5 Frames with the Contax TVS, Kono! Art 100 and a Baltic Marina

Some trips are like good coffee: strong, slightly bitter, and they wake you up to reality – or at least to the view. My August 2023 jaunt to the Baltic coast – Travemünde, Laboe, and the spanking-new Wendtorf Marina – was exactly that. Armed with my trusty Contax TVS and a roll of delightfully eccentric Kono! Art 100, I set out to capture not only the scenery, but also the subtle absurdities of a German summer by the sea.

Both camera and film have already been lauded on 35mmc, and rightfully so. But allow a humble German to add his two cents: the TVS is a pocket-sized titanium tank, sleek and stoic. Its Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 28–56mm lens delivers such sharpness that one might almost need a warning: “Objects in frame sharper than in real life.” And then there’s that mischievous feature I adore: the panoramic frame overlay. Press a button, and suddenly your mundane marina becomes cinematic. I like it so much, I bought a second TVS. You can never be too careful when your first one might betray you mid-panorama.

The Kono! Art 100 is a character of a film. Neutrality is not its forte. Warm, quirky, a little nostalgic – it’s like the film had its own opinion about how the Baltic should look. The sea blue deepened into almost philosophical contemplation, sails gleamed like they had just read Kant, and the ferries to Scandinavia seemed to glide with a sense of ironic purpose. I am not exaggerating; it was as if the film whispered, “Yes, this is how Germans holiday by the sea.”

And the accommodation – oh, the accommodation! A brand-new houseboat in Wendtorf Marina, complete with sauna, terrace, roof deck and windows large enough to make an elephant feel cramped. Sitting on deck, I could observe the ferries arriving and departing while gently judging my fellow humans for their maritime elegance. My TVS framed the spectacle in a glorious widescreen panorama – life in 2.5:1, just as it should be.

The marina itself was a theatre. Ten-to-twelve-metre yachts pirouetted silently, owners fussed with ropes as though each knot were a personal statement, and the sound of halyards clinking provided the soundtrack. I am no sailor – in fact, my nautical experience could be measured in sighs and squinted eyes – yet the charm was inescapable. When hunger struck, I waddled over to “Ahoi”, the restaurant run by TV-chef Steffen Henssler. From the terrace, I could watch the harbour life unfold while pretending my fish and wine were perfectly analogue companions.

A short trip to Laboe took me past the U-boat displayed onshore. From the outside, it looked like a relic from a very grim episode of history – a metallic monster, all angles and intimidation. Here again, the Kono! Art 100 performed its magic. Its warm tints softened the steel, adding just enough romanticism to make me forget I was technically outside a former submarine. Only slightly, mind you.

In the end, the trip wasn’t just about places; it was a dialogue between camera and film. The Contax TVS offered panoramas for the eye, Kono! Art 100 offered colour for the soul. Together, they turned a simple Baltic summer into a cinematic, slightly ironic, and delightfully analogue experience – a holiday that looks as good on the wall as it felt in the moment.

The photos were digitised using a Rollei DF-S 180 scanner, with brightness adjusted where necessary, but no further editing applied. I am aware that there are more professional scanners and that post-processing could improve image quality – but that is not my approach. I prefer to keep the analogue character intact rather than digitally altering the photographs. I hope this provides some context, and perhaps a little acceptance.

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