These photos were taken in August and September. Inktober messed my plans to publish sooner all the photos that I've taken with my film cameras. We have snow on the ground here in Finland and the temperature is below zero so it's nice to look back the summer and fall photos. It was nice, warm and sunny.
This model of Bilora Bella cameras was produced in 1956. The die cast aluminium body makes the camera very sturdy and gives it a precious appearance.
Bella (It is really multo bella) takes 6x6 negative son a 120 film. The shutter has two (3) speeds. 1/50, for flash and 1/100 +(B) The lens is Rodenstock Achromat, 1:8.
Like so many German Company, Bilora has also a long history. Nowadays Bilora is still on a row. Not as a camera manufacturer but a producer of many other articles in the photo industry.
http://thecamerasite.lauro.fi/07_Viewfinder_Cameras/Pages/bilorat.htm
Bella 66 is really a bella, beautiful camera. At least to my eye. Kudos to the designers of this camera! It's only flaw is, again, the tiny viewfinder. And this specimens flaw was also that it didn't have a red window, just a hole. So I had to make one.
The start of a Retropan film.
The film number peekaboo window is larger than the viewfinder! Crazy.
I no longer have any red viewfoil so I had to use transparent and color it red. At first I used two layers of colored viewfoil, but ended up adding a third one since it still seemed to be too transparent. Compared to all the other cameras which do have the red window in it.
Someday I will make a proper red window. Some day. Some. Day.
Just to be safe, black tape.
And we're good to go!
As usual I've done nothing to the photos. Few of them might be better if post-processed but as I want to know what kind of results does this camera and this film give in different conditions, I've left them as they are and I'll show you the photos with all of my and the cameras flaws in the pictures. Developed and scanned in www.photostella.fi.
"The Pyynikki Circuit (Pyynikki races) was a motorcycle race held in Pyynikki, Tampere, which was run a total of 34 times between 1932 and 1971. The races were not organized due to the war in 1940-1945.
The golden age of Pyynikki Circuit takes place in the early 1960s, when Pyynikki Circuit was raced at the World Championship level. Over the years, three riders died in Pyynikki Circuit, and the competition was banned being too dangerous in 1971.
Memorial runs have been organized in Pyyniki in 1991, 2000, 2015, 2018 and now again this year. In the commemorative races, the track is circled in a show-like manner on old racing motorcycles."
Translated from here: pyynikinajot.fi
Three color photos from the same event taken with a Felica here: @insaneworks/felica-film-camera-kodak-gold-iso-200-film.
A motorcycle in a double exposure photo taken with Balda Baldixette here: @insaneworks/balda-bunde-baldixette-dust-off-and-first-photos.
I simply can not forget to take a tram photo so here's one. Unfortunately not facing the sun but I think I will survive that since I did get few other photos that are photographed facing the sun.
Like this one. Or one of the double exposure photos. I'm kicking myself for this because this would have been an excellent photo and I've ruined it with double exposing. I have to admit, there's a somewhat fail safe mechanism to prevent a double exposure, but if you turn the winding knob just a little bit, slowly, and stop turning when you hear the little click, then you can expose the film again. And I should have not done that with this photo. Stupid me.
It's taken at the same day and obviously in the same place as the two rainy day photos with Closter C63 here: @insaneworks/closter-c63-first-photos-with-this-italian-oldie
This is the photo I should have double exposed because this scenery is not that interesting.
Final photo. Last one in the roll. Darn I wish Bella 66 had a yellow filter in it like Felica has. For days like this. More contrast.
What did all this cost me?
Bilora Bella 66: 10€
Fomapan Retropan soft: 5,90€
Film developing: 17,90€
Film scanning to TIFF: 20€
Again it's time to show off my new acquirings. New old acquirings that is.
Three of these, Smena 8, Dacora Daci and Kodak Baby Brownie cost altogether 30€ and bought from Mappi Ö. A small business, a second hand shop near Tampere.
Mappi = Binder, file, folder
Ö = last letter of the Finnish alphabet
Mappi ö usually and to most people means the bin. It also can be a place where things can be forgotten or put to wait for a better day when someone might be interested in dealing with them.
The fourth camera, the one in the back, second from the left was bought from Nahkatehtaan kirppis = Leather factory flea market. It's name gives a very clear hint of what the place used to be. Leather business ended but the buildings remained and now it's an excellent place for various smaller businesses. I bought the Agfa Isolette for 20€.
This one I got from my trusted local flea market where I bought my first Kodak box camera and my first Felica. They have many old cameras there, though most are priced so that I, or till this day, no-one else has bought them. Perhaps other people also thought that the cameras are not worth spending the money they ask. Lowest price on one of the cameras is 19 euros and the highest, to my recollection, is 170 euros. The Kodak pocket Instamatic 200 though was only 2,90€. So I bought it although the sunny/cloudy seems to do nothing. Same aperture size no matter which one you choose. But it doesn't matter as it's otherwise functional. Now I only have to find film to it.
Film cameras
Balda-Bünde Baldixette
1
Closter C63
1
Cosina Flash 35E
1, 2, 3
Felica
1, 2, 3
Kodak Box 620
1, 2
Kodak Brownie Six-20 Model C
1
Halina Paulette EE II
1
ZIAG Colora F
1
Digital cameras
Sony A6400, 16-50mm
1
Sony A6400, Laowa 25mm f2.8
1
Comparison: Sony A6400, Canon EOS 550D, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P32, Canon PowerShot A550
1, 2
