The drive down was long but enjoyable one. The weather continued to improve and made the drive through little English roads just that more navigable. On occasions, a view presented itself which merited a quick stop, review and then continuing on the winding journey to the coast.
I was a little hesitant at first to dive into the world of 6x9 film cameras due to the over inflated pricing of the cameras! The Zeiss Ikon Nettar 6x9 camera which is little heard of but is a bargain film camera for the size of the negative it produces. The final versions of these cameras came out in the early 1950s so it is a testament to the quality and simplicity of the build of the camera which has seen them survive so long.
The light kept piercing through the clouds occasionally as the fresh sea breeze drifted through the car window. I was beginning to wonder if it would be easy to find a parking spot close enough to the beach. Driving along the coast eventually brought some luck, followed by the slightest of scrambles up the shingle ridge and I was ready to snap away!
One of the main reasons to shoot on this format is because it gives the same aspect ratio as a 35mm so it’s natural to step up to this medium format for the significantly larger negative it offers. For those looking for more detail on the image, this would be a worthy step up. I suspect that professional photographers probably did use this for their higher clientele work and went through many, many rolls. I’m not sure if that would be practical in today’s world!
I placed my camera bag down on the shingle beach and took a look around. Lucas had already skittled off on an adventure looking for the right angle and shot. I sat for a bit just observing the waves coming and washing ashore, it was just nice to soak in the crisp fresh air.
Rustling through my bag looking for the films which I had brought along, I pulled out a few rolls of 120 film. Always tricky making a decision, sometimes having less is more. I realised at some point I would have to try out the Zeiss Ikon Nettar and now was as good a time as ever. Black and White film can be more forgiving so I loaded up a roll of Kodak TMax 400 in the bitterly cold wind. With one foot on the film wrapper, I closed the back of the case and scrolled the film through. I looked up and then went for a walk.
