Modern lights, as seen through antique cameras

Waterloo Region Record

Antique box cameras were used by Waterloo Region Record photographer Peter Lee to make pictures of holiday lighting displays around Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and Petersburg.

The camera on the left is an Agfa Synchro-Box, made in Germany in the early 1950s. It has apertures of f11 and 16. It was purchased at St. Jacobs Antiques Market, St. Jacobs. The camera on the right is a Kodak No. 2 Model F, made in Toronto in the mid- to late 1930s. It has apertures of f16, 22, and 32. It was purchased at Southworks Antiques, Cambridge.

Both cameras use 120 film and provide a 6cm X 9cm image area. Lee used three different colour transparency 120 format film emulsions, all expired film: Kodak Ektachrome EPT160 (160 ISO tungsten, Kodak Ektachrome E100SW (100 ISO), and Fujichrome Velvia RVP120 (50 ISO). All the film was long past its expiry date but had been stored in a freezer.

With the camera on a tripod, the exposure times were anywhere from eight seconds to 15 seconds. Lee used his iPhone to time the exposures. He also used a Minolta Auto Meter IV F with a five-degree spot attachment to get an idea of scene brightness and the intensity of the lights themselves, then he made a calculated guess on how long to keep the shutter open.

He also had to remember to advance the film manually after every shot.

Article source: http://www.studiodaily.com/2013/12/sony-releases-f5-f55-v3-0-firmware/

Modern lights, as seen through antique cameras