The Twirly Camera

These are pictures created using my Noblex 06-150. I have a lot of fun using it, and I hope that shows in the pictures. I made a post about it here if you want to read more about it.

The Columbia Gorge from Crown Point, Panorama

Panoramic picture of the Columbia Gorge as seen from Crown Point, Oregon by Gary Quay

A picture from the “twirly camera.” I had to crop some off of the ends because this thing is really wide.

Camera: Noblex 06-150
Film: Fuji Velvia 100

The Middle of the Road, Dry Creek Canyon Bridge, Oregon

The Middle of the Road at Dry Creek Canyon Bridge, Oregon in the columbia gorge by Gary Quay

I took this in March, just as the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic was beginning to close the nation down. I used the camera that I have been referring to as the”Twirly Camera”, because the lens spins on a turret to get the wide angle. It creates some interesting effcts, some of which are welcome. It doesn’t do nearby objects very well, but if you get it just right, objects like the guardrails in this picture will seem to splay out before you. I like it.

Camera: Noblex 06/160
Film: Kodak Ektar 100

Bridge of the Gods Panorama, Winter 2020

The Bridge of the Gods in the Columbia Gorge in the Winter of 2020, taken with a panoramic camera by Gary Quay

I took this with the Twirly Camera before I got it repaired. I like the picture, especially the way the picture is bent around a center axis. It isn’t suitable for selling due to the shuttering of the turret as the lens turned. The camera, however, is repaired, and so I hope to make more images like this one.

Camera: Noblex 06/150
Film: Fuji Velvia 50

Haystack Rock and Cannon Beach

From February of this year. I used the Twirly Camera for this, but it turns out that it needs some repair. The gears are grinding a bit, and the negatives turn out uneven. There’s a place that fixes them in the midwest. I’m sending it there soon.

Camera: Noblex 06/150
Film: Fomapan 100

Along the Old Gorge Highway Near Mosier, Oregon

A barn and field along the Historic Columbia River Highway in Oregon by Gary Quay

One of the first images I made with the “twirly camera.” This is along a rare straight stretch of the Historic Columbia River Highway a few miles east of the town of Mosier, Oregon.

Camera: Noblex 06-150
Film: Kodak Portra 400

Rolling Hills South of The Dalles, Oregon

I took this with a camera that I’ve taken to calling “The Twirly Camera” because the lens spins to expose the picture. I’m still learning how to use it.

Camera: Nobles 06-150
Film: Kodak T-Max 100

Horsethief Lake, Washington

Horsethief Lake has one of the great western names. Names like Stavation Creek, Deadmans Pass, Mount Defiance, Cape Dissappointment, Cape Foulweather. etc.

Camera: Noblex 06/150
Film: Kodak T-Max 100

The Zigzag River, January 2021

I panoramic photography of the Zigzag River near Mt. Hood in Oregon by Gary Quay

I took the Twirly Camera out to the Zigzag River a couple of weeks ago, and made a 1.5 second exposure on a bridge at the Paradise Park Trailhead. The sun was almost shining, as it sometimes does in the pacific northwest, and a little dappled light flitted among the branches. I almost destroyed the film when I opened the camera back, thinking that I had used the last picture, but had not, then I almost destroyed it while loading it on the reel in the darkroom, and then almost destroyed it by forgetting which step I was on while developing it. I got two usable pictures out of 6. That’s a 1/3 success. I’ll take it.

Camera: Noblex 06/150
Film: Kodak T-Max 100 developed in D76.

Under Rowena Crest Panorama, September 2020 # 2

A dry-side forest under Rowena Crest in the Columbia Gorge, Oregon taken in September 2020 by Gary Quay

I had the Twirly Camera out for a spin in the eastern Columbia Gorge in September. I like this area, which is between hood River, and The Dalles, Oregon.

I finally have my darkroom up and running (for the most part), and I’m going through my backlog of developers, trying to decide on which ones I will stick with. I had some Photographer’s Formulary Exactol Lux that has been cooling its heels in a box since May of 2015. I had heard that it has a good shelf life, so I gave it a try. I developed 2 rolls of film. One T-Max 100 and 1 HP5+. Exactol Lux is supposed to be able to develop different films in the same tank for the same time. I wanted to try it out. The results were a bit thin on the negative. I had read that the developer does not create as much density as standard developers, but these negatives were seemed unusable. I threw the developer away. Then I lookeed closesly at the negatves a few days later, and noticed all of the detail was there. I fished the developer back out of the trash. This is one of the negs. I like the way it looks. Maybe next time, I’ll add a minute or so to the time, and see if that gives me more density.

Camera: Noblex 06-150
Film: Kodak T-Max 100 developed in Exactol Lux.

Cannon Beach, Early October, 2020

A panoramic photograph of Cannon Beach, Oregon, and its Haystack Rock by Gary Quay

I took the Twirly Camera out to the Oregon Coast recently, and stood on a grassy knoll near the famed Haystack Rock. I avoided a drone, and the mask-optional crowd to get this picture.

I developed it in a new Arista tank that I just bought. They didn’t put the amount of liquid to use, and I had the film in it already, so I estimated. Most tanks take about 500ml for medium format, right? Wrong. The bottom 1/4” was very light. It takes 600ml. I corrected that with the next roll. I lost a little of the bottom of this picture.

Camera: Noblex 06/150
Film: Kodak T-Max 100 developed in Eco-Pro (Xtol) Film Developer.

The Dalles Dam Panorama, Summer 2021

I adore The Dalles area, and this is one of my fovorite spots there. I had The Twirly Camera out there in June of 2021, and this is the result.

Camera: Noblex 06/150
Film: Kodak E100

Dufur, Oregon, July 2020

I had the Twirly Camera out for a spin in Dufur during July. I had just got it back from Precision Camera Works, where they replaced the gears that spin the turret, among other things. But, before I could scan the any of the negatives, my scanner started leaving lines in the scans. Strangely enough, the camera was also leaving lines in the negatives. The when the gears go bad, the turret hesitates, and causes areas of more density. Both the camera and the scanner had issues that caused the same thing. Whodathunkit? Both are fixed now. I had the scanner fixed at Portland Printer Place. Good people. They need your support.

Camera: Noblex 06-150
Film: Kodak T-Max 100

Baskett Slough Panorama, July 2021

I was out with some photographer friends from Salem, Oregon to do some panoramas at the Baskett Slough. It was a bit hot, and I was a bit dry, but a good time was had by all.

Camera: Noblex 06/150
Film: Kodak E100

Lewis and Clark Park, Troutdale, Oregon

I had the Twirly Camera out for a “spin” in early november as the fall colors were peaking in the Columbia Gorge. Naturally, I had black and white film in the camera, but I really like the way this turned out.

Camera: Noblex 06/150
Film: Kodak T-Max 100 developed in Eco=Pro Film Developer (Xtol).

The Historic Columbia River Highway at Mosier, Oregon

This is from a Gorge trip earlier in November. I had the twirly Camera out for another spin, and brought this home. The camera had a hickup of some sort, because this picture and the one before it had less density in the center. No other pictures on the roll had the same issue.

Camera: Noblex 06/150
Film: Kodak T-Max 100 Developed in Eco-Pro Film Developer.

Twirly Camera Triple at The Bridge of the Gods

I had the Twirly Camera out for a spin (pun intended) in October, just as the leaves were starting to change. I wanted to see what would happen it I took it out of a horizontal plane, and boy howdy did it make that bridge dance.

Camera: Nobles 06/150
Film: Kodak 400NC -expired 2008, but freezer kept.

Sherman County, Oregon, October 2021

I had the Twirly Camera out to Sherman County, Oregon in October of 2021. There was some interesting lighting, and a lot of wind.

I accidentally rated this film as 400 ASA, thinking that it was Rollei RPX 400. I made a correction in the darkroom, and it seems to have solved the problem.

Camera: Noblex 06/150
Lens: 50mm Tessar
Film: Ilford FP4+ Developed in Photographers Formulary FA-1027.

Smith Rock, Oregon, June 2023

I made it back to Smith Rock in early June 2023, this time with the Twirly Camera. I think it did a fine job.

Camera: Noblex 05/150
Lens: 50mm Tessar
Film: Ilford Pan F Plus developed in Ilford Ilfotec HC 1:62 for 8 min.