“There are two people in every photograph: the photographer and the viewer.” – Ansel Adams
Posts tagged "fed 5b"
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- Camera: Fujifilm SP-2000
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Camera: FED 5B
Film: Lomography CN 100
Location: Haji Lane, Singapore
Credits belong to theanalogdork
- Camera: Fujifilm SLP1000SE
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18 Feb 2012, Saturday.
Darkroom Army finally opened its doors to citizens at large in conjunction with The Cotton Candy Machine Pop-Up Store opening at Peek! featuring head honcho, Tara McPherson. That’s 3 quality events in one. Thanks to Peek! and Fever Avenue, I got wind of this major undertaking a couple of weeks ago. Since then, I’ve been toying around with a FED 5B (not unlike the one Tara designed), saluted the Russians for their contributions to analogue photography, and on the recent Saturday, played witness to the official Darkroom Army’s camp (which is grungy, cool, and full of DIY goodness), scored the Tara McPherson x Kidrobot Swatch (of which I got Tara herself to sign; thanks Peek!), payed homage to the artist by purchasing some stickers, and immersed myself in what I believe would be history in the making for the local art/analogue photography scene.
Hold on to your guns, analogue soldiers. The war has just begun.
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Fed 5B; holding on for dear life.
Remember the Fed 5B I was talking about?
Straight out of the box, the Fed 5B proves why Russian cameras are analogue heavyweights. Physically, this 35mm film shooter does not own the negligible weight of most analogue/lomography cameras I’ve had before. It definitely makes its presence felt when I was holding it or even when it’s snug inside the Billingham. Yes, it’s considerably heavier than the cameras I possess, but truth be told, I love the fact that it’s chunky.
The rangefinder was also a significant departure from my standard arsenal of lomo cameras. The Canon Rebel 2000 was perhaps the closest comparable camera I have, in terms of adjustable settings like ISO, aperture and shutter speed. However, the similarities end there; the Fed 5B is as manual as you can get. Therefore, to use it properly, you better have more than just a superficial knowledge about the technical aspects of photography. Without jumping into the tech specs of the camera, I can safely say that the manual in the box and Google are sufficient sources of information to get yourself started.
What I like about the Fed 5B:
- Loading film. The Advance Crank and the take-up spool works efficiently, and each roll I put in fits tightly at first try. A plus point really, since I’m forever frustrated with loading the LC-A.
- Every sound it makes. Advancing the film, releasing the shutter, rewinding the film…eargasm.
- Its heavyset body. Makes shooting seem important.
- Fully manual operation. A challenge at first, but effortless once I got the hang of it.
- Timer function. Ok, I didn’t try this at all. These photos from Sasha, a fellow lomohead, makes me regret not trying it out.
What I do not like about the Fed 5B:
- The Diopter Adjustment/Viewfinder. It’s metal, and it scratches my new Ray-bans. Heart pain.
- No strap holes. Absolutely necessary since I always find myself holding on the camera for dear life. And I’m not talking about mine.
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2 more days till the Cotton Candy Machine Show and the soldiers behind the Darkroom Army are kicking things into high gear! Don’t forget to purchase your tickets for their inaugural Darkroom Army Lecture Series featuring none other than the famed Tara McPherson at S$10 (for Students), S$15 (for Early Bird) and S$20 (at the door) at darkroomarmy.com.
BUT, if you wanna score some free tix, there’s a cool contest happening here: http://bit.ly/woNOlJ
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SPOTLIGHT:
Artist of the moment, Tara McPherson is the poster princess behind Cotton Candy Machine, a boutique outfit in Brooklyn, NYC where her often innocent yet provocative art pieces call home. Oozing saccharine sweet, porcelain skinned colleens with subtle oddities in most of her works, McPherson’s characters exude an idealized innocence with a glimpse of hard earned wisdom in their eyes. Like the spread of tattoos adorning her very talented arms, McPherson’s body of work has also stretched far and wide across the galaxy, appearing in posters for renowned bands like The Strokes, Interpol, Duran Duran, visiting art galleries all over the world, featured in collaborations with tons of contemporary art bigwigs, and most certainly inked onto other bodies just like hers!
Little though my knowledge of this iconic artist may be, I am excited to be part of her inaugural visit to Singapore’s shores this month. While her presence will grace the launch of the Darkroom Army Gallery Store (an art x analogue cameras collective), the real showstopper will have to be the release of the limited edition Fed 5B camera that she had a hand, literally, in creating. Aptly named ‘Love Blows’, the classic Russian viewfinder camera receives McPherson’s blessings in the form of her beautiful drawing adorning the metal body.
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First Look: Fed 5B ONE
This amazing piece of metal is on loan from Peek! as part of their outreach program for an upcoming product launch (more on that later). For the moment, I’ve already shot a roll of Agfa 100 Black and White, and am intending to drop it off at the lab tomorrow. After which, I’ll review this camera proper and reveal a sneak peek about the new Fed 5B that’s coming to our shores soon.
Meanwhile, read more about this specially commissioned classic for Peek!’s 1st birthday.
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Fed 5B Eeshaun Limited Edition Camera
Limited run of 50 pieces, so get yours here now!
