Bill Smith's Photography

When I traded off my Hasselblad kit last year some friends wondered if I was going to miss having an interchangable lens medium format camera in my line up, the answer was no, because I have one, the Mamiya C220f. What a tank of a twin lens reflex camera, especially compared to Rolleiflexes and another TLRs out there, the Mamiya C220f is sturdy, and the lenses available for it are 55, 65, 80, 105, 135 (an interesting lens in its own right), 180, and 250mm. The only lens I don't have is the 250mm, I should look for one at some point. Yes I lose out with the lack of interchangable backs but I'm one for finishing the roll of film. I managed to stuff my C220f with the 80mm lens on, some film, a light meter and the 55mm lens and hood into my Lowepro sling bag I use for skiing for my morning walks. What I should do next time is rock a 65mm and 105mm lens combination. The Mamiya while hefty sits well on my back while walking around the neighbourhood. I used Freestyle Photograp...

I had a scare with my Rolleicord IV, back in early March I took it in with me to Toronto for the afternoon before an event I was going to. It was a classic early March day in Toronto, which could be summed up as shitty, as in soggy wet cement coloured skies, and a windchill somewhere around -10c when you'are expecting milder temperatures. My Rolleicord acted up, skipping a frame and almost overlapping another.  After my March Break in the Beaches, I resolved to test the camera out when the temperatures warmed up. I popped in a roll of Arista EDU Ultra 200 which is made by Foma. It's a relatively cheap and cheerful film and a cousin to the Fomapan Creative 200, an emulsion that polarizes Foma fans.  There are no frame spacing issues above freezing with my Rolleicord IV and that's a great relief. Bear in mind the camera in question was made in 1954. I just have to use it more often.  Camera: Rolleicord IV, 75 f3.5 Schneider Xenar lens.  Film: Arista E...