Voigtländer VF 135: Results

The first photos back from the £5 camera – does it work then?

After two days burning through a roll of AGFA Vista 200 in my new Voigtländer VF 135, I rushed the roll off to a Max Spielmann for a two hour develop and print. Film scans were an option, but for £3 it didn’t seem worth it; past experience suggested they wouldn’t be great quality at only 2 MP either. Anyway, here are the scans of the better prints.

Footpath Closed – Bolehill, Sheffield

Cloudy Hills – Bolehill, Sheffield

I’ve tried to pick out some better photos of the 26 I managed to squeeze out of the 24 frame roll (not bad), as many were just focusing, exposure and flash tests – which doesn’t make for particularly interesting viewing.

Christmas Delivered – Crookes

Zebra – Crookes

Big Twigs – Crookes

A Well-Focused Chair – Ink and Water, Sheffield

Another example of the focusing issue. Here, I used the midpoint to focus and assumed the rest would be in focus too. Unlike with an SLR, rangefinders can’t show you the depth of field which can really throw you off, and you have to imagine how the end image will look based only on experience. Whilst the camera can be quicker to shoot with, stopping to consider this could waste time, or even stop you from taking a photo depending on the aperture it chooses.

Jack Frost & Co. – Sheffield

This last one would be my personal favourite of the set, the colours came out really well, Harri is sharply focused, and the tonal range is nice for a cloudy day. I wish I could say that was my doing and not happenchance.

Overall, the camera definitely works so that’s a fiver well spent. But will I be using it on my holidays? Probably not. I need a bit more use before I can trust this thing.

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