Fotodiox Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) 35mm Camera Kit

If you are looking for a new photography challenge, you might try building your own camera.  I recently tried my hand at building a toy camera - the Fotodiox Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) 35mm Camera.  It's a nifty plastic rendition of an old-fashioned TLR camera.  The kit started out packed in styrofoam like this -

A Fotodiox TLR Camera Kit

My first challenge - finding a suitable small Phillips head screwdriver for the assembly project.  The directions said one was included, but it was no where to be found.

Fotodiox TLR Side Panels

Assembling the side panels was pretty easy.  But the real challenges lay ahead.  Installing the shutter (above) was also pretty straightforward. 

Fotodiox TLR Shutter

Of course, making the shutter work was a much more difficult challenge.  Fortunately, Emily's Blog from Hoefler Imaging, had a picture of the very similar Gakkenflex camera and I was able to figure out my next steps.  If you are building a Fotodiox TLR yourself, check out the orientation of the long end of each spring.  My directions also had Springs C & D mislabeled.  When you look at the pieces, you'll see where the small spring goes and where the large spring goes.

Fotodiox TLR Shutter Spring

It didn't take long to have the major components and ready for assembly.

Fotodiox TLR Major Compoents

Once the camera was put together, there were lots of little things to squeeze in like the film spool and the mirror.  The moral of that story is don't tighten things up too much.  You may need to untighten some of the screws, and squeeze the camera open a tad to get some of the other parts to fit.

Fotodiox Camera Assembly

Once the camera was all together, it looked pretty good.  I was amazed that the top lens and mirror actually worked and reflected the image onto the translucent view finder screen.  The camera does have one problem that may be a bit of the show-stopper.  The film counter does not grab the film well enough to meter the advance of the film consistently.  Hopefully, the photo lab will be able to develop my film and  make sense of the spacing between shots!  I will put markings on the advance knob, the rewind knob, and the advance meter so that I can do a better job of monitoring the movement of my film.

Fully Assembled Fotodiox 35mm TLR Camera

Despite the film advance problem, I certainly feel like I got some thing accomplished building this camera.  It will be interesting to see what the pictures look like.

Chevy Monte Carlo

Of course, sometimes, you need to take a picture of the whole car and nothing but the car!  Here is a Chevy Monte Carlo at a 2010 Tallahassee car show that just looks great!

Mustang Louvres

Like Big Cars? Here's a Buick Skylark

Once great place to take pictures is a car show.  This week I'll be highlighting a few photos that I took at Car Shows.

Like little cars?

Check out my diecast car blog:  Daily Diecast Car  It's fun to try and take pictures of die-cast cars in novel settings.

Canon AF35M II SureShot Autoboy 2

Rumors are swirling around Kodak.  Many analysts believe they will face bankruptcy unless they can sell some of their patent portfolio.  It's too bad because I really enjoy many of their products.  I love my Kodak Z950 Digital Camera and I love my vintage Kodak cameras as well.

I also enjoy shooting pictures from a variety of film cameras like this one:

Canon AF35M II SureShot Autoboy 2

You can read a review of it here:

Vintage Camera Review: Canon AF35M II SureShot Autoboy 2 35mm Film Camera

From Top Guns to Transports

I zipped in and out of the Aviation Wing of the Marietta Museum of History in just a few minutes.  I was running an errand and had to get to work.  But, before I left, I made sure to snap a quick picture of an F-14 Tomcat and a C-141 Starlifter.

 I look forward to a return visit when I have a little time to walk about and shoot more pictures.

We all looked for yellow submarines with an S-3 Viking

This S-3 Viking looks a little menacing sitting in a corner of the museum grounds.

Don't fly me for Argentina . . . It's an A-4 Skyhawk

This is an early model A-4 Skyhawk similar to the ones used by Argentina in the Falklands War.

Ready to go downtown? Here's an A - 6 Intruder

Here's an A - 6 Intruder

A quick peak over the fence at this fighter. . .

. . . led to an impromptu chance to look around at the site of a new Aviation Wing for the Marietta Museum of History.  As of January 2012, the 15.6 acre aviation wing is open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  For more information, check out Marietta Museum of History.It was cool to get a close up view of this piece of historic restoration in progress. 

 I started taking pictures of the aircraft at the intake.  It didn't seem to have the shape I expected.

 A close look at the guns intrigued me.  I didn't see inlets for six .50 caliber machine guns.  This plane wasn't the F-86 Sabre I thought it was . . .

A backyard shed

This photo of a Shed is one of the first that I ever took with my Kodak Retinette 1A.  I read up on my settings and recommended apertures and it turned out perfectly.  It's a satisfying photo because I had no idea if I could set everything properly on the old fully manual camera.

It's too bad that Kodak is having trouble these days.  If you've ever enjoyed a Kodak moment, this might be a great week to go and buy some Kodak products.  If you are interested in a good digital camera, you might read my Digital Camera Review:  Kodak Z950 EASYSHARE digital camera.  Another winner from Kodak was the Kodak EasyShare P85 Digital Picture Frame.  In time, I'm sure that the Rochester, New York, company will get things turned around.  If we all run out and stock up on film, we might be buying them a little more time.

Just a shed in the park

There is something nice about a simple shed sometimes.  Here is a photo I took of one in a local Atlanta park:

It was one of my first pictures with the Canon EOS Elan 7e.  I think it turned out pretty well.

No Hunting or Fishing . . .

. . . fortunately, the North Carolina alligators in this 2007 photograph are just lounging around.

                                (Taken with a 35mm Canon EOS Elan 7e)