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Now please tell me more about your precious so I can understand and envy appropriately.

A Twin Lens Reflex or TLR uses two separate lens to photograph the subject. The viewing lens on top is for composition and focus while the shooting lens contains the shutter mechanism and handles the physical exposure. The mirror in a TLR is between the two lens and displays the images on a ground glass view screen in the top of the camera, to shoot one looks down onto the image, compose, focus and shoot. Rather than 35mm film, the camera uses 120 or 220 film, which has a 6 cm by 6cm negative allowing far larger prints than the much smaller 35mm format, this is called medium format film. (There is also large format film which is just that,larger. Elsinore has a monster large format TLR which is simply awesome!) Medium format is the choice for print photography because of the flexibility of size without loss of detail. There are several SLR MF cameras, the cost is quite prohibitive.

Why am all a twitter over a 70 years old Rolleiflex in particular. Two reasons, first is they are just cool. They are well engineered, beautifully crafted and, in my opinion, an elegant camera for a more civilized age! 🙂 Second, the lens in the cameras are par excellence, their clarity, color and construction are simply better than anything short of the finest luxury glass made today. The Rollei company simply made the best cameras for professionals bar none.

Oh, and LeicaLens, I bought this one for a Yashica price. It was my plan to buy a Yashica Mat 124 but I found this one buried in an Ebay auction with very few bidders. (It was a risky buy, it could’ve been a real junker, couldn’t tell from the pics.) I’ve always been lucky on my Ebay buys and this was definitely luck.

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B Sides (This guy was an amazingly helpful model)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ennuipoet/4650282023/sizes/l/in/set-72157612255122911/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ennuipoet/4650900460/sizes/l/in/set-72157612255122911/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ennuipoet/4650901686/sizes/l/in/set-72157612255122911/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ennuipoet/4650901028/sizes/l/in/set-72157612255122911/

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Jesus tap-dancing christ, U-Man, is there any type of photography you don’t own? 😉

I’m fairly certain the answer is ‘no’. I shoulda became a docta loik my mudda wanted; oy-vay, to have the $$ for such toys!!

Not to compare myself to U-Man (or anyone else for that matter) but I shot mine with a Sigma 70-300mm lens that I bought for $99 on Ebay. Just flipped the switch to Macro and shot the ISO way up and went for it. I’m going to get myself a Canon EF 100mm Macro soon, but I don’t think I could’ve done better with it on. Don’t sell yourself short, all the gear in the world doesn’t replace a good eye, and you’ve got one.

I am, BTW, moderately proud of my butterfly. Whatever the vote total may say! 😀

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I was thinking of getting a Yashica, if I can find a decent one secondhand. They tend to be cheaper than Rolleiflex here. I also found a Mamiya RB67 with 90mm and 180mm lenses and other bits and pieces (incl. two film backs) for about $600 all in.

However, the problem is how often will I use it, where will I use it (heavy), and can I scan in the negatives to my computer like I can with 35mm? The answer to the first is “probably not right often”, the second is “landscapes (but I need to sort out my Japanese driving license first), and for the last question I am pretty sure the answer is “no”.

I checked at my local camera store, and the cost for developing a reel of 120 at least was about $7. Not sure about prices in the States, but that didn’t strike me as too bad.

I’ve got an old Rolleicord and I’m in the market for a Yashica Mat 124 but I haven’t found one at the price I like. I like the TLR’s for the nostalgia aspect more than any other reasons.

If you have the inclination and time, home developing of film is easy and not at all expensive. I’ve not plunged yet, but I will buy the tanks and chemicals soon. If you have a decent negative scanner, then the money part is already spent.

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well being a film trained photographer and a master of my craft i shot 19 images of three bugs to get shots for this week.

As I transition back to film in medium format, I find myself obsessing over tiny details when composing shots. I’ve actually found myself arranging flowers on the bush for compositions. The thought of trying to shoot this theme on film gives me the heebie jeebies! 🙂

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It took me nearly an hour and untold shots to get the one I wanted…

Ain’t digital grand! I am glad I learned to shoot on film first, for the discipline of cost that it taught, but I LOVE being able to shoot a hundred shots to get ten good ones.

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Awesome! Though, the history really should have started with: “In the Beginning, there was the Fark…” 🙂

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Can I just say that shooting Macro on a living object with the powers of flight has proved to be extremely difficult? The only thing that makes it at all rewarding is the gold one pans after a lot of dross.

Also, the money that I am going to spend this month on true macro lens after the contest, well, my non-existent children are going to go hungry because of that!

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I vote no. I don’t want to compete against that! 😀

That’s awesome, and nice thinking outside the box. It is clearly recognizable as a skyline.

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Elsinore:

Unless Intolerant Jerk is shooting with the Hubble there is no way that is his original shot.

It’s people like that what cause unrest! 😯

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I just picked three that I felt hadn’t fit or would have fit in previous themes and I just liked. The photo of my cat, Serendipity, was taken hours after I bought my first DSLR. I printed it 16×24 and it hangs on my wall. Dip died last year, so not only is it a favorite photo, but a lovely remembrance of her.

Post that last bit here so it won’t seem so much like I am vote whoring 😆

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I figure I’ve had my good weeks and my bad weeks, but the important thing is that my average votes/entry keeps climbing. Maybe at a snails pace, but at least it’s going in the right direction. I guess I’m feeling negative right now because my recent votes/entry is lower than my all-time, which means that overall, my last 10 weeks has been less than stellar. But anyway, thanks!

I’ve not been Farktography-ing very long, but I’ve been a Fark Photoshopper for a while now. In that time I’ve learned one important thing, the voters of Fark operate on Chaos Theory. There is no logic, no reason and no point in letting it get you down. While I’ve notice a better eye for quality in Farktography, I promise you that I could shoot a can of gold spray paint and a bottle of Heineken into every contest and land at LEAST 20 votes, each time. In a week or two, people would coming in the thread not find them and say “Came for gold spray paint, leaving disappointed”.

Hmmm, I wonder if I could actually do that…

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found that out the hard way when a friend gave me some 120 film. and the only local place that processed it went belly up. next closest is 30 miles away.

I’m lucky, both B&H and Adorama have in house labs so I can get film back in a couple of days. There are several other places in Manhattan that process 120 but they send it out to, guess where, B&H or Adorama. So I’ll save time and go to the source.

I’m looking forward to getting my ‘Cord. It’s an old one (1936!) so no meter, slow shutter and I am sure it will need a CLA. The thing is, I walked around with my Ikoflex last weekend and my 20D. People would stop, talk to me and happily let me shoot their pics because of the TLR. It became a conversation starter! I think having it will make doing Street Photography easier in the long run, plus several of the people who stopped me were attractive female types. 8) I’ve just got to get used to using the viewfinder all over again, High School was a LONG time ago.

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but like linguine said, it’s fair to add small borders around your images even if the image itself doesn’t come that way.

i added one to mine and it really made a difference.

I agree it does make a big difference. All three of mine have borders.

Yup, I kept looking at it and thinking “It’s just a crop”, the borders made it a composition.

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I just finished a roll on my Ikoflex TLR. Did you know there are no one hour photo places for 120 film? 🙂 And, I just purchased a Rollei TLR this week! (ok, ok it a Rolleicord not a Rolleiflex but still!) To bad this contest isn’t a couple of weeks.

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