So what’s going on here? I laid out some old lead typefaces and photographed them with a 24mp mirrorless digital camera. But I used a Voigtlander lens. Voigtlander being one of the oldest names in cameras, founded in Vienna. But, of course, the Voigtlander name is now used by Cosina who manufacture modern film cameras and lenses.
Some old lead typefaces, photographed with a Nex-7 and Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 lens.
I’ve then imported my RAW digital file and converted it into black and white and given it a filmic look. I could, of course, have used one of the 1950s lenses that I have. I could also have used a film camera (old or new) with one of these lenses.
I’m too tired to think through all the connotations – retro, post-modern, recuperative… But I wonder what any of these different processes mean for the outcome. Do they assign different meanings? Are the meanings discernible by the viewer? Does it matter – either to the viewer, to me, or to the process?
