I'd go with a Holga and spend the rest on film. The images are enough different than pinhole to be even more unique and set your art apart from the rest.
Market the heck out of them, buy more film and make more images. Market those and repeat.
In no time you'd make enough money to buy back your Arca Swiss and XL lenses and get back to making real images -- or possibly end up so sick of photography that you'd decide to take up golf
Jack,
My experiences with Holgas are they don't hold up very well. My first one "lost it's guts" while doing the Holga routine at The Grizzly Giant in the Mariposa Grove (Yosemite) There is a garbage can not far from the base of The Grizzly Giant and the Holga with a roll of slightly used Arista may still be inside;-) My kid's Holgas are still working, but if they last another year I'd be surprised.
I've been fooling with a Lomo Goldfish lately. The $49 price tag seems a bit high but the images are interesting enough that I keep feeding film to it.
I don't know if you can still get used rolleicords for $79 but that might be an option. I still think a pinhole is the way to go for landscapes and maybe your Bride will be extra nice to you if you take her out for dinner (a good basque restraunt should cost too much!)
Cheers!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
To Everyone in this forum who has shown generosity and the timely holiday spirit I say Thanks and God Bless.
Rest assured my personal plight is not that dire. Some time ago my wife had an illness that did lead to my divestment of all things photographic. Today, things are better. In the interim I found myself finding in photography solice and reflection that I previously did not have. I also found a perverse (?) love of finding the cheapest camera I could to take the largest negative I could. I've used some pretty aweful pieces of crap and had some amazing surprises. Thankfully, the discipline from using large format was a very useful tool when using lesser (tlr?) media. At one point I was shooting sans meter entirely.
I posted the question not for charity but to simply ask "if you were to photograph when you were poor, what would you use?" By the way. I am going to see if I can find a $38 lf lens. God, what would that be like?
A nice, clean 9x12 Maximar, Recomar, or Voigtlander with a 135 Tessar type lens in Dial-set Compur. A handfull of plate/film holders, a K2 filter, sunshade, and cable release. A box of 9x12 film from J&C, a box of 4x5 Ilford Multigrade paper, three 5x7 plastic trays, a ruby lightbulb, a can of Dektol, a box of fixer. Should leave you with enough for a 6 pack. (Actually, if this weren't the LF forum, I'd agree on a nice Yashicamat).
Wilhelm (Sarasota)
You can buy four or five Holgas for $100. Who cares if they don't hold up? ; )
Otherwise a Burke and James 4x5 press with a Zeiss Tessar can be had for under $100 usually. Great cameras.
Treating this as a front-porch kind of question on a lazy day (you'd freeze if you tried that up here at the moment, but so be it...) I'd borrow a copy of "primitive photography" from my local library, then head to home depot for some glue, luan plywood, and a couple of short pieces of PVC pipe. Build an old "box in box" sliding camera (no movements, but will focus), then assemble a two-element lens from a pair of cheap magnifying glasses. Let's allow you to still have a modern film-holder left over (you did say you had the light meter), so that you're not coating glass plates. If not, whack together a basic film-holder, and you're off and running.
That would give you a usable, if rather minimalist, large-format camera capable of using modern emulsions. Armed with that, some short-dated sheet film, and some patience, I think I'd start trying to reinterpret my surroundings that were within walking distance. Possibly portrature, as the movements of a more traditional view camera wouldn't be needed as much.
Of course, on that budget I'd also go for a basic TLR or old 6x??? folder, and a pocket full of film. A Junior 620 or Agfa Isolette, yellow filter, and J&C 100 could be a lot of fun.
Often, times of no money occur at the same time as having more time on one's hands. Assuming that there is money for film, processing and the rest, and that large format film is the medium, a 4x5 can be built from about 20 bucks for wood and fasteners, or even less using foamcore. If there isn't enough money for film holders, the most simple box camera could be made as a one-shot point and shoot. You could build-in a shift to it too. If you don't mind skipping the shutter, a simple cap would do, and it would reduce cost. 127-135mm lenses are not too expensive, surely a photo swap meet would have a few around, or someone might give you one.
There is a great joy to be had in shooting a cheap 4x5 if it is a simple one. It is fun to hear people's comments about it too. Most people pay no attention to it, however a few knowing individuals may stop to ask questions.
While all the "real" cameras give good results, the "Luddite Specials" are always fun to dream up, even if not all that original. Have a look at a couple of them I did a while back:
Luddite Cameras
It's true, one of them shows a center filter that would blow your whole budget, however two
of the others use a 135 and 127mm lens respectively. The plywood design was built too, however
it wasn't as fun to use. Even Krazy Glue makes a good quick assembly for prototypes or balsa wood cameras, although for regular wood, Gorilla glue is hard to beat. Try it, you might like it!
The other part about making a cheap, portable and disposable point and shoot, aside from creative possibilities, as the satisfaction of making some gadget, even a crude one, and then using it. Believe me, it give a person something to do for a Saturday!
I'll second a 9x12 rig. My Voigtlander AVUS, 10 plate holders, Satin Snow ground glass and 50 sheets of B&W film from J&C came in just a little over $100. Delete the film or more modern ground glass and you are there.
Kevin, I picked up a 210 hexanon GR-2 for 35.00. Leaves you enough for one sheet of 8x10 film.
Film will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no film.
Quoted from The Fabulous Film Brothers circa 1970
insert smiley here
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