Solar Eclipse May 20, 2012

The Annular Solar Eclipse that took place on May 20, 2012 was quite a sight to behold.  I was able to catch a few good shots of the event.  The one below were included by the Phoenix New Times in their slideshow of eclipse pictures. 

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/slideshow/annual-solar-eclipse-in-pictures-36847087/

Polaroid Automatic 100

I have contracted Polaroid fever! I picked up an Automatic 100 because it has a tripod socket and can use the same lens accessories as my 440.

The Automatic 100 is the first of Polaroid's pack film cameras. It was introduced in 1963 and produced until 1966; it was replaced by the "200" series Land cameras in 1967. While there were 32 different Automatic Land Camera models produced between 1963 and 1977, the Automatic 100 has the same picture taking abilities as the "top of the line" Automatic 450 introduced in 1971.

• Lens: 114mm f/8.8 3-element glass
• Shutter: Electronic; 10 seconds - 1/1200
• Separate window view/rangefinder assembly (has a hinged base-- flips up for use and is held in place with a magnetic catch-- folds down for storage and fits inside the camera's plastic cover)
• Viewfinder has projected framelines and automatic parallax compensation.
• Aperture-priority automatic exposure only
• Has settings for film speeds of 75, 150, 300, and 3000 ASA.
• Has "scene selector" switch which gives choice of two different aperture settings for each film speed setting; lens can be used at full aperture with 3000 ASA film.
• Has exposure compensation dial with range of -1/+2 stops ("Lighten/Darken" control).
• Has metal body and metal shutter/lens housing
• (and importantly for me) Has tripod socket
• Leather carrying strap

I love the non-folding pack film cameras, but I can't get film for my Zip. I decided to get a colorpack camera that I can use Fuji FP-100C or FP-3000B with. This one came with corroded batteries and glue from the case lining on the lens. I did some scrubbing and it has cleaned up great. I'll be shooting it soon.