After over 20 years of shooting digitally, I’ve recently rekindled my interest in film photography, thanks to acquiring a few job lots of cameras at auction. My primary focus was on Ukrainian FED cameras, the Soviet-era Leica copies, as well as some vintage medium format folding cameras.
My objective was to create images with a distinctly analogue feel. While it would have been easy to purchase some well-used medium format equipment—like the Mamiya 645 I once used for shooting Velvia—that would have resulted in images too similar to the travel content I currently produce with my Nikon D850.
For me, the goal was achieving shallow depth-of-field, soft frame edges and natural vignetting.
The vertical wheat field shot was captured with a FED 3 from the 1960s or ’70s, using an Industar-61 53mm f/2.8 lens, at either f/2.8 or f/4. The soft aesthetic and shallow depth-of-field were exactly what I was aiming for.
I love the weight and solid feel of this camera. Remarkably, everything seems to function perfectly, and the focus is spot on. I think I’ve been fortunate, as most of the cameras I’ve purchased without testing have worked well, with only a few of the ‘extras’ from the auction lots having minor issues. I’ll discuss those in another post!
My next purchase, via eBay, was a Jupiter-12 35mm f/2.8 lens, sourced directly from a Ukrainian camera dealer. After all, I couldn’t see myself shooting exclusively with a 50mm lens! Below is a first test shot with it.
I’m now on the hunt for the ultra-rare FED 28mm f/4.5 lens. I’ll let you know when I manage to find one!
Alan Copson ©
