Kodak Instamatic M2 cine camera
In the late 1960s and early 1970s the Instamatic range of cameras from Kodak were very popular and were responsible for many people trying photography as a hobby and progressing onto more advanced models. As well as still cameras, Kodak also made a similar range in cine cameras, and this post takes a brief look at one of those models, the Instamatic M2 cine camera. Kodak Instamatic M2 cine camera images My Instamatic M2 Cine Camera This cine camera was […]
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Bosch EasyControl room stat and smart rad controllers
This post describes my experience of using the Bosch EasyControl smart room thermostat with smart radiator controllers. Although it will probably be of no interest to anyone who visits my site for it’s photographic content, I hope it will prove useful to people thinking about specifically purchasing the Bosch EasyControl unit or another smart room stat. Bosch EasyControl System The Bosch EasyControl system is a modern replacement for the standard central heating timer and combines the job of room thermostat […]
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Mamiya/Sekor 500 DTL 35mm camera
This is a quick pictorial review of the Mamiya/Sekor 500 DTL 35mm SLR camera which was introduced by Mamiya in the late 1960s. Mamiya/Sekor 500 DTL images My Mamiya/Sekor 500 DTL camera This camera is one of a very select few in my collection in that it was gifted to me. In fact, it was surprise gifted to me by a fellow camera collector John Bear, who also runs a vintage camera site called Camera Portraits. The story is that […]
Read moreMoving from Lightroom to ON1 Photo Raw
A couple of weeks ago I posted how I was trying out Alien Skin Software Exposure X4 as a possible replacement for Lightroom after I’d cancelled my Adobe subscription. Well, in the end I didn’t plumb for Exposure X4, but instead went for the latest release of ON 1 Photo Raw 2019 instead. As I explained in my previous post, I ended up cancelling my subscription to Lightroom quite quickly and so was left without a photo editor. Just as […]
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A quick look at Alien Skin Exposure X4
Earlier in the year I wrote a post about a software photo package called ON1 Raw because I was planning to cancel my subscription to Lightroom. Well, a couple of days ago went ahead with the cancellation, but instead of ON1 Raw I actually started trialling Alien Skin Exposure X4 as my photo editor. Although I had planned to cancel Lightroom in November, in the end I cancelled it on October 30th and in quite a hurry. I was looking […]
Read moreSite Changes coming up to simonhawketts.co.uk
I’m finding it difficult to get the time to post articles to this site at the moment because of other work and personal commitments. As well as a major landscaping project in the garden, we are having a new boiler fitted in a couple of days and then we are re-designing and refitting our 20 year old kitchen. On top of this, I’m also planning how I’m going to move my woodworking / DIY workshop from its current location in […]
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Elmo E-80 8mm silent projector
This post looks at the Elmo E-80 projector which is a standard 8 model made by Elmo, a very reputable manufacturer, in Japan in the early 1950s. Elmo E-80 Images My Elmo E-80 projector I bought this Elmo E-80 projector from eBay as an addition to my small (but worryingly growing) collection of movie projectors. It was sold as a working unit and it does power up and seems ok, but the two core mains lead supplied with it […]
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Specto 500 8mm silent projector
This post is the first in a short series which looks at the Specto 500, a standard 8 cine projector which was made in the UK in the early 1950s. This part is an introduction to the projector with some pictures. Specto 500 Images My Specto 500 Projector I bought my Specto 500 projector from eBay because I want a vintage projector to show my collection of 8mm films with. Although I have various more modern projectors, mostly Eumig machines, […]
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Eumig P8m 8mm silent projector
The Eumig company produced many high quality, reliable cine projectors but probably their most famous model was the classic P8 unit. The model featured in this article, the Eumig P8m, was an upgrade to the original unit, and was probably made in the mid to late 1950s. Eumig P8m Images My Eumig P8m 8mm Silent projector I purchased my copy of the Eumig P8m, 8mm silent projector as an impulse buy from eBay. Although I have a Chinon C-300 projector […]
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James with Freddy the Cockapoo
We recently spent a weekend at the Elvden Centreparcs and I took this picture of James holding our Cockapoo puppy Freddy in the garden of the Starbucks above the sailing lake with my mobile phone. I really like the expressions captured on their faces, although I wish had taken the photo with my XT-1 and a longer lens so I could have de-focused the background a bit. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible as at the time I took this picture all […]
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A collection of 8mm home movies
I’ve written before on this blog about collecting 8mm home movies and I’ve purchased several films over the last couple of years which I’m hoping to be able to digitise soon. Each of the films which I’ve bought has been quite interesting, but I’ve generally acquired films which were shot in the mid to late 1960s; this week however, I had quite a find when I picked up 20 8mm home movies which were shot from the early 1950s up […]
Read more8mm film quality compared to VHS-C tape.
It’s a busy time for me at the moment because I’m on holiday for a couple of weeks and instead of going away somewhere I’m doing some garden landscaping at home. However, in between bouts of digging and bricklaying, I’m also trying to take the next steps in my project to build an 8mm telecine machine. Because I haven’t made much progress on that project, a couple of weeks ago I purchased a few old VHS-C camcorder tapes because they […]
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Canon PowerShot A40 digital camera
The subject of this short article is one of Canon’s early ventures into digital photography, the PowerShot A40 compact camera. This 2Mp, compact, zoom camera was made in about 2002 and offered a range of features for both the holiday snapshot photographer and the more advanced user. Canon PowerShot A40 Images My Canon PowerShot A40 I’ve had my copy of the PowerShot A40 for a number of months now having bought it when I became interested in vintage digital cameras […]
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Hitachi VM-C30E VHS-C Camcorder
This is a look at the Hitachi VM-C30E, an early VHS-C camcorder, which was made by Hitachi in Japan sometime in the early 1990s. Hitachi VM-C30E pictures My Hitachi VM-C30E camcorder This unit was an eBay purchase for a little over £10 which I bought simply as a nostalgic purchase. Being interested in the history of home photography, and with an eye to adding home movies to the Found-Film site, I’ve bought several 8mm cine films over the course of […]
Read moreMemories of Marconi Instruments
This is an introductory post to some reminiscences of my time at Marconi Instruments in St Albans, Stevenage and Luton. I will probably follow up with other posts as I recall incidents over the total of 24 years I worked for Marconi Instruments, from October 1978 to April 2002. Although this won’t be interesting to a large number of people, I want to document what I can still remember before I inevitable forget it and also the act of writing […]
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