Brownie Box 2a

I don't have any contact prints made...yet. I just stayed up developing 7 rolls of film from Saturday's adventures at a WWI re-enactment at the state military museum. *wow* I was really impressed with the two lectures given AND the gas attack outside in the trenches. Loved it.

My Duaflex fared really well....but my Brownie? *faints* GORGEOUS photographs! BEAUTIFUL camera for being over 100 years old. I'm in LOVE.

*edit* Four of them were 35mm and the other three were 120. I had an oops moment with one of the 120 rolls. It wasn't very tight on the take up spool so only one frame wasn't terribly destroyed. Next time, I'll have to remember to have some foil in my camera bag.*

They're great cameras.

To help prevent the fat roll problem, you can bend the metal springs in a bit. If that does not work, try a piece of foam, like a Holga comes with (but always falls out) or a loosely folded up matchbook or 120 film box with room to compress as the roll is filled up.

Be careful, as the wood to which the metal spring is attached can be fragile. It can snap off without too much effort.

You also might want to start taping up your rear window, and uncovering it only briefly in the shade of your body when it is time to advance the film.

FWIW, if you have a three-aperture model, your apertures are f/11, f/16, and f/22. If you have a two aperture model, they are f/11 and f/16.

Your shutter speed is probably about '25 to '50, or at least it was originally.

The lens is about equivalent to a 35mm focal length lens on a 35mm camera.

There is a Brownie group here on APUG.

That's from the roll I had in the Brownie. I didn't have any issues with the rear window leaking light. The problem that I had with that one roll was *me* as I didn't have the film on the take up spool tight enough. That was MY fault. (How else can I learn except by making a mistake every now and then, right?) I'll try the foam hint, though.

I do have the three aperture Brownie box. The shutter speed seems to be 'fast enough' so that if I take a deep breath and hold it (sort of like shooting a rifle), I can hand hold the camera in good light conditions. Otherwise, I'll need a tripod or something to stabilize the camera if I'm doing a timed exposure.

I went by the "5 foot rule", meaning I tried to stay around 5 feet away from my subject. I love the vintage look the photographs have. I shot everything with the f/11 setting and had a lot of luck with that. I'll experiment around the next time I go somewhere. I do know that it might be a simple camera but it still works like a dream.

*edit* The above photograph is from the roll that *I* exposed by not having the film on the take up spool tight enough.