Okay, here’s my blog post about my experience with a Fujica film camera:
So, the other day I picked up this old Fujica film camera at a flea market. I’ve always been curious about film photography, you know, that whole “vintage” vibe, and I figured, why not give it a shot? It looked pretty cool, all metal and sturdy, definitely a different feel from my usual digital camera.
Getting Started
First thing I did was try to figure out what kind of film it needed. The guy at the flea market wasn’t sure. After a bit of googling, turned out it takes standard 35mm film – phew, easy enough to find! I popped open the back – after fumbling around with the latch for a bit, I’m not gonna lie – and yep, there was an empty spool in there. Good sign!
Loading the Film
- Loading the film was the next adventure. I watched a couple of YouTube videos first because, honestly, I had no clue.
- It involved carefully threading the film leader onto the take-up spool, making sure it caught properly, and then winding it a bit to secure it.
- I was super paranoid about exposing the film to too much light, so I did most of this under a blanket. Probably overkill, but better safe than sorry, right?
Figuring Out the Settings
Once the film was in, I had to deal with the settings. This camera is fully manual, meaning no fancy auto-focus or auto-exposure. It has dials for aperture, shutter speed, and focus. It was like stepping back in time! I spent a good hour just playing with the dials, getting a feel for how they worked. The focus ring was a bit stiff, but I managed to loosen it up with some gentle wiggling.
Taking Pictures
I took the camera out for a spin in my neighborhood. It felt really different from shooting with my digital. With digital, you can just snap away and delete the bad shots. With film, every shot counts, so I found myself being way more deliberate about my compositions. I spent a lot more time thinking about the light, the framing, everything. It was actually pretty fun!
Developing the Film (Or Not)
Now, here’s the thing – I haven’t actually developed the film yet. I shot a whole roll, but I’m still debating whether to send it off to a lab or try to develop it myself. Developing it myself seems like a whole other level of commitment, with chemicals and darkrooms and stuff. I might just chicken out and send it to a professional.
Overall, my first foray into film photography with this Fujica has been awesome. It’s a completely different experience from digital, and I’m excited to see how the pictures turn out (whenever I actually get around to developing them!). It’s definitely made me appreciate the process of photography a lot more.
