First Roll of Film - Duaflex II

The second of my collection of vintage 620 film cameras I loaded with film was my Duaflex II.

Again I used a roll of 400asa Fuji Superia 120 film respooled onto a 620 spool.  And again it was a clumsy respool with the camera jamming because I’d only done half the job of respooling.  But I got some pretty pleasing results all the same.

The Duaflex II has an “instant” setting (marked I) and a bulb setting marked B so you have a little more control over exposure.  In these shots I used my D40 to meter.

Here’s a comparison shot of a digital photo with the Nikon D40 where I chimped the metering and the following 120 film shot from the Duaflex II (where I unscientifically counted the exposure in my head):

Outdoors I was interested in how well it would expose on sunny and cloudy days as well as how the fixed infinity focus dealt with close subjects as well as those some distance away.

  

 

On this bulb exposure for sunset you can see the damage on the film from my clumsy respooling and film jamming.  Also a comparison with a digital photo taken with my Nikon D40 on the same day.  I wish I had chosen a better sunset - but again I was perhaps a little too keen to finish the film

 

My First Roll of Film - Kodak Twin 20

You might have read that I bought a load of vintage 120 and 620 film cameras.  The first one I bought was a Kodak Twin 20 and I now have the first roll of film back from the camera.

Mixed results which mainly turned out like snapshots than looking like more considered images.  I think I was a little too keen to finish the film

The Twin 20 has a focus ring on the lens with presets for close-ups, groups and infinity.  It doesn’t have a bulb setting however so you are limited to the one shutter speed. 

I used a 400asa Fuji Superia 120 film, respooled onto a 620 spool.  I made a real mess of the respooling as it was my first attempt (if you don’t count the film I trashed to practice on in the daylight).  I respooled under the duvet, got very hot with sweaty hands and messed it up.  I put the 120 onto a 620 spool and loaded it in the camera when it promptly got jammed after 2 pictures. 

After much fumbling under the duvet I managed to unjam it but learnt that because the 120 film and the backing paper are loose at the end of the spool you need to first respool the 120 onto a 620, and then spool onto a second 620.  The film is stuck to the backing paper with a sticker at the beginning of the film and you need to unstick this and roll it tight to get rid of the bulge in the film that happens when you respool.

There’s good advice about respooling 120 film onto 620 spools here (which I should have read ALL of before thinking I could manage doing half of it!).

However - considering I messed up the respooling, got the film all crinkly, touched the film with my sweaty hands and discovered that the duvet was actually letting light in … the film turned out ok-ish.

 

The focus looks good - the exposure not so good.  This could be to do with my mishandling or poor light or … ummm … the camera.  But it’s a sweet little camera to use.  Pretty good for a 99 pence camera