Back in 2008, I was a student and my friend’s girlfriend bought a Nikon D40 SLR camera. When I looked at the digital images taken with the SLR, I was impressed by their color and details compared to other cameras of that time (digital soap). I really liked the entry-level DSLR, so I sold my iPhone 3G and bought the Nikon D40 kit. This started my journey into photography. I worked as a wedding and reportage photographer for several years. Now, I work in social media and photography is my passion. However, I still don’t know where my photography will take me.
Over the years, I’ve had a lot of different photographic equipment. Nikon cameras and lenses have always had a special place in my collection.A few years ago I saw large-format cameras and became interested in analog film photography. Of course I started with 35mm film.
Living in Siberia where winters are harsh, I needed a camera that could operate at -40°C. I already had some Nikon lenses, so I searched for a compatible camera. I found Nikon FM on the bulletin boards.The seller said the camera had a frost-resistant Copal square shutter, which was great news. The camera worked at -35°C, so the seller wasn’t lying.
Near my house there’s an open-air railway museum that celebrates its 25-year anniversary this year. I’d never been there before, so we decided to go with my kids and see old trains. I brought three lenses: Zenitar 16mm f/2.8, Nikkor 24mm f/ 2.8 and Nikkor 50mm f/1.8. The film was Fomapan 200.
There we saw real railway equipment on tracks that were about 3 km long. We saw steam, electric, diesel and electric trains, as well as wagons. I corrected the Zenitar shots in Photoshop to fix the fisheye distortion. Other lenses were just cropped and sharpened. It was a great day for everyone. As soon as the weather gets warmer, I want to shoot with the Intrepid 4×5 camera at this location.
If anyone knows about frost-resistant film cameras, please let me know.
Share this post:
Comments
Reed George on Frozen Trains and a bit of my backstory into photography
Comment posted: 13/04/2025
Gary Smith on Frozen Trains and a bit of my backstory into photography
Comment posted: 13/04/2025
I recently acquired a Toyo 45a large format camera and it has a Nikkor 150 lens with a Copal shutter but shooting at -40°C isn't on my list of activities I need to try! What film stock will you be shooting with your 4 x 5?
Geoff Chaplin on Frozen Trains and a bit of my backstory into photography
Comment posted: 13/04/2025
Scott Ferguson on Frozen Trains and a bit of my backstory into photography
Comment posted: 13/04/2025
Cool (cold) shots! They look like they could have been taken any time in the last 90 years. I spent some time shooting in some cold weather in the Canadian Rockies during the recent winter. I'm took a few shots with my Leica M3 in the -20's C, but never ventured out as cold at -40C. I'm curious how you protect your hands while shooting in weather that cold? I found it very awkward to work the controls with gloves on, but couldn't really last more than a few frames taking my gloves off to change shutter speed, focus and shoot when it was that cold -- so I don't know the lower limit of what the M3 can handle. I did try out a Barnack Leica iiif in -17-20C and it wasn't working well at all -- it felt like the frame advance knob wasn't 'landing' right and when I got the film back, there were only four fully exposed frames. I was doing a 'test roll' to see if I wanted to purchase the camera. It was in gorgeous condition in the original box, but it was being sold at a 'ready to go' price, as opposed to a 'get a CLA before you take it out' price, so I returned it to the shop on the following day. The guys at the store said they shot a test roll after I returned it, and the camera worked fine. They suggested the lubricants in the camera that kept the various gears and moving parts working might not have been able to handle that temperature. I did keep the 1949 Summitar 50mm f2 that I was using to try it out, which is now one of my favorite lenses to take out and do street shooting with the M3. I can't wait to see more shots at the railyard!
DANIEL STEVENSON on Frozen Trains and a bit of my backstory into photography
Comment posted: 14/04/2025
Paul Quellin on Frozen Trains and a bit of my backstory into photography
Comment posted: 14/04/2025