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I Take Pictures Through The Viewfinder Of An Old Analog Camera
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I Take Pictures Through The Viewfinder Of An Old Analog Camera

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It is a shame when old cameras are slowly gathering dust. They need to be used. So I took my dad’s old camera and went on a hike.

Sadly, developing film is pretty expensive, so I improvised and took the photos through the viewfinder with a digital camera (but to be honest, in the end I bought some film to try real analog photography). The camera is a “Elbaflex VX 1000”. Here are some of my favorite photos.

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Oliver Hihn

Oliver Hihn

Author, Community member

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Amateur photographer with a passion for biology.

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Oliver Hihn

Oliver Hihn

Author, Community member

Amateur photographer with a passion for biology.

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Yvonne Bernal
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a digital camera.... but it also has the viewfinder option. The difference is, my camera has the viewfinder positioned on the back instead of the top. What I find most intriguing about these photos is that you took a picture of a camera taking a picture. THAT was thinking outside the box, and caused me to stop and reflect - which is what art is supposed to do. Well done!

frank0ys
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

...Great pictures. I like your experiment here. Wish I could have one.

John Kuki
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am interested to know what camera was used to capture the camera capturing the scene. And what did the post-processing involve? The scenes on the viewfinder have amazing dynamic range. But I suspect it having something to do with the post-processing. Amazing concept though.

Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The first photo was taken with my brother's Nikon D5200. I tool all the other photos with my Nikon D7200 either with a 35 mm or a 50 mm lens. I used Lightroom and Nik Filters to lighten up and give more detail to the scenes on the viewfinder.

Load More Replies...
Ivana Kanhäuser
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Its an Exakta!!! my first camera i ever got. this is soooo familliar view <3

Ivana Kanhäuser
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

( i see its not the exact same type. I got one which have an small lense over an matted glass and theres no any help with focusing, but your own eye....and..no exposition-time help...so i remember that my first three or four films developed where totally bad exposed and after some time i was able to estimate time and iris number just by eye...) oooo how nice an f*****g heavy camera...

Load More Replies...
Shayna Payne
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Take off the yellow strap is my opinion. But this is a nice idea

Ari Pinanski
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oliver Hihn, I don't know where you live, but here (Germany) developing film is really cheap :)

Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Okay, then I should do better research :D All the studios I asked were really high in price...

Load More Replies...
Paco F.
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nice pictures! For more of this kind, see e.g https://www.flickr.com/groups/throughtheviewfinder/

Phillipe Knippel
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I didnt get it. The guy mixed a analog camera with a digital one? Was it?

Hans
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I guess this requires more than some DIY skills, but what about blending the analog camera's optics with a digital sensor? I had read about something similar done with an old movie camera, and the results were stunning.

Kevin Camp
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Shooting and developing film is not nearly as expensive as digital. Digital you pay for up front int he cost of camera bodies and lenses, and then the camera body wears out in a few years of hard use. Many of my film cameras are over 50 years and still function as they did when new. And film has about twice the latitude and dynamic range of digital when exposed correctly. I shoot both, digital is convenient and immediate, while film is like Christmas when to develop it and lay it out on the light table.

Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you have no income, it is much more expensive. You only have to buy the camera body, lenses and SD-cards once just like the analog body and lenses but additional to that, you also need the film. It is true that old film cameras are very tough, but for an amateur photographer like me, it is much cheaper to use digital cameras. I am a student so I don't have much money to always buy and develop new film. And yeah it is true that it is like Christmas, when you can finally see the results, but in my case as a newbie in analog photography, I am pretty sure that my first developed pictures are all rubbish.

Load More Replies...
Yvonne Bernal
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a digital camera.... but it also has the viewfinder option. The difference is, my camera has the viewfinder positioned on the back instead of the top. What I find most intriguing about these photos is that you took a picture of a camera taking a picture. THAT was thinking outside the box, and caused me to stop and reflect - which is what art is supposed to do. Well done!

frank0ys
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

...Great pictures. I like your experiment here. Wish I could have one.

John Kuki
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am interested to know what camera was used to capture the camera capturing the scene. And what did the post-processing involve? The scenes on the viewfinder have amazing dynamic range. But I suspect it having something to do with the post-processing. Amazing concept though.

Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The first photo was taken with my brother's Nikon D5200. I tool all the other photos with my Nikon D7200 either with a 35 mm or a 50 mm lens. I used Lightroom and Nik Filters to lighten up and give more detail to the scenes on the viewfinder.

Load More Replies...
Ivana Kanhäuser
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Its an Exakta!!! my first camera i ever got. this is soooo familliar view <3

Ivana Kanhäuser
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

( i see its not the exact same type. I got one which have an small lense over an matted glass and theres no any help with focusing, but your own eye....and..no exposition-time help...so i remember that my first three or four films developed where totally bad exposed and after some time i was able to estimate time and iris number just by eye...) oooo how nice an f*****g heavy camera...

Load More Replies...
Shayna Payne
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Take off the yellow strap is my opinion. But this is a nice idea

Ari Pinanski
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oliver Hihn, I don't know where you live, but here (Germany) developing film is really cheap :)

Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Okay, then I should do better research :D All the studios I asked were really high in price...

Load More Replies...
Paco F.
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nice pictures! For more of this kind, see e.g https://www.flickr.com/groups/throughtheviewfinder/

Phillipe Knippel
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I didnt get it. The guy mixed a analog camera with a digital one? Was it?

Hans
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I guess this requires more than some DIY skills, but what about blending the analog camera's optics with a digital sensor? I had read about something similar done with an old movie camera, and the results were stunning.

Kevin Camp
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Shooting and developing film is not nearly as expensive as digital. Digital you pay for up front int he cost of camera bodies and lenses, and then the camera body wears out in a few years of hard use. Many of my film cameras are over 50 years and still function as they did when new. And film has about twice the latitude and dynamic range of digital when exposed correctly. I shoot both, digital is convenient and immediate, while film is like Christmas when to develop it and lay it out on the light table.

Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you have no income, it is much more expensive. You only have to buy the camera body, lenses and SD-cards once just like the analog body and lenses but additional to that, you also need the film. It is true that old film cameras are very tough, but for an amateur photographer like me, it is much cheaper to use digital cameras. I am a student so I don't have much money to always buy and develop new film. And yeah it is true that it is like Christmas, when you can finally see the results, but in my case as a newbie in analog photography, I am pretty sure that my first developed pictures are all rubbish.

Load More Replies...
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