Giant and dwarfs (2015) Bath, NL. Olympus OMÂ2n with 28mm and Ilford FP4+.
Me by Sweetheart and a Yashica 35 GSN
Welcome to the fourth issue of Filmdiaries Photozine, a magazine dedicated to film photography. I invite you to discover the work of Roman Badusov and Mar n Vivian Pearse. Don Stark has a review on the Wanderlust Travelwide as a 4x5 Pinhole Camera. Like always It has been fun pu ng this issue together, discovering new photographers, connec ng, and learning. In future edi ons of this magazine I want to focus mainly on large format photography with a sec on for medium format and alterna ve processes like Polaroid, Instax, and what not. We are s ll looking for contributors and welcome inquiries. Thank you for your me and I hope you’ll enjoy this 4th issue of Filmdiaries Photozine. As always, we value your feedback. Silvery gree ngs, Stephan
Rediscovering the Wanderlust Travelwide as a 4x5 Pinhole Camera Donald Stark
In 2013, Wanderlust Cameras launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the crea on of a 4x5 “box” camera called the Travelwide. The Travelwide was made from injec on molded ABS plas c and designed with a helix focusing system that was intended to work with a Schneider Angulon 90mm ƒ/6.8 lens. An adaptor for a wider fixed focus version, built around the Schneider Super Angulon 65mm ƒ/8, was produced as a later add on. A 0.3175mm pinhole insert came with the camera so that you could start shoo ng immediately. It was one of the first of the recent wave of affordable large format cameras, and it was my first large format camera. At $149, the camera cost less than the Schneider Angulon 90mm ƒ/6.8 they recommended pairing it with.
My Travelwide fi ed with a Schneider Super Angulon 90mm ƒ/8. At the me, I could not find the ƒ/6.8 lens anywhere because all the other Travelwide owners had scooped them up. The larger 90mm ƒ/8 lens made the camera very front heavy.
I backed the Travelwide in 2013 and waited, and waited, and waited. The project was plagued with produc on issues, but Wanderlust Cameras was determined to get it right. It was actually informa ve how they turned their produc on setbacks into a learning experience. Towards the end of 2015, my Travelwide arrived unexpected in the mail. While my enthusiasm had waned somewhat over the two years it took for the camera to arrive, I decided it was a perfect fit for a "52 Rolls" project I was joining in 2016. The idea behind "52 Rolls" is to shoot and post one “roll" of film, every week, for a year. For large format, I interpreted a “roll” to mean the two sheets of 4x5 film held in a single standard film carrier. If you haven’t done something like this before, it is a great exercise to get one in the habit going out and shoo ng frequently. I made a number of nice images with the camera, but a er a few months, its limita ons became more apparent. Beyond being limited to a single focal length, precise composing and focusing was difficult. I eventually moved on to a Burke and James Press camera, but I could not bring myself to sell the Travelwide. In 2017, I decided to par cipate in the Interna onal pinhole day. I remembered that a pinhole insert had come with the Travelwide, and decided to give it a try. A er I got the exposure down, I was hooked on shoo ng large format pinholes. In my opinion, pinholes just look be er with a larger nega ve. At 35mm, pinhole photographs tend to be smudgy messes. With 120 sized film they start to take on some character. By 4x5, to me, they actually work. The pinhole insert provided by Travelwide has a diameter is 0.3175mm. That corresponds to a range of f‐stops depending on the posi on of the focusing helix. • ƒ/283 at 90mm (helical fully retracted) • ƒ/346 at 110mm (helical fully extended) • ƒ/205 at 65mm (with 65 Conversion Kit) From the f‐stop I calculate the length of the exposure using a handheld light meter.
I present you three some examples below, made at the Fort Lancaster recrea on, created by the The South Pla e Valley Historical Society, using building methods of the 1840’s. The trading fort is located in what is now Fort Lupton, Colorado. These images were made on the now discon nued Fuji ACROS Neopan 100 because of its reciprocity characteris cs. The film underwent standard development with Clayton F76+ developer. Travelwide 4x5 Kickstarter page
Roman Badusov was born in Moscow. He began to study photography about 7 years ago. Roman started this direc on a er buying his first camera, a Canon 550D. Ini ally, Roman bought it for video, but gradually got involved in making pictures. Now Roman photographs exclusively with film cameras. He really likes the unique look and feel that film offers. Roman has developed a very dis nct and beau ful style.
Roman Badusov on Instagram Roman Badusov on Flickr
A er a decade shoo ng digital, Mar n Vivian Pearse has chosen to showcase his journey of re‐educa ng himself in working with film. He shoots on a Nikon f5 and releases his images roll by roll, frame by frame via his Instagram account @nikon_f5. Here he has supplied a small por olio of images from a recent trip to Sri Lanka. Mar n draws inspira on from becoming submersed in and with his subject, with par cipatory observa ons of loca ons, lifestyles, cultures, people and ac vi es providing a unique and dynamic photographic perspec ve. Having studied in London, he was soon off following his passions and explora ons in Africa before se ling in Australia. His work can be viewed at www.mar nvivianpearse.com or you can follow him via Instagram @mar nvivianpearsephotography.