Agfa Isolette III: A Well Deserved Tribute

This is the fiftieth post of this blog! It is now two years since I started shooting again with film. And to do that, I have from time to time, let fascinate by many “vintage” cameras  which, in during the late 70’s/ early ’80,s when I was a young photography enthusiast I would have considered old and obsolete, not up to fulfill my alleged. ..talent. Obviously, the inexperience led me to consider the modern (at the time) Nikon F2, Pentax Lx, Olympus OM1 etc. as the only ones capable of producing high-end images. Of course I was wrong and I understand it … thirty or more years later, during my second analog life. One of the cameras that gave me the most satisfaction was an humble medium format folding made in the ’50s: the Agfa Isolette III.

By the Sea – Contax 159mm Test

Today it is raining so, instead of going out to photograph (that is the thing I love the most), better stay dry and write a nice post on my blog. This time we’ll talk about a high-end camera …. lent by a friend (yes, the same one who gave me the Leica R5) for this test. Some general thoughts before strating: the history of photography, especially of lenses, before the advent of Japanese ones, was made almost entirely by two brands: Zeiss and Leica. Two houses that have marked the mass diffusion of 35mm photography and  in the case of Zeiss, also of medium and large format.

Never seen a… Voskhod?

The Voskhod (Восход), which means “Dawn”, is a rare (approximately 59,000 units produced by Lomo factory) Soviet camera made during the mid ’60s.  At the height of scientific and economic power in the former Soviet Union and in full Cold War, the Voskhod  was designed to demonstrate the technological (and stylistic) autonomous capabilities  behind the Iron Curtain. So, no more one of the many clones of famous Western cameras, but a completely new, cutting-edge project and well built camera. It must be said that one can not remain indifferent to the shape (very 60’s) really unusual for a camera, as well as in front of some technical characteristics.

Zenit 11 & Rollei Rpx 25 in Ars-Imago Fd First Test

Another Soviet camera: the Zenit 11, another film: the Rollei Rpx 25. As usual, I do too many things together but, the pleasure of trying new things, and the need not to overstretch the times, forces me to concentrate several elements in a single test. Let’s start from the camera: mine is really in very good condition … it looks almost mint and I got it for few bucks. She comes with the standard lens (later joined by a Pentacon 29mm f/2.8) Helios 44M 4 58mm f 2 and an uncoupled selenium light meter , apparently still working well.

Thirty years after

Something happened last year.

After more than 10 years of full digital commitment, running around faster and faster and shooting millions of (often completely useful and meaningless) images, simply I couldn’t go on anymore. Until then I would never had thought to use film photography again for the rest of my life.

I was wrong!