Yesterday I mentioned that I was going to test out my calibration of my Argus Argoflex and post the results here. Here they are!
There is a cemetery just around the corner from me which I have never visited in the 14 years I've lived here. I thought it would be a perfect place to test out my focus.
I tried close up and distant objects.
I had some issues loading the development reel, and apparently scratched the film as can be seen below.
I got a little weirded out at the cemetery and decided to take the Argus across the street to the park I've been to a million times.
Again I tried close up and distant frames. And I also tried to get a variety of textures and shades. I was really hoping these would be sharp and clear.
Alas nothing came out sharp.
The reason I need to calibrate the lenses is because of the way the Argus is constructed.
The Argoflex is a TLR (Twin Lens Reflex) camera, meaning it has two synchronized lenses. One is for viewing, the other is for taking the image. From what I understand most TLR cameras have an internal mechanism that keeps them coordinated. The Argus is different.
On the Argoflex, the two lenses are directly connected by little cog like ridges on the edges of the lenses. Normally the lenses aren't removable without removing some screws, but it appears mine was taken apart incorrectly at some point so they freely turn until they fall off.
When I got the camera I ended up accidentally removing one of the lenses. I decided to go ahead and clean them since they were already removed. Then I had to put them back together...
You would think that simply making sure the cogs are evenly aligned would ensure that the focus of both lenses match. I tweaked and tweaked until both lenses lined up. I even used matte Scotch tape across the back of the camera to see what the focus was for the taking lens and matched it as best I could with the viewing lens.
As you can see from the test images I failed to calibrate them correctly.
Lame.... I was hoping to take it to Virginia for Christmas to play with. I guess I will have to settle for the Hawkeye. Not that I mind. Unless the blur is simply because of having to use a wide open aperture and longer exposure times for the 100 ISO film to work.... But that doesn't seem to be the case.
After some research, now I know I need to get some ground glass to test the taking lens. This could be a challenge. Anyone know where to get some?
Stay tuned for more (eventual) experiments in film!
—————--------------------—————
Be sure to add me to your fanbase on Hive Auto so you never miss an Upvote!
Get up to 12 #FREE Fractional Shares valued up to $30,600 by opening & funding a #Webull brokerage account! Use my link to get started!
I'd like to invite you to use Uphold. Create your account and try out one of the easiest and most cost-effective trading experiences. You can pay fiat for crypto just by connecting a bank account and depositing directly into your account. Not only that but if you get the Uphold card you can pay with crypto anywhere that Mastercard is accepted!
https://uphold.com/signup?referral=c9cdfce131
Check out my nfts for sale on NFT Showroom!
Would you like to get paid in crypto for searching the internet? Try using and signing up for Presearch to earn some great crypto! I've currently got 26.23PRE tokens, with a market value of $6.24. It’s no fortune, but when you search using sites like Google you get paid $0.
Join Presearch to break Google's stranglehold on internet searches!!!
Get 25 PRE just for signing up!
I'm now a Xero Shoes affiliate, click here to find the best barefoot shoes available!
A bit late to see it but I think that was a lovely experiment!
It seems to me the focal plane is a 2-3 feet behind what you're aiming at so maybe turn that into an advantage? :)
I bet this effect could be used creatively when it comes to portraits. Defocused + B&W... vintage magic :)
!PIZZA
I was thinking a similar thing, maybe I can just figure out how to focus on something a few feet in front of my subject and adjust my shots instead of taking the camera apart again and dealing with the headaches of trial and error. Hmmmm....
Portraits would be fun, but that means I have to find models lol
Exactly! ;)
I often experiment with my closest people but then I don't get the permission to share anything :D
I gifted $PIZZA slices here:
@lightcaptured(7/15) tipped @driptorchpress (x1)
Send $PIZZA tips in Discord via tip.cc!