Folder Week | An Exercise in Patience

I don’t take folding cameras out that often. First, I only have a pair of them; second, they can be a pain to use. But my good friend and fellow film photographer Jim Graves made a post that was dedicated to being folder week from 19 October to 24 October. The whole thing was started by another talented photographer, Tom Northenscold. So, why not dust off the pair of Zeiss Ikon folders and take them out for a spin? This included the simple Ikonta 521, a 6×4.5 format option with no rangefinder, to the massive but hard to handle Super-Ikonta 531/2, a 6×9 beast with a rangefinder. And used my Gossen Lunasix F with the spot metering attachment for setting exposure. Sadly the Super-Ikonta’s shutter jammed up and failed when I was shooting the roll so I was left with just the one roll. I shot with my Ikonta 521 was around downtown Milton, while I waited for my car’s oil change. I loaded a roll of Ilford HP5+ rated at ASA-320 and developed it in HC-110. The one thing I dislike about these 645 cameras is that, when held naturally, the orientation is portrait; I prefer landscape. So it required a bit of awkward holding to compose the shot in the landscape format. Although the Ikonta lacks features like a rangefinder, it remains my preferred camera to take out regularly. Mainly because it’s significantly smaller and easier to manage. And for focusing, there are at least some helpful settings indicated to maximise depth of field.

Although I don’t take these cameras out often, I appreciate Jim passing along the inspiration to do so. I had only planned on taking out the Ikonta for the week, but after realising I hadn’t shot the Super-Ikonta in a while, it went in also! These little projects and ‘special weeks’ are always a great way to dust off a camera, film, or format that you don’t often use. While I’m usually an active participant in Holga Week and occasionally Polaroid Week, I didn’t join in on the fun in either of those this year. Having this one to fill in a bit of a gap was a lot of fun. And I may be a part of it again next year, with maybe the Voigtländer Bessa I have on my shelf. Also check out Jim’s results from Folder Week!