The Bentzin Primar is my favorite among my plate cameras because of its compactness and sturdy construction. The old Compur shutter is simple and reliable. The uncoated Tessar lens is very sharp, though it tends to flare a bit if brought too close to the sun.
I took the Primar to the botanic garden late in the morning. The Rada film back was loaded with one of my last rolls of Fuji Acros. The first shot of the figures at the base of the fountain was made in the shade of some big trees with the aperture wide open at f4.5.
I developed the Acros semi-stand in Rodinal at 1:100 dilution for 45 minutes with 30 seconds initial agitation and two inversions after 20 minutes.
I'm going to stick with the Bentzin Primar for a while. I think I'll use a roll of TMAX 400 for the next session to give myself a better chance of getting the focus and exposure right.
4 comments:
You're made of stout stuff to wrestle with all that! The images look good.
The old cameras like the Bentzin Primar are not really difficult to use, but you do need to take some more time and care in producing pictures than with more modern cameras which offer considerable help with exposure, focusing and film advance. I like to compare the experience with the differences available to a hunter who chooses to use a bow and arrow rather than a high power rifle with a telescopic sight. The rifle hunter is likely to take more game, but the archer gets the rewards of genuinely personal accomplishment. I also appreciate the opportunity to replicate the experiences of photographers of times past who managed to produce excellent images with instruments which may seem primitive by today's standards.
Nice images! BTW, if you want to make life even more awkward, you can try what I did lately. I loaded up my Voigtlander Bergheil with some 6.5x9 dry plates I ordered from Jason Lane (https://www.pictoriographica.com/online-shop.html). The plate holders come up for sale frequently on eBay at reasonable prices — I don’t think many people know what to do with them. 🤫
I see that B&H does now stock Foma in 9x12, though I would have to buy yet another camera to take advantage of that. The 6.5x9 plates would be even more fun, but it may be a step too far for me this point. I am determined to do more with my plate cameras, so maybe that will push me in that direction.
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