Received My Belair X 6-12 This Evening

[xya]

For the non-believers: It has metering. First 6x12 camera with metering, ever, and generally you dont find medium format cameras with metering this cheap. And theyre not nearly as portable. Most folder cameras doesnt have interchangable optics either, let alone three different sizes to choose from, on-body.

only kind of metering...they call it "zone focussing", I call it guesstimation. have a look at this http://www.lomography.asia/about/faq/4514-how-do-i-set-the-focusing-on-the-belair-x-6-12 there are "gaps" with the 90mm.

 

[filmamigo]

The camera has limitations, but I think it's pretty well made for the price. The uniqueness of the format increases it's value enormously too.

The lenses are definitely the weak point, but that's why the interchangeable lenses are brilliant! I've got the Russian lenses on order, and will probably sacrifice the plastic 90mm to recycle the lens mount for other lenses. Interchangeable lenses on a folder can you imagine? It makes you wish Fuji had taken that approach to the 667.

I wrote a fairly detailed review of the Belair on my blog:
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[TheFlyingCamera]

The camera has limitations, but I think it's pretty well made for the price. The uniqueness of the format increases it's value enormously too.

The lenses are definitely the weak point, but that's why the interchangeable lenses are brilliant! I've got the Russian lenses on order, and will probably sacrifice the plastic 90mm to recycle the lens mount for other lenses. Interchangeable lenses on a folder can you imagine? It makes you wish Fuji had taken that approach to the 667.

I wrote a fairly detailed review of the Belair on my blog:
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Nice writeup - do you have any images you made with it posted anywhere? I'd like to see the pudding that is the proverbial proof.

 

[SuzanneR]

Mine arrived a few days ago, but I haven't had a moment to put a roll or two of film through, I'll post them when I do. Camera looks and feels great to hold, think I'm going to like it!

 

[nicholai]

only kind of metering...they call it "zone focussing", I call it guesstimation. have a look at this http://www.lomography.asia/about/faq/4514-how-do-i-set-the-focusing-on-the-belair-x-6-12 there are "gaps" with the 90mm.

Metering, as in automatic exposure. Hasn't got a thing to do with focus (But according to my information theres no "gaps", as you're not forced to select only those four points, it can be focused inbetween them)

 

[filmamigo]

Nice writeup - do you have any images you made with it posted anywhere? I'd like to see the pudding that is the proverbial proof.

Thanks! I'll be adding some shots to my blog. I need to take some time to scan them reasonably well (the lab won't scan 6x12 for me.) I will also put up some shots with the Russian lenses when they arrive.

 

[filmamigo]

Just remembered this thread! Here are the results I posted from my Belair.

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I also got email notification that the Russian lenses are slightly delayed. Lomography expects to deliver them in April.

 

[SteKos]

Just got mine today, haven't even loaded a roll yet, but had a couple of questions for you guys.

I can see how the spools would allow the roll to run loose in back, read something about putting some tension on the film spool so it hold a bit tighter. Wondering if you had to/should do that to both the film spool and take-up spools? And any recommendations on how? Seems like it would be easy enough to just wedge a bit of card-stock in.

I did manage to get on the tail-end of an e-bay auction for the Russian glass lenses, and won the 114mm lens. It's coming over the pond from EU, so it will probably be a while till I see it. I'll run a roll of color through the stock 90mm lens, and another when I get the glass 114mm, and post samples.

BTW, first post here. Found APUG when I was looking for info on the Belair.

 

[SteKos]

Forgot one thing. Also read about the shiny black plastic on the 6x6 and 6x9 masks causing reflections/bleed on pictures. Since I'm in a modding mood, I'm soliciting opinion on "roughing up" the fronts of the masks, give it a once over with some sandpaper and see if I can make it more of a matte finish.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Did anyone ever get the glass lenses for the Belair and shoot with them? Is anyone here still using their Belair?

 

[flavio81]

For the non-believers: It has metering. First 6x12 camera with metering, ever, and generally you dont find medium format cameras with metering this cheap. And theyre not nearly as portable. Most folder cameras doesnt have interchangable optics either, let alone three different sizes to choose from, on-body.

Most folder cameras are better made and use optical glass lenses with at least 3 elements. In this respect a big plus over the belair. I could bet my life that an overhauled 6x9 folder with a 4-element lens will give better images that the Belair with a comparable "russian glass lens".

As for "it has metering": The truth is that it has no true manual exposure control. I think MF shooters couldn't care less for built-in metering, the same as Holga shooters couldn't care as well. At 6x12 it is not as if you could just happily "shoot from the hip" lots of pictures during a walk...

Then, for a "panoramic"-like-format camera, the widest angle lens is a 90mm lens (which is about a 32mm FOV equivalent on 35-mm). Not so wide, really.

All in all, i like lomography for keeping film alive, but a much better idea was that 120-film version of the Lomo LC-A they released not so long ago. Just make a 120 Lomo LC-A version with a decent lens (not that gimmicky wideangle with insane amounts of vignetting), and I think everybody would buy one, the Lomo crowd, the APUG crowd, everybody.

 

[ic-racer]

6x12 folder is a great idea but where are the pictures???

 

[xya]

I still use the belair, with the instax back and its plastic lenses. it's fun. immediate result, quite decent IMHO and a lightweight combination. I have a custom made instax back for my mamiya universal too, based on the belair back. the results are better and there is no black strip on the photo, but it weighs a ton and you have to meter the exposure. I still wait for someone to make an instant back with motorized ejection. or an instax wide angle camera.

I wasn't pleased with the 6x12 roll film results of my belair. film flatness, film winding, light leaks...obviously you have to be a lomo addict to be fine with it. seen the price I wouldn't invest into the glass lenses. for the price of a belair + glass lenses you could buy real stuff if you are patient. I found an ugly looking plaubel veriwide (o.k., it's 6x10) in that price range, and a combo 470 + a simple 6x12 back for a bit more.

 

[ic-racer]

I wasn't pleased with the 6x12 roll film results of my belair. film flatness, film winding, light leaks...obviously you have to be a lomo addict to be fine with it.

Looking at the specs, I was hoping for a robust film channel and innovative mechanism of film flattness, given that the opening is smaller than most all other medium format cameras

 

[europanorama]

I can really imagine how unflat film is. We fighted a lot to improve in Artpanorama 612, that that one with mamiya press 75 and 127mm lenses. other lenses work too but with vignetting on the sides. we could improve but not perfectly thanks to stupid filmtake-up-mechanisme. only mamiya RB67/70mm vaccum-back gets really flat film. Just got an 6x9/70mm-holder and film-flatness is looking bad. Have also a badly designed Mamya-press-vaccum back(custom made), holes are too big and too narrow together and he really drilled a center hole which is sucking to the other direction... None ever tested but one can observe with light.

 

[europanorama]

NB: i am actually testing old glass-Zeiss- to be adapted on DSRL-Canon. It unbelievable how malcalibrated or noncalibrated some lenses are. So only adapter which is focussing past infinity is really getting needed results. I have experience with rotapancameras, also fighting there for best sharpness, filmflatness etc. a different kind of problems there.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

For those who want to see some images from the Belair X-6/12, here are a few I shot with it:

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[rubbernglue]

Here is one I shot a about two years ago with my friends belair.
I didnt really like the camera upuntil when we finally hacked it so that it would not autoexpose anymore. We pretty much removed the metering-cell, and added a battery, dial and some resistors in order to "give" the metering cpu a appropriate resistance for a speed-setting and that way we were able to shoot it manually!
This shot was before the hack though.

 

[flavio81]

For the non-believers: It has metering. First 6x12 camera with metering, ever, and generally you dont find medium format cameras with metering this cheap..

...Because we medium format users don't really care about in-camera meters.