This, I believe, a Heinkel Kabine “bubble car” from the late 1950s. I’m fairly certain the clockwork winding key is not an original feature! 🙂
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 & Eastman Double-X.
Taken on 17 August 2019
Tag: Nikkor 28-80 f/3.5 – 5.6 AF-D
Invacar
Amongst the various vintage and classic vehicles at the Lincoln steam rally were a couple of Invacars, which immediately caused a pang of nostalgia because I haven’t seen one for a long time. The Invacar was a fairly commonplace sight when I was a child back in the 70s and 80s with it’s distinctive 3-wheeler shape and uniform colour (they were all the same shade of ice-blue), but they haven’t been seen on the roads in any great numbers for a long time now. They tended (in my experience) to be referred to as Invalid Carriages, rather than Invacars, or (in the politically incorrect schoolyards that existed 1970s and 80s) by somewhat harsher and more unfavourable terms that I’ll not repeat here.
The background of this distinctive little vehicle begins shortly after WWII when a fellow named Bert Greeves built a vehicle around a motorcycle converted for full manual control for use by a paralysed cousin. As there were many people living with disability following injuries sustained during the recent conflict, a commecial opportunity was spotted and government help was sought. The result was Invacar Ltd. and the cars were distributed to disabled drivers by the Ministry of Pensions up until the late 1970s when the contract ended.
The single-seater cars originally had a small engine, but a later upgrade resulted in far more power and it is reported that this gave a top speed of over 80mph. Despite the rakish angle of the passenger compartment, I doubt that this was the best idea and was likely akin to strapping a rocket engine to a paper airplane. I can only imagine the thrill (terror!) that would be induced in experiencing this speed in such a tiny, fibreglass-bodied Invacar. I believe they also had a tendency to catch fire on occasion too!
Over time, as motability schemes were introduced that allowed people with disabilities to adapt regular vehicles for their use, so the need for these small cars fell away. In 2003, all the remaining Invacars still owned by the government were recalled and scrapped as they could no longer meet road safety regulations, although vehicles still in private ownership are still allowed to be used on the road apparently.
I had a roll of B&W film in the camera when I came across the car (actually there were two, but this “well loved” model was better placed and more interesting of the two for photographs) so I can’t show the distinctive shade of blue on here, but there will be many other photos around online should you choose to go looking.
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 & Eastman Double-X.
Taken on 17 August 2019
Car parts
While I can’t honestly say that I have much more than a passing interest in cars – whether they be classic or contemporary – as a photographer I nontheless recognise their appeal. I know when I photograph an interesting car that it’s something that’s going to look pretty cool as a picture. So here are three more car pictures (or fragments of cars, at least) captured on beautiful Eastman Double-X.
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 & Eastman Double-X.
Taken on 17 August 2019
Eastman Double-X
I was very lucky last Christmas to receive a generous gift from my Emulsive Secret Santa. Included in the box were a number of rolls of film, a camera strap, and a pin badge. Also in the box was a lovely Kodak Retinette IIa camera along with a very nice letter from my kind benefactor.
The film included two rolls of Eastman Double-X and I was very happy about that. Unfortunately, I think my happiness at receiving it also made me very cautious about shooting it. I felt that I didn’t want to waste the film on everyday snaps and that I should use it at a worthy location or occasion.
I’ve come to realise that this is probably not the best thing to do. I was given some great film and instead of getting out and taking some great pictures I was instead hoarding it away like Gollum with the One Ring. Last weekend I visited the steam and vintage rally at Lincoln and as I was packing my bag, grabbed a couple of rolls of HP5+ – my go-to black and white film – before I realised that I should shoot some of the Double-X. After all, the rally would have a load of vintage vehicles and that a classic black-and-white cinema film might make them look really great, so I grabbed a roll and popped it in the bag.
I shot a couple of rolls of 135 colour film first (I shot a LOT of film on the day – for me at least – 2 rolls of 120 and 3-and-a-half of 135. It has been quite expensive getting it all processed!). Then I dropped in the Eastman Double-X and got to work with that, getting through the whole 24 exposures.
After getting the film processed, the negatives looked vey contrasty and I initially feared that I might get almost two-tone images with blown highlights and crushed blacks, but upon seeing the scans emerge, there was actually plenty of detail across the whole range. They were still very contrasty but, hey, if anyone likes contrasty photos, it’s me! It’s certainly a classy looking film, and the way the the higlights show halos (due to the anti-halation layer being removed from the film I presume) is nice too.
Anyway, I’ve not uploaded all of them to Flickr yet, but here are three from the roll…
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 & Eastman Double-X.
Taken on 17 August 2019
Hazy days of summer
The photo in today’s post looks a little hazy. However, rather than some sort of photography mishap, this is actually because the air was full of smoke from dozens of steam engines that were building up power.
I’m still not sure about the quality of my Ektachrome scans. Some are really nice (today’s shot isn’t bad), but some are disappointing in how they’ve turned out, either as a result of my photography, or how I’ve been able to scan and process them (Plustek 8100, Silverfast, and Lightroom). The odd thing is that some look lovely and some look really odd, with somewhat garish (but not correct) colours and overly muddy shadows.
It’ll be interesting to see how the roll of Velvia 50 looks when I get around to shooting that.
Anyone else tried the new Ektachrome yet and, if so, how have you found it?
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 D & Kodak Ektachrome.
Taken on 30 June 2019
A man and two motors
I’ve been out much of this evening taking photos of two actors in Victorian dress in the old General Cemetery in Sheffield (organised by the photographic society of which I’m a member). I will hopefully post some of the results at some point. Anyway, I’m now quite tired and so this is going to be a short post. In fact I feel a little bit like the chap in today’s photo looks.
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 D & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 30 June 2019
Forks and spoons
More bric-a-brac from the steam rally.
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 D & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 30 June 2019
Pool balls
At the steam rally last weekend, apart from the various steam engines and classic vehicles on display, there were a number of flea-market type stalls dotted around the arena (as well as some stalls selling new goods). These are always interesting to browse, both as a potential source of a bargain*, or to provide interesting material for a photograph or two. The stalls at the rally were no exception, and today’s photo is one of several that I took of the wares on display. It could perhaps be argued that these pool balls (and chalk cubes) would have been better shot using a colour film but I’d already finished the roll of Ektachrome by the time I spotted these and, anyway, I really like the contrasty look the HP5+ has rendered.
*One stall had a box of camera gear. This was mostly flashes and the like, but for the price of a few pounds I managed to pick up some close-up lenses for my Yashica Mat, a Pentax Espio 140M compact 35mm camera, and an 80-200mm Tamron zoom lens with a Canon FD Adaptall adapter. I don’t have any Canon SLRs, but the lens is in very clean condition so I’ll either hang on to it in case I do find a suitable body at some stage, or pass it on to someone else. The close-up lenses were a particular bargain for just £1!
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 D & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 30 June 2019
Continental
As well as all the steam engines, the steam rally I attended last weekend also had a good selection of vintage cars, trucks and bikes, including the odd import. Here’s the hood of a Lincoln Continental. I’m afraid my car knowledge is lacking – I like to photograph them, but my knowledge extends little beyond that aspec – so I don’t know which year this model is from.
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 D & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 30 June 2019
Coach travel
This was one of a number of vintage buses and trucks at the steam rally I attended at the weekend. I was framing up the shot when these two old fellas wandered into the picture and, I think, improved it.
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 D & Kodak Ektachrome.
Taken on 30 June 2019
Steel City Snapper photography 