Semflex Kentmere Pan 100 - a photo on Flickriver

            This is the test film of my Semflex Standard 3.5, a French TLR camera year 1959.

For the test the camera was equipped with either the Semflex yellow X2 filter or a FOCA protective Anti-UV. The photographic lens was equipped with either the Semflex squared shade hood or a FOCA hood when used with the FOCA filter.

Expositions were determined for 100 ISO (50 ISO with the yellow filter x2) using a Minolta Autometer III equipped with a 10° finder for selective measures privileging the shadow areas. Focusing was easily done using the camera screen and the build-in loup attached to the view finder. 

Typically I used the 1/50s or the 1/100s with aperture ranging from f/11 to the full aperture f/3.5. One view was fully and accidentally overexposed because my finger met the shutter cocking lever during its course causing a long uncontrolled exposition. 

The camera is fully manual. The film advance and the shutter are not coupled so cares and attention should taken to avoid unwanted double exposures. The view counting is made by observation of the roll paper marks through a small orange window. 

Rue des Tables Claudiennes, May 26, 2024
69001 Lyon
France

After the view #12 exposed, the film was fully rolled to the taking spool and was developed in a Paterson tank with a spiral adapted to the 70mm large film. 500 mL of Adox Adonal (Agfa Rodinal) developer were prepared at the dilution 1+25 and the film processed for 5min30 at 20°C.

While waiting for adapted material, digitizing were made using fortune means using my smartphone Vivio 76 and a small LED panel. The JPEG files obtained were inverted within LR and edited to the final jpeg pictures. 

About the camera and lenses :

New in my camera collection this French Semflex TLR year 1959-1960 equipped with f=75mm SOM Berthiot lenses. 

The SEM company ("Société des Etablissements Modernes de Mécanique") was founded in France by Paul Royet in 1946, in the small city of Aurec near Saint-Etienne (Loire). The SEM camera's was known essentially for the TLR Semflex that were a great commercial success in France until the 70's. The camera's are constructed around an injected aluminum alloy chassis, very resistant and rigid permitting precise optical alignments. The focusing mechanism is made of a cam system like the Rolleiflex giving an accurate and smooth focusing. SEM constructed their own shutters called Orec with 5 leaves capable of the 1/400s to 1s with B. 

Semflex received in majority French optics Berthiot with 3 or 4 lenses (Tessar type). Some camera's were also mounted with Angénieux lenses.

Semflex were trusted TLR camera's used by amateurs and for professional purposes. From 1949 to 1976, 171.000 Semflex were produced in many different types and versions. 

My Semflex in a middle grade version Standard 3.5 type-10 (1959-1960). It was the last version mounted with the 3-lens SOM Berthiot 1:3.5 f=75mm. I got the camera with set of accessories  and several documents including the user manual of the Semflex Standard 4.5 versions. The accessories include a leather SEM ever-ready bag, a Semflex push-on shade hood, a Semflex push-on yellow filter x2 in its original box, and close-focusing lenses. The 1D one is constructed with a prism for the finder lens that compensates the parallax in the zone 1m to 0.5m.

The decorative ring around each lenses can also receive push-on accessories in 36mm diameter as the FOCA or Leitz 36mm filter series. I adapted two protective lens caps from Kodak film canister snapped covers.

This Semflex is my first medium format camera and I have to adapt my materials for the digitization of 120-format films. While waiting for the accessories to be delivered soon, I did however a first test film in Lyon, France, on May 26 2024, showing that the camera is functioning correctly.

Taken on: May 28, 2024

Tags:

SEM

Semflex

TLR

camera

Year

1959

Made

Aurec

Loire

France

SOM

Berthiot

lens

1:3.5

f=75mm

Kentmere

Pan

100

Lyon

69001

Adox

Adonal

Agfa

Rodinal

1+25

dilution « less

Sets appears in: • Semflex Standard Kentmere Pan 100

Groups appears in: • Lyon Urban Photographie

Stats: 543 views

go back