Author name: Rock

Rock shoots almost exclusively film, mainly 35mm just like he did when he first took up photography 35 years ago as a teenager. Has a collection of old cameras to try out and likes to mix it up a bit with different formats or alternative processes. Generally goes on walks and strolls photographing whatever he sees, rarely planned.

colour photograph of a red compact camera

Texet TX-500 review – Fake Autoexposure Compact ? – by Rock

By / / Point & Shoot / 15 Comments

I’m guessing that no-one, or hardly anyone, has heard of the Texet TX-500. From the mid 1980s? What about the Premier PC-500? It’s the same camera. It also goes under a Wizen brand, plus Fotorama and no doubt some others that I’ve not discovered yet. I do know of Texet, but as stationery providers such as calculators, certainly nothing concerned with photography! Needless to say I was intrigued when I came across this during a search for a cool looking retro red compact. Yes, I bought this camera because it is red. Why not?

photograph of an agfa pocket camera laid on top of several packets of 110 film

24 Frames / Whole Roll of 110 Fujicolor in an Agfamatic Pocket Camera on a Countryside walk – By Rock

By / / The Whole Roll / 12 Comments

I haven’t submitted anything for a while: I’m six months into a medical condition that largely effects my upper limbs, in particular so-called ‘clumsy hands’. This has greatly reduced my ability to write and type, and some cameras are just too heavy and fiddly for me now. I haven’t actually dropped any cameras or lenses yet (plenty of cups and dishes, mind!). Anyway, I have had a rethink about how I go about doing my photography.

a photo of the agfa selectronic 2 camera

Agfa Selectronic 2 Review – The Best of Both Worlds – By Rock

By / / SLRs / Leave a Comment

The roll over from the 1970s into the 80s saw Agfa boldly launch two new 35mm camera systems. I say boldly as the implosion of West German camera manufacturing was all but complete, bar the shouting. Either Agfa was  in denial or this was a genuine last ditch attempt to save the industry. These were the Optima Sensor Electronic series of viewfinder cameras (Hamish reviewed the 1035 here) and a set of SLRs called Selectronic. It is the latter that I am going to review here, more specifically the Selectronic 2.

photo of two agfa isolette cameras

Lens versus Pinhole – Battle of the Isolettes – By Rock

By / / Photos & Projects / 10 Comments

Since I posted a while ago now about my exploits with a 35mm pinhole mod, I have been contemplating pinhole photography at medium format. You may have also read a more recent ‘5 frames’ of mine explaining my like for old bellows cameras, including the virtues of the 1950s Agfa Isolettes. So when I came across an Isolette that had been converted to pinhole, I jumped at the chance to acquire it.

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