Ilford HP5+ 400ISO on Ensign Ful-Vue Box Camera

(Self-developed: Ilford Ilfotec DD-X, 1:4, 9 minutes)

So here’s the test roll for my cute frog-like vintage 1950s box camera, the Ensign Ful-Vue. This is actually the 2nd incarnation of the Ful-Vue, made in Great Britain during the post war era - its large and bright viewfinder making it one of the best cameras at it’s time. Despite its pseudo TLR looks, the Ful-Vue is actually a very simple box camera with a pull-out lens for close up shots, as seen in the last 2 pictures of this set. 

Composing pictures with the viewfinder needs a little getting used to but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy. I bought this camera from Charlie Wray, who’d  written that wonderful piece on the Leica M6 last month. 

There is a noticeable stain in the first 2 shots which I think is probably due to the dust on the lens but I’m not complaining, I think it made my shots look super retro. :D 

I didn’t actually research on this camera until after I’ve developed this roll, I thought that you had to pull out the lens to shoot, which resulted in the soft focus in the first 4 shots and the sharper images in the last 2. But I’m not complaining, not a bit!

A little bit on the location of the shoot, this was taken at an old abandoned colonial bungalow in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur - a favorite haunt of local film photographers, so much so that the lady who lived next door actually asked why so many of us are fascinated with the place, lol.

-delusiana