Looking Up

So last weekend I tried something a little different for a change.  Instead of just looking at what is around me and in front of me, while in Downtown Toronto, I decided to try... looking up... for a different perspective on things..

The results I got were actually quite inspiring.  I think I like this idea of upward perspective photography.. It makes you really take a different approach to how you view things..

Canon T90 - Canon 35-105mm ƒ/3.5 - Kodak Tri-X 400 - SPUR-HRX 1+17

Canon T90 - Osawa 24mm ƒ/2.8 - Kodak Tri-X - SPUR-HRX 1+17

Canon T90 - Osawa 24mm ƒ/2.8 - Kodak Tri-X - SPUR-HRX 1+17

Canon T90 - Osawa 24mm ƒ/2.8 - Kodak Tri-X - SPUR-HRX 1+17

Canon T90 - Osawa 24mm ƒ/2.8 - Kodak Tri-X - SPUR-HRX 1+17

Canon T90 - Canon 35-105mm ƒ/3.5 - Kodak Tri-X - HC-110 Dil. B

Canon T90 - Canon 35-105mm ƒ/3.5 - Kodak Tri-X - HC-110 Dil. B

I'm really impressed with how everything turned out. I think I'll do a bit more of this whole.. shooting up thing. heh..

Anyway.. Until next time, keep those shutters firing!

Choosing Your First (FILM) Camera

Boy it has been a while. Between packing to move, getting the house ready, school, work and life in general, I've been really busy and haven't had a chance to post.  Heck, I've barely been able to shoot any film!  However I do manage to get out from time to time, or just pick up a camera and fire off a frame. If JUST to keep in touch with the film world.

Now, choosing our first camera can be a daunting and troubling thing to do.  Most people choosing their first film camera will be coming from a digital world. How do you pick up that first film camera? I mean... Digital is easy... just set to "A" and off you go, right?
Well, not really.. You can, but you lose the creative control that you should always strive to have when shooting. 

Now I'm not going to talk about being a complete novice to photography. In this idea of picking your first film camera I shall assume that you have at least some experience shooting with a digital camera and have some working knowledge of how exposure works.
You know, how ISO, Aperture and shutter speed play in with each other.  So lets go into the world of your first film camera....

What system do you currently own?  Nikon? Pentax? Sony/Minolta? Canon?  Or do you shoot Leica? It doesn't really matter, actually. One thing that can help you, though, is that if you are shooting any of the above SLRs (Leica is a Rangefinder, relax I know!) you can actually use the modern lenses on their older film bodies. BUT not all the lenses are made the same, nor will they all work.
Modern Nikon lenses most likely will not work on the film bodies, while the older film lenses should mount and work on the modern Nikon Digitals. I cannot truly speak for sure here, as I do not have a Nikon body I can test that theory out. HOWEVER I have used a more modern Sigma (Nikon AF D mount) lens on my Nikkormat and my Nikon F90. It worked flawlessly, so I know that some lenses are backward compatible.  Same goes with Sony, Pentax and Canon. HOWEVER... you cannot use mirrorless lenses on any film body... Period..  The Sony SLR lenses (provided it isn't a crop sensor lens) will mount just fine to a Minolta Autofocus camera and work.  Same goes with Pentax and Canon.  Any and all canon EF (Not EF-S or EF-M) will mount and work on a Canon EOS Film SLR.

All this can easily help play into your first Film Camera.

The next thing is to inspect your camera. One thing that you have to inspect on film cameras that you won't find on a digital are light seals. See, the film door has a foam or felt seal around the edge of the back. The prevents light from entering the back of the camera and exposing the film.
Also on older cameras the mirror bumper (a piece of foam) will also degrade over time and can dissolve onto the mirror itself.
This should also be checked and replaced if necessary.
Next are the shutter curtains themselves.  On newer model they are usually a vertical travel focal plane shutter, usually made of a high grade plastic/compositite. The light seals around those CAN possibly degrade and create a sticky mess on them. This should be checked and cleaned (GENTLY) if possible. If not, sent out for a CLA (CLEAN LUBE ADJUST) to clean that up.

Now onto Rangefinder cameras.  Rangefinders are another camera that has its own share of things to check for. So lets gets started..
Light seals are one of the first things to check. The film door, just like on SLRs, will have foam or felt seals that prevent light from entering and exposing the film. This is very important to check.  If they are degraded they will need replacing.
Next is the mirror in the rangefinder. Are you getting a bright and contrasty double image? Or is it faded?  If it is faded the beam splitter could be fading or the silver on the mirror could be fading. That will need replacing and fixing.
Check the alignments. The horizontal and vertical alignments of the rangefinder. This will tell you if the focus is properly culminated to the lens. If you find that the horizontal alignment is off it will entirely throw off your focus.  First is to go all the way to INFINITY and see if the image lines up in both your viewfinder/rangefinder and the mark on the lens. If you find that the item at INFINITY (at least 100 to 200 feet away) is not lining up (getting a double image) you need to adjust the rangefinder culmination to make sure you don't mess up the focus.
Next is the vertical. Not as critical as the horizontal as it won't cause you to miss your focus, but can if the alignment is too far off. Adjusting the alignments of the rangefinder can be as simple as turning a couple screws... Or as complicated as a disassembly of the entire top of the camera... or more..
The Argus C3 Brick is one of the simplest rangefinders to adjust, where as the Canon 7 is extremely complicated.

Okay, so everything so far has checked out pretty good. Light seals are in decent shape, or can be easily replaced.. Shutter curtains are good, mirror is clean... All in all the camera you chose, rangefinder or SLR, is in good working order... Or is it?
Does it require batteries? Oh crap, it does. CR2... 2CR5.. CR123... AAA... AA.. PX625... LR44.. So big deal.. Pop the batteries in and... What the heck is that green stuff all over the place!?
This is the one thing you have to watch out for with batteries.. Corrosion! Yes how lovely.. But do not despair.. All is not lost. In fact, corrosion is fairly simply to clean up.  Just some white vinegar and some Q-Tips.  Wait?! Vinegar? 
Yes, absolutely!  Vinegar is actually a fairly strong acid. In fact, you can get 3% vinegar, which is basically just Acetic acid.  Using a small amount applied to your cotton swab you can clean out pretty much all the corrosion, which is alkaline based. The Vinegar will cause it to foam and melt away.  Once that is done, you can take a small metal file to brush against the spring contacts to clean them up and add a bit of abrasion to clear off the metal to make a good contact against your battery.
However some battery housings might be more difficult to clean than others.

So everything is good now. Camera is 100% functional... Now what?

That is up to you... Does the camera feel good in your hand? Do you like it?
Ask the owner to let you hold it in your hand for a while... Or is it in a store? Ask if you can walk around with it in the store for a bit.. Maybe they have a lens you can try on it. See how it feels after 10 minutes pretending to snap a photo or three with it.
Still feel good?  Great!

So it looks like things are good.

Remember, picking your first film camera shouldn't be a chore. It should be an inexpensive first purchase. One that you can learn the ins and outs of film photography with.

Another thing that was mentioned to me by fellow photography +Bill Smith is that a consideration should be about the availability of batteries, or about the possibility of a camera repair technician to fix the camera should something ultimately go wrong.  Very good ideas and valuable knowledge to have.

Thanks Bill!

Until next time, keep those shutters firing!

The Classic Camera Revival

March 31, 2015The Classic Camera Revival

In 2014 Alex Luyckx asked me about starting up a podcast with John Meadows and my wife Dawn Bitaxi.  Well, after a bit of discussion we all agreed to start it up.  In January 2015 we recorded our first episodes.




What an exhilarating experience!  We discussed our Workhorse cameras… I talked about my black beauty Canon T90… while Alex discussed the Nikon F4.  My wife Dawn discussed the Olympus OM2 S/P (which has sadly since died) and John discussed his beautiful Mamiya M645 Pro!






Alex gets very animated holding the Nikon F4

John's Mamiya 645

In episode 2 we went outside the box to Box Cameras…!  I talked all about my Agfa Shurshot Box Camera, Alex talked about a Kodak Brownie Box and Dawn discussed the Kodak Brownie Bullseye camera…





And finally in Episode III we got into the Rangefinders… Those wonderful cameras that we all love to use for Street photography.  They are super quiet and unobtrusive. From the Leica to the Zeiss Contax…. I discussed my Kodak 35 RF, while Dawn discussed her beautiful (and incredibly sharp) Olympus 35SP.   Alex happily blabbed on and on about his Himatic 7 from Minolta, which is a real sleeping gem of a camera… John, however, stole the show with his stunningly beautiful Voigtlander Bessa!  Talk about a real star of a camera!  LTM mount, and TTL metering!
You can catch us every month at the end of the month on iTunes and from the Classic Camera Revival Blog (hosted by author of the Podcast Alex Luyckx). Stay tuned as we delve into APS and DIY… plus the Communist Cameras in May!
Also with all episodes we also discuss Darkroom printing and at-home developing! Look forward to hearing from you regarding the CLASSIC CAMERA REVIVAL! Until next time, keep those shutters firing!


*All above images were taken on a Canon A-1 w/50mm ƒ/1.4 lens on Fuji Superia 400 film

Svema BLUE

Recently +Michael Raso of the FPP sent me a tester care package... So, I got to testing the film!

During the winter months I find myself preferring to staying inside and printing and getting caught up with scanning my negatives.

Either way, as a FPP tester I get rolls of film regularly from them to test.
One of those rolls was known as Svema Blue Sensitive film.  I just call it BLUE for short.  It's a very slow (1.5EI) 35mm blue light sensitive film, which is essentially entirely blind to any other light but blue light.

I have a roll currently in my Olympus Trip-35 that is being exposed at EI4, but the one I am going to be talking about and showcasing on this post is the roll I put through my Canon T90 using a 24mm ƒ/2.8 Osawa MC lens.  The lens is really lovely, and quite sharp even basically wide open, however it does suffer from softness in the corners as expected for this type of lens.  However, it is rectilinear, so you don't get barrel distortion, which I think is one of the most important things for this lens!
A nice flat field, not curved!

Slow Motion - Canon T90 - Osawa 24mm ƒ/2.8 MC

Earlier this month I was on a photowalk with Alex Luyckx, John Meadows and Ori Carmona (not to mention several other Film-Shooters), and that was the day I had loaded my Canon T90 with some of this UBER slow BLUE film.
Although the film is Blue-Light sensitive, oddly enough, it is yellow in colour.

I wanted to finish this roll, but the light (and my camera) definitely weren't cooperating.
The light was dim, and the weather was cold... My camera didn't seem to like the low-light and cold temps and gave me a EEE error. Strange..
Tried it again after resetting the EEE... same error..
So I put the camera away..

A few days later (just over a week actually) I took the camera out again in much much better light.  Bright blue skies and yet even more bitterly cold.  When I had -2°C and dull over-cast to -11°C and super bright sunlight (yeah you see where this is going?) I thought I'd have the same problem.
Nope, the camera loved the day instead.  Guess it didn't like the over-cast!  I know I didn't, but I still got some rather impressive images that day.

The photos from the Sunday (a week later).. well...
Lets just say I quickly fell absolutely in love with this film!  Darn Michael Raso sending me this film for testing, but I tell you... The other 2 rolls that I have to play with are going to get similar attention to detail, and will be used under identical light conditions.  HOWEVER one will be saved for the summer light and warmth.  Sorry, but I can only take so many -11°C or colder days!

Boardwalk - Canon T90 - Osawa 24mm ƒ/2.8

Clutching Branches - Canon T90 - Osawa 24mm ƒ/2.8

Lakeside Bike Ride - Canon T90 - Osawa 24mm ƒ/2.8

I must admit that my favorite shot of the three posted (from Sunday) is the shot of the cyclist on the beach.  I saw him riding, I just timed it to the point where he was just about under the sun so that I can get the most out of the lens-flare and the reflection of the sun off the water...
Yes, this image will definitely be getting a print.  It's just too good not to print!

Now one of the hardest things to work with on these tester films is developing times.
Since there is essentially no listed times, you have to make up your own and go from there.
I really wanted these shots to work, and so I went with a good staple in my arsenal.  Ilfosol-3 1+14.. My (lately) go to developer!  Yes, I know HC-110 has been my staple developer, but Ilfosol-3 has slowly been taking over for my tester films...!
Well, there's one other thing.  It is not RED LIGHT sensitive.  I went into my darkroom, shut off the over-head and flipped on the safe-light.
However to be safe I loaded the film into the daylight tank in complete darkness.. No sense in possibly fogging it.. Never know!
Set my timer to 12:00 and got the developer all mixed up.
At the 50% mark I opened the tank under the Amber Kodak #13 Safelight and took a look..
Lets just say that at 6 minutes it didn't go back into the tank.  6 minutes was perfect!
I dumped the developer, poured some Ilfostop bath (I was in my darkroom and the Ilfostop was already mixed for prints) then fixed.
A perfect roll!

So until next time fellow shooters, 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!

FilmPhotography Project - SVEMA 125 C-41 film

Recently I was sent a batch of new films in the FPP vault.  Some B&W, some colour.
The Colour films included some Hawkeye Traffic Surveillance film, and some fantastic SVEMA 125ASA C-41 film.  This stuff has a really bizarre colour palette, and some lovely grain.  It's a really impressive film, actually..
Well, being the first time I was shooting it, I decided to load it into my T90 and set the camera to use ASA64.  1 stop over, why not!  It's how I roll..!So I went about my business shooting the roll with abandon.  Travelling with a group of film shooting nuts, like +Alex Luyckx and Ori Carmona, including one Sara Mir, who out of nowhere produced a Yashica-A TLR!  It was like magic!  I turned around, and there is was in her hand.  So I quickly focused in my Canon T90 (with a Vivitar 28mm ƒ/2.5 mounted) and snapped off this photo.  I angled the lens just enough so that I saw the light flaring across the lens, and just had that feeling.. "BANG" I nailed the shot that'll really capture the moment.

Sometimes the light is just perfect the moment you focus in the image, and using the T90's legendary SPOT metering system, and setting a relatively wide aperture, it was just perfect!

I almost always use the camera in Manual or Aperture priority mode, and this time the Aperture Priority mode really nailed what I was after.
Perfect light, perfect shadow..
And a flare that will set this photo apart from the rest

Sure I got some images of others that day, like Alex, who is always sporting his killer WWII style trench coat. He was also sporting a fancy looking Contax G2 camera.

Naturally when we left, another photographer sporting a Leica M5 just so happened to notice his G2 and quickly stated, "I love that camera!"
So, yeah, I can't deny, it really is a sweet looking picture taker!

Well, we were hiking through the wonderful place known as "HIGH PARK" and discussing all sorts of things during the walk, from Digital Negatives, alternative processes, and Alex's new found love of Pyrocat PMK!

Seeing his TXP320 work for his 52-sheet project, I can't deny his love of that developer!

WOW!...  It really is a lovely mix.  Then again, TXP320 in 4x5 is an awesome film.  Beautiful grain, and a tonal range that makes your heart beat just a little bit faster.  Yup, it's a gorgeous film, we can all agree on that!

This film, however, the Svema 125, is about as good as the FN64 was in B&W.  I haven't posted my blog on the FN64 yet, but lets put it this way.  It's absolutely incredible!  I have some lovely images using that film, and it's just... wow!  I have been looking for it in 120 as well.  It's just too good NOT to use in 120!  35mm is fantastic, so 120 will be... out of this world?

So that said, the colour film is just as good!
Sure it's grainier than you'd expect from a medium speed 125ASA film, but honestly, it's a nice grain! Smooth, and easily enjoyed, especially with a splash of yum for the colour tones.  What a colour palette on this film.  It reminds me of a mix between Kodak Gold, and Fuji Superia, with a slice down the middle.  Has great warmth, like GOLD does, but yet a funny cast to it.  Almost like its Magenta layer is in bed with the Green Layer, letting the Cyan layer run free.
It has a green cast to it, and at the same time, really doesn't have a "ORANGE" backing like most of the other C-41 films.
After processing, it almost had a "Cross Processed" hue to it.
Perhaps this film can be XPRO'd in E6 chemicals for a very interesting slide?
I'll have to try it using the +Kelly-Shane Fuller method of E6 processing, where you use B&W chems, then fog and C-41 the rest..
Never know, it might very well be some weird palette E6 film as well!

 Here's the thing, though.  Through some colour balancing, you can get a pretty accurate rendering of the colours from the day, or a true-to-life feel to the images.  The tones are wonderful, and the contrast on this film is fairly soft, which is nice.
Scanning is really simple, but honestly, scanning is only half-the fun of the film.  What it really boils down to is the print.  This film would probably be great for making some RA4 prints, but I just don't think I'll ever get into that style of printing.
But B&W Silver gelatin printing, oh yes.  It's great!
In fact, this film, with a #4 contrast gel, prints up beautifully!  I know, because I did it..  The image of Sara with her Yashica-A I printed for Ori (seen in the above image).  What he does with the photo, well, completely up to him.
There is something about this film, though.  It has a look that puts it on a different playing field than Gold or Superia.  Sure, Superia is nice, but Fuji and I have had a falling out.  Gold, lovely lovely film, great warmth to it, but... again, something about this Svema film.  Maybe it's my love for funny Russian films, considering Polypan is possibly a film that was make at the old Shoska plant, which was bought out by Svema.  Who knows!

But it can really be as warm as you want it.  I love warm toned film, and this is definitely right up there.  The thing is, when the light changes, and you are suddenly faced with a much cooler temperature of light, say more cloud cover and less warm sunlight, you might get a funny tone in your film using Gold.

This film, nope!  I get cool blue shadows.  What I saw is what is there.  It's like the film knows exactly what I want it to see, and it sees it with me.
Perhaps it is the camera and myself becoming Zen.  Who knows, but there is really something to it.

I guess as long as it remains available I'll be trying to get my hands on it.

The greatest part of this film was after the processing.  No, it doesn't need some fancy developer, as it is a typical C-41 film, not like there's any special developer for C-41, as C-41 is C-41.  CN-16 is CN-16 (which is Fuji's C-41 developing name).

It actually dries flat.  There was literally no curl, no cupping, no weird I'm going to strike you in the eyes type of look to it. Just beautifully flat film!  The kind you want to smile and hold and hug because it is going to make your life of scanning easy!
Heck, even a film that curls is a pain to print under an enlarger.  Getting it line up and set in the holder under the light for printing with a curled or cupped film sucks.  If it's badly curled, it's hard to load.  If it is badly cupped, it might sit funny in the carrier, and get possible scratched when it gets compressed under the head.
This film, however, like the FN64, sits wonderfully flat!
Very impressed with it...

Anyway fellow bloggers, should you want to try your hands at shooting this film, check it out at the Film Photography Project's store.  SVEMA 125 Colour film can be had for just $16.99USD for 3 rolls! (Price as of March 01 - 2014).

What a wonderful gift to that photographer in your life this would be.  Or maybe it'll be the perfect gift for yourself to shoot.

Well, go for it!  You won't be sorry.

Until next time, keep those shutters firing!

All images taken on Canon T90 35mm SLR using a Vivitar 28mm ƒ/2.5 lens on Svema 125 C-41 film, and processed by David Nardi of E6IT.ca and scanned on a Epson Perfection 4990

Eastman 2366 Duplication Film

I was given a couple of rolls of Eastman 2366 B&W Panchromatic film, which is a high contrast film for titles, and not actually intended for use as a pictoral film.  That said, however, it works very nicely in a 35mm camera, and will give you some serious contrast!  Of course, it also can be tamed using the proper techniques.  I have not yet managed to fully tame it, as of yet.

I am still working on that.

So I gave it a whirl in Rodinal 1+50 at ASA 6..

For some very smooth chromey silver type of look, it is excellent.  It has some of the finest grain I have seen, short of ADOX CMSII, and some incredibly rich tones.
Of course, this is not Polypan film, and seems about right with ADOX CMSII for gray tones at a similar ASA speed.
That said, however, it does have a bit higher contrast.
I shot the CMSII in my Bolsey B2 at the same speed, and found that the CMSII film's contrast was a bit more even, but barely.  It didn't quite clip to blacks or whites as quickly as this film does.  Then again, that could be a number of factors, such as light conditions, weather, and even just the time of year.
When I shot the CMSII at EI6 I shot it during the summer, while this film was shot in the winter, so you're going to get a little bit higher contrast, especially with snow on the ground!

Nevertheless, I will try this film again, perhaps a roll from my good friend John, who I managed to snag him into buying a bulk roll of this (sorry) after I gave him a roll to try out.
He absolutely loves the film.
Check out his blog post on it.

So far I am enjoying this film, and do have to try it behind some filters.  Perhaps yellow?

Until next time, keep those shutters firing!

All images taken using a Canon T90 35mm SLR using a 50mm ƒ/1.4 FD lens on Eastman Fine Grained 2366 film and developed in Rodinal 1+50 at 20°C with a 'slow' agitation regimen.

When Things Go Wrong...

I shot a roll of Fujichrome Velvia 50 back in August on my Canon AE-1.  It was a bulk roll, and was loaded into a KODAK GOLD 400 35mm canister. So perhaps that was error #1...
Error #2 was not adding a sticky label to the can to say, "E6 VELVIA" on it, but hey, I shouldn't have to!  I've dropped off bulk-loaded film before without a problem.

Error #3 was using a chain lab instead of a pro-lab.

But hey, they're inexpensive, and I hadn't had a problem before..

So this, perhaps, is one of the worst images from the roll.  There is no tweaking it to get proper colouration from it.  The shadows are green, magenta grass and a purple sky.

I mean, LOMO Purple isn't even like this.  It's more of a subdued "purple" cast to the film, while this is just completely buggered.

I am so upset about this, as it was a irreplaceable roll.  The conditions, light, location, and time was perfect when I shot these.  I don't see myself driving back to this location, because frankly, I cannot actually remember where this location is.  It's too bad, I really wanted these slides!

I should, at one point, head back to Blacks (where I took it) and make a proper formal complain about it.
But since they do not sell Velvia 50, what the hell can I really do?
Technically speaking, they own me $40.00 for the film (at least)..

Nonetheless, lesson learned.  Next time I will make 100% sure it is properly labelled and that there will be no mistakes!

Until next time, fellow bloggers.

Keep those shutters firing!

The Sharpest Film - PART II

So for an ongoing saga in this "SHARPEST FILM" I will continue to test films that claim to be "THE SHARPEST" films.
Kodak claims that TMAX400 is the sharpest 400 speed film, so I will put it up against TRI-X, HP5+, Delta400, Kentmere 400 and Rollei 400.  I will skip Foma 400, because I already know it'll lose badly. Beautiful tones, absolutely, but not exactly a sharp sharp film.

Anyway, this is about ADOX CMSII at ASA 3 instead of ASA6.  I have tested it at 6, and loved the results, so here's the film at ASA3.

But that's not the most interesting thing about this film.  The detail and entire lack of grain, even under such a huge crop, just shows how amazing this film is.
If it didn't cost so much in 4x5 I'd order a box.

Even under such magnification I can see no grain, and there is still very recognizable detail.
Absolutely a film that I will definitely be getting more of, and since I'm essentially all done testing it, shooting it without considering it to be "test" shots only.

Until next time fellow bloggers, keep those shutters firing!

All images were exposed at EI3 which is a 2 2/3 stop pull.  Film was developed in Rodinal 1+200 at 20°C  (68°F) for 10:30 using standard agitation.