The Sheets Family invited us to their home last month for dinner, conversation, and s’mores — all of which were very much enjoyed.
Tag Archives: Imperial Flash Mark XII
Downtown Affirmations
Seen in downtown Toledo, 20 September 2019.
Imperial Flash Mark XII Test Roll
When I first bought this camera from the antique mall some eight years ago, I didn’t own any other 620 cameras — and even if I’d had an extra couple of 620 spools handy, it hadn’t even occurred to me to try respooling 120 film onto a 620 spool. I managed to run two rolls of 35mm through the camera to try some sprocket photography, but couldn’t quite get the film plane flat. It wasn’t until recently that I realized I now have enough extra 620 spools to run a real test roll through this cute little camera.
It’s a box camera: there are no settings. Not only that, but my particular camera is missing the rear element on the viewfinder, so the image is teeny tiny and only really usable as a guesstimate unless I squint reeeeally hard.
Other fun features of this camera that I discovered upon seeing the test roll: First, there’s something stuck in the camera (I assume) that’s causing a black triangle shape to appear in the bottom right of almost all the images. (Edit: I’d applied some gaffer’s tape inside the camera to eliminate some emulsion scratches on my sprocket photography rolls, and that was coming off. Mystery solved!) Second, I have what some would consider an enviably kitschy mint green light leak in the bottom center of nearly every image. I’m not keen on it myself, especially since the camera actually makes some decent, otherwise usable images with vignetting and blur at the edges.
Downtown Toledo
[Taken 17 Jan 2011]
The last time I used this camera was 2007 — this roll came out a lot better than that one did. I’m not sure what’s up with the tobacco tint, but perhaps the negative sleeves I got at Goodwill didn’t come from a non-smoking home.
More photos and camera observations below…
Imperial Flash Mark XII Test Roll
Part of the fun of buying antique cameras, or even just crappy plastic cameras, is that you never know what kind of results you’ll get. Could be the focus is off. Could be some crazy vignetting. Could be that those things add charm. Could be that the images are just crap.
I’m not quite sure with this one. I think I need another test roll…
Continue reading