Son of a Chef

During the pandemic, I picked up the camera that was in the closet and reignited a passion that had lay dormant for a long time. We’ve done a lot of shooting since then.

For a few years, vintage lenses with digital cameras was satisfying. When I got to Korea, I knew I wanted to get some film cameras that lived here. There’s something romantic to that, in my opinion, and romance makes photos better. If you like your camera, you’ll use it more.

So I took to Seoul to find something. The camera shops in Seoul are loaded full. There’s so many SLRs and overpriced point and shoots to choose from. There’s a handful of Leicas, too.

Then, as if it was meant to be, we came across this beauty. They wanted too much for it. I told them that. They knew it but they also said I would be hard pressed to find another. They knocked 25% off the price and I walked out with it.

I’d shot 35mm plenty before but medium format was new to me. I was excited and pretty soon, I was hooked on medium format. That lust has faded, mostly because I struggle to find time to develop at home. However, I still love this camera. It’s beautiful and offers a simplicity that’s hard to beat.

Bellows cameras are underrated in a world full of SLR cameras. Not too long ago we would have turned our nose up at a fixed lens camera. Why would I want that? Well, with the right glass and camera, it turns out some magic results. It turns out having to think less does not mean thinking less, often it means focusing more on the shot.

And despite the camera being made for 120 film, it does some special things when rigged up to shoot 35mm panoramic. It’s a great piece of my arsenal. It does have a little fungus, but what folder doesn’t?

This model was released in the 1950s. It’s a Mamiya 6k with a Sekor 75mm f3.5. I won’t drown out the endless details of the technical side, that’s not my style. It’s a nice camera that takes nice photos. Sometimes it fits into my pocket. I should take it out more.