Praktica Nova B. Results from Decembers Film. Fomapan Classic 100
- Kamera Ostalgie
- Jan 21
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 22
Just before Christmas Day, I went for a wander, taking with me my Praktica Nova and Praktica Nova B. The results you see here are from the Nova B, with the Nova results to follow on a separate post. The Nova B is pictured below. I have had this camera a long time and really like it a lot, though I should use it much more than I do.
I thought for this year I would change the blog format a little, doing more actual photography with old cameras rather than writing about them.
After the cross roads at Haggate I walked up Halifax Road, on the left was this lovely memorial bench in memory of a local man. It's a lovely bench with a sad story, but in a great position in the sun.
I met the lady who got this bench put in this beautiful spot in memory of her son, putting out fresh flowers on and around the bench.
Near this bench is a lovely old wrought iron gateway with a fence above it, maybe an old way in to one of the big houses on the hill? It has obviously meant something at one time, a beautiful garden perhaps? Now the wall made from the local millstone grit is subsiding a little, but still has presence. The Domiplan did not stop down quick enough here, leaving the picture slightly over exposed and the wide open image slightly soft, but still useable.
The Domiplan iris was struggling a bit, not closing quick enough, the first few shots all overexposed, lack of use and zero temperatures were not helping here! However on the next shot below we were up and running, fully operational, look at the difference here correctly exposed and nice and sharp. This is my favourite shot on the film. When I was at school my Exa with a Domiplan turned out shot after shot of similar quality images, don't believe the negative rubbish spouted on the internet, as long as it is not wide open, the Domiplan is a great lens. This shot shows that when the conditions are right and the exposure is correct this Formapan is a cracking good film.
Halifax Road drops down the hill with views over to Arncliffe Cottage and Hill End House behind the trees. The new windfarms can be seen in the far distance.
This is a lovely little row of cottages built from local stone, the numbering is number 20 and number 30, which is odd, however by the chimneys and the windows it looks to have been at least three cottages originally.
The building below looked rather interesting, with all those windows and the wide flight of steps, I wonder what it was when first built?
The cottages break, then appear again and run around the corner, the left is still Halifax Road, the right is the strangely named Sparrable Row, which should run into Banks Street, but oddly there is now a gate with private written on it. So, I turned around and headed back up Halifax Road. The December sun was very bright now, I think the Formapan is struggling to cope with the massive contrasts. But to be fair to it, so I think would any film.
Around the corner we go and head towards Hill Lane Baptists Church, regular readers of the blog will remember this Church from another post when out with an old Exa camera. The contrast is becoming a bit much now and maybe the exposure could have been a bit better, but we are dealing with a camera made over 60 years ago, so I should not complain really.
I had just taken the above picture when a lady appeared who was looking after the Church. She unlocked the Church and let me have a look around the interior of the Church, which was really interesting, it reminded me of the Methodist Chapel I used to go to when I was a Child! Even the smell was exactly the same! What a great experience.
This is the older part of the Church, the sign says it all. Maybe he is the only way?
The winter sun was very low giving this shadow that sort of made the lettering of this raised horizontal stone really stand out, like the letters were very deep and painted black, but it was just the low angle of the winter sun.
Well that was as far as I went on this little trip, what did I conclude from it ? The 100 ASA Fomapan Classic is nice, but I prefer my usual Agfa 100, though the very contrasty natural lighting may have had the same effect on the AGFA film to be fair. Camera wise, the Nova B fared well to say I have not put a film through it for three decades at least! The meter coped with the extreme lighting reasonably well, though the Domiplan lens does need a service, the Iris is not just snappy enough, getting caught wide open a few times! However that has not been used for thirty years either, so I can't complain. These Novas are really nice cameras.
What else did I learn on my day out ? The people in this area above Burnley in East Lancashire are the friendliest in the country, everyone I met on this little wander spoke, from a quick hello, to half an hour discussions on the state of the world and everything in between, I even got an invite to attend a church service, one which I might just take them up on!
And, all this from a camera built in Dresden in the G.D.R. more than sixty years ago! I would call it a result!
Hope you liked this little post, the film was developed by Hippo in Standish Street Burnley, just three miles from where the pictures were taken. Great bloke great service top quality scans, give 'em a go, they do a postal service too!
Take care,
Phil
Further reading which you may find of interest.
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