Uncle Jonesy's Cameras: Kelley's Christmas Present: A Mystery Camera

Today’s Post is By Kevin Lane

Because I am a public school music teacher with a holiday program to produce in addition to a full schedule of teaching, I usually get behind in my Christmas shopping. However, I’m happy to say that I have already bought a few gifts for family, and one of those is for my brother, podcast partner, and co-author of this blog, Kelley. Now, Christmas gifts are usually surprises, but it will come as no surprise to Kelley that he is getting a camera for Christmas. He really likes cameras. A lot.

Of course, Kelley doesn’t really need another camera (neither do I, but . . .). His collection is growing constantly, and he owns some really nice ones at that. But as he has written in this blog, Kelley really hates to see a camera just sitting there on some antique or thrift store shelf when it could be doing what it is supposed to be doing. If the price is right, there is a good chance that he will “rescue” it. Although he has favorites, he actually shoots many of the cameras he owns. So, any camera that I wold give to Kelley for a Christmas gift would have to be one he could actually use.

Recently, as my wife, Debbie, and I were wondering around an area antique store, I spotted just such a camera, a camera I had never actually seen before. I picked it up and examined it carefully. It had good batteries in it and seemed to work as it should. Then, I got out my iPhone and began to search for information on the camera. I found a very positive review of it that especially noted the quality of the lens. It also noted that, because the lens could take a filter, it had become the reviewer's go-to black and white camera. Finally, I checked the price tag, and it was very affordable, unlike most antique store cameras. Decision made: Merry Christmas, Kelley!

Shooting a test roll of film seemed like a good idea for this gift camera, so I loaded it with a fresh roll of Kodak Tri-X 400 and set out for nearby downtown Ringgold, Georgia. It was late afternoon, and the light was good. I tried to practice my skills of “finding things to shoot when there isn’t anything to shoot” and looked for patterns, stories, ironies, and anything that thought might be photo worthy. I am trying to learn how to “free my mind” and let things catch my eye. Sometimes I see something and say to myself, “No one else may appreciate this, but I do.” Click.

The mystery camera also accompanied me on a trip to Elijay, Georgia, a drive through Lookout Mountain’s McClemore's Cove, and a walk on the “industrial wastes” section of Chattanooga's Tennessee Riverwalk. After shooting the last frame on the roll, I processed the film using D-76 1:1, waiting for the negatives to dry, and scanned them. Right away, I noticed more grain than I usually get with Tri-X, so maybe I did something wrong in development (reticulation due to temperature disparity between developer and stop bath and/or fixer?). However, I was quite pleased with what the mystery camera can do.

Obviously, I can’t reveal anything more about this mystery camera until after gifts have been exchanged, but I can show you some of the photos. And yes, I there will be a “reveal” in a future post.

Happy Shooting!