photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
edmund j. kowalski | profile | all galleries >> Galleries >> Spartus 35 in Missouri Woods tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Spartus 35 in Missouri Woods

I have a really clean example of this really CRAPPY camera.
Spartus 35 F Model 400
Spartus Corp. Chicago, IL
Made circa 1947.
Achromatic lens, 50mm.
Lens focuses from infinity to 4 feet.
Waterhouse stops for f:7.7, f:11, f:16, and yellow filter.
Rotary shutter, two settings, 1/60 second, and Bulb.
Sync for flash, M delay type I presume, with Spartus' own proprietary flash coupling system on top.

What is striking is the pains to which the Designer went to confuse people, with unmistakable visual similarites to the then-popular Argus Model A (the Argus By the Way is a far, far superior picture-taker in its capabilities, at least optically).

I loaded a 12 exposure roll of Walgreens Studio 35 color print film, ASA 200, and took a walk in the Missouri woods today (Pleasant Valley Nature Preserve in High Ridge).
It was typical dry December day, partly cloudy, high near 60 Fahrenheit.
Camera performed as might be expected with a low end plastic camera of that vintage:
Frames show a serious amount of vignetted gradation, the center much brighter than the corners.
There is also a fair amount of optical aberration with the uncoated, uncorrected, one element simple lens.
In some cases this works, in others, it makes for crappy images.
Below are the "best" of what I could salvage from the roll.
All images are ©2006 E.J.Kowalski
sinkhole.JPG
sinkhole.JPG
brightspot.JPG
brightspot.JPG
cedars.JPG
cedars.JPG
den.JPG
den.JPG
fungus.JPG
fungus.JPG
funguscloseup.JPG
funguscloseup.JPG
mossystump.JPG
mossystump.JPG
trunks.JPG
trunks.JPG
woods.JPG
woods.JPG
spartusfront.jpg
spartusfront.jpg
spartusback.jpg
spartusback.jpg
spartustop.jpg
spartustop.jpg
spartusbottom.jpg
spartusbottom.jpg
spartusinside.jpg
spartusinside.jpg