Foca Universel R Oplar 35mm
"Film d'essai" (test film) of my Oplar Lens 1:3.5 f=3.5cm with my FOCA Universel "R", a French range-finder 35mm camera of the 50's May 1st, 2023, Lyon, France.
The camera was loaded with an Ilford FP4+ 36-exposure film. It was exposed for 125 ISO using an Autometer III Minolta lightmeter fitted with a 10° finder for selective measurements privileging the shadow areas. The Oplar 35mm lens was equipped with a Foca AUV push-on 42mm protective filter and a Minolta D42KA cylindrical shade hood that I expected no to induce vignette (that was the case seeing the results).
The Foca Universel R has a finder covering the field of a normal 50mm lens. I used then my Foca sport finder that could be used for the field of 35, 50, 90 and 135 mm lenses. The manipulation of the camera was then a bit modified especially for portrait views where I had to used the vertical position with the shutter related on the left to have the camera supported by my face. This distracted me considerably and 9 frames were accidentally masked part by the front shell of the ever-ready bag, a classical beginner problem that I succeeded to avoid until now...
Focusing was done using the coupled range-finder that is the characteristic of the "Universel" Foca bodies that couple the range finder to any available OPL Foca lenses with the bayonet mount.
Shutter speeds from 1/500 to 1/50s and f/3.5 to f/11 were used along the test.
May 1st, 2023
69001 Lyon
France
After exposure, the film was revealed using Adox Adonal (Agfa Rodinal) developper at dilution 1+25 and 20°C for 9 min. The film was then digitalized using a Sony A7 body fitted to a Minolta Slide Duplicator installed on a Minolta Auto Bellows III with a lens Minolta Bellow Macro Rokkor 50mm f/3.5. The RAW files obtained were processed without intermediate files in LR and edited to the final jpeg pictures.
All views of the film are presented (except some with ever-ready bag problem) in the dedicated album either in the printed framed versions and unframed full-size jpeg accompanied by some documentary smartphone Vivio Y76 color pictures.
About the camera :
The Foca Universel "R" is the late series (circa 1956-1962) of the Foca Universel 35mm range-finder camera appeared in 1950 and produced until 1956. The Universel model of FOCa was fitted with a bayonet mount instead of the 36mm screw mount of other Foca PF (PF standing for "Petit Format"). Foca camera's were constructed in France by the company "Optique & Precision de Levallois" (OPL) in the OPL factory of Chateaudun (Eure) starting from 1947. This factory still exists under the name of SAFRAN a French company producing aerospace devices and systems. This exemplary of Foca Universel R was likely manufactured in 1959 or 1960.
The camera is normally equipped with the collapsible OPLAREX lens 1:1.9 f=5cm with the OPL bayonet mount and here with an OPLAR 1:3.5 f=3.5cm wide-angle lens.
Foca Universel R Oplar 35mm
"Film d'essai" (test film) of my Oplar Lens 1:3.5 f=3.5cm with my FOCA Universel "R", a French range-finder 35mm camera of the 50's May 1st, 2023, Lyon, France.
The camera was loaded with an Ilford FP4+ 36-exposure film. It was exposed for 125 ISO using an Autometer III Minolta lightmeter fitted with a 10° finder for selective measurements privileging the shadow areas. The Oplar 35mm lens was equipped with a Foca AUV push-on 42mm protective filter and a Minolta D42KA cylindrical shade hood that I expected no to induce vignette (that was the case seeing the results).
The Foca Universel R has a finder covering the field of a normal 50mm lens. I used then my Foca sport finder that could be used for the field of 35, 50, 90 and 135 mm lenses. The manipulation of the camera was then a bit modified especially for portrait views where I had to used the vertical position with the shutter related on the left to have the camera supported by my face. This distracted me considerably and 9 frames were accidentally masked part by the front shell of the ever-ready bag, a classical beginner problem that I succeeded to avoid until now...
Focusing was done using the coupled range-finder that is the characteristic of the "Universel" Foca bodies that couple the range finder to any available OPL Foca lenses with the bayonet mount.
Shutter speeds from 1/500 to 1/50s and f/3.5 to f/11 were used along the test.
May 1st, 2023
69001 Lyon
France
After exposure, the film was revealed using Adox Adonal (Agfa Rodinal) developper at dilution 1+25 and 20°C for 9 min. The film was then digitalized using a Sony A7 body fitted to a Minolta Slide Duplicator installed on a Minolta Auto Bellows III with a lens Minolta Bellow Macro Rokkor 50mm f/3.5. The RAW files obtained were processed without intermediate files in LR and edited to the final jpeg pictures.
All views of the film are presented (except some with ever-ready bag problem) in the dedicated album either in the printed framed versions and unframed full-size jpeg accompanied by some documentary smartphone Vivio Y76 color pictures.
About the camera :
The Foca Universel "R" is the late series (circa 1956-1962) of the Foca Universel 35mm range-finder camera appeared in 1950 and produced until 1956. The Universel model of FOCa was fitted with a bayonet mount instead of the 36mm screw mount of other Foca PF (PF standing for "Petit Format"). Foca camera's were constructed in France by the company "Optique & Precision de Levallois" (OPL) in the OPL factory of Chateaudun (Eure) starting from 1947. This factory still exists under the name of SAFRAN a French company producing aerospace devices and systems. This exemplary of Foca Universel R was likely manufactured in 1959 or 1960.
The camera is normally equipped with the collapsible OPLAREX lens 1:1.9 f=5cm with the OPL bayonet mount and here with an OPLAR 1:3.5 f=3.5cm wide-angle lens.