CurtIt’s Big, heavy, slow and I’m into it. This thing is a brick with glass bolted to the front, a “Texas-Leica” if you will, that feels more like a piece of industrial equipment than a camera. Eight shots a roll means you’re not just firing away. You’re looking harder, breathing a little deeper, trying to make each frame count.
Truth is, I’d never shot 120 before. Loading that first roll of Kodak Gold 200 felt like defusing a bomb, fumbling with the backing paper, wondering if I’d rolled it tight enough, checking it twice, maybe three times. Then there’s the viewfinder… huge, somewhat crusty, and a little alien at first. When you finally press the shutter, the sound is deep and mechanical. It’s not a click, it’s BLOODY SATISFYING.
I shot my Y30 Cedric while the streets were quiet, the long nose catching strips of gold from the overhanging sun. The big Fuji made me slow down, no burst mode, no chimping, no safety net. Just pick a frame, trust your meter (my iPhone lol), wind on, and hope you nailed it.
Tony’s AE86 by the beach in Port Melbourne, sitting low, the black and white breaking up against the pale sky. Sea breeze rolling through, gulls overhead, that late Melbourne glow wrapping everything in warmth. It’s the kind of scene you don’t rush with this camera. You wait for the light to slide just right along the panels, then you commit.
Even at the super chill Garage Sokudo meet, I could feel the GW690 changing how I shoot. Golden tones spilling over paintwork, long shadows stretching across the pavement. This camera isn’t meant for speed, and maybe that’s the point. It makes you stand still and actually see what’s in front of you.
I was lucky enough to catch Unmarked in Williamstown with next to no one around, giving me the perfect chance to shoot the Texas-Leica without any distractions.
Most of it went down on Kodak Gold 200 and Portra 400 for that warm nostalgia feeling.
Also, massive props to @josie.on.film and @foreverfilm_co for slipping me some extra rolls. Because eight frames aint enough…
