Film cameras in Busan

Busan doesn't have as many film camera shops as Seoul but there is a small concentration of them in the Nampo area.

I made just a quick reconnoitre there today - will go back again soon. I saw some nice cameras though. A Nikon F - first model with a Photomic prism; Leica IIIf with an Elmar lens, another with a Summar; Leica IIIg - a real beauty with a Summaron. Also M3, M6 & an ugly duckling M5. Also a CL and a Minilux. Contax T2… and that's just the 35mm stuff.

I won't even tell you about the Fuji 6x17 and a lovely heavy Rolleiflex SLR. The students I saw buying boxes of Velvia 4x5 however rate a mention. Two young girls bought a box each. I tried to engage them in conversation but our mutual knowledge of each other's languages didn't quite mesh. good to see interest in large format.

Whew! There's lots of film activity here! Can't wait to get to Seoul.

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A nice piece of camerabilia

Seen in Kyobo Bookstore in Centum City, Busan, today. A pencil sharpener shaped like a twin lens reflex camera.

There is really no limit to the things one can collect. I resisted the urge to buy. I'll stick to real cameras.

Much more worrying, nearby were "dog staplers".

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A bar called "Arse-hole"

똥꼬 (Ddong-ggo) the sign says, over this bar in the PNU area in Busan. That translates as "Arse-hole".

I am so curious…

Love the picture!

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People I met today in Busan

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Warming myself in the sun outside Jagalchi fish markets in Busan today I noticed the woman next to me was using a real camera - a Nikon FM2 to be precise. I asked if I could take her photo and she held up her camera and took mine. I also took a film shot with my Mamiya 7 but that will have to wait. Her name is 이가영 (Ka-yeong Lee).

Later, in Nampodong subway a young fellow saw the Mamiya around my neck and came straight up to me saying, "Take my photo." I shot him with the "pinhole" setting using the Retro Camera App on my iPhone.

"What's your name?", I asked.

"이정진 (Jeong-jin Lee). Remember me!

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Busan views

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From the top of Yongdusan tower. Photos follow a clockwise circle starting facing northward.

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A small piece of beauty - Nature in Busan

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As I walked this afternoon along the Oncheon-cheon, a stream that runs through Northern Busan, I saw a rare thing: a white bird, stalking fish in the near frozen water.

I watched him for a while and saw him catch 3 small fish. Later I saw two more white birds. A good day for nature.

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Konglish, weirdness and old haunts

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After a sub-zero walk along the beach at Haeundae I thought I'd try and find some coffee in the Busan National University (PNU) area.

The search for coffee was a dismal failure. I settled for a weak as piss cappuccino in Starbucks. I did however see some weirdness… and visited an old haunt of mine, though it was closed.

The bag simply defies explanation. The Kenny Rogers Norae-bang is a singing room, rather like karaoke. The Crossroads Bar is one of the better expat-friendly bars in the PNU area. they have an excellent collection of records.

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