and are exposed portrait mode along the film. The image is of course half the area of the 127 format but is nearly twice the size of 35mm. The wind on takes a little thought. There are two red windows in the back of the camera. You use both of them. First you wind on until the frame number appears in the left hand window. Once exposed you wind the film on until the same number appears in the right hand window. You then wind on until the next number appears in the left hand window and repeat until all 24 frames are exposed.
I have only run one roll of film through this camera but it is loaded again for more work But I made a couple of mistakes when winding on film in that I over shot the window and then had to advance along missing a frame to avoid partial double exposures. This is something you could get used to doing properly.
There is a lot of discussion on various web fora about using this camera, many curious about how the images are exposed on the film. I hope I have been able to assist in clarifying this.
Down side of the camera is that it is fixed exposure. There is only a very small gap between the frames on the exposed film (about 1 or 2mm) so it does make it a bit tricky when cutting the film for storage and printing. I don’t know if I shall be keeping this for long. It is a curiosity. You may see it on Ebay one day soon.

The most recent acquisition is a Fuji GW690 III (made about 1992 ish) after I fell in love with the 6 x 9 format negatives. I have now put three films through it and I am liking the results.
The problem I am having to deal with is an operator error. Having spent years with auto exposure, auto focus I keep having to remember to take a light reading and set the exposure accordingly, then remembering to make sure of the focus. The second issue is remembering when taking the light readings to check what film I have in the camera. As I am using the light meter for two different cameras (the Bronica being the other) and the Bronica being having two film backs loaded with different film I keep forgetting. This has also led me to having to think about recording the exposure settings etc (lens focal length (the Bronica having two lenses)) so I now have a notebook I take out with me.
Back to the camera. It is heavy to cart around but it is easy enough to use. Getting used to the Rangefinder focussing method. I normally find if I take it out of focus it helps to get back in with ease. If the subject is relatively in focus it is more difficult to see if it needs adjusting.
Of course getting only 8 frames per roll of film means having to make sure you have spare rolls of film with you but the negative you get is well worth the cost and the hassle of changing films during a shoot.
Overall impression. A good purchase. Glad I went for the model III rather than one of the earlier models.