Agfa Optima Sensor 535 overview

During my mad rush for a compact rangefinder, I went on a hunt for an Agfa Optima Sensor 1535, one of the more unique- and interesting-looking, and one of the last, compact rangefinders out there. They’re fairly rare, and usually in the $100+ range, so when I spotted one on Etsy for $50, I jumped on it. When I opened the box and found a 535, I was first annoyed, then angered, and later realized it was probably my own mad rush, and not anything nefarious from the seller.

It’s not at all what I wanted—a compact rangefinder—or expected, but I gave it a try anyway, and I’m pleasantly surprised…

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building a new sweep

After 2 or 3 years of use, my previous foam board sweep was dented and dinged, but still mostly usable, but it was just a bit too small. I had some leftover foam board sitting around, and promised Jim Grey that I’d write up a how-to post, so I made a new one over the weekend.

Really, it’s very easy to make one of these. You need 4 things: a sheet of white (or black, or whatever color) foam board, a straight edge, an X-Acto knife (or other sharp blade), and about 15 minutes.

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Unboxing ‘Suburban East Tokyo’

Dominic Teagle‘s “Suburban East Tokyo” zine documents the Edogawa district of Tokyo, a not-yet-gentrified part of the sprawling metropolis. I don’t know much about Tokyo, but this area looks like every other suburb of a large, sprawling city I’ve ever seen, a humble, working class melange of homes and small businesses—Teagle refers to them as “lacunae in the fabric of the megacity”—and it’s clear that some developer or city planner is likely drooling over the prospect of opening up this area to development. 

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Mercy

Today, I’m grateful for (and hope for) Allah’s mercy.

Abu Hurarirah narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said

إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مِائَةَ رَحْمَةٍ قَسَمَ مِنْهَا رَحْمَةً بَيْنَ جَمِيعِ الْخَلاَئِقِ فَبِهَا يَتَرَاحَمُونَ وَبِهَا يَتَعَاطَفُونَ وَبِهَا تَعْطِفُ الْوَحْشُ عَلَى أَوْلاَدِهَا وَأَخَّرَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ رَحْمَةً يَرْحَمُ بِهَا عِبَادَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

Allah has one hundred (degrees of) mercy, of which He has shared one between all of creation, by virtue of which you show mercy and compassion towards one another and the wild animals show compassion towards their young. And He has kept back ninety-nine (degrees of) mercy by virtue of which He will show mercy to His slaves on the Day of Resurrection.

Allah is truly, Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem, Al-Ghafur. Ya Allah forgive me!

#PolaroidWeek! (1)

It’s Polaroid Week again! Woo! I’ve been a bit slow so far, just 2 packs of Instax, 1 of new Polaroid Originals iType Color, and 1 (my last) of Impossible Project 600, but I have two packs loaded so more to come later… For now, lets compare/contrast the old Impossible Color, the new iType color, and Instax Mini.

Apologies in advance for my poor cropping. It’s more accurate than the viewfinder on the OneStep 2, but that’s not saying much… most of these are askew and show some bit of scanner lid. Shame on me, but I’m too lazy to re-crop just now. Continue reading “#PolaroidWeek! (1)”