Taking some advice from a local artist, I hunted up an old folding camera to convert to a pinhole camera and at the same time, work with larger format film.
I found what I sought at Jim’s Cameras in the University business district. The junk box in any place like that is always worth digging through and for $10, I came away with this.
It looks OK, worn and dusty, but bellows looks good and the mechanicals — such as they are — seem fine.
I even have the manual thanks to Mike Butkus. Not that it matters now. The thing has two shutter speeds — 1/50th and Bulb. And thank to a couple of well-placed blows, the lens and shutter protector — all the glass — are in shards on my workbench.
I just had my first misadventure with roll film, making me glad I bought a changing bag a week or so back. I loaded the camera, and wound on some film, but I had no idea when to stop. These new-fangled cameras link the shutter release to the winder. The artistic potential of this camera would never be achieved with such blatant distrust of the photographer. I ended up winding the whole roll through, and then re-spooling it onto the original spool, and then reloading.
Evidently, the little red window on the back of the camera is designed to let the numbers on the backing of the film to show through as a guide. It’s a tad too murky to see the numbers, as it turns out. Shoulda wiped it out before I got too carried away.
I hope to take some time and use this thing in the next few days just to get the hang of it. I fear that first roll is going to be pretty rough: I couldn’t help getting my paws on the emulsion as I fought with it in the changing bag.