Showing posts with label film. Show all posts

Fremont 5 Corners in Silver Efex Pro

2017-04-07 Posted by Hin Man

Fremont 5 Corners Night Scene

Re-edit of a night scene likely in 2007 timeframe. Back then the coffee shop was called Bay Cafe. Now it is Bean Scene Cafe totally run by a better management. Both are my favorite in Fremont but Bean Scene Cafe takes the charm as they have decent salads and sandwiches especially good for the morning time.

I always enjoy coffee but I can't drink coffee after 2:30pm. And I never find myself liking Decaf as I like the jolt from coffee even though it drains me in an hour.

Penax FA 50mm f/1.4 and Pentax MX Film camera

2017-04-06 Posted by Hin Man

Pentax MX and Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4. I used that 50 prime for the Korean restaurant pictures that I posted earlier. I no long have this lens and the MX was just for shows and I sold it along with other unused gear. MX stole my heart once but I always prefer the Ricoh xr-p camera. The Pentax MX is better looking and more solid with metal body. My 1st film camera was a Praktica MTL-5 likely made in East Germany

I once planned to equip my office with a better film scanner such as the Epson 750 or a dedicated Kodak Pakon F135 type of 35mm film scanner. What I have now is a simple Canon 8800 flatbed scanner, reasonable for 120 but bad for 135 films. I have abandoned films but ready to pick up if I manage to find time as I always love film especially the b&w as in Fuji Neopan 100 Acros, the hated Kodak 100 Tmax, Kodak Tri-x 400, and the obsolete Kodak BW400CN. There are just too many films that I have not even touched -- the Kodachrome, the Fuji Provia and Velvia, the Sensia, the Ektachrome, and the Delta 3200 and there are just too many that I once have a crush on from pictures from others but I never find the time to explore. I really suck on films.

I still have the classic very red 2 million dollar bag and the Pentax branded neck strap. And I do miss the 50mm prime but I had way too many gear to get her back. She is gone for good. Not like woman, you can only have one. If money is not a problem, I buy all of my concubines back to my messy room as I like each lens for a different take on pictures as they differ on characters along with a matching camera body.

Kodak BW400CN Film Discontinuation Notice

2014-08-20 Posted by Hin Man

KODAK PROFESSIONAL BW400CN Film -- discontinuation notice on August 14, 2014

I am novice on films. I find this journalistic C41 b&w film to be unique with fine grain, great contrast and creamy look. I preferred it over the Ilford XP2. I find BW400CN easiest to scan as color negatives and have the dust removal feature available in scanning. Even my lowly flatbed cannon scanner at home likes this film.

Kodak BW400CN Film Discontinuation Notice

IMG_0001-2 by hin_man, on Flickr
shot with Kodak BW400CN, scanned with Canon 8800F

DSC07506 by hin_man, on Flickr
Two more rolls to go

I quite often see this film on display in places like Walmart and CVS, I thought wrongly that this film will last longer than others. The discontinuation notice of BW400CN in Kodak's site leads me to this wonderful 100% film photographer

Tanja Lippert -- http://www.tanjalippert.com/

and the discovery of this wonderful development place that she has used for her professional work

Indie Film Lab -- http://indiefilmlab.com/

All is not lost in this piece of sad news, I hope the few films that I love live on -- Fuji Acros 100, Kodak Tri-X 400 and Kodak Ektar.

Consolation with Yashica Mat 124G for 120 films

2014-07-18 Posted by Hin Man

I had let go my excellent+ copy of Pentax 645N and today, I am taking consolation with my Yashica 124mat G. I took some gear pictures on the Yashica Mat 124G when I first got it in 2010. It is a beauty.

Consolation with Yashica Mat 124G for 120 films

I had it today with me and contemplating which roll of expired film to use among Ektar, Portra, Acros, Tri-X and Agfa Rollei. I got the roll of Agfa Rollei Retra 80X from Steve and that is the only roll that has not expired. All of my other roll films expired in the range between 2011 and 2013.

I used to have Rolleiflex Automat and when I researched today, I find this Yashica versus Rollei twin-lens reflex cameras from Frugal Photographer

Originally posted by Frugal Photographer:

If what you have is a 'Mat, LM, EM, C, D, 635, 12, 24, 124, or 124-G, then use it. Don't worry about trading "up" to a Rolleicord or f3.5 Tessar or Xenar Rolleiflex. You have nothing practical to gain, and the spiritual frisson some enthusiasts get from fondling Rollei gear doesn't impress me. Knob wind film advance is just fine, not as sexy or as fast as lever wind and it doesn't automatically cock the shutter, but it's perfectly useful (and it lets you double-expose, if you're into that).

I have a lobe bug with film cameras and I can buy cameras just for the look and gear porn pictures. Look at what I have done to the film gift from Steve -- the Agfa Rollei Retro and it is still unused after 2 years

DSC08271

I took these product shots earlier contemplating which roll to go first. All of my roll films expired except the Rollei Retro that Steve gave me as a gift.

DSC08279

And I found my vintage camera strap working well with my Yashica.

DSC07910

DSC08301

I will hopefully find time to use my 120 expired films.

Film alert I go about online recently shopping for some color 135 films and I find fewer places with good discount and I wonder if the Agfa Vista Plus 400 is worth trying as it cost cheaper to test my unused camera with Contax 137MA -- my red camera.

AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400 135-36 Film 1175259

I will likely buy a roll to test my red camera with Contax 137 MA

Spotmatic and Super (SMC) Takumar Crush

2013-10-02 Posted by Hin Man

My film counter is onto the 3rd photo on my Spotmatic -- a shame. I don't even know what model that my Spotmatic actually belong. My copy is neither the ES version or the ES II version. And it does not have the hot shoe and the SP signature.

One newbie question that I have is on the focusing screen with the Spotmatic. I have not gotten used to the focusing screen without a split screen, is there any trick that any of the Spotmatic loyalist and fan can share with me in coping with the focusing screen. I have found it to be quite difficult to be obtain focus especially in indoor shooting. I can set the M/A switch to A to focus wide open but I can easily move the focus position in toggling back from A to M. Do you know if the focusing screen on ES is replaceable? Also any recommended for places to develop and scan developed b&w film into digital with reliable results will be of great interest to me.

In getting the LBA flu (lens buying addiction flu that I get after every new year or the silly new year resoluiton), I get hooked with a SuperTakumar 35mm f/3.5. Everyone who does not mind slower lens has to give the Super-Tak 35mm f/3.5 a try, it is my most awesome M42 lens that is around $60 a piece with outstanding condition and with the original lens hood.

I absolutely go non-stop on the Super-Takumar (or SMC) and please don't embarrass me to list all the takumar related lens that I have secretly accumulated. It goes roughly in every apertures that you can find from 28mm to 150mm and the only thing that place a stop for me in getting the rarer super-Tak 200mm f/3.5 or the takumar 35mm f/2.3 are the joel-blow who outbid me in evilBay.

So there it goes my side-track story in my break-promise on the Spotmatic and 135 films. But in all honesty, I am so thankful to have bumped into the Spotmatic family because of my LBA flu on SMC (super)-Takumar lens series.

I love Dwayne Photo in Kansas as I think they are one of the most reliable in film development but I have a hard time with the low resolution scanning and hence I want to find an alternative place with good development like DWayne Photo but with good quality scanning. These three places are mentioned in my earlier thread with Black Spotmatic Beauty. I heard good thing in North Coast Photo and will try out a scan and report back hopefully soon.

North Coast Photo appears to offer $5.75 C-41 develop and $6.95 for budget scans. Printing looks to add another $5-6.5, and then shipping on top of everything.

The Darkroom does $10 process and scan, $5 for prints and $4 for shipping.

Photographic Works (who I've used for 4x5" in the past) in Tucson does C-41 for $3.5, scans for 30 from an uncut roll ($10ish), apparently no option for typical 4x6" prints. Plus shipping.

Film vs Digital

2013-01-23 Posted by Hin Man

source from facebook.com/shoebox

Bravos to the cartoonist in shoebox and no matter how hard I try to discipline myself, I have many repeated pictures that are cloning each other. And let us not forget about those raw and virtual copies in editing.

I have my highest respects to my friends who still shoots films regularly. I am fortunate to have a number of my flickr contacts shooting films quite regular and that I visit their work often to get inspired.

Though it has been my life long dreams to keep films as part of my hobby, I find myself shooting much less as more digital gear advances while the support of films seem dwindling especially on the scanning equipment and the uncertainty of films not available tomorrow.

It is a shame that I am in discussion with forum friend in letting go my Pentax 645N with FA 45, A 75, LS 135 and A 120, I do it as a necessary step to cut down my hobby cost. I will use my Yashica Mat-124G with broken meter instead. I am hoping the many 120 rolls that I got last year will get some use soon.

The Ricoh Love With Ricoh XR-P

2011-11-21 Posted by Hin Man

I like to post something that is related to Pentax's mother company Ricoh. It is perhaps not well known to some of us as compared to Pentax in the film days but I have been shooting the Ricoh xr-p for quite a while. While I am still a big fan of Pentax metal film bodies like MX and SuperProgram, I actually sold all of my Pentax film bodies but I keep my Ricoh xr-p as my single 35mm film body

I almost traded it to friend when I wanted to purchase his Pentax auto 110 kit. And here are some recent shots with Ricoh xr-p. I did struggle with scanning at home with my limited Canon Flatbed 8800F scanner.

My tools:

Ricoh xr-p
Vivitar 24mm f/2.8 P/K-AR
Kodak BW400CN
Home scan with low resolution for 1200dpi with Canon 8800F
Dwayne's Photo for film development

I should have tried setting ISO to 200 as I was told by my local film shop that the BW400CN is native in 200 though labelled for 400. Most of the indoor shots come out way underexposed and I have a difficult time to pull up lighting in post processing.

Impressions & Notes

The viewfinder is not as big as the Pentax MX but the display of information as in aperture, shutter, warning of inaccurate shutter in Tv mode really make it a beauty to use with confidence
The Ev compensation and shutter to 1/2000 with mode dials on top is so much better than the tiny buttons toggle on SuperProgram or the like in ME Super
Metering is always a breeze with the Ricoh. I am yet to try its TTL flash
The shutter sound is very different than the Pentax. One may not like it as it has a high pitch noise but I much prefer it over the mechanical shutter in Pentax film bodies. It is quieter for street shooting as the high pitch noise is not as noticeable as the clunk in other film bodies.
The optional hand-grip really helps me in the shooting. The Pentax has a thinner and sturdier bodies in MX or the like, but the optional grip in xr-p wins me over for steady shot with confidence. Most of the shots that I posted are slower than 1/30 second hand-held. The shots in #1 and #2 are in 1/30 and 1/10 sec as it is a no-windows interior room in shot #2.
I have two lemon copies of xr-p and it shows that shutter mechanics break as easy as in any other brands.
The AEL button will light up the optical viewfinder with all the electronic display for shutter and aperture and I find the viewfinder especially good for low light and night time photography with film.
One usual gripe is in the peeling of its leatherette body in the xr-p and mine is unusually clean and intact with minor marks on the strap lug.

Yashica Mat 124G -- a lovely TLR

2011-11-05 Posted by Hin Man

I have this TLR for over a year by now. It has been a pleasant experience with this classic camera and it is time for a report to share what I get fascinated with this TLR and perhaps note down some difference in experience that I have with the Rolleiflex Automat MX-EVS.

First of all, it has a built-in meter and it is a convenient feature to have. My Yashica works surprisingly well with the built-in meter when I first got it. After halve year of storage, I forget to unload its battery and I got its metering all ruined due to corrosion of battery. I opened up the top waist level finder and it seems like a do-able job to re-wire the metering but so far I have not attempted to fix the broken meter. Instead, I added a Sekonic flashmate L-308S to help with the metering.

The Sekonic light meter works quite well with my Yashica. I tried both b&w and color films on my Yashica Mat 124G and both come out nicely. The Yashinon 80mm f/3.5 is reasonably sharp and has good contrast in the color photos. The next thing that I need to try is to use it more on various films and research if I can use a flash on the Yashica.

Shot with Fuji Acros 100, Sekonic L-308S
The Tech Museum of San Jose

Shot with Fuji Acros 100
metered with original meter

Shot with Fuji Acros 100
metered with Sekonic L-308S

Shot with Kodak Ektar 100
metered with Sekonic L-308S

Impressions & Notes

The Yashinon 80mm f/3.5 is reasonably sharp and I am well pleased with the results.
The built-in meter is a nice feature to have but mine is unfortunately broken. It is important to remember my lesson to remove the battery when not in operation.
Unlike the Rolleiflex Automat MX-EVS that I had, its focusing screen is easier for me to focus. The ground glass with circular rings along with the magnifier provide me enough detail in good lighting to focus at ease. It takes some practice and it is more difficult for indoor type of lighting. Overall, I think I find focusing easier on the Yashica than my Rolleiflex.
The film rewind is not as refined and controlled as the solid rewind lever in the Rolleiflex. The rewind lever in Yashica does not give you the confidence for long lasting lever. The build quality in Yashica can't match the solid build quality in the Rolleiflex. The build in Yashica is good but not outstanding like the Rolleiflex.
I managed to open up the top portion of its waist level finder and I managed to clean up the internal mirror housing and it can be done with caution. Re-assembly can be tricky and I will try to update this post with links to instructions for cleaning the internal mirror.
It is lightweight and that is the best part about this TLR. With a good neck strap, this TLR is very portable for hours of shooting. You will end your film roll wanting more to continue the shooting. It is very pleasant to carry around for a longer period of shooting time as in a half day of shooting.
I recently use the Yashica with a lightweight tripod and I can frame with more confidence for critical angle and position.
It takes sometime to get used to the reverse orientation in framing but by the time I get to my 3rd roll, I no longer have that awkward feeling in unfamiliar framing withTLR
The Yashica opens up my desire for more square photos in 6x6. It is very addictive in the process.
Scanning at home with a limited flatbed is MUCH easier with 120 films when compared to 135 films
It is unfortunate to note that many Yashica Mat 124G are over-priced in the used market. It used to be in the $100's and now a good copy is frequently bid up to over $200. And it is always a risk on the unknown conditions subject to the mercy and honesty of the seller in the listing. My copy is likely not the norm in the eBay as it is just really in Excellent condition and I was one of those who bid Yashica over $200. Shame on Hin! In my opinion it should be much less as in $150 or so.

Pentax 645 A 55mm f/2.8 Test Shots

2011-10-27 Posted by Hin Man

Minimal focusing distance is at 1.5 feet/0.45 meter

A 55mm f/2.8, Fuji Acros 100, 2400 dpi scan

#2

A 55mm f/2.8, Fuji Acros 100, 2400 dpi scan

#3

A 55mm f/2.8, Fuji Acros 100, 2400 dpi scan

#4

A 55mm f/2.8, Kodak Tri-x 400, 2400 dpi scan

reversed in scanning, forget to flip horizontally

#5

A 55mm f/2.8, Kodak Tri-x 400, 2400 dpi scan

reversed in scanning, forget to flip horizontally

Impressions & Notes

Lens is smaller and lighter than my FA 45mm f/2.8
It competes in usage with 45 mm and for landscape I like the wider view in 45. However, it is an odd thing that I do sometime prefer the normal view in this lens for street shooting and on candid with portraits
I find the lens sharp with the test images that I have so far
My lens hood in 58mm size is too deep and I can see vignetting towards corners in some of my test shots.

Rolleiflex Automat MX-EVS

2011-10-26 Posted by Hin Man

This is a blog post to wrap up my short experience with my past broken Rolleiflex Automat MX-EVS. It is sad to report that I have sold my Rolleiflex to a new owner.

Taking Lens with Zeiss Opton Tessar 75mm f/3.5

The Rolleiflex has its own characters and charm and it is quite solid in construction and I especially like its film winding crank. Unlike the Yashica, the advancement of film and shutter click can easily be felt.

I got mysterious soft and Holga-like pictures when I tested it with a roll of Ilford Delta 100. Pictures seem to be soft and out of focus all around. I looked through the lens and time the shutter in different settings and initially I couldn't figure out the issues. I discussed the Holga-like and soft pictures with others and I learned a bit about the camera along the way. It is not normal with my copy of Rolleiflex.

I learned it from others that the Zeiss Opton Tessar 75mm f/3.5 lens is quite a sharp lens and my test shots are just not normal. Possible causes of the problems

Taking lens and viewing lens are not in the same focal plane.
The taking lens front element has been reversed by previous ownership or someone did a poor job of re-assembly of the taking lens in a CLA service

And checking at the back of the Tessar lens gives evidence of the later with re-assembly of lens with scratches around the lens retaining ring.

I see the pictorial diagram about Tessar in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tessar

According to wikipedia

A Tessar comprises four elements in three groups, one positive crown glass element at the front, one negative flint glass element at the center and a negative plano-concave flint glass element cemented with a positive convex crown glass element at the rear

It is likely that the double-concave element second from left is misplaced or reversed in the previous re-assembly.

Related:

A great video on B&W film development

2010-11-01 Posted by Hin Man

Frugal Photorapher

I find this wonderful tutorial while visiting Frugal Photographer for researching film development kit. The video is a good summary of what I have learned from my black and white development class. I actually have not bought any kit yet as I am still debating on the prospect of doing film development at home or not. I currently prefer outsourcing the film development to my local lab with Foto Express in San Jose while doing the printing from a lab that I gain access through a class on B&W darkroom development.

My class on black & white film

I have joined a black and white film development and darkroom class and each week, I get a 2 hour session that I am taught with black and white film development and printing in a darkroom with an enlarger. I have used my Pentax 645N, Yashica Mat-1240G and Ricoh xr-p for most of my film shooting in the class. Included below are a few pictures that I printed in the class with an enlarger.

Fuji Acros 100 in 120 film
with Yashica Mat-124G
scanned by local lab

Kodak T-max 100 with
Ricoh xr-p and Tamron 200mm f/3.5 adaptall-2
developed in HC110

Fuji Acros 100 with
Pentax 645N and A 75mm f/2.8
scanned by Foto Express

Fuji Acros 100 with Pentax 645N, scanned by Foto Express

Fuji Acros 100 with
Pentax 645N and A 75mm f/2.8
scanned by Foto Express

Printing in class with enlarger on IlFord Pearl Paper
Orange cast in XP-2 in wet printing

My own scanning with Canon 8800F

While I have a lots of issues in scanning, I generally find myself doing better on 120 films with my own flatbed scanner -- Canon 8800F. In few trials at home with 135 films, my flatbed scanner doesn't seem to produce better results than the low resolution scanning from my local lab. On the contrary, I find better scan on 120 films from both of my 645 and 6x6 TLR cameras while I use my flatbed scanner with Canon. Learning and coping with scanning is still an on-going struggle that I hope that I can learn more from my blogging partner Steve and from other more experienced film shooters.

IlFord xp-2 400 with Pentax 645N, A 75mm f/2.8
Scanned at home with Canon 8800F
Scanned as color negative

Mistakes in Every Steps

You can see many mistakes in my printing and scanning. Black is not always black and white is not always white. I thought I can attribute some of my mistakes to the c41 based film as in IlFord xp-2 but I do run into problems even in traditional black and white film. I am scared of using filters with enlarger as in adding 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 filters on XP-2 films are found needed in printing for better contrast. As soon as I mount a filter with the enlarger in the lab, all the hard work in test strips have to start all over again. It is quite a deep learning curve to master with practice and patience. Sometimes when I get it about right on the film test strips, that is about the end of the 2-hour long class.

Learning & Sharing

There is so much to learn in b&w film photography from taking the photo to the final printing stage in the lab with an enlarger. The experience can be frustrating at times as the process really can involve many mistakes in each step and it teaches me patience and discipline. It is an enriching and rewarding experience to share with others. And there is also the hybrid approach in digitizing film with a film scanner. I hope to share more of my film learning experience along with my blogging partner Steve.

My film crews

From left to right:
Yashica Mat-124G, Pentax 645N and Ricoh xr-p.

Hin's Photo Corner

Fremont 5 Corners in Silver Efex Pro

Penax FA 50mm f/1.4 and Pentax MX Film camera

Kodak BW400CN Film Discontinuation Notice

KODAK PROFESSIONAL BW400CN Film -- discontinuation notice on August 14, 2014

Consolation with Yashica Mat 124G for 120 films

Spotmatic and Super (SMC) Takumar Crush

Related:

Film vs Digital

The Ricoh Love With Ricoh XR-P

Yashica Mat 124G -- a lovely TLR

Pentax 645 A 55mm f/2.8 Test Shots

Rolleiflex Automat MX-EVS

A great video on B&W film development

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