So, I finally got my hands on a Tessina 35, that tiny little spy camera I’ve been hunting for. I was stoked! First thing I did was grab a roll of film – some good old Kodak Tri-X 400, my go-to black and white. Gotta start with the classics, right?
Loading the Film
Loading this thing was… an experience. It’s not like your regular 35mm camera. I mean, this camera is smaller than my phone! I had to carefully watch a couple of videos,fumbled around with the tiny film spool and the even tinier take-up spool.
- Step 1: Open the back. This was trickier than I thought, with a little latch I had to fiddle with.
- Step 2: Insert the film. Super tiny spools. Like, ridiculously small.
- Step 3: Make sure the film is advancing. It’s got a manual advance, and you gotta make sure those little sprockets catch.
I probably wasted a few frames just making sure the film was advancing properly. It’s all manual, no fancy auto-loading here. You gotta crank that little knob and listen for the clicks. Old school.
Taking Pictures
Then came the fun part – actually taking pictures! The viewfinder is… well, let’s just say it’s “compact.” Really, really small. I found my eye squeezing a little bit to view through the tiny viewfinder. But hey, it’s part of the charm, I guess.
I played with different light conditions to get more pictures, I even took photos in the house, outside in the yard, and even in the grocery store to see the effect of the light.
I wandered around town, snapping shots of anything that caught my eye. Street scenes, buildings, people – the usual stuff. It felt weirdly clandestine, holding this tiny camera. I probably looked like a total goofball, but I didn’t care.
Developing the film
After I finished the roll (which didn’t take long, given its size), I took another long time to rewind the film back.I mean, I was really nervous about messing it up.
The Result
I got the film developed. The results? Mixed, to be honest. Some shots were surprisingly sharp, considering the camera’s size and age. Others were blurry, out of focus, or just plain weird. It’s definitely a camera with a learning curve.
And you know what I’m most excited about? My next practical exercise!