DuaFlex is loaded

Yv

Yv

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Well I did it, I groped around in the dark and managed in a rather clumsy manner to respool some 120 film onto 620 spool and now the Duaflex is loaded and ready to rock. An original model, so no hood round the viewfinder, the mirror has a lot of corrosion marks and the lens doesn't look too hot either, but for the sake of sentimentality, I am going to give it a whirl. It is simplicity itself, no controls, just point, shoot, wind film through, repeat.

This is the beastie, wish me/it luck, this was my pa-in-laws camera and has probably been to many more exotic destinations than I have managed.

Kodak duoflex by Yvonne White LBIPP - WhiteGoldImages, on Flickr
 
Woohoo, that should be interesting! Best of luck...
 
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there's something really liberating about shooting a camera that has no real controls for the exposure... I know with Helga the Travelling Holga there's theoretically a couple of settings, but they basically made damn all difference, and it was nice to just wind, frame, shoot, repeat. Hopefully the Duaflex won't be quite as random as Helga in the outcome though...
 
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TheBigYin said:
there's something really liberating about shooting a camera that has no real controls for the exposure... I know with Helga the Travelling Holga there's theoretically a couple of settings, but they basically made damn all difference, and it was nice to just wind, frame, shoot, repeat. Hopefully the Duaflex won't be quite as random as Helga in the outcome though...
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To be honest, I have no idea how well this is going to work, it has sat around for a long time, as far as we know @Yves Geza was probably the last person to use it in his teens, some 40 odd years ago. So, every chance the light seals are knackered, before it has even attempted a shot. I have just done a couple here in the house with light from south facing windows [of the cats of course] - it's cloudy but not totally overcast here today so I reckon probably the best conditions for trying it out, nothing too dramatic and contrasty to begin with. Off the garage in a little while, so will head round the corner to my fav testing ground, the street market, and and some of the back streets for architectural stuff, just see how it gets on. I have a couple of films already to go, so when this is done and the half roll in the Pentax finally finished at some point this week, I can send it all off and see what happens.

I think this envelope will be marked 'testing & experimental, please don't laugh' :LOL:
 
I do like a box camera for a quick blast helps frees any blockage I find.
 
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Yv said:
To be honest, I have no idea how well this is going to work, it has sat around for a long time, as far as we know @Yves Geza was probably the last person to use it in his teens, some 40 odd years ago. So, every chance the light seals are knackered, before it has even attempted a shot. I have just done a couple here in the house with light from south facing windows [of the cats of course] - it's cloudy but not totally overcast here today so I reckon probably the best conditions for trying it out, nothing too dramatic and contrasty to begin with. Off the garage in a little while, so will head round the corner to my fav testing ground, the street market, and and some of the back streets for architectural stuff, just see how it gets on. I have a couple of films already to go, so when this is done and the half roll in the Pentax finally finished at some point this week, I can send it all off and see what happens.

I think this envelope will be marked 'testing & experimental, please don't laugh' :LOL:
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You'll be surprised how sturdy these things really are, if the shutter works there's little else to go wrong.
 
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With print film, the latitude will hopefully be enough to give rescuable images as long as there's some sort of exposure. Not sure I'd stick any slides through anything that simple though!
 
Nod said:
With print film, the latitude will hopefully be enough to give rescuable images as long as there's some sort of exposure. Not sure I'd stick any slides through anything that simple though!
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Well, have given it as much chance as possible by sticking the very forgiving Portra stuff through, saving the more unusual stuff for known reliable cameras. 10 frames used, just need to find something to point the final 2 at.
 
I suppose that the "Old Lady" who's been supervising at the garage has been taken away? She could (have) be(en) a fitting subject!
 
Nod said:
I suppose that the "Old Lady" who's been supervising at the garage has been taken away? She could (have) be(en) a fitting subject!
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Oh yes, she went almost immediately, I have [digital] photos of the event, will show you next week. The duaflex does have a bulb setting, about the only adjustment you can make, though very awkward to use as it doesn't have a tripod mount, so you need to make the camera solid somehow to allow for holding the shutters open manually but might have a go this evening, nothing to lose.
 
If any of the SMs have a 1/4" Whit tap, get them to thread a hole (IIRC, 5.1mm) in a bit of bar so you can screw that to a bit of board and rubber band the camera onto the board for tripod mounting...

How flat were the bottoms of the Old Lady's tyres?!!!
 
Nod said:
If any of the SMs have a 1/4" Whit tap, get them to thread a hole (IIRC, 5.1mm) in a bit of bar so you can screw that to a bit of board and rubber band the camera onto the board for tripod mounting...

How flat were the bottoms of the Old Lady's tyres?!!!
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We'll see, I can hold her down securely enough for testing then see what happens with the pics that come out.

They weren't too bad, not flat and we pumped them a bit more for rolling purposes, though her first movements [sideways] involved trolley jacks and brute force. The carrier was told several times to bring quick jacks to move her on, but that never happened, so we improvised. After a bit of persuasion, even the brakes weren't totally seized on.
 
Well, results are in and not all is perfect, but I do at least have something. The pictures are hazy and lacking in contrast and not easy to pull back with digitised processing either. It's particularly troublesome in shots where sky is involved, a lot of 'flare', contrast comes back in the last example with very little sky. However, as Mark was telling me, this camera would have been built when most film was around 50-100ASA and I have stuck 400 through on its single shutter speed, so I might, if I pick up a cheap roll, give it another go with a much slower rated film and see if that makes any difference. I was doubtful I would get much, so overall, not totally unhappy, I just realise I might have to use with care in the future.

Duaflex results by Yvonne White LBIPP - WhiteGoldImages, on Flickr

Duaflex results by Yvonne White LBIPP - WhiteGoldImages, on Flickr

Duaflex results by Yvonne White LBIPP - WhiteGoldImages, on Flickr

Duaflex results by Yvonne White LBIPP - WhiteGoldImages, on Flickr
 
When you consider the price point the camera was built to and its age, getting anything out of it is a plus. These aren't to bad and I think that maybe a faster b&w might get you better results.

Andy
 
Andysnap said:
When you consider the price point the camera was built to and its age, getting anything out of it is a plus. These aren't to bad and I think that maybe a faster b&w might get you better results.

Andy
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exactly, will certainly give it a go. It was a wet miserable London day, the mistiness only increases that impression too.
 
I think lots of the older cameras work better with black and white film to be honest - sometimes it can be down to the coatings (or lack of) on the lenses, sometimes just down to the way the lenses were put together - often with tree-resin (Canada Balsam) between the lens elements... As the resin degrades with time, it gets hazy - and well - shooting colour and wanting a full spectrum of light is a harder job to render than shooting B&W with a yellow filter on the lens and just working on a narrower section of the bandwith.
 
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Yv, i quite like thé results tbh...they have a certain timeless and dreamy feel about them, particularly the first one and imo they are what i would expect from a camera of this age and style.....as TBY says, b&w sometimes works better ....in fact if you convert these shots, they may become even more appealing.
 
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Hope you don't mind but I've just done a quick conversion on my phone using Snapseed. Bit of a contrast boost and a slight vignette to even the tones (outer edges were brighter) and it could be a nice shot;

View attachment 34130

Like the others have already said, getting any result from the kit is a bonus and should be seen as a good achievement :0)
 
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Coalface day curtailed, now a play day :D

So, before I head off to do something else, a few I have applied Silver FX to in photoshop. I could probably get them sharper than this, but I quite like them as they are and its an improvement to my eyes on the original colour versions - even if it does feel very odd applying a digital filter intended to replicate film, to a film photo :LOL:

Duaflex - results with mono editing by Yvonne White LBIPP - WhiteGoldImages, on Flickr

Duaflex - results with mono editing by Yvonne White LBIPP - WhiteGoldImages, on Flickr

Duaflex - results with mono editing by Yvonne White LBIPP - WhiteGoldImages, on Flickr

now THATS what you call lans distortion btw!
 
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Having seen the camera used, I'm almost surprised that it managed results that are that good!!! How Yv managed to frame the shots is beyond me - the "viewfinder" is little more than a blurred blob! As she says, the thing was designed for slow films - maybe a bit of ND filtration would bring exposures down a bit? I see some experimentation coming on when someone has a spare minute or several! (I see you went a long way to take that pub shot, Yv!)
 
Nod said:
Having seen the camera used, I'm almost surprised that it managed results that are that good!!! How Yv managed to frame the shots is beyond me - the "viewfinder" is little more than a blurred blob! As she says, the thing was designed for slow films - maybe a bit of ND filtration would bring exposures down a bit? I see some experimentation coming on when someone has a spare minute or several! (I see you went a long way to take that pub shot, Yv!)
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Miles and miles :whistle:

The viewfinder is much better outdoors in fairness, composing indoors is somewhat more tricky. Will definitely be doing some playing over the summer :D
 
Browsing onto this thread. My partner Anita particularly loves it when we take a box camera, folding camera, or Kodak Brownie camera out. A year or two ago, it was a similar camera to the Duaflex. Another Kodak plastic brownie TLR - the Kodak Brownie Reflex 20:

9228144179_21332e9cdf_c.jpg


Here is my favourite shot from the roll of 120 to 620 film that we took on that camera. Two lovely old ladies, real people, that have since moved away from the area:

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Taken on Ilford HP5. I love this one. It's called "On the Naughty Step". A one stop camera.
 
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Yv said:
I just realise I might have to use with care in the future.
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Too damn right! Stop wearing out my toys! Incidentally, it used to live in a brown canvas case ;)

Yv said:
To be honest, I have no idea how well this is going to work, it has sat around for a long time, as far as we know @Yves Geza was probably the last person to use it in his teens, some 40 odd years ago.
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FWIW, I realise I last used the Duaflex in 1969 when I was 12. Before I played with it, my father last used it before he bought his Retinette Ib to take to the 1960 Rome Olympics!
 
Yves Geza said:
Too damn right! Stop wearing out my toys! Incidentally, it used to live in a brown canvas case ;)



FWIW, I realise I last used the Duaflex in 1969 when I was 12. Before I played with it, my father last used it before he bought his Retinette Ib to take to the 1960 Rome Olympics!
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It still has it's case and what you are saying my beloved old man is that it was last used the year I was born!! :kiss:
 
At least the camera's still working... ;) Hope all's going to plan.
 
YV,I like the results you achieved they give the ambience of the camera and its time,which after all is why we use them,is it not. Steve showed what you are capable of pulling out of the negative if you wished,but,I am not sure that is the point.

I think it is a great idea to use film type from the time as you suggested and 50 or 100 Asa would be well worth using. Adox still have 20 Asa available if you want to go that route or you can do what I do e-mail Asha and ask him to send you a film of its type from the same era,then you can see the ultimate camera and aged film together. :) Asha does not need much persuading,just a weekend retreat when he visits the UK. :)

Well done and I would like to see more.(y)
 
medwaygreen said:
YV,I like the results you achieved they give the ambience of the camera and its time,which after all is why we use them,is it not. Steve showed what you are capable of pulling out of the negative if you wished,but,I am not sure that is the point.

I think it is a great idea to use film type from the time as you suggested and 50 or 100 Asa would be well worth using. Adox still have 20 Asa available if you want to go that route or you can do what I do e-mail Asha and ask him to send you a film of its type from the same era,then you can see the ultimate camera and aged film together. :) Asha does not need much persuading,just a weekend retreat when he visits the UK. :)

Well done and I would like to see more.(y)
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Expired 1956 roll of kodacolor film 620 format any good for you @Yv ?? ;)

All yours in exchange for a kennel in ya garden next time i need digs in the sunny UK :D
 
Asha said:
Expired 1956 roll of kodacolor film 620 format any good for you @Yv ?? ;)

All yours in exchange for a kennel in ya garden next time i need digs in the sunny UK :D
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You are welcome to the 'spare' room any time Asha, though you do have to share with a few cats and random furniture, just ask Nod! :LOL:

Cuchulainn said:
How shiny is the inside of the film chamber? Apart from uncoated lenses, that kind of bright haze can sometimes come from light bouncing around the film chamber. I flocked the inside of my Yashica Mat using http://www.wilko.com/sticky-back-pl...esive-film-velour-black-348-0005/invt/0309578 and it made a noticeable improvement to the contrast of images.
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I shall have a look, hadn't considered it. Probably the next roll through will be something OOD or some of the shanghai stuff, which is on its way for messing around with.
 
medwaygreen said:
YV,I like the results you achieved they give the ambience of the camera and its time,which after all is why we use them,is it not. Steve showed what you are capable of pulling out of the negative if you wished,but,I am not sure that is the point.

I think it is a great idea to use film type from the time as you suggested and 50 or 100 Asa would be well worth using. Adox still have 20 Asa available if you want to go that route or you can do what I do e-mail Asha and ask him to send you a film of its type from the same era,then you can see the ultimate camera and aged film together. :) Asha does not need much persuading,just a weekend retreat when he visits the UK. :)

Well done and I would like to see more.(y)
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Thanks Richard, will certainly be using it again, as I think Steve said earlier, there is something very liberating about about the 'point and shoot' nature and I am not overly concerned by the haze as such, so would like to try film that is in keeping with its time just to see.
 
Yv said:
You are welcome to the 'spare' room any time Asha, though you do have to share with a few cats and random furniture, just ask Nod! :LOL:
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This is very true. The cats aren't too much of a problem - a few attempts will usually get most of them out. Beware of random son-out-of-law though and (possibly) enough random car parts to keep an autojumble fayre stocked for several seasons... The owner of the karate trophies has a bark far worse than her bite (and TBH doesn't even bark that much!) You will get covered in cat hair and dog though! (Bed's comfortable and the area's very quiet, especially for Lungdung.)
 
Lol thanks for the very kind offer.....i'm well used to crazy cats and associated fur as i have two!....i live in a small studio appt.....when i was a kid they used to be known as bedsits! Lol so ANYTHING left lying around ends up being footballed around the place or / and covered in cat fur......especially from Mr cat who pretends not to know how to groom himself. As for Madam cat, well she's more fanatic at keeping herself looking beautiful although i feel her frustration having to live alongside a scrubber! Lol

Anyway if i find myself in that there London, i'll drop by chez Yv for bed breakfast and evening meal :D
 
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Only 2? IIRC, Yv is now up to 7 and most of them are either big moggies or Maine Coons (not small cats!)
 
It's true, they are the feline equivalent of sharing the bed with the labrador, you do tend to KNOW they are there :LOL: MInd you, they are not as scary as that flipping huge canvas still hanging aroundin that room of a photo of one of them, bigger then life size :D
 
Nod said:
Only 2? IIRC, Yv is now up to 7 and most of them are either big moggies or Maine Coons (not small cats!)
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Omg, 7 !! .......it's bad enuf wen two get started at playing "tag" ! :eek::D
 
When the light's out, you can't hear the canvas one prowling... AND it rarely pounces!

It's bad enough when one decides to lie on your knees (and that's our small cat, not one of Yv's monsters!!!)
 
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