Roger Hicks
Veteran
All right, it's not a rangefinder and it's terminally weird: a 35mm TLR giving laterally reversed 14x21mm frames and using a non-standard cassette. Over 40 years ago I had one, but I sold it. Then a friend lent me another. If I hadn't already owned one, I'd probably buy it. Who else has had one or wondered about one? And if you've got one, here's the instruction book -- which took me quite a long time to scan and format.
Cheers,
R.
Cheers,
R.
p.giannakis
Pan Giannakis
The guy on the left been shredded by a Lazer beam is ultimately cool !
I remember reading about them some years ago on practical photography, these cameras were nice as curiosities but never practical. Surprised to see the wrist watch belt.
I remember reading about them some years ago on practical photography, these cameras were nice as curiosities but never practical. Surprised to see the wrist watch belt.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Dear Pan,The guy on the left been shredded by a Lazer beam is ultimately cool !
I remember reading about them some years ago on practical photography, these cameras were nice as curiosities but never practical. Surprised to see the wrist watch belt.
This is the ONLY time I've ever seen static in my own photography -- and what a wonderful piece of luck that it panned out as it did. The other end of the bolt is really boring. Shame it's such a bloody awful photograph in every other way. My only defence is that I took it over 40 years ago.
Cheers,
R.
p.giannakis
Pan Giannakis
How easy was it to source film for these cameras back then?
presspass
filmshooter
The Tesssina is one of those cameras I have always thought I should have but for some reason rational thought intervened each time. I hope I can continue to resist, as I already have too many cameras I don't shoot regularly.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
As far as I know, it was normal to roll your own, as it shows in the instruction book.
Cheers,
R.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Hold on to that rational thought! As I say in the piece, they're fun, but hardly practical. As far as I recall, I paid £40 for mine in the 70s as a bachelor in my 20s with quite a good income. Paying £500+ now for another one looks pretty silly. Even if you wanted to take up plumbing....
Cheers,
R.
James Evidon
Established
TESSINA:
It uses standard 35mm film. There is a loader that accepts the standard cassette and rolls the film onto the Tessina cassette. It is foolproof since I did it on the first attempt.
The image is approximately 1/2 frame 35mm and they accomplish that with a very clever folded optics design. The downside: you should have tiny fingers, but with my large hands I manage.
It uses standard 35mm film. There is a loader that accepts the standard cassette and rolls the film onto the Tessina cassette. It is foolproof since I did it on the first attempt.
The image is approximately 1/2 frame 35mm and they accomplish that with a very clever folded optics design. The downside: you should have tiny fingers, but with my large hands I manage.
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
The links don't seem to be working. I tried Safari and Chrome--no luck with either.
jankap
Established
I have one. The loader works fine. But I have to develop the film by myself. So long te camera is not used since several years. I have cassettes left, if somebody needs one?
James Evidon
Established
North Coast Film Processing will develop Tessina film from a Tessina Cassette and will return the cassette if you remind them. Don't lose them. They are precious and scarce.
jbrubaker
Established
I've owned a couple of Tessinas and found them to be very fiddly and unfriendly to use. On one of them, the spring wound film advance was not strong enough to advance the film properly. I eventually gave up and concentrated on the my Minox cameras which are much friendlier and can make some amazing images if a fine grained film is used. ---jb.