The Canon Demi EE17 - A 1960s Half-Frame Masterpiece (Sample Photos)
The Canon Demi EE17 - A Half-Frame Camera Masterpiece from the 1960s. Sample photos as well.
I heard about half-frame cameras a while back. But, when the Pentax 17 recently dropped (hooray for new film cameras!) I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the photos and how much resolution they had.
Saving money on film is obviously one of the benefits of half-frame, but the more I shot the Canon Demi EE17 — and saw the results — the more I realized the benefits go far beyond being frugal.
Why the Canon Dem EE17?
The Canon Demi EE17 35mm Half Frame Camera from the 1960s
Of the half-frame cameras that came before the Pentax 17, the Olympus Pen line of 35mm film cameras typically leads the charts. Afterall, Olympus popularized the format in a stylish and compact manner. Canon, Yashica, and a few others soon jumped on the popularity of half-frame, each with their own unique take on camera operation, style, and ideal focal lengths. The Pentax 17, from what I’ve heard, is a great camera. But, I love the old school film cameras with a story to tell.
While the Olympus Pens tick a lot of the boxes for me, I found that many of the Canon Demi’s out there were in better condition and use a CdS (Cadmium Sulfide) light meter. The CdS is key since it relies on batteries where as the Selenium meters react to light are fairly unreliable given their age.
The Canon Demi’s were also renown for their solid feel.
That, and the standard advance lever vs thumbwheel, sold me on the Canon.
Quick Details for the Canon Demi EE17
The Lens - 30mm f/1.7 (About 45mm equivalent on a full frame 35mm camera)
The Features - Shutter-priority auto exposure, manual exposure control, zone focusing, and a CdS light meter
Shutter Speeds - 1/8 to 1/500
ISO Settings - Dial on the bottom of the camera - ISO 400 Max
Number of Shots - 72! Glorious!
How Half-Frame Makes You a Better Photographer
Most people will purchase a half-frame camera for the savings on film. And, while it is technically true, each shot costs 1/2 of a full frame, you may not actually save money overall.
Let me explain.
72 Shots is Freeing (not free)
Film photographers who come from a digital background will often talk about how shooting film causes them to slow down, and be intentional with each shot. We’re more involved in the process and therefore feel more satisfaction in both the process and the result.
So, if you’ve been shooting 36 frames on the regular, having a 72 shot counter feels liberating. Personally, I still felt the sense of a boundary — film isn’t unlimited photos like digital. But, I found myself experimenting more. Taking the shots that I may have passed over on a standard camera. The result was more surprises for me when the film was developed. It’s common for film shooters to forget the shots they took, and when we finally get our film developed it’s like Christmas. But with half-frame it’s even better. 144 photos, most of which I had forgotten about, in just 2 rolls of film.
It’s amazing.
All of that experimenting really allows your personal tyle to bloom.
Shooting Vertical Makes You See the World Differently
I should have noted this at the outset, but due to the natural of half-frame, the shots are vertical by default, not horizontal. Surprisingly, so is much of the world we live in, or rather, the subjects that catch our eye.
When I first started framing up scenes with the Canon Demi EE17, it just felt easy. Suddenly, I was looking at the world in a different way. When a new photographer first gets the bug, they start framing up everything. “That bush would make a cool photo”, “That lamp looks great”, “Wow, that gum on the sidewalk is really interesting” and so on it goes. Eventually, like reading, we do it rather unaware, dismissing scenes that our eyes have witnessed 1,000 times.
Then comes vertical.
New boundaries for framing a photo become a default. The brain does a double take and new life is breathed into an old art.
Challenges with the Canon Demi EE17
This is going to be a pretty short section as my experience with the Demi EE17 has been very positive. I purchased my camera from Japan and it’s about as mint as they come.
Zone Focusing
This isn’t an issue with the camera, but with the photographer. For those not familiar, on the Canon Demi EE17, zone focusing uses three ranges—close (about 2.6–3 feet), portrait (3–10 feet), and landscape (10 feet to infinity). Small icons in the viewfinder indicate the focusing zone and the typical feet or meters marking on the lens gives an exact focus distance.
The only time I really had issues was with close up focusing with a lower f stop. This is pretty common. I have a Nikonos V which has a type of zone focusing as well. Shots at f/8+ that are 10+ ft away are easy. It’s the closer ones that are the challenge.
Once again, this is the old school feature of classic film cameras that still cause you to slow down before taking the shot. You’re involved and you learn from your mistakes.
Film Loading
I’ve found the Canon Demi EE17 to be harder to load than I would have expected from a camera as advanced as it is for its day.
This is probably another user error, but I typically end up advancing the film a few extra times before closing the back just to make sure it’s really taken up. Not a big deal and I bet it will be worked out over time with use.
Metering is Slightly Off
Although the CdS meter still works, and I have a Wein cell battery loaded (the best approximation to the original battery size and voltage) the meter seems to underexpose about 1 stop. It mostly shows up in lower light settings, but I just rate the film an ISO lower than it actually is to account for it. So, if I’m shooting Kodak Gold 200, I set the Demi ISO to 100 so it will think I am using a slower film.
This is only an issue when using the Auto Mode - this mode will automatically select the aperture given the set shutter speed and ISO.
Final Thoughts
If you’re on the fence about half-frame, you should get a Canon Demi EE17. It’s portable, image quality is great, and it’s sure to get a lot of compliments (mine does).
It’s a true gem of a camera and I honestly believe it will accelerate your skill as a photographer.
7 Reasons AI will Never Kill Film Photography
AI image generation is becoming more realistic every few months. Soon it will be nearly impossible to tell an AI generated image from a real photograph. But AI will never kill film photography. In fact, it will only make it better.
I was purchasing a record at an antique store the other day (Don Ho’ Hawaii Songs) when an older man said to me, “I remember when CD’s came out. We all thought the records were dead. You couldn’t give them away back then.”
Film photographers experienced the same thing in the early 2000s when digital cameras were on the rise. Free, nearly limitless photos compared to the cost of film. That’s a hard one to beat.
With AI image generation becoming more realistic at such an incredible pace, it will be nearly impossible to tell an AI generated image from a real photograph. But AI will never kill film photography. In fact, it will only make it better.
Here are 7 reasons why I believe film photography will stand the test of time and why AI will only make it better.
1. Film photography is more about the photographer’s experience than the final image
I can already hear people saying, “Hang on a second!” Of course film photographers care about the photo, but ask any film photographer why they shoot film and you’ll never hear them say: “When I absolutely must nail the shot, I shoot film.”
The reason we shoot film is for the experience, and in many cases, the more analog the better.
Film slows us down, makes shots intentional, and involves us more in the process. It’s actually quite inefficient (not to mention expensive) and yet it still persists even in this digital age.
2. AI generates images. Humans take photos.
There may come a time in the future, when, like the image for this article suggests, robots also take photos on film. But for the time being, AI will generate images from its vast stores of information, never leaving the confines of its digital habitat. Humans, on the other hand, will walk to places, see sights, take in the feeling of a foggy morning, and capture those memories in a photograph.
There is something which goes beyond an image, however realistic it may be, that we long to connect to. It’s the experience of capturing, of being there, and of putting other aspects of life on hold to make that moment a reality.
3. Every film photo is unique and humans love unique.
Like a fingerprint, a film photo is unique in its own way. Two photographers standing next to one another can take the same shot on the same film and equipment and the photos will each be unique.
The light-sensitive crystals in the film will react differently and while they may capture the same scene, they will each have their own fingerprint. But beyond the technical differences in each photo, each photo is unique because the entire experience is unique. You were there at that moment, capturing that shot.
How many of us have seen a photo that another photographer captured and thought to ourselves, “Man, I wish I had been there to see that!” We know that it is one of a kind and this adds to the excitement we feel for the photos we share and see.
4. AI will make film better (eventually)
The AI we have access to today is very collaborative. If you know a bit about the subject you’re working on, it’s extremely helpful. But, you can’t simply tell it to solve some problem and come back a week later with a solution.
At least, not yet.
But this is the promise of the AI of the future.
“AI, find a cure for this cancer.”
“AI, design a new type of muffler for my old van.”
“AI, bring back Kodachrome.”
You get the idea. At some point AI will make different types of film for us to use. Can you imagine a Polaroid with the clarity of a medium format film?
5. Humans need analog
Seriously. We don’t just like analog as some kind of kitschy throwback that will eventually fade away as most fads do. We need it. We are realizing this more and more. The more we automate and make easy, the more depression and anxiety we have in our society.
We need to be tactile. We need to load the film, experience the shutter click, and decide what that last frame will be on our roll of 36.
6. Film photography creates community
An interest in photography in general creates a community, sure, but film photographers are a rarer breed and we recognize that in each other.
I’ve experienced first hand the difference between meeting someone who only shoots digital vs someone who shoots film.
There are a few things all photographers have in common:
We are always thinking about a different camera to buy
We have a list of places we want to travel to photograph
But there is a spark that I’ve noticed in film photographers that seems to be missing from our digital brethren. It’s a kind of childish delight. There’s no pretention with it and plenty of optimism, curiosity, and enthusiasm for one another.
7. Film challenges us to be better photographers
Film cameras, especially the earlier, manual models, put the control back into the hands of the photographer. Missed focus? That’s on us. Underexposed? That’s us again.
There’s nothing like getting a roll of film developed a few weeks after shooting and realizing you totally missed the shot you most wanted to get right.
As we get better with film photography, we take more pride in our capabilities to be there and get the shot. We also take more pride in the final photos because we know the skill that went into it.
Final Thoughts
Currently, AI is very collaborative and rather than taking jobs it is actually making us more productive. I have no doubt that AI will be used heavily in the media industry but it will never replace the very human experience of capturing our memories onto film.
Analog is the revolution we need and AI will only make us realize that more than ever.
(Accidentally) Discovering Your Photography Style
Every photographer wants to have a unique style of composition and editing that is unmistakably “theirs”. But is this still possible with so many photos being created and so much talent on display?
Every photographer wants to have a unique style of composition and editing that is unmistakably “theirs”. In some ways, this should be easier today than ever before. We have more tools for editing, more cameras for getting the shot, and even the ability to travel and get those epic pics that photographers only dreamed of a few decades ago. But there is also more competition than ever. Nearly everyone has the ability to take photos, and modern apps make it easier than ever to take a novice’s pic and make it look pretty good.
On top of this, we’re inundated with photos of all kinds. We rarely take the time to study the greats — even though we should — and so our biggest influences become the trendy photos pushed by social media, instead of the ones that really move us.
With all of these headwinds fighting against us, how can we discover our own unique style?
Well, for me, it happened somewhat accidentally.
Let’s Start from the Beginning
I’m something of a new photographer. While I’ve been shooting since 2016, there are a lot of photogs out there that have been going for several decades. I share this bit of insight to let you know that while I feel happy with the style I’ve discovered, it may change as time goes on.
My photography journey started in earnest in 2016. I bought a Canon T5i and began taking product photos for our, then start-up, Rustic & Main. I didn’t know what I was doing, but the camera took the best photos I had ever taken. It was probably a year later that I discovered this thing called Adobe Lightroom as well as Peter McKinnon and his YouTube editing arsenal. I was hooked! Finally, my pictures started to have some life to them.
But it would be several more years until I found “my” style.
A First of the Roll Accident
A #FirstOfTheRoll at Yellowstone Lake, October 2023
For those not familiar with film photography, there is something many of film photogs appreciate — the first frame on a roll of film They don’t always turn out great, which is part of the fun. Often, we’re just trying to advance the roll to the true first frame. But sometimes you end up with a cool half-exposed image like the one above.
The image you see above of Yellowstone Lake is unedited. The colors are a result of underexposure for the shot, plus some overexposure of light (that’s the white side) when the film was loaded.
The result just happened to be this blue-green, uber-vintage vibe that stopped me in my tracks.
I had well over 200 shots on film from a trip out West that I was editing and, to be honest, I wasn’t crazy about them. The composition was good, but something was missing. I just couldn’t feel the shots the way I wanted to. The way this accidental shot made me feel.
Feeling First. Color Second.
One of the issues I had early on as a photographer was trying to find one style to fit all of my photos. Or better yet, one preset that I could use for everything. But alas, different scenes demanded different editing to “feel” right.
The same thing happened when I came across this accidental film frame. For this scene, I loved the green & blue cast that this shot had, but rather than focusing on the color, what I really loved was the feeling associated with it.
I got this feeling of nostalgia and a dream of a distant land. It’s the same way I feel when I see a true vintage photo and think, “Man, it would have been awesome to be there and see that first hand.”
How My Editing Process Changed
The next frame on that roll was properly exposed, but I edited the colors to match the accidental shot above. Here are how my edits turned out.
While I still like to have similar color themes for a scene, I am much less concerned about how much they match and more about how each individual shot impacts me.
I found that I really like color, more than I wanted to admit in the past (I don’t know why), but I like very vintage and natural tones.
Here is an example of how other shots from the trip turned out.
Different, yet Similar.
To me, this is what makes a “style”. The photographer can snap scenes from different locations with different subjects, and yet still have a style that is uniquely theirs
There is a similarity to their photos that we may not be able to put our finger on, but their name is the first one that comes to mind.
The Kodachrome Influence
One of the biggest influences of my style is Kodak Kodachrome, particularly the shots from around 1940 (see below). Color film was finally becoming a common reality and Kodachrome gave the world these wonderfully bold colors. Remember, in the 1950s and 1960s TV and movies where proudly announcing themselves as “Now in Color” or “Filmed in Technicolor”. So, in the 1940s photographs with color was a big deal and the images were often staged to showcase the colors that would fill the frame.
It’s really this particular era of Kodachrome that has the biggest influence on me. Actually, I like quite a number of things from the 1940s including the clothing, history, and many of the values of the era.
While I can’t exactly replicate Kodachrome, nor would I want to, there is a feeling I am after that I get from images like these shown below.
Final Thoughts
When trying to find a particular style of photography that you can call your own, look for the feeling you’re after rather than the colors themselves. Find inspiration in everything, not just photography, and see how you can incorporate that into your photos.
Lastly, don’t overlook happy accidents. When I first saw the shot of Yellowstone Lake at the beginning of this article, I was upset that I hadn’t captured the full photo (not realizing that I had on the next frame). But, I kept coming back to it and thinking, “How can I do this on purpose?” Now, that accident is my go-to when I need inspiration for editing photos in the future.
The 80+ Year Old Argus A3 + Photos
Can the 80+ year old Argus A3 camera still take photos? And why haven’t we heard more about this beautiful camera?
Whether you’re a photographer or not, there is a certain draw to the cameras of old. Perhaps it’s our intuitive appreciation of the craftsmanship of these seemingly timeless devices, or maybe it’s that our forbearers actually understood style in a way that is lost on current generations.
When I set eyes on this Argus A3 in an Atlanta antique store, it was the first time I had seen one and those familiar feelings of nostalgia and admiration came over me. Plus, it was only $45, so regardless of whether or not it worked, it was definitely coming home with me.
A Bit of History on the Argus A3
The Argus A3 was produced in Ann Arbor, Michigan from 1940-1942. That’s right, it’s a USA made camera! The “C” line of Argus cameras would go on to be used in WWII, while the A3 would have a relatively short life span as a consumer camera. It was designed to be easy to use — which says a lot about the technical capabilities of your average consumer photographer back in the day.
However, as rangefinders came on the scene and camera technology rapidly improved, the A3 quickly became irrelevant.
Where Are the Vintage Photos of the Argus A3?
Unlike the Argus C3, also known as “The Brick”, which was used heavily in WWII and therefore we have a number of historic pictures taken with it, vintage photos taken with the Argus A3 are hard to find. You can see some modern pictures from Lomography here, which are cool but not quite the same as photos from the era of the camera itself.
The photos are likely out there, sitting in a shoebox waiting to be scanned for the internet to enjoy. But as of now, there is a severe lack of photos taken with this camera…which made me all the more eager to see what it could do.
Minor Repairs
There were actually 2 of these cameras in the antique store. This was the best looking one so it’s the one I purchased. The second one had a bit of a rattle to it, which I now know is the take-up spool. Since my camera was missing the take-up spool I had to purchased another Argus A3 from eBay. That actually worked out for the best. The eBay camera was in bad shape, but I was able to practice taking it apart and cleaning the lens without fear of hurting my A3.
Along with the take-up spoon, the lens definitely needed a deep cleaning. This camera is actually quite serviceable. The front lens unscrews and can be cleaned inside and out.
The exposure calculator dial on the back was stuck. Nothing a bit of WD-40 couldn’t fix.
With the camera in good shape, it was time to take some photos.
The only problem was…I didn’t know how.
Thankfully, there are at least 2 videos on YouTube with an overview of the camera functions. Here is one of them.
Selecting the Right Film
When the Argus A3 came out, film speeds were much lower than they are now. ISO 10-25 (called ASA back then) where pretty common. ISO 50 would have been considered a medium-speed film while ISO 100 or higher would have been very fast.
Most film photographers these days use ISO 100 as the starting point and go up from there. While it’s not absolutely necessary to use a low-ISO film for the Argus A3, it should be noted that the maximum shutter speed on the camera is 150. So, if I used a 400 ISO film on a sunny day, I might have some overexposure unless I kept the aperture at f/8 or higher.
For my initial shots, I decided to go with Kodak Ektar 100. If I had a lower ISO film I likely would have used that. I do plan on shooting again with a black and white film.
The Argus A3 Photos on Kodak Ektar 100
Conclusion and my Favorite Shots
Just in case you are wondering, yes, these are edited in Lightroom. I still edit most of my photos, even film. That being said, the soft and dreamlike characteristics of the photos are all from the camera itself. My guess is that another A3 would not create photos quite like this. My A3 is missing a small support inside the lens, so, when it’s extended it has a bit of a tilt shift effect happening, as well as some unique light reflections taking place inside the lens itself.
It will never take the perfect photo — but who wants that from a completely manual film camera?
I want the character; all of the unique bits that surprise us and make us look more closely.
My Favorite Shots
The shots below are my favs, but for different reasons.
The boy running on the beach was a great capture. I actually took 3 photos of him, which is impressive given the manual nature of the camera. But this is the one that I really hoped I had captured and it turned out pretty nice. His red striped shirt and blue shorts actually remind me of a kid from the 1940s. The pic isn’t the sharpest, but that’s not what this camera is about. It’s about the memory of the moment and the light leaks and flares in all the unexpectedly right spots.
Boy running on the beach. Jacksonville Beach, FL Feb. 2024 | Argus A3 Kodak Ektar 100
Next up is this seaside gem. Everything great about this photo has nothing to do with me. The camera just decided to throw in some kind of light magic on this one. I love it!
Jacksonville Beach, FL Feb. 2024 | Argus A3 Kodak Ektar 100
Final Thoughts
The Argus A3 is a beautiful though relatively unknown camera. I am fortunate to own an extremely well-preserved one that still works. Film photographers will often say that film causes you to slow down and be intentional about your photography. That’s never more true than with a fully manual camera like this one.
If you can appreciate the character that these old cameras create — and I certainly do — then the next time you see a good-looking vintage camera at an antique store, pick it up, clean it up, load some film in it and take photos like your great-grandparents did.