Keeping Film Alive using the Voigtlander Brilliant, a 90 Year Old Camera from 1932!

[@TXGRunner]

I have several folder cameras from the 1930's, and while I prefer a visual focusing system, if the lenses are in good shape, the images are excellent. I am amazed at the quality and capabilities of some mid-1930's or late 1930's cameras. The best picture I ever took was with a Zeiss-Ikon Contax II from ~1936 just using sunny 16. My Rolleiflex Automat (1939) has a very fast f/2.8 lens, as does my Rolleiflex Sport 4x4 which is faster and lighter than the popular "Baby" TLRs produced 20 years later. Most of my pre-war cameras have core capabilities not available again until more than 10 years after the war and then were (and still are) very expensive.

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

Very nice images. Surprisingly good for a relatively simple vintage camera.

[@LightsOnMultiMediaMindArts]

When I started watching your channel I only shot digital. But I was curious. I watched you capture gorgeous images that I could never touch with my digital. I tried pinhole film photography with a Zero Image camera. Fell in love with it and have since added a number of vintage cameras including a Flexaret 5a and a Yashica A. I much prefer 120 over 35mm, but that's another matter. Anyway, I want to thank you for opening my eyes to the "old world of photography."

[@martinhensonphotography]

Glad your buying film, thanks

[@grahvis]

I remember my mother using a Brilliant back in the late 40s - early 50s.

[@CobinRain]

“I hope I’m not boring you.....”. Good God man...far from it! What a great video, what a lot of new insights for me on ways to use my small collection of all manual, mechanical cameras. So thank you . And subscribed. Oh by the way I thought the portraits of the man at the chippie were brilliant..both of them. And then I thought: this is what that lens was born for....portraits...Wonderful look to those two. Also it may be that using such an old camera is a bit of an ice breaker in establishing a little friendly connection with people you might want to photograph...

[@martinhensonphotography]

Thank you

[@klausphotobaer5754]

Some really great shots with this nice little camera ( of which I own a few ). It , again , proves the saying that it’s the photographer who makes the image, not the camera. In my opinion, when you feel attached to whatever camera you’re holding, it will show up in the picture. Sort of man-machine connection in a positive way. Thank You for sharing !

[@martinhensonphotography]

Thanks

[@vvmmm1]

I am very glad to find your amazing video. You are a great photographer!

[@kalaharistuart]

Great photographs and the fish n chip making me homesick well done and yes, keep film alive

[@1973sonvis]

Fab pics! I bought the same camera a few years ago, but was not lucky with the test roll. But now I’m inspired to try once again. So many thanks! 👍🏻

[@martinhensonphotography]

Your welcome, thank you

[@rickylee1894]

Very sharp pictures from such an old camera. I used some cleaning liquid to clean the film counter and it helped.

[@martinhensonphotography]

Thanks, I will try that

[@harryoneill75]

Absolutely fantastic! They have such a nice feel to them like they have a historical element even though they have been shot in 2021.

[@martinhensonphotography]

Thank you

[@mariofazioli7534]

Hi Martin, I just enjoy your wonderful down to earth , simplicity, and knowledge of very interesting film photography. I just viewed the TLR VOIGTLANDER BRILLIANT, just SUPERB enthusiasm, and presentation, THANK YOU.

[@misteragb7558]

With 6x6 medium format the blur you get at f11 is comparable to what you get at f6.05 (f5.6) on a 35mm camera because of the x0.55 crop factor

[@Klpinfl]

Another wonderful video Martin. I just acquired this same camera in excellent condition and will take your advice and change the light seals before I take it out. And I agree with your sentiment…the process is more enjoyable than the technology.

[@mondoprime]

Beautiful photos. Terrific stuff!

[@mudgie069]

Wonderful photos, really enjoyed your video.

[@andrewsherratt9041]

Great Photos Martin ! Whitby is one of my favourite places to visit . Love using older film cameras .

[@martinhensonphotography]

My fav place to visit, not on a weekend though , thanks

[@visualismeditate]

I am really impressed with this caera

[@michaelsimonds2632]

Thank you, sir! You have given true wisdom in this video. I acquired a Brilliant months ago (unfortunately not as well-aged as yours) but have not yet put film through it. You have inspired me to test it out right away. I especially value your comments on the advantages of simplicity vs the hoards of options on modern cameras! Looking forward to your next video.

[@Leicashootr]

I really love the photograph’s you’ve been taking 👍🏻‼️

[@martinhensonphotography]

Thank you

[@fbraakman]

Great video, Martin. These old lenses are really special. I'd love for you to do a video on older large format lenses that have a similar look.

[@comfortablyblind6853]

I just love shooting film! Love all my Canon "A" cameras as well as my Vigilant and my Argoflex. I have taken some really gorgeous and sharp photos with me Lubitel 2 and the Argoflex. In short, I'm doing my part in keeping film alive. And my love would be cut short, if film were to die. Long live film. Now, if we could just get Kodak to sell 620 again. It is their format for ffs!

[@lensman5762]

Lovely photographs. Simple, effective and very pleasing compositions, no doubt aided by the uncoated and under corrected lens. These old lenses create a very unique ' luminous ' atmosphere. I am sure that everyone has heard of the Russian TLR called Lubitel. Lubitel was originally a copy of the Voigtlander Brilliant.

[@martinhensonphotography]

You learn summat every day, thank you

[@lensman5762]

@@martinhensonphotography Don't mention it. The Soviets, dismantled the optical factories of the then ' East Germany ' and shipped them to Russia, like they did with the German rocket factories and designs. The factory that ended up with the designs of the Brilliant was called GOMZ, "Gosularstvennyi Optiko-Mekhanicheskii Zavod" (State Optical-Mechanical Factory) in St Peresburg, today's Leningrad. All I say is, thank god I chose to learn English and not Russian.

[@giblyn11]

Another lovely video, thank you Martin!

[@martinhensonphotography]

Your welcome

[@tommorgan3125]

What great images from the old Brilliant, Martin.

[@martinhensonphotography]

Than you Tommy

[@theoldfilmbloke]

I was given a 'Brilliant' years ago -- found in a loft -- filthy ! I cleaned it up well and even took off the rear lens element so I could get inside and clean the 'Haze' - I took some tests -- yes, sharp lens -- must use it again now that the 'light' is getting better and use up some more of my stash of outdated 120 fillum !

[@jaroslawstepien6411]

Thanks Martin .I just bought it a few minutes ago!

[@martinhensonphotography]

Do check the light seals before you put film in , hope you enjoy the old camera

[@neilfoddering921]

Well, this has been a real eye-opener for me! Up to now, I’ve dismissed the more humble cameras like this Brilliant, assuming that they wouldn’t be capable of taking decent quality photos, but you’ve proved me wrong. Your skill and experience as a photographer are self-evident in the photos you took, but it’s also clear that the camera and lens contributed in terms of image quality. I have a 1933 Voigtländer catalogue and a 1934 price list, and the F:7.7 Brilliant is the cheapest camera in the catalogue at £2 5shillings. Even the Jubilar folder with F/9 Voigtar was £3. The Brilliant was evidently a popular camera, for by 1938 (price list bearing the stamp of A. R. Baines, James Street, Harrogate), this model was available with F7.7, F/6.3, F/4.5 and F/3.5 Voigtars and F/4.5 Skopar. I find it interesting that the Brilliant with the F/3.5 Voigtar and Compur Rapid shutter cost £8 2s 6d, whereas with the same shutter and F/4.5 Skopar, it was priced at £7 12s 6d. Thank you again Martin for your beautifully-produced, entertaining and inspirational videos.

[@martinhensonphotography]

Still expensive in that era

[@neilfoddering921]

@@martinhensonphotography Yes, an agricultural labourer’s weekly wage in 1934 was £1 10s 8d, which rather puts it in perspective. The most expensive camera in the 1934 price list was the Stereflectoscope 6x13cm at £52. The Bergheil 6.5x9cm camera with 4.5 Heliar is listed at £16 18s 9d, still a significant outlay.

[@paulcrutchley4348]

Hi Martin, loved your video and your photos. Just bought one of these cameras off Ebay, can't wait to use it after seeing yours in action. I have also just signed up for the Black & White Photography Forum.

[@martinhensonphotography]

They are fun to use once you get the hang of scale focus, thanks for joining the forum, I have approved your application and you can now browse, post , ask questions, it’s a great learning area

[@paulcrutchley4348]

@@martinhensonphotography Thank you and thank you for approving my application.

[@bunathan2485]

i just bought one, i hope it works. Edit: I love the photographs you've taken.

[@mueslimuncher1950]

Lovely stuff. Even if you missed 2 frames, you got 10 out of 10! You reaffirm my belief that it's not the camera that takes the picture. 😁

[@martinhensonphotography]

Thank you

[@norfener]

The funny thing is that I used to play with cameras like that we got from our Wolf Cub jumble sales in the early 1960's!

[@jdebultra]

Really nice imagery. Thank you for the wonderful explanation.

[@martinhensonphotography]

Your welcome

[@hamish5214]

Very good photographs from a camera that is more than 90 years old... Stunning really if you look at the sharpness you was able to achieve. Quite on par with other more professional TLR cameras. Good job!

[@martinhensonphotography]

Yes i was surprised at the quality

[@M1ZXZ]

Wonderful shots Martin. I love photo’s that have a soft creamy look and I’me wondering what I initially thought was a specific film type along with a chemical process to achieve this look could possibly be more to do with how uncoated lens render the image depending on available light. I’ve much to learn on analogue photography and I thank you for being a very good tutor.

[@ДмитрийПопов-я1ч]

Мартін, дякую за цікавий огляд! І дуже гарні знімки )) Сподіваюсь у мене через кілька днів з'явиться така камера )

[@sergiolenzi6909]

Martin also I love this camera we ave 3 one best to lastone , una magia germanica

[@user-is4jf8yr4z]

The story at 17:01 and the picture is really lovely. Thanks for sharing.

[@martinhensonphotography]

Thanks

[@fenna_pel]

another consideration regarding the frame numbering ... Ilford has backingpaper with the framenumbers in thin grey on a white surface. A film like fomapan or shanghai has better contrast in the frame numbering on the backing paper: thick black on white or bright white on deep black respectively (edited a few times to fix spelling errors .. one day i may even learn to spell ;) )

[@russellspeight5175]

Ilfords frame numbers are nearly impossible to read in the red window. A red led torch helps a lot especially in daylight.

[@norfener]

Glad I'm not the only one to have lost photos that way. Why can't they print the numbers on the backing paper clearer?

[@kdj.imagery4317]

I wonder if the Heliar lens would be interchangeable with this camera?

[@ledlamps1260]

amazing

[@martinhensonphotography]

Thanks

[@mrstandfast2212]

What an excellent little taster video that was. I'm looking forward to the full review. Superb images from the Voigtlander, no wonder you fell in love with it. The picture of your friend on the wooden pier is absolutely superb. Composition, rendering etc, worthy of a large print and then framing, it really is that good. May I ask at what resolution your negatives are scanned?

[@martinhensonphotography]

4000dpi optical resolution, Nikon 9000d scanner

[@spuggym8986]

Hi Martin, I've recently got a hold of a ricohmatic 225 from a family member, it seems in brilliant condition bar the fact that I can't get the shutter to fire, would you have any idea what I might be able to do about this or where I could send it off for help? Cheers

[@martinhensonphotography]

Not sure, the guy I used for years has retired and he recommends these 1staidrepairs.co.uk/ or www.thecameracentre.com/

[@davidspraggs9559]

Evening Martin. Loved your enthusiasm for this old little camera & the images it produced, so much so I took a gamble & bought one off ebay. It all appears to work but unsure how accurate the settings are, & there is a bit of dust & grim in the viewfinder & lens so think it will need a professional check over & clean. I am certainly looking forward to the review vlog & many others you will have with the grand old girl. As an unexpected bonus my Brilliant purchase even came with a roll of film ( I assume used) in the camera... i can't imagine how old this film might be or what pictures, if any does it contain!! Anyways I was wondering firstly, what thickness of light seal foam you used to light proof your Brilliant & what you asked your camera repair person to do on yours to get her in working order. Many Thanks And Kerp Up The Great Vlogs... Thanks for sharing. David

[@martinhensonphotography]

The foam I used was 1.5 mm, its all I had but it has worked fine, I didn't have the camera serviced, the lens was clean apart from odd specks of dust, the apertures which are just round discs were good and change perfectly, the shutter speeds seemed ok after using it, but I am sure they will be out after all these years, but hopefully within respectable limits and the negative films latitude will not give bad exposures

[@davidspraggs9559]

@@martinhensonphotography Martin thanks for the speedy response & info. Hoping to put a bw film through it in a few weeks to see how she performs, after I have sorted out the light seals👍🏻

[@misteragb7558]

Beautiful pictures! I'm curious what film you used, I love the tones

[@martinhensonphotography]

It was Ilford FP4

[@paulcrutchley4348]

Hi Martin, would you happen to know please what kind of adapter I would need to fit the Brilliant same model as in the video to a tripod. Only the thread to me appears bigger than my normal tripod thread. Thank you.

[@martinhensonphotography]

I think you will need a 3/8 to 1/4 tripod screw adapter

[@pacphotography3780]

@@martinhensonphotography Thank you, appreciated.

[@paulcrutchley4348]

@@martinhensonphotography Thank you, Martin I purchased one off eBay, fits perfectly, appreciate your help.

[@entropybasilisk]

Have you tried loading color film into it? I'll test it with regular film and if it works, I'll try it with color film.

[@martinhensonphotography]

You know I have not shot colour film for years now, one day maybe , thanks Ian

[@jeffreypetchharrison4363]

just got one one ebay will make a good one out of 2 ,, jeff,, there was some rust in other one..

[@martinhensonphotography]

Hope you can get it working ok, thanks

[@ЛПХСибарит]

Lubitel 166 !

[@jeffreypetchharrison4363]

thats odd i have one of these in bits i must find all the bits and get it going jeff

[@diegestive4167]

I’ve just dug out my old grandads … not seen it for years . Can you still get film for it? .

[@martinhensonphotography]

Yes you can, its 120 roll film

[@diegestive4167]

If you don’t mind me asking where could I get it from and would I need a dark room to develop it … I’m no photographer but would be nice to see if I could use it again . My grandad came back from the war with it.. thanks for the reply Martin .

[@martinhensonphotography]

@@diegestive4167 you can get it from most camera shops, eBay shops etc it’s a very popular film

[@diegestive4167]

@@martinhensonphotography I’ve just watched your other video on how to use it. Great advice , thanks.

[@wayofthewheel3543]

📷👍

[@newavethewlis2399]

How much dose it cost for a photo from u.?

[@MrMedir]

I have the same

[@jeffreypetchharrison4363]

i have the russian copy of this one its called the komsomoletes .. jeff..

[@TristanColgate]

I just learned (thanks to kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmfCk5KAn7ita6s), that the Voigtlander Brilliant was the first camera that Gordon Parks bought, and learned photography on!

[@markusklein6309]

Brilliant, Martin! One silly question from my side: how do you keep track of all the exposure values of your pictures? I have noticed this in all of your videos. Do you write them down somewhere after taking the picture?

[@martinhensonphotography]

This was easy, only two settings, in other there either recorded or memorized , thank you

[@spartus]

no such thing as an old film camera.. just put film and get some fun out of it...

[@martinhensonphotography]

There is if it’s as old as this one 😉, know what you saying though , thanks