I’ve been looking at this camera for some time now, and I have finally decided to take the plunge! I purchased the Mint InstantKon RF70 on Saturday morning and received the shipping confirmation early this morning. I am hoping it gets here before I leave for my trip to my Mom’s place. That is 13 days away, which is cutting it close. The camera is coming from Hong Kong and with COVID causing all sorts of delays, I may be out of luck for my vacation. I’m staying positive though that it will still show up before I leave!
Some background: The RF70 is considered a top of the line Instant camera. I believe it is the only fully manual Instant camera available. When using it, you have control over the aperture and shutter speed. Currently, the camera alone costs $899 US, and that does not include some of the extra accessories you can purchase. Since I was spending the money, I went ahead and selected the Ultimate Package. This will include 3x Neutral Density filters, a hood, 2x packs of film, and a camera strap. I’m glad they have the ND filters available, as Instax Wide ISO is 800, and I prefer to shoot during bright, sunny days.
So, all of that being said, I am stupid excited for this camera. It will be my first instant venture outside of Polaroid. I’ve been doing a lot of research on it and have found some interesting hacks that I plan to attempt. The first one I am going to try involves making another filter attachment. I found this hack through an Instagram account that I follow, @myinstantimages. This person uses the RF70 frequently and has a lot of really great tips. I’m basically following his mod instructions to the T. I will post another entry on that modification specifically, once I get the equipment. The best part about all of it is, the filter setup that I am going with will be compatible with my Sony camera as well.
I also took the time to reacquaint myself with how to use an external light meter. This is something I was taught back in junior high school and never used again. It’s definitely interesting. I don’t have an actual light meter so I will be using the application, “myLightMeter.” I have no clue how well this works, so I will probably post on that as well once I have some experience using the app along side my camera.
The final purchase I have made for my camera was a journal. Being a total Disney nerd, I decided to use this great find from the Disney Store in order to track the settings used on all of my shots. Since I try to incorporate a sense of adventure in all of my photographs, this “Quests of Yore,” journal is perfect! It’s from the most recent Disney Pixar movie release, “Onward.”
So, in short, I’m motivated and excited again. This purchase was much needed. Life in general has been rough with everything going on in the world. I feel like this camera is saving me from the stress and anxiety that has resulted from that craziness. I can not wait to begin this journey.
Old Hat Project 