Algonquin Park - Pog Lake

In 2015, for Labour Day, which just so happens that it corresponds with my anniversary with my beautiful wife +Donna Bitaxi, we took our family to Algonquin Park, which is absolutely stunning. The sights, the smell and the sounds of this place is incredible. The silence can be breathtaking, but the hiking, swimming and canoeing here is another life worth living.

When we were there I took a few photos with my lovely vintage Miranda Sensorex EE 35mm SLR that I got from friend and fellow photographer, +Alex Luyckx. He is also co-host and founder of the +Classic Camera Revival Podcast and blog. Loaded with Fujichrome Provia 100F I was shooting very carefully to try not to lose a single image to carelessness. Granted I did lose a few here and there, just because I was a bit too excited to shoot it.  Not 100% sure the camera was working quite up to snuff, but knowing that the light seals were solid (replaced them before taking it away with me) I figured Slide Film was the best choice.  However the film was left in my fridge after exposing since Labour Day (It's now May 20th, 2016) and it has just been processed.
They are like lost little treasures, like the rekindling of memories forgotten.
One of the biggest reasons not having instant gratification is good. Because when the memories are just golden moments in your life and you see them again for the first time in front of you, it is like reliving that moment all over again and getting the rush of emotions with them.

This is a trip we hope to repeat again.  There is no feeling like the feeling of being in the great outdoors.. Just you and nature. It just feels so good.

There was great swimming there, as can be seen in the above image. My two boys, not seen here, were racing on ahead to get beside the lake. Although the light waa fading fast, we still wanting a moment or three out by the water. There was expected to be a bit of a meteor shower.  However, as fate would have it, the sky clouded over and we got a rain shower instead.  That put a damper on the evening, so we spent the rest of the time relaxing in our tent until sleep overtook us.

Until next time we get up there to take a few more shots of the splendor of Algonquin.

Keep those shutters firing!

Svema FN200 First Look - FPP Tester Roll

I was recently given a couple rolls of Svema FN200 film from the Film Photography Project to test out.  I didn't know if the film was fresh, which apparently it is, and what the nominal speed of it was, besides 200ASA being Box.  I had, however, viewed Leslie Lazenby's images on her Flickr account, and saw that she had shot it at box, and developed in XTOL.
Not having XTOL, nor finding any useful information online on this film, I had to go it all from scratch.

I had D-76 in mind, and began the work of figuring out a time to use.  But I began to consider... What Dilution?  And if it's expired, then it'll have a fair amount of Base Fog in D-76.  Having a sulphite rich developer is not a good idea for expired film, and I began to consider an old stand-by for unknown films.  Rodinal 1+100...  That started me thinking, and exploring more into a possible developer for this.  I then went into doing some reading on this film, and found out it wasn't expired.
That lead me, again, back to D-76.

I also found some developer recipes and times for FN200 on the web, but I wasn't sure if this IS FN200, or some other different emulsion, and so I had to again, reconsider.

Finally I settled on a dilution that would be the best solution for the dilemma.  Dilution M.  Yup, my own concoction of HC-110 dilutions.

1ml of Syrup for every 250mL of water. And the kicker for this, I was going to be using a 225mL tank. Yup, I was going to go against what Kodak suggests for the minimal developer amount of 6mL of chemical for any mix.  Then again, I have done this many times, without a single hitch, so why not.

Getting my mixture ready, film loaded into the SS tank on its reel, and I began the LONG process of developing the film.  60:00 long, with 1 minute inversions every 5 minutes.

The results were very nice!  Great tonality, and a decent grain...

Again the roll of film went through my Canon A-1, and was matched off using the Canon 50mm ƒ/1.4 S. S. C. lens.. A Michael Raso favorite!

The more I see these old phones, the more I find them being left and vandalized.  I guess it is becoming a less and less common site to see a phone, such as this, in use. The "Cell" phone revolution, I guess.

My wife and my Canon T-90. Strange, I don't remember seeing this roll of film for developing. Then again, I think I know why..

King's College Rd. and the University of Toronto Campus

Ori using his X-700 and a lens I gave him.  The Minolta 58mm ƒ/1.4 Rokkor-MC. He didn't even know I took this photo.  Well, until I let him see it!

She only asked, "As long as I look fabulous in the photo!"  Funny, she looks great in the photo.  Poor woman.  Although down on her luck, she's definitely not down on her spirit!

Young love, perhaps?  A couple of people who again, didn't see the camera.  I think I am getting better at this whole Street Photography thing.

The best mode of Core transportation in an Urban Environment.  Considering it is nimble, relatively fast, and ultimately, the most green option of transport.  It doesn't pollute, and is easy to operate.
Too bad there are far too many idiots who give the good cyclists a bad name.
The few spoil it for the many.  (Then again it's the Many who spoil it for the few in this case!)

Searching her bags.  Another person who didn't see the glint of the camera lens pointed her way.


What do I think of this film?

Good question. You know, it's hard to say.  I shot it at EI100, and ran it through a camera I know is very accurate with the meter, and has some of the very best optics money can buy. So it got a very good test, and you know what, I actually like it. But, here's the thing, I much prefer the slower FN64 instead.  The tonality of this film, and the grain structure is like something from the 60's and 70's.  A classic style emulsion for sure. The super thin emulsion makes it a beauty to scan, and it looks like it'll be just as easy to print. Plus, the best part, it dries perfectly flat!

How did you find the Latitude?

Another good question, and one that I cannot honestly answer fairly.  The photos I took leads me to believe that the film has a fairly wide latitude indeed.  I didn't get any highlights clipped, and I still got very good shadow detail. In fact, I am quite surprised with the amount of highlight and shadow detail that is retained. Then again, it COULD be the developing dilution I used, which can have a form of compensating effect, similar to using a weak Rodinal dilution.

As for recommending this film to friends, and family.  Most definitely!
The film isn't as fine grained as, say, TMAX, or Delta films, but it is a very lovely grained film.
I could see it used as a portrait film, as well as a street photography film, as I did.

As for street photography vs the typical Tri-X solution, no.  I cannot see it replacing Tri-X as the Street shooters choice, but hey, you can't expect miracles.  Tri-X has just too strong, and long, a foothold in the Street and Journalism style.
But for portraits, I could really see this film excelling.  It's not very contrasty, which is not a bad thing at all, as you can easily pump up the contrast when making a print, or even during the scan.

If you get a chance, you can pick up a roll of the Svema фото 200 from the Film Photography store.

Until next time, keep those shutters firing!

Super Novar Sharpness

Every time I use my Nettar, I get a little smile on my face.  It is so sharp!  Scale focusing, also known as zone focusing, is a tricky endeavor, but so worth it.
The Nettar 517/16 is a brilliant camera.  Sure it just has a viewfinder, and no rangefinder, but I bought mine from the original owner.  He got it new back in 1949, and it served him well over the years.
He was 76 years old, back in 2010, making him only 15 when he got it for his birthday.
He had a lot of fond memories of that camera, but didn't use it anymore, so he put it up for sale.
Originally asking $60, he sold it to me for $40, provided I actually used it.
I promised it would be used, and it has been!  Sure, not to the same degree that it should be used, but it is used....

All images take on the Zeiss Ikon Nettar 517/16 with Ilford Delta 100 film and developed in Rodinal 1+100 for 60:00 semi-stand, with a slight shake at 30:00