International Commie Camera Day - 2012

Although the name would signify that it is only for one day, this year the powers that be decided to carry it for 7 instead, which meant that everyone that owns a Communist Built camera can participate in it at least one day.  The ICCD started on May Day (May 1st, 2012), and unfortunately I wasn't able to do much on that day, but needless to say, I still managed to get my Exakta out for some photographic fun under the lack of sun.

Exakta VXIIa - Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm ƒ/2.8 - Polypan F 50

Again, my Exakta performed admirably, and sadly I didn't quite do as well as I hoped, forgetting my hand-held meter at home, and being slightly off on the ol' eye meter.   Surprisingly, I was only off a stop or so, which means that the majority of the images worked out quite nicely.
There is a nice little parkland that is located at Black Creek Drive and Trethewey Blvd, oddly named Trethewey Park.  There is a Kingfisher Wetland reserve in that park, which the Humber River runs through, and allows for some nice scenic images.  The photo of the bridge is a small wooden footbridge that spans the Humber River at this point, and would make a nice location for either wedding photography, or a photo-shoot.  Perhaps I should go with my own personal model, my wife, or see if I can get a model from ModelMayhem.com.  Personally, I'd rather use my wife as the model, because at least I wouldn't have to worry about paying her.

Exakta VXIIa - Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm ƒ/2.8 - Polypan F 50

This day, at least, only repeats itself every year, and doesn't get over-done.  Instead, it seems, that it should get better every year, with more and more people joining into the club of Commie Cameras.  Whether you're shooting a Kiev, Exakta, Fed, Zorkie, Zenit, or any number of Russian (USSR) built communist camera, you can join the fun! 
There is something about these Russian cameras, regardless of which Russian camera it is.  I was given a Fed 2 with and Industar lens, which is a copy of the Carl Zeiss Jena T* 50mm, and is remarkably sharp and clear!  I have to get the E6 slide film I shot processed, except I know that the shutter curtain had a hole or three, so the film will have some spots on it of over-exposure.  What can you do?
The shots I took on my Exakta for this day I took with the Waist Level Finder (WLF) which is so much fun to use!  In fact, using it instead of the prism finder is just so much more simple to compose the image.  A little more tricky for sharp focusing, unless you use the magnifyer, which I did not use for any of the images above, including the shot of the fence and barbed wire, which incidentally, is shot wide open.  I wasn't expecting a sharp image, but one that was softer than this.  I'm quite surprised at the actual sharpness of this photo considering that any other lens I'd use shot wide open would most likely be far softer in the edges than this one.  The DoF is considerably narrow, but nothing like the below image

Exakta VXIIa - Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm ƒ/2.8 - Polypan F 50

Shot this one, again, wide open, and shows the razor thin DoF, while completely blurring out the foreground and background, yet keeping the rusted nail in sharp clean, and clear, focus.
Unfortunately, there were some images that, well, just didn't quite come out.  Under exposed, or not quite focused properly, yet nicely composed.
Ah well, I just can't wait for the colour images!  Tomorrow I shall drop off the film for developing, and I can't wait!

Until next time, keep those shutters firing!