That was my family's camera. I remember it so well. It was the common man's item. Zenith was for professionals with more money. This one didn't focus through the viewfinder. All the calculations had to be done in the head. I still have the high end Zenith from the period, but I miss my Smena 8M. We used to develop our own film in a red room. So much nostalgia.
I thought my cheap camera collection was finished and then I learned about these the other day and was shocked at how inexpensive they are! And they can make nice, sharp images too! I'm gonna have to pick one up. What a wonderful little device!
Thank you so so so much for this video! My boyfriend's dad gave me his Smena 8M a few weeks ago and I've been staring at it like a complete idiot ever since lol. You just got another subscriber!
Wow I liked this manual. I've been using smena 8m for 2 years but I didn't find enough material about this camera. I think this will help my Smena experience 😍 (I was looking for unloading tips without damaging the film, it helped a lot)
μεγάλωσα με αυτή τη κάμερα και την ξέθαψα τώρα από το υπόγειο όπου και θέλω να ασχοληθώ ξανά με το φιλμ. πολύ ωραίο βίντεο σαν παιδί απλά τραβούσα με αυτήν, τώρα πιστεύω θα κάνω καλή δουλειά.
I found it in my great grandmas attic few days ago and it fully functions like its supposed to but you know since its been sitting around for a while its scratched and dirty other than that its good
Hello! Thank you for this very informative video, I really enjoyed it. I've recently found my father's Smena Symbol (I would guess it is around 40 yo now) and I am wondering if it works the same way as the Smena 8M that you demonstrated in this video. They look very similar!
Hi, I am looking to buy a camera like the smena 8M but I want to ask you something because I don’t know much in this sector. My question is which 35mm film should I buy ? I believe there are different film, but I don’t know the differences between them. Also, how do you convert the pictures you have taken to digital ? I don’t know if my questions seem « dumb » but like I said, I am new in this sector 😅. Great video by the way 👍 and sorry if my English is bad, I am French 🇫🇷
Salut! Avec cette caméra, tu peux utiliser toutes les pellicules 35mm (noir & blanc et couleur). Pour noir & blanc, je recommanderais les Ilford HP5 Plus et Kodak T-Max 400 car elles ne sont pas cher et sont faciles à trouver partout. Concernant les pellicules couleur, cela dépend des tons de couleurs et de l'esthétique que tu veux (et du prix). Par exemple, le Kodak Portra 400 est le plus extraordinaire mais cher. Kodak ColorPlus 200 et Fujicolor C200 sont de très bonnes options et pas trop chers. Il y a tellement plus et tu peux trouver des critiques avec des exemples sur l’internet et sur RUclips qui peuvent t’aider à choisir. Après avoir pris toutes les photos et développé la pellicule, la meilleure option c’est de numériser la pellicule (à l'aide d'un scanner de pellicule, ou de demander au magasin de photo, qui fera le développement, de le faire pour toi). Bonne chance!
Hi! It is just a simple cable release I got from e-bay some time ago. I think most of the cable releases will work. They were made in standard types that fit in almost all cameras.
Hi! You can find a conversion table here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_speed If your camera only has Soviet (GOST/ΓOCT) or German (DIN) values, you just have to convert your film's ISO/ASA into one of them. For example if you have a 200 ISO film it is equivalent to about 24 DIN or 180 GOST. For 400 ISO it is 27 DIN or 350 GOST. ISO values are very close to GOST, so for everyday use, you can assume that GOST equals to ISO and you will be fine. By the way here is a video for Smena 8, the model before the 8M: ruclips.net/video/OSF_Xu8af9o/видео.html
Thank you so much for replying back and giving me the advice and the link, it really helped a lot! And my biggest apologies, I forgot to put the "M", I got the Smena 8M, exactly the one of this video Thanks again for making this video, it is really helpful, happy holidays!!
I managed to create some fantastic multiple exposures with this camera but the last roll of film came out really dark, some photos you cannot even see, what did I probably do wrong? Could you please advise?
Too many things can cause a film to come out dark. If you are certain you had all of your camera settings correct (shutter speed, aperture compared to the film's ISO) and that the camera functions properly, then maybe the film was expired or the development was not correct.
@@FilmCameras i see thank you! I do actually think it was something in my settings, I don't think I use them correctly, but I am just not sure which of the settings would have made the greatest impact. I guess the shutter speed that is too low?
One way to see what went wrong is this: if your images have a large depth of field, i.e. both near and very far objects are all sharp in focus, then you have used a very small aperture, so no much light would have been able to come into the camera. On the other hand, Smena 8M shutter speed goes only up to 1/250 and this is not very fast compared to modern cameras, so it would probably be a combination of small aperture and high speed. But it also depends on your film's ISO and the lighting of your subject. If you took photos from interiors or exterior evening or night photos they will for sure come out dark if you don't use longer exposures or if you don't have a high ISO film. Try using a light meter (there are many mobile apps) or try using the "sunny f/16" rule. You can also try and take notes of your settings after every photo, so as to know afterwards what went wrong.
@@FilmCameras thank you so much!!! That was wonderful advice! I'll try to do all of that, I did consider making notes but I keep forgetting. Thank you so much for all the help 🤗
🇫🇷🇫🇷 Merci pour cette superbe vidéo, très détaillée ! J'ai retrouvé cette caméra chez mes grands-parents donc elle m'a été très utile. Mais il n'y a plus la bobine vide à l'intérieur est-ce que tu saurais où je pourrais m'en procurer une ?
Merci! La bobine vide est la même que celle qui se trouve à l'intérieur de la cartouche de film 35 mm. Ainsi, tu peux procurer une dans un magasin de photographie, où ils développent des pellicules. Ils en ont généralement de rechange et souvent peuvent les donner gratuitement. Sinon, tu peux en acheter en ligne.
Hello! I bought a refurbushed Smena from ETSY but I ended up getting a blank roll. Is there anything specific to the SMENA that I need to check that is/isn't working properly that would cause this?
Hi! There are a couple of reasons for having a blank roll. On of the most common is that the film was not properly engaged to the take-up spool and never actually advanced. Or the advance mechanism might have a problem. Make sure that the film can advance properly. Also, there might be problems with severe light leaks. Is the back door light proof? Are there any broken parts that let light in? After loading the film you can tape the back around to make sure no light enters. On last thing: If your roll of film, after being developed, is completely blank, not only regarding the image, but also the film's markings (the small numbers and letters running below identifying the frame number and type of film), then there usually is a problem with the film development and not a camera problem.
If you mean winding the film each time after taking each photo, as in the video, you turn the winding knob as much as it takes until it stops and can't be turned any more. Usually about 2-3 times. But if the knob turns freely without stopping at all, then something is probably broken.
You can easily find a spool in many ways. You can go to a photography shop where they develop films, and you can ask for one. It is the same spool that is inside the 35mm cassette. They usually give them away for free because when they develop a film they throw the spools and the cassettes away. You can also buy some online, or in the worst case buy two films and spoil the one to get the spool from inside.
Setting the ASA according to the film you have selected, will make it easier for you to use the camera without worrying about manual settings. After setting the ASA, you just choose the weather icons (cloudy, sunny etc.) that fit the situation you are in, make sure you focus to the correct distance from your subject and most probably the photo you'll get will be correct.
Yes, you leave the ASA as it is and you only change the weather symbols (shutter speed) and of course you also set the focus depending on the conditions.
That was my family's camera. I remember it so well. It was the common man's item. Zenith was for professionals with more money. This one didn't focus through the viewfinder. All the calculations had to be done in the head. I still have the high end Zenith from the period, but I miss my Smena 8M. We used to develop our own film in a red room. So much nostalgia.
I thought my cheap camera collection was finished and then I learned about these the other day and was shocked at how inexpensive they are! And they can make nice, sharp images too! I'm gonna have to pick one up. What a wonderful little device!
Wonderful demonstration. I have a SMENA which has been sitting around for a couple of years and now I feel comfortable using it. Thank you.
soo satisfying to watch these manuals!!! Keep it up!
This was such a nice manual for this camera!! I recently found one & wanting to try it out for a while! Thank you😊
Thank you so so so much for this video! My boyfriend's dad gave me his Smena 8M a few weeks ago and I've been staring at it like a complete idiot ever since lol. You just got another subscriber!
Thanks!
Смена, мой первый фотик. Прям ностальгия, аж внутри что то задрожало
found this camera in the old storage room of the house we're renting, i can't wait to get film for it and start using it!!
Wonderful demonstration !
I just bought this the day before yesterday.
I am very looking forward to using it to shoot my first roll of negatives.😍
Great video. Smena 8M was my first ever camera. After watching your video I wanna be 8 years old again :)
Wow I liked this manual. I've been using smena 8m for 2 years but I didn't find enough material about this camera. I think this will help my Smena experience 😍 (I was looking for unloading tips without damaging the film, it helped a lot)
μεγάλωσα με αυτή τη κάμερα και την ξέθαψα τώρα από το υπόγειο όπου και θέλω να ασχοληθώ ξανά με το φιλμ. πολύ ωραίο βίντεο σαν παιδί απλά τραβούσα με αυτήν, τώρα πιστεύω θα κάνω καλή δουλειά.
Thank you!!
I have two camera Smena 8m and this vídeo will help me to begin to use them.
Awesome video. Definitely will be purchasing this camera. Can't stand my point and shoot cameras that abruptly decide to stop functioning properly
I found it in my great grandmas attic few days ago and it fully functions like its supposed to but you know since its been sitting around for a while its scratched and dirty other than that its good
Fantastic presentation. Thanks a lot
Awesome video!! It helps me to understand better how my smena works 👌🏼
Happy to have helped!
Hello! Thank you for this very informative video, I really enjoyed it. I've recently found my father's Smena Symbol (I would guess it is around 40 yo now) and I am wondering if it works the same way as the Smena 8M that you demonstrated in this video. They look very similar!
Can you make how to use with LOMO BLIK rangefinder? Awesome video manual.
Hi, I am looking to buy a camera like the smena 8M but I want to ask you something because I don’t know much in this sector. My question is which 35mm film should I buy ? I believe there are different film, but I don’t know the differences between them. Also, how do you convert the pictures you have taken to digital ? I don’t know if my questions seem « dumb » but like I said, I am new in this sector 😅. Great video by the way 👍 and sorry if my English is bad, I am French 🇫🇷
Salut! Avec cette caméra, tu peux utiliser toutes les pellicules 35mm (noir & blanc et couleur). Pour noir & blanc, je recommanderais les Ilford HP5 Plus et Kodak T-Max 400 car elles ne sont pas cher et sont faciles à trouver partout. Concernant les pellicules couleur, cela dépend des tons de couleurs et de l'esthétique que tu veux (et du prix). Par exemple, le Kodak Portra 400 est le plus extraordinaire mais cher. Kodak ColorPlus 200 et Fujicolor C200 sont de très bonnes options et pas trop chers. Il y a tellement plus et tu peux trouver des critiques avec des exemples sur l’internet et sur RUclips qui peuvent t’aider à choisir.
Après avoir pris toutes les photos et développé la pellicule, la meilleure option c’est de numériser la pellicule (à l'aide d'un scanner de pellicule, ou de demander au magasin de photo, qui fera le développement, de le faire pour toi). Bonne chance!
@@FilmCameras thank you for your reply ! I will take a look at what you said.
Great video😊 What kind of cable release exactly do you have? For smena
Hi! It is just a simple cable release I got from e-bay some time ago. I think most of the cable releases will work. They were made in standard types that fit in almost all cameras.
Love the channel!
WHAT A VIDEO!!!! ❤
Excelente video muchas gracias!
i had one once... excelent quality fotos.
Hello!
Hi! You can find a conversion table here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_speed If your camera only has Soviet (GOST/ΓOCT) or German (DIN) values, you just have to convert your film's ISO/ASA into one of them. For example if you have a 200 ISO film it is equivalent to about 24 DIN or 180 GOST. For 400 ISO it is 27 DIN or 350 GOST. ISO values are very close to GOST, so for everyday use, you can assume that GOST equals to ISO and you will be fine. By the way here is a video for Smena 8, the model before the 8M: ruclips.net/video/OSF_Xu8af9o/видео.html
Thank you so much for replying back and giving me the advice and the link, it really helped a lot!
And my biggest apologies, I forgot to put the "M", I got the Smena 8M, exactly the one of this video
Thanks again for making this video, it is really helpful, happy holidays!!
I managed to create some fantastic multiple exposures with this camera but the last roll of film came out really dark, some photos you cannot even see, what did I probably do wrong? Could you please advise?
Too many things can cause a film to come out dark. If you are certain you had all of your camera settings correct (shutter speed, aperture compared to the film's ISO) and that the camera functions properly, then maybe the film was expired or the development was not correct.
@@FilmCameras i see thank you! I do actually think it was something in my settings, I don't think I use them correctly, but I am just not sure which of the settings would have made the greatest impact. I guess the shutter speed that is too low?
One way to see what went wrong is this: if your images have a large depth of field, i.e. both near and very far objects are all sharp in focus, then you have used a very small aperture, so no much light would have been able to come into the camera. On the other hand, Smena 8M shutter speed goes only up to 1/250 and this is not very fast compared to modern cameras, so it would probably be a combination of small aperture and high speed. But it also depends on your film's ISO and the lighting of your subject. If you took photos from interiors or exterior evening or night photos they will for sure come out dark if you don't use longer exposures or if you don't have a high ISO film. Try using a light meter (there are many mobile apps) or try using the "sunny f/16" rule. You can also try and take notes of your settings after every photo, so as to know afterwards what went wrong.
@@FilmCameras thank you so much!!! That was wonderful advice! I'll try to do all of that, I did consider making notes but I keep forgetting. Thank you so much for all the help 🤗
@@katyab2970 don't forget that double exposure means double amount of light, Try not to overexpose your frames, they can turn out really whitened
hi dude, i have a question. I lost winding knob.i replaced it with a 35mm film roll knob.will there be any problem?
Where did you add other supplies (like flash?) I can't find it anywhere
Maybe you can find them on thrift stores or on line in sites like ebay
Отличные видео фильмы получились
🇫🇷🇫🇷
Merci pour cette superbe vidéo, très détaillée !
J'ai retrouvé cette caméra chez mes grands-parents donc elle m'a été très utile. Mais il n'y a plus la bobine vide à l'intérieur est-ce que tu saurais où je pourrais m'en procurer une ?
Merci! La bobine vide est la même que celle qui se trouve à l'intérieur de la cartouche de film 35 mm. Ainsi, tu peux procurer une dans un magasin de photographie, où ils développent des pellicules. Ils en ont généralement de rechange et souvent peuvent les donner gratuitement. Sinon, tu peux en acheter en ligne.
@@FilmCameras d'accord merci beaucoup !
Thank you for video! I just would like to know if Smena 8M shoots black and white naturally
You can choose to load both black & white and colour film all the same.
Nice :)
Perfect vídeo!
Does it needs batteries or any kind of power?
No you don't need batteries. It is all manual.
@@FilmCameras thank youuuu🙏🏻
Hello! I bought a refurbushed Smena from ETSY but I ended up getting a blank roll. Is there anything specific to the SMENA that I need to check that is/isn't working properly that would cause this?
Hi! There are a couple of reasons for having a blank roll. On of the most common is that the film was not properly engaged to the take-up spool and never actually advanced. Or the advance mechanism might have a problem. Make sure that the film can advance properly. Also, there might be problems with severe light leaks. Is the back door light proof? Are there any broken parts that let light in? After loading the film you can tape the back around to make sure no light enters. On last thing: If your roll of film, after being developed, is completely blank, not only regarding the image, but also the film's markings (the small numbers and letters running below identifying the frame number and type of film), then there usually is a problem with the film development and not a camera problem.
@@FilmCameras Thank you so much for answering! I'll definitely keep all of these in mind!
How many rounds we need to wrap up after you press the shutter, please help me?
If you mean winding the film each time after taking each photo, as in the video, you turn the winding knob as much as it takes until it stops and can't be turned any more. Usually about 2-3 times. But if the knob turns freely without stopping at all, then something is probably broken.
I got this camera as a gift from my dad, only to realize that i am missing the spool:(((
i'm so sad i was so excited to take pictures:((
You can easily find a spool in many ways. You can go to a photography shop where they develop films, and you can ask for one. It is the same spool that is inside the 35mm cassette. They usually give them away for free because when they develop a film they throw the spools and the cassettes away. You can also buy some online, or in the worst case buy two films and spoil the one to get the spool from inside.
Excelent, OK💯
I don't understand that if I set din or roct-asa at focus, what is the alp? Please help someone :(
Setting the ASA according to the film you have selected, will make it easier for you to use the camera without worrying about manual settings. After setting the ASA, you just choose the weather icons (cloudy, sunny etc.) that fit the situation you are in, make sure you focus to the correct distance from your subject and most probably the photo you'll get will be correct.
@@FilmCameras thank you :) (im hungarian)
@@FilmCameras maybe you meant this, I don't know, but if it's marked on the film as 250 din, then if I set it to that and leave it as it is, it's OK?
Yes, you leave the ASA as it is and you only change the weather symbols (shutter speed) and of course you also set the focus depending on the conditions.
@@FilmCameras then I thought well, thank you
is kodak film compatible ?
Yes, you can use any 35mm film
это где и на каком языке
Gist means it’s approved by the governemt and they assure it is quality in russia gost
34/35