Olympus Pen EES

When introduced in 1962 the half frame Olympus Pen EES was the first camera with a programmable shutter. A setting of either 1/40 or 1/200 was selected based on the light readings from its selenium meter. An appropriate aperture also was automatically set. If there was not enough light or too much light a red flasher appears in the viewfinder. There is no manual option with the Pen EES. The lens is a 30mm four element D Zuiko f/2·8.  The Pen EES uses zone focusing.  You select from portrait(4ft), group(10ft), or wide open(50ft).  In actual practice the lens on the Pen EES has sufficient depth of field to achieve reasonable focus in decent light most of the time using either the group or wide open setting.

Probably the greatest obstacle to sharp images with the Pen EES would be camera shake with the slower 1/40 shutter speed.  So it is best to use the fastest film that the Pen EES can use to help have the higher 1/200 shutter speed be selected. And the fastest film the Pen EES can use is ISO 200.  To younger readers that may seem slow, however when the Pen EES was introduced 200 IS0 was considered fairly high speed.

With its selenium metering the Pen EES doesn't need a battery.  As long as the selenium meter is functioning you are in business.  The Pen EES that I have came from some film cameras that I was given which used to be used by my old high school's photo club.  While the camera definitely shows signs of use the meter still appears to work fine.  When I wanted to test the camera all I had on hand was some 400 ISO HP5.  So I set the meter to 200 and pull processed the HP5 for that speed.  I think the results turned out reasonably well. At least they showed that the Pen EES is working okay. Right now I have some Fuji 200 in the Pen EES so I can get an idea of how it functions with what probably is one of the optimal films to use with this camera. I will have a more well-developed opinion of the Pen EES when I get those pictures finished.

Argus Dual 35

There isn't much information out about this camera. It was made in China for whoever owned the Argus name at the time. I would guess it was made sometime in the mid to late 1980's.  The lens is 38mm f/3.5.  It is fixed focused.





With the Argus Dual 35 you could take half frame or full frame images.  You made your choice by setting a dial on the top of the camera.  Most everything else about this camera you can probably figure out just by looking at the picture.  It is a typical 1980's point and shoot made somewhat unique by the half frame option.  There was at least one other half frame made during the time by Argus.  That is the Argus HFM II that I wrote about last year. I think the the Argus HFM II is a better picture taker.  Either camera won't cost you much if you can find one.  They don't appear to be much sought after and can often be had for less than $10.   Below are a few photos from the Argus Dual 35.

If you have an interest in half frame cameras here is one of the most complete listings that I have found.
Innovative Cameras

Yashica Half 17 Rapid

Introduced: 1965
Lens: Six element Yashinon 32mm f/1.7
Format: 35mm half frame. Uses rapid film system.













The Yashica Half 17 Rapid is one of Yashica's contributions to the half frame craze of the 1960's. It uses the Rapid Film System instead of a 35mm cassette. Yashica also made a version using standard 35mm called the Yashica Half 17.  Besides the difference in film systems the Rapid version has a different exposure system.  The 35mm is fully auto exposure while the Rapid version has a choice of aperture/shutter speed combinations that are selected with the help of a selenium match needle meter.  The aperture/shutter speed settings run from f/1.7,1/30 to f/16,1/800. The film speed is set automatically from a speed setting on the rapid cassette. Focusing is by distance.  The Focusing range is from 2.5 feet to infinity.

Of all my broken cameras this is the one I would like to see working the most.  At the moment it has a stuck shutter that has defeated my limited skills in fixing such things.  The selenium meter still seems to work and the camera is pretty good shape.  So hopefully one day I will get it figured out.

Superheadz Golden Half

Aperture: F8 - 11
Shutter Speed: 1/100 sec
Shooting Range: 1.5m to infinite
Film Type: 35mm
Photo Size: 24 x 18mm 
Film Counter: 72 images maximum 
Dimensions: 3 x 3" 
Film Advance / Rewind manually










The Golden Half is one of only a few half-frame cameras that is still being made.  As you can see above there isn't much to it.  Pretty much just decide if it is sunny or cloudy and start shooting. There also is a hot shoe so flash is another option.  The Golden Half feels pretty solid for a lofi camera.  Its plastic has a rubbery feel that can probably handle some accidents.  The Golden Half fits easily into a shirt pocket and because of its build and light weight it is easy to forget it is there until you need it.  I have found it to be a good walking around camera for daylight shooting. One of the biggest things for me has been to remember to take off the lens cap.  As a long time SLR user I am not used to a camera where I can still see something in the viewfinder when the lens cap is on.  Although now that I seem to have lost the lens cap that isn't so much of a problem.

The images from the Golden Half are what you would expect.  They tend to be decently sharp at the middle and get softer toward the edges.  

For the most part I find the images from the Golden Half to be pleasing.  Still I think the main advantage of the Golden Half is that it is so easy to carry around and that it takes so many pictures on a roll of film.  








Golden Half Gallery

Film Results and which Cameras to keep

I wrote about the Argus HFM II earlier, and it was one of the cameras that I got film back for.  The manual for the camera recommends using 200 ISO film so I used Fuji 200.  I like the results well enough that I will probably use the camera again.  I added the color pictures to the existing gallery. If this camera looks interesting to you, one can usually be found on Ebay for between $10 and $20. 
Argus HFM II Gallery

Since I started using film again about a year ago I have bought a lot of cameras.  When I get the camera I take some pictures using bulk b&w.  If the results from the test roll show that the camera worked okay and had potential I take photos with color film. Since I don't think that I am a collector my plan is to find out which cameras are ones that I will use.  And while I have been in the acquiring and testing phase for a while I think it has come time to go to the sorting phase. 

Some of the cameras are an easy choice.  I have my Canon F1 that I bought in 1974.  It still works well and just from a point of sentiment it would be the last camera that I would sell.  A recent purchase, the Olympus XA, also falls in the keeper category.  Because it fits easily in my pocket and takes excellent pictures I find myself using it a lot. 

A trickier one is the Yashica 124G.  The camera is in very good shape and the results I get from it seem excellent to me.

Still I don't care much for carrying a big camera around or for looking down to frame an image.  One thing I have found out about myself in the last year is that I do like a camera that I can put in my pocket and not notice unless I want to take a picture.  The Yashica 124G sure does not fall into that category, however it may be one that is worth the trouble. 

So that is all for today.  Not sure what I will post next, however it will likely be more about the results from the pictures I just got back.

Waiting on Film

For most of my life if I wanted pictures from a camera I would need to either develop them myself or send them out. There always was a time of maybe hours, maybe days before I could see how my pictures turned out.  And for me at least there was a tendency of focusing on the frustration of the wait and forgetting the pleasures of finally seeing how things turned out.  A pleasure that I think was increased by the wait.  When digital came along I embraced no longer having to wait.  Still I have never felt the pleasure in seeing my pictures load onto my computer that I remember from seeing negatives come out of the developing tank, or from getting that fat pack of pictures in the mail.

Saturday I had the pleasure of getting some pictures back that I had sent off in the mail a few days before.  The feeling for me is very much like I can remember as a child opening Christmas presents. The films were from a variety of cameras taken over a few months time. Like Christmas I expected there would be both some wonders and disappointments. 

I have heard others report feelings similar to mine about getting film back. Although I haven't often heard such feelings enter into the film vs digital debate.  Instead I think that it is taken for granted that quicker is better.  And maybe sometimes it is.  However if you have never done so before try taking some pictures on film and send it off somewhere that makes you wait a few days.  Then see if when your results come back if you experience a pleasure and excitement that made the wait worthwhile.

One set of negatives I got back was from a roll that I had taken last summer and forgot for a while that it was in the camera.  The camera is an Argus STL 1000 with a Cosinon 50mm f/1.8 lens. The film is Fuji 200.

I also got some results from the Argus Dual HFM II that I have written about in an earlier post. The film is Fuji 200.  Although 200 ISO is the recommmended film for this camera, I suspect the a 400 ISO film would work better.

Last results for today are from the Sawyer's Nomad 620.  Whoever I bought this from had loaded it with a re-spooled roll of Porta 160.  I took a couple of pictures with it when I first got the camera and didn't get around to finishing the roll until this winter.

I got the results from 11 rolls of film from 11 different cameras so this is just a small sample.  I would recommend the place I sent the film to.  They do a good job and are inexpensive.  Sharp's Photo

Argus HFM II half frame camera

Even through I know that the ghost of the real Argus company has long been departed there is still something in the Argus name for me.  I also have some liking for the diptych photos that can be made with a half frame camera.  And then add that I have been having some curiosity about the point & shoots of the 80's and 90's.  So when I saw that there is a point & shoot Argus with a half frame option I decided to go looking for one.

From what I have seen it looks like there were two versions made in China starting sometime in 1988.  The first was the Argus Dual HFM and the second was the Argus HFM II which is pictured here.  Both were distributed by Argus Industries of DesPlaines Illinois. It took about a month to find this one on Ebay.  It came to me in almost brand new condition in a box with a manual.   I would guess from a lack of information about this camera on the internet that it was not popular when it was released and there is not much interest in it today.

The Argus HFM II other than its half frame feature is typical of fixed focus point & shoot cameras of its era.  The lens is 38mm with a minimum aperture of 3.5.  Details of what the other aperture settings are or what the shutter speeds might be are not given in the manual.   It does have some kind of auto exposure mechanism, however I could find nothing to explain how it works.  The choice of half frame or full frame must be made before a roll of film is started by setting a switch within the film compartment. The film speed is read from DX coding.  200 ISO film is recommended.

So far I have ran a couple of rolls of Legacy Pro 100 through the Argus HFM II and with the second roll I admit I am warming up to the camera.  As time goes on I expect to have more to report on this camera.
Argus HFM II Image Gallery