The 35milplus Camera Collection is here

 
This area of the site is devoted to a camera collection known as 35mil plus. This is mainly a showcase for cameras from the 1950's onward, with some exceptions. Originally it covered only cameras using 35mm film, hence obscura135, but over time the collection has expanded to include other types of film. For those who may be unaware, 35mm film began life, at least commercially, in the 1940's and went on to become the most popular film format for the next 60 years, other formats emerged during this time but 35mm endured, and indeed still exists today. Currently this site is a bit outdated and is in the process of being overhauled, part of which involves splitting the site into smaller areas devoted to 35mm and other types separately. This includes additional areas covering other film formats and even a few digitals, and, a special area covering the use of old film lenses on modern digital SLRs.

 

Flowers and Gardens

When I'm not collecting or repairing cameras, I'm out there using them, when the weather permits. One of my specialist areas of photography is shooting flowers and gardens of all kinds, including some very close up and macro material. This is an area not best suited to my film cameras, not that film as a medium is not capable, however, the type of equipment needed to to justice to the subject would be very high end and require top grade film. All of the images here have been created using a digital camera of some kind, however, that's not to say that some items from the past have not been involved. In my camera bag is invariably a range of accessories like filters, hoods, lenses and even a Russian multi way viewfinder, that one raises a few eyebrows. Further to this, the majority of the images have been created using my faithful Pentax with a range of 42mm prime lenses from a variety of sources and eras mounted on an adapter. I have a new acquisition in the form of a Lumix GF1 mirrorless camera, for which I also have adapters to other lens types. This model, however, does not have a viewfinder, which is where the Russian job comes in. It definitely looks strange but providing I set the appropriate lens to viewfinder ratio it works very well for framing the images, focusing is a different story.

New addition!

Because I have some specialist pictures from zoos, bird sanctuaries and butterfly houses I've created a new area for animals birds and insects. I decided that this would be the logical place to put it as they are technically parks and gardens.

 

 

Places and Events

Another of my guilty pleasures is going to places and events, usually something to do with the past, stately homes, steam fairs, historic towns, that kind of thing. For this range of photography I'm pleased to say that film works fine. In fact, given the type of event I will often take a camera "in character" with the event, for example, there is a page of images taken at Gloucester retro, mainly a vintage car event, taken with my "old trusty" 1953 Agfa Silette which I carried with pride in its leather case. As an aside, that Agfa came to me from a car boot sale, looking a bit run down and in need of some tlc, the seller said I'll take 50p for the camera, so I bought it, took it home, gave it a good clean and went out the same afternoon and shot a roll of film in the park.

 

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