Lomography Belair X 6–12 (Part Two)

Review and Guide to Usage

A complete review of the Lomography Belair X 6–12 cannot follow the timeworn reviewers’ template of reciting the manufacturers’ specifications, offering an opinion on handling, and evaluating image quality. The Belair, like many of the cameras we will discuss on Alt Cameras, is a camera design that cannot simply be picked up and shot without some understanding of the choices made by the camera designer. The specifications include modern features (like aperture priority auto exposure,) but exclude other features which have been standard on cameras for 65 years (double exposure prevention, lever winding, focusing aids, etc.) Shooting the Belair successfully requires thinking through all of the steps in the photographic process.

The Belair X 6–12 package includes two interchangeable lenses, two matching viewfinders, two accesory film gates (6×6 and 6×9), a manual, and for my early order a numbered certificate of authenticity. (The camera strap is not included — I added it myself.)

Checklist

Large format photographers take a “checklist” approach, because even a modern view camera is simply a light-proof box with a lens, and the photographer must consciously take all of the steps to expose a piece of film without any aids or safeguards. A missed step results in a black piece of film; it’s happened to every large format photographer. That is why a checklist, mental or literal, is the best way to prepare the camera and shoot the picture. In the world of alt cameras, remembering that checklist can assist in understanding every camera in the same way — regardless of a camera’s age or design.

Aesthetically, shooting from a checklist encourages the photographer to make choices, aesthetic and technical. Every step of the process is consciously acknowledged, which reminds the photographer of their ability to make choices at every step.

Far from being tedious, this way of shooting has a rhythm that becomes second nature. It prevents wasting time and film. It allows the photographer to plan ahead, set their camera, and capture “the decisive moment” with a press of the shutter release.

In that spirit, this review will walk through the checklist for shooting with the Belair. The details of the steps should help you decide if the Belair is right for you — and hopefully be of help if you buy a Belair for yourself.

1. Pick the right film.

There’s plenty of choice in film these days. Choosing black & white, colour print or colour slide is a personal choice only — the camera will work well with any of the three. (I know it seems obvious to old hands, but I am regularly asked if my film cameras are black & white only. The idea that you can use the same camera to shoot colour or black & white film may be new to some folks.)

The only must-have for the Belair is 120 format film. 220 won’t work because, though identical to 120 in every other way, its double-length is achieved by omitting the backing paper. The Belair requires the backing paper, to protect the film from exposure through the red winding windows, and to provide printed numbers for manually winding the film to the next frame.

The real choice in film is down to speed (sensitivity to light, given in ISO numbers.) Choosing the right sensitivity of film is important to address the single biggest limitation in the Belair: limited exposure control. While the auto-exposure meter can be set for any film from ISO 50 to ISO 1600 (which would also work with so-called 3200 films like Delta 3200 or TMax 3200,) Belair lenses only have two aperture settings, f/8.0 and f/16. The Belair shutter only has a few speeds, topping out at 1/125 of a second. Of the three exposure variables (shutter, aperture and ISO) film speed offers the widest range of adjustment. Therefore, film sensitivity needs to be chosen carefully to account for the light levels expected.

Cheat sheet:
If you aren’t sure what ISO to shoot and don’t want to figure it out yourself, here’s my basic recommendations. Shooting outside in the summer, anywhere that gets real sun, pick ISO 100. That will give you a solid 1/125 of a second shutter speed, with a lens aperture of f/16 in the sun; or 1/60 at f/8 in the shade. When shooting in a northern climate on a cloudy day, go for ISO 400. In the evening or night time you will want ISO 800 or above, and need a tripod.

The best way to select your film ISO is to take a light meter reading somewhere with the same lighting as your shoot will have. As much as I love and recommend real meters like my Sekonic Digilite-F, light meter apps for iPhone and Android remove any excuse to not have your own meter. Lock the meter to 1/125th at f/11 (half way between f/8.0 and f/16), and let the ISO float. You will immediately know what speed film you should be loading into the camera. No iPhone? Grab your DSLR, or old SLR, and use that meter to determine the best ISO setting for f/11 at 1/125th of a second. No meter? Use the Sunny-16 rule. (In Toronto, that’s more like the Sunny-11 rule.) A future post might cover Sunny-16, but until then Google is your friend.

2. Choose the frame size/shape you want to shoot.

The Belair is a multi-format camera. 6×12 is the headline grabber, but if you would rather shoot 6×9 or 6×6, the choice is yours. The default opening in the back of the camera is 6×12, requiring no change to shoot. For 6×9 and 6×6, the camera comes with two additional frame masks that can be inserted into the open back of the camera. Choosing the smaller frame sizes also allows more frames to be fit onto a roll of film — twelve frames of 6×6 versus eight frames of 6×9 versus six frames of 6×12.

Back of the Belair X 6–12, showing the ruby red winding window which lets you see the frame number printed on the backing paper of the film.

On the camera back itself, there is a small sliding hatch which lets you choose which red window to look through when winding the film. 120 film actually has multiple rows of numbers printed on the paper backing, each row showing the frame count if you are shooting a particular frame size. In this way, you choose the correct window for shooting 6×9 frames (which will be numbered from 1 through 8 on the paper backing,) or you choose the window for shooting 6×6 AND 6×12 frames. I assume you want to shoot the big 6×12 panoramic frames, so set the red window to 6×6/6×12.

If you decide to shoot 6×9 or 6×6 frames, 6×6 or 6×9 frame masks easily clip into the back of the camera — but they need to be inserted before the film is loaded, and can’t be changed in the middle of a roll of film. First, remove the back of the camera. Two small spring-loaded tabs in the bottom left and bottom right of the camera are pressed down, freeing the back. The back is not hinged, it lifts straight away from the rest of the camera body. The correct frame mask for 6×6 or 6×9 can simply be snapped in place.

3. Insert your film.

Unwrap the plastic wrapper from the roll of film, and tear off the tiny paper strip that holds the roll tightly wound; discard both. With the camera back open, seat the roll of film into the left chamber. The Belair has some minimalist foam blocks in the film chamber to give a bit of spring-loaded support to the roll of film. This works, but is one of the most obvious vestiges of the Belair’s toy camera lineage.

The open back of the Belair.

With the roll in place, ensure the paper backing is hanging off what is now the TOP of the roll, i.e. not coming out from under the roll. Pull the paper backing from left to right, and tuck the tapered end of the roll into the empty spool on the right side of the camera. You know you’ve got it correct if you see coloured paper and writing all the way across the camera back. If you see the black side of the paper, you’ve got the roll inserted backwards.

Loading film into the Belair.

Take care to not pull too much film out — you want just enough to reach across the opening in the back and tuck into the take-up spool. On top of the camera, flip open the winding key — it’s a small plastic tab that flips up from the top plate of the camera. Give this winding key a quarter-twist, to rotate the take-up spool and ensure the paper backing has been successfully seated into the spool. Give the film some help to ensure the film lays flat across the opening (or gate) and winds tightly onto the take-up spool. With your left hand, hold the roll of film firmly in place, and keep some friction/tension between the film spool and your fingers. As you wind the take-up spool another half turn, this will ensure there is tension between the left and right spools. This encourages the film to lay flat, and keeps film on the take-up spool nice and tight.

Arrows on the film backing paper.

Every other medium format camera in the world has a small set of white arrows inside the back of the camera. The idea is to wind the new roll of film until a set of arrows printed on the paper lines up with the arrows printed in the camera. In this way, a predictable amount of paper can be wound onto the takeup spool, ensuring reliable winding when the back is closed. Cameras with automatic counters also register their counting mechanisms by assuming that the arrows have been matched once the film back has been closed on the camera. These arrows are missing from the Belair. It’s not a big deal, but repeatability and ritual are the guarantees of success in using any camera — especially a new one. In the absence of white arrows, I wound the film arrows to just inside the edge of the film gate. Knowing the film is securely loaded, the camera back can be slid back into place. Use some diligence to ensure the back slides correctly onto the camera. It’s not difficult, but it does rely on some slim channels to ensure a light-tight attachment. Finally, press evenly on both of the bottom corners, and confirm that the thumb tabs snap back into place holding the back.

With the back of the camera re-attached, wind the film on to the first frame. Remember that the window for 6×12 is shared for the 6×6 frames. The film does not actually have frame numbers printed for 6×12 frames; the Belair relies on the fact that one 6×12 frame equals two 6×6 frames. To wind to the first 6×12 frame, rotate the winding key and look through the red window; stop winding when you get to the number “2.” (Subsequent frames of 6×12 will be 4, 6, 8 and 12.)

4. Unfold the camera.

The Belair, unfolded. The folder release is the round button in the middle of the camera body’s bottom plate.

Pushing one button in the middle of the camera’s bottom plate allows the scissor-style folding mechanism to open up. Gently grasp the top and bottom of the lens board with one hand, while holding the camera body in the other hand. A smooth, even motion will pull the lens board out and the bellows to full extension. Two locking pins, one atop the scissor mechanism and one below, will click into place indicating that the camera is fully extended. This is a slightly novel design for folding, though every folding camera I have seen has a slightly different method for unfolding and locking. The bellows themselves appear to be a thick rubber, rather than classic leather or vinyl. Assuming the rubber stays pliable over the years, these handsome black bellows should remain light-tight without developing pinhole leaks on the creased folds (a common fate of classic folding cameras.)

5. Load the batteries.

Loading batteries. The two LR44 cells are not included with the camera.

The Belair is an auto exposure camera with its own light meter (the tiny plastic window on the front of the lens board.) To work, you must insert batteries in the meter. Loading batteries is simple. A pair of LR44 button cells are required (but not included in the camera box, so make sure to buy some before trying to shoot the camera.) LR44s are one of the most common, and inexpensive, button cells. Load the batteries by swinging the battery holder up and out of the front lens board. There is a small groove to get your thumbnail in; the battery holder is hinged and will rotate up. The battery holder has two obvious slots for the LR44 batteries. Match the orientation (+/-) of the batteries to the directions on the camera, and then clip the battery holder back down into the lens board.

6. Set the meter for the film ISO.

ISO dial is on the inside of the lens board.

The meter must be set for the correct film sensitivity (ISO.) In common with most every medium format camera, there is no ability to read the film speed from the film itself. The meter ISO setting is hidden on the back side of the lens board, and can only be accessed with the lens folded open.

With the back of the lens board visible, the ISO dial is on the top left (if viewed from behind the camera.) Setting the ISO is simply a matter of setting the dial to match the film speed that was loaded. ISO settings range from 50 to 1600, which is sufficient for all current film stocks. (So-called 3200 speed film like Ilford’s Delta 3200 or Kodak’s TMax 3200 are really closer to ISO 1600. They will work fine with the Belair’s meter set to 1600.) There is one additional setting on the ISO dial — B (or bulb.) Bulb settings let the shutter be held open as long as you are pressing the shutter release button.

7. Select a lens and mount it on the camera.

The Lomography Belair ships with two lenses, a 58mm (wide angle) and a 90mm (standard) lens. To translate these focal lengths into the more commonly understood 35mm equivalent, the wide angle captures the same field of view as a 21mm lens (on a 35mm camera) and the standard lens is like having a 32mm lens (on a 35mm camera.) Using the 6×9 or 6×6 frames further limits the field of view.

Neither the 58mm or 90mm lens are mounted to the camera when shipped; they are carefully capped and packed in the box alongside the camera. The lenses are built of plastic, but feel solid. Both lenses are small, with knurled rings for aperture (f/8.0 or f/16 — no middle setting for f/11) and for focus. Rotating the focus ring rotates the whole front element in a helical. Focus positions are marked for 1 metre, 1.5 metres, 3 metres and infinity. There are no marks in imperial measure (i.e. feet.)

Lens mount on the front of the Belair.

The camera is shipped with a body cap in place on the lens mount. The body cap is removed by giving it a quarter-turn counter-clockwise. It unclicks from the mount, and then lifts straight out. With the cap off, the shutter mechanism is exposed inside the camera. It is a leaf shutter, which is commonly used on folding cameras and has advantages over a larger focal-plane shutter. Unlike many leaf-shuttered cameras, the shutter is part of the camera body, not the lenses. This allows lenses to be cheaper. Care should be used to not accidentally touch or damage the shutter in the camera.

Mounted lens.

Lenses attach to the camera by aligning a dot on the lens with a dot on the camera body, and lowering the lens straight into the lens mount. A firm twist clockwise seats the lens, which clicks into place. The mount system is straightforward and unproblematic, but some care should be used. With the included lenses, all parts of the mount and lens interface are plastic, including a small aperture toggle that links the lens aperture to the meter in the camera body. Harsh, careless mounting of the lenses might wear or break the mount, the lens, or the aperture linkage. By paying attention to mounting the lens correctly, the system should last indefinitely.

Two new lenses have already been announced for the Belair, another 90mm lens and a 114mm lens. Built to a higher standard than the included lenses, the new lenses are being manufacturered for Lomography by the Zenit camera works in Russia. These lenses are of a more substantial design, feature glass (instead of optical plastic) lens elements and superior construction. I hope to see the new lenses in early 2013, and will report back on them then.

8. Attach the viewfinder.

View through the viewfinder.

Each lens is delivered with a matching viewfinder, that shows the field of view afforded by its lens. The viewfinders are marked with the focal length to which they belong. Select the correct viewfinder and attach it to the top of the camera. The viewfinders have a small custom shoe that connects to the camera; the viewfinder is held at 90 degrees from it’s final direction and the shoe is inserted into the camera. A 90-degree twist in the clockwise direction locks the viewfinder in place. I found the mounting system easy to use, while ensuring the viewfinder is not easily dislodged. The viewfinders themselves are bright, easy to see through while wearing glasses, and accurately represent the frame captured by the matching lens.

9. Select the lens aperture.

The light meter on the Belair operates from EV 15 down to EV 4; EV 4 works out to a 4-second shutter speed at f/8.0. With only two aperture settings to choose from, you will be tempted to select f/8.0 instead of f/16 most of the time. There is good reason to do so when shooting handheld; gaining two stops of exposure over f/16 will help keep the shutter speeds up in dimmer light.

Unfortunately with the two included lenses, the choice between f/8.0 and f/16 is not going to be based on the quantity of light you need. It will be based on whether you want reasonably sharp photos or very soft photos with blurry edges.

When shooting 6×12 the whole image circle of the lenses is used, and the weakness of the lenses at f/8.0 is fully revealed. The centre section of the lens, captured in a 6×6 shot, definitely performs better than Lomography’s Holga lenses, and might even compare with a very old triplet lens from a 100+ year old folding camera. When looking at the whole 6×12 frame however, the softness and vignetting is very much akin to a Holga. The only way to regain some sharpness is to stop the lenses down to f/16. Personally, I found the image quality/sharpness to be acceptable at f/16; substantial and asymmetrical softness keep me from ever wanting to shoot at f/8.0. Of the two lenses, the 90mm is also considerably sharper than the 58mm. This is a shame, as the 58mm offers the wide field of view which is often desired when shooting a panoramic frame.

Keeping the Lomography lo-fi aesthetic in mind, you may LOVE the “happy accident” look of shooting at f/8.0. With the right subject matter, composed in interesting ways, the edge softness and vignetting may enhance the subject or largely go unnoticed. So while my choice is to avoid f/8.0 you may decide that f/8.0 gives you exactly the kind of photograph you like.

10. Focus the lens.

Whether you want the whole frame in focus, or just a tiny sliver, you’ve got to focus the lens. The Belair provides the single most challenging method of focussing possible; scale focus. There is no method or mechanism included that will allow you to preview your focus. Simply, the lens is marked in distances. Whatever is in front of the lens at the distance you set the lens to will be in focus.

Lomography disingenuously calls this “zone focus” as though you can simply set the focus based on a foggy notion of how far the camera is from the subject. Zone focus can work reasonably well with a smaller piece of film (like 35mm) and a concomitant shorter focal length of lens. On a format the size of 6×12, with a lens as long as 90mm, there is little hope in achieving sharp focus by “zone” (except perhaps subjects that are truly at infinity, like skylines or mountains.) Lots of practise is needed to be able to reliably say whether something is 1 metre, 1.5 metres or 2 metres from yourself. The closer the object, and the larger the aperture (say f/8.0) the more critical the accuracy of guessing must become.

Scale focusing is based on actually knowing the distance from camera to subject, so that the correct distance can be selected on the lens scale. This can be done reliably and repeatably with a measuring tape. For many decades, that was exactly how professional cameras were focussed. Portrait photographers would keep a string attached to the front of their camera that could be pulled out and held at a person’s face to ensure they were the correct distance. Motion picture camera operators/focus pullers would often use a tape measure to determine the precise distance from the subject. In my testing, I determined that the focus scales on both the 58mm and 90mm lenses were accurate. This is good, allowing you to be confident that your measured distance will actually give you in-focus results.

Auxilliary rangefinder (not included, but recommended that you add.)

The best option for setting focus on the Belair is to add a simple auxiliary rangefinder. There was a time prior to the 1950’s when most cameras did not offer any focus aids; they were scale focussed. As a result, one of the most common and popular camera accessories was the auxiliary rangefinder. Today those rangefinders are easy to buy used on eBay, as most cameras and most photographers no longer need a separate rangefinder. But for the photographer who shoots antiques, or who has bought a brand-new Belair, the auxiliary rangefinder is a blessing. Buy a model with a foot for a standard auxiliary shoe. These are the same as a flash “hotshoe” (like the Belair’s) but predate the attachment of flashes with electrical contacts; originally these shoes were home to viewfinders and rangefinders rather than flashguns.

Belair X 6–12 all-dressed: lens, viewfinder, and rangefinder.

To use an auxiliary rangefinder, look through the window and note that there are two images — the primary image and a second, ghosted image in the middle of the primary image. By rotating the wheel or otherwise adjusting the rangefinder, you can make the two images align correctly. When the image of your subject has both images aligned, then look at the setting on the rangefinder. It will tell you what distance the rangefinder has been set to. Now you can simply transfer that distance from your rangefinder to the scale on the Belair’s lens itself. Both of the auxiliary rangefinders I posses have their readings in metric (metres) which makes transferring to the Belair lens simple. I would avoid a rangefinder only marked in feet, because then you will need to compute between imperial and metric to set your lens scale.

Ready to use the rangefinder.

11. Frame the shot, and shoot.

Framing the shot is simple. With everything already pre-set on the camera, the only things to worry about when looking through the viewfinder is composition and timing.

Shooting the Belair is a two-handed affair. I supported the body of the camera with my left hand. My right hand goes to the front lens board. This is because the shutter release is not on the camera body, but out on the lens board itself. This is similar to early folding cameras; body-mounted shutter releases were a later luxury feature.

Shutter release is on the lens board. A careful squeeze is recommended.

Firing the camera requires pressing down on the shutter release, which is mounted on the side of the lens board. To avoid camera shake, I put my thumb under the lens board and my index finger on the lever. By pushing on both the shutter release and the lens board, I could minimize inadvertent motion when firing the shutter.

12. Wind the film to the next shot.

Do it. Now. Don’t wait until you want to take your next shot. Get in the habit of winding to the next frame as soon as you have taken the last frame. Then you will never wonder…. Did I wind the camera?

Winding key.

This is important because the Belair does not have “double exposure prevention.” That’s another luxury feature that many folding cameras did not have. Lomography makes a virtue of this; it’s a feature to be able to create double and triple exposures so easily! Just click another shot without winding the film on. But if you would rather have three separate photos, do as I say: wind the film to the next shot.

13. Go back to step 7 and repeat until you’ve taken your last shot.

14. Wind the roll of film to the end.

Medium format film does not get “re-wound.” It gets wound. At the end of the roll, you keep winding in the same direction. All of the film ends up on the take-up spool. No need to wind it backwards on the original spool. In fact, the film and paper is designed to work this way. After winding the film onto the take-up spool, you will open the camera and find the backing paper wrapped tightly around the film and it shows the words EXPOSED. A good reminder to you, and to the lab. Take the roll out of the camera, tuck the end of the paper backing under itself, lick the little adhesive strip of paper, and paste it around the roll. Keep the exposed roll of film out of the bright light until you’ve had it processed.

Conclusions

My own conclusions about the Lomography Belair X 6–12 are mixed. Lomography receive full marks for even considering such an unlikely camera design in the 21st century. The execution of the camera body itself is mostly-perfect. The design is handsome, and the fit and finish are appropriate to the price level of the camera.

I am perfectly comfortable with many of the design compromises, which for me add to the period-like charm of the camera. That list of “things that it’s ok to be missing” include:

• no rangefinder or focussing system beyond scale focussing;
• no double-exposure prevention;
• no automatic frame counter; red-window frame numbers only;
• no parallax correction in viewfinders.

The Belair offers some nice touches too. Those include:

• interchangeable lenses;
• leaf shutter built into the body; simplifies the DIY adapatation of lenses to the Belair or the production of third-party lenses;
• a real hotshoe that can be used for accessories, including electronic flash;
• bulb mode for long exposures at night;
• tripod mount with a metal screw;
• sturdy bellows that promise a decent lifespan (always an achilles heel with folding cameras);
• aperture priority auto-exposure.

Not everything about the Belair is perfect. Here are things I wish were different:

• no manual shutter speed over-ride;
• no shutter speed display, indicating what speed the camera has selected;
• shutter unit and lens mount are designed to only allow two aperture settings, f/8.0 or f/16;
• the included lenses are only “OK”; the announced Zenit-built glass lenses promise better image quality;
• no remote shutter release; it would be nice to have a threaded hole to trigger the shutter with a simple cable.

Comparisons

How does the Belair compare with other options? The Belair is a very unique camera with few directly-comparable options. Other cameras to consider would fall into two basic categories: panoramic or folding camera. (This is far from an exhaustive list, but includes what I would consider common options including best-in-field choices.)

Panoramic alternatives:

• Fuji GX617 — much larger, ten times more expensive, no more convenient to shoot with, considerably sharper lenses
• Hasselblad XPan/XPan II — similar size, more convenient with excellent rangefinder focussing and exposure controls, more robust, also offers interchangeable lenses, much sharper lenses but much smaller film size (35mm), ten times more expensive
• 6×12 back (DaYi or similar) for an existing 4×5 camera, similar price (only if you already have a complete 4×5 camera and suitable lenses), better lens quality, huge variety of lenses, much larger, much less portable, no autoexposure or convenience features

Folding camera alternatives:

• Zeiss Super Ikonta — top of the classic folding cameras, high quality construction, sharp lenses, available in 645, 6×6 or 6×9 sizes, focusing rangefinder on the Super models, double exposure prevention
• Kodak folding cameras — a huge variety of cameras available in various sizes, primitive shutters, models taking 120 film are rare — requiring the use of hard-to-find 620 or 127, or the adaptation of 120 spools into bigger 616 cameras, not usually a “ready-to-shoot” option
• Fuji 667 / Voigtlander Bessa III — ten times the price, brand new folding camera, offering selectable 6×6 and 6×7 frames, with autoexposure, nice viewfinder with integrated rangefinder and parallax correction, probably the nicest folding camera ever produced in history and its available to buy new today

The Lomography Belair X 6–12 is a fascinating camera that occupies a unique niche, as you can see from the broad list of alternative cameras. Let’s be honest though — price is one of the main attractions for the Belair. There is no other 6×12 camera, new or used, available for a similar price. But if money is no object, there are two much better choices (for me.) For panoramic photography, the Hasselblad XPan offers the ultimate in elegant portability and image quality. It shoots convenient 35mm film with as much ease as a modern Contax G2 or Leica M7. For a medium format folding camera, the Fuji 667 is unparalleled. This is truly a pocket monster, offering stunning image quality, modern exposure controls, and classic design. The fact that the Fuji / Voigtlander camera is available new with a warranty, today in 2013, is stunning.

What the Fuji / Voigtlander and the Lomography Belair have in common is a committment to the ongoing viability of film, and to the joy of shooting with an uncommon camera. From that vantage point, the Belair gets a big recommendation. It’s what I call “cheap thrills!” I know I will continue to enjoy shooting my Belair.