Tag: toycam

Two-part light leaking tutorial

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

Untitled Diana photograph with light leak by Sean Rhode

Photographer moominsean put together a great two-part tutorial/explanation of what light leaks are and how to avoid them or get them on purpose. (See the bright bits coming down from the top on his [utterly brilliant] photo above? That’s them!)

Part one deals with leaks caused by the camera—very common with toy and home-built cameras—while part two deals with the winding of medium format film, which may be of particular interest to Zero Image pinhole shooters.

You can also create lightleaks on film after you have shot the roll (or, theoretically, before, but I haven’t tried this). When you see really strong, overpowering lightleaks, chances are it’s not the camera, but the handling of the film…

Check them out at his new blog, moominstuff: part 1 – part 2

Lightleaks toy camera magazine issue #3 available for pre-order

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Announcement from Lightleaks toy camera photography magazine:

Our third issue is almost ready for press! Once again, we are running our pre-order special cover price of $12.99 U.S. for a few days before it goes to the printer. Head on over to our website at www.lightleaks.org to reserve your copy for $2 off the cover price!

This issue is jam packed with toy camera goodness for your viewing and reading pleasure. Our feature is Steph Parke’s interview with world-renowned photographer and author, Lee Frost. Find out where he got his "toy camera" inspiration from before his recent trip to Cuba… maybe from you?

Our themed gallery, "My Space: An intimate look at where I am" is overflowing with your submissions. Check out our FOUR new features: "Trippin,’" "Treadly Speaking," "Do-it-yourself!" and "Toy Camera Artists." We also have the return of "Tales from the Plastic Darkroom." Along with our regular features, "The Toy Box" and the "Events Calendar," we’ve made our biggest issue yet.

Finally, a great announcement on the next big publication from Light Leaks Press will be featured on the inside cover and we’ll be looking for you to be a part of it, so be sure to pick up this issue!

Visit www.lightleaks.org and get on the pre-order bandwagon for $12.99 U.S. After that, we’ll be switching back to our regular cover price of $14.99 U.S.

A reminder: At the present time, our issues can only be purchased from our web site using our Paypal shopping cart. However, you don’t have to be a member of Paypal. All you need is a major credit card to make the purchase.

We hope you enjoy the third installment of Lightleaks magazine!

Toy camera article in Photoblogs magazine

Nicolai Grossman 1 Comment

Badass photographer Tread has written a piece on toy camera photography for the May 2006 issue of Photoblogs magazine, and it go a little something like this:

So why now, when it is easier than ever to get a nice photograph and cheaper and simpler to print your own, have I became a near-Luddite photographically speaking? It’s an easy answer: I like the work I make with toy cameras more than anything I’ve done in the past 23 years of photohobbying. With toycameras, I am forced to think more about the shot, less about the camera’s controls, more about what I want the photo to "say," less about the technical fluffery of so-called "good" photography. Any respected photographer will sing the same song, "It’s not the camera or the equipment that makes a good photo, it’s the person behind the camera…"

Read article at photoblogsmagazine.org

When you’re done with the article, do yourself a favor and check out Tread’s portfolio site and blog.

FILE Magazine toy camera photography contest

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FILE Magazine, an excellent online "magazine of unexpected photography", are holding a toy camera photography contest!

The Toy Camera Contest celebrates—you guessed it—Toy Cameras, the cheap and cheesy little cameras with low end specs and intriguing results. We encourage all amateur and professional photographers to enter this contest, and you may enter as often as you wish. Entries are accepted from April 24, 2006 until June 15, 2006 at midnight, Pacific Standard Time. And like any proper contest, there are rules, judges, and prizes.

…

How to Submit: Use the Submission form (select "Toy Camera" in the Project drop-down list and enter the camera type with the Title) to upload a file, or use the Feedback form to send a URL that directly links to your image(s).

Read guidelines and submit work at filemagazine.com

Plastic Fantastic toy camera magazine: R.I.P.

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filmwasters member Out of Contxt (Bill Vaccaro) writes:

Eric Hathaway, editor of Plastic Fantastic magazine, has sent out a letter informing subscribers that it is ceasing publication effective May 1 [2006]. To summarize his letter, they couldn’t cut it fanancially and it was personally bleeding Eric dry.

From hindsight, some of the factors that led to PL’s demise are obvious: lack of a sustainable subscriber base and lack of outside revenue sources (ads). I know Eric was insistent that, apart from the Holgamods‘ ad on the back cover, that the magazine be ad-free. And I’m not knocking his decision to do so either. It’s takes a lot of courage to do what Eric attempted to do. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

In any case, I’m truly sorry to see it go. I know it was a labor of love for Eric and I’ll really miss getting my issues at my doorstep every few months. I always felt there was room for more than one publication devoted to toy cams. Damn shame.

The plasticfantasticonline.com site is already down. Update your links pages and break out the black armbands.

Via slowlight pinhole blog

How to modify the Lex 35/Vivitar T100 toy camera for multiple & bulb exposures

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Key and tape positioning

The Lex 35/T100’s shutter cocking mechanism is coupled to its film advance, so reliable multiple exposures are out on a stock model. If you’ve got a screwdriver, a metal coat hanger, a pair of pliers, and some tape, this is not a problem. This will show you how to add a key that will cock the shutter without touching the film advance and allow you to shoot multiple exposures with impunity as well as how to block the shutter from closing, allowing you to keep it open as long as you want…

Continue reading here on Photon Detector.

Lightleaks magazine issue #2 available for pre-order

Nicolai Grossman 1 Comment

Issue 2 of Lightleaks, a magazine for toy camera users published by toycamera.com, is available for pre-order for the reduced price of US $12.99. Shipping is US $2.50 to North America and US $5.00 to the rest of the world. If you want it—I do, issue 1 was a very promising start—order soon, as it will go up to the cover price of $14.99 shortly.

They’ve gone with a private printer rather than Lulu for this issue, so hopefully the print quality will go up and shipping times will go down over #1. The cover price has also been reduced from $16.99.

Overview of issue 2

  • Introduction by Steph Parke
  • Out of my imagination – An exclusive interview with the inventor of the Holga
  • World Toy Camera Day 2005 – Winning photos and a report on the event
  • Theme – Nobody: where has everyone gone?
  • Featured Artist – Leon Taylor
  • The Toy Box – The Pouva Start!
  • From The Archives
  • The Plastic Guide
  • Event Calendar

You can order issues 1 and 2 from this page on lightleaks.org.

Lex 35/Vivitar T100 crapcam disassembly instructions

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

Eben Ostby posted step-by-step disassembly instructions, with photos, for the Lex 35/Vivitar T100 toy camera. Check it out in this thread in the Trashcams group on Flickr.

Lest you be tempted to splurge for the Vivitar T100 for US $7.50, be aware that it’s the same camera as the Lex 35 except that it has a tripod mount and says Vivitar on the front. While I don’t think that’s worth the extra 6 bucks, it does mean that Eben’s instructions apply to it as well.

The Lex 35 is available for a whopping US $1.50 from American Science & Surplus in the Optics -> Optical Devices section. (Sorry, can’t link directly.)