This Pentacon Six TL belongs to one of our staff members.  He salvaged it out of a box of camera rejects.  It has a peeling leatherette, the frame counter doesn't work, the shutter jams up in cold weather, and the frame spacing is waaaay off (averaging about 8 exposures per roll).  It has been with him for several years now.  There is certainly beauty in the relationship between a busted camera and a committed photographer.  Getting to know a camera, learning all its strengths and quirks, carrying it for years, making countless photos together - that is one of the biggest factors informing the answer to the question, 'why film?'

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Yet another annual trip down to the cherry blossoms in Portland's Waterfront Park, this year we brought along the Pentacon Six TL.  With the dreamy bokeh of its Carl Zeiss Jena lenses, we figured it was a great destination to bring this camera.

Film recommendations for the blossoms?  If you like your colors bombastic, go with Kodak Ektar 100 or Fuji Velvia 50.  If you like your colors to be a soft melody, stick with Kodak Portra.  If you are of the alternative/experimental mindset, pick up a roll of Lomochrome Purple.

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Oh, the dreaded last day of summer vacation!  This particular almost-third grader celebrated theirs with ice cream and, of course, cameras were present.  In this case, a Pentacon Six TL loaded with Kodak Portra 160 color film.

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For many of us, photography is a diary, a journal, a chronicling of our lives.  This relationship can bring up many questions. Do we photograph because we are afraid to forget, because we are afraid to be forgotten?  Are our photos a form of immortality, or at least extended longevity, bits and pieces of us that can live for decades or centuries longer than ourselves?  And what about the effects of outsourcing our memory to our cameras?  Does it make us better at remembering or worse?  Is it a case of I photograph, therefore I am?  Does photography bring me more into the moment, or become an obstacle between me and the moment? 

These questions have no definitive answers.  Each of us finds our own response and, like our photographs, those responses will differ from photographer to photographer.  Perhaps the value isn't even in the answers but in the consideration of the questions. 

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The Pentacon Six was some East German's wild idea to crossbreed a Pentax 6x7 with a Hasselblad 500C.  It holds and operates like the former, but uses Zeiss lenses to make 6x6 images like the latter.  The bodies should always be approached with extreme skepticism but the characteristics of the lenses are awesome.

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Before you ask, sorry; this particular Pentacon Six TL is not for sale.  It is the beloved property of one of our staff, who had it out this weekend, finishing up a roll of film before sending the camera off for servicing.  If you can find one of these guys, definitely think about getting it.  These cameras have a lovely aesthetic to them and the Carl Zeiss Jena lenses have wonderful character.   Just be forewarned, the cameras can be mechanically finicky and buying one, sight unseen, is a risky proposition.  Our advice is to figure in the cost of the inevitable repair bill and pay accordingly.

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