Kodak Cresta 2

Mozziephotography

Mozziephotography

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My auntie had one of these in the late fifties, early sixties. Fancy putting a film through one of these, just to see if I can actually manage to emulate her wonderful images. Never used a camera with virtually no setting adjustments. How on earth do you compensate when using a 400 ISO film compared to a 100?
 
ND filter?
 
I suppose you could use it like your auntie did - click and see what comes out? Mind you I doubt she would have an ISO film that high and possibly not even into 3 figures.

A lot of modern film will have a wide exposure latitude but you are bound to get some with the wrong exposure if you go with my suggestion.
 
auntiemaryscanary said:
I suppose you could use it like your auntie did - click and see what comes out? Mind you I doubt she would have an ISO film that high and possibly not even into 3 figures.

A lot of modern film will have a wide exposure latitude but you are bound to get some with the wrong exposure if you go with my suggestion.
Click to expand...
I could try a 100 ISO I suppose or a 50
 
auntiemaryscanary said:
I suppose you could use it like your auntie did - click and see what comes out? Mind you I doubt she would have an ISO film that high and possibly not even into 3 figures.
Click to expand...

My Photomart catalogue for winter 1960/61 lists a range of films. In Black and white, PanF, FP3, HP3 and HPS are all listed. The fastest was HPS at 40 Scheiner (ASA not listed, just that and BS). In artificial light, 39 not 40.

The sensitivity of those 4 films is the same as today:- 50, 125, 400, 800. You will find on the Internet a source that gives 40 as 400, meaning HPS was slower than I just suggested. Remember that after the date of that catalogue all film speeds doubled overnight because the goalposts were moved.
 
I have a Cresta 3, here is a shot from it, taken on Kodak Portra 160VC when colour film was dead cheap and you could afford to experiment with it. I have some other shots I took on Fomapan 200 but they are compromised by light leaks caused by the film not being tight on the take up spool, something you need to watch out for with this camera and other box cameras. Also, I would avoid Ilford films as their numbered markings on the backing paper are quite faint and, as I found, unreadable in some cases (fine for automatic film advances of course).

1774428929111.jpeg

The subject matter is exactly what the camera was designed for.
 
This thread piqued my interest enough to get me searching for a little info on this camera and I found THIS article. Doesn't help a lot but suggests that PRINT film has enough latitude to make ISI 100 film useable. To my eyes, the posted B&W shots look a little underexposed but that's possible the printing rather than the negs themselves. Personally, I'd use a roll of ISO 200 print film as a happy medium and let the lab or printer deal with the results as best they cn!
 
Thanks for all the input. Will give it a go when I can get my hands on some ISO 200 film.
 
Just read the article and it seems that the Cresta II has a glass rather than plastic lens and the results could be better. The Cresta II design seems to be inspired by the Brownie 127 (my first camera) so I guess it has a curved film plane to help keep pictures better in focus.
 
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