SLR
Gizmo
September 04, 2010 - 07:37 Filed in: Monochrome | Animals
Dogs have personality. Some are easy going affable types. Some are high strung and high maintenance. Ours is a “mommy’s dog”. Being a rescue critter, he has issues. For the first few months that we had him, he thought my arm needed more scars. He was scared, anxious, and likely abused by his former owners. We did our best to calm and discipline him as he became part of our ‘pack’. His portraits say it all. He still has a problem with FedEx and UPS drivers. All snarls and teeth, he hides behind his “mom” during the performance. I don’t think we will ever break him of that.
My portrait gallery shows a few of his moments. My favorite is captured in this monochrome print. I used Kodak Plus-X shot with a 50mm f/1.8 lens mounted on a Nikkormat FTn and developed in HC-110 (dilution B) developer.
My portrait gallery shows a few of his moments. My favorite is captured in this monochrome print. I used Kodak Plus-X shot with a 50mm f/1.8 lens mounted on a Nikkormat FTn and developed in HC-110 (dilution B) developer.
‘Smile!’
Sad, But True
August 18, 2010 - 16:36 Filed in: Equipment
Bargains abound for film cameras these days. On eBay, a Canon AE-1 SLR sold for $6.50 while a classic Canon FTb, with a lens, didn’t get a single bid on its $59 starting price. An EOS-1N, once Canon’s flagship 35mm professional camera, sold for a paltry $77. Nikons fare no better. A Nikon FM was had for $50, an N90s for $80, and an N80 body, with the MB-16 battery holder, sold for just $50. For those of us still using film it’s a buyer’s market but at the same time, sad. These precision machines once sold for hundreds of dollars, even on the used market. Computer controlled shutters, 3D matrix metering systems, and lightning-fast autofocus lenses are marvels of modern engineering. These features are also found on digital cameras so what’s the difference? It’s the type of ‘film’ behind the shutter, of course.
The digital revolution also brought unexpected consequences, even for those of us still in the analog world. The Nikon Pronea S SLR was a Nikon flop because it used the controversial APS film format. Known as the Advanced Photo System, its “advanced” features led to its demise. The APS film cartridge could only be processed professionally using specialized equipment and the developed film cartridges were difficult to store and catalog. The size of the negative was smaller than that of 35mm film, which became obvious when the image was enlarged. There was no traditional monochrome film in the APS format, although black and white film using C-41 color dye technology was available. To Nikon’s credit, the Pronea featured Nikon’s magnificent balanced 3D matrix light meter. I bought one on eBay for $15 for that reason alone. I use it as my primary light meter when I shoot with my meter-less Mamiya C330 and M645 medium format cameras. Since the matrix light meter considers distance and image contrast as well as available light in the exposure calculation, I get perfect images every time.
I’m sure that most digital equipment will meet the same fate as their film ancestors after memory cards, lenses, and other digital camera features show a magnitude of improvement. The Fuji Finepix S2 Pro that I occasionally use today once sold for more than $3,000. You can get one now in good condition for about $200.
It won’t be long before even that will be asking too much.
The digital revolution also brought unexpected consequences, even for those of us still in the analog world. The Nikon Pronea S SLR was a Nikon flop because it used the controversial APS film format. Known as the Advanced Photo System, its “advanced” features led to its demise. The APS film cartridge could only be processed professionally using specialized equipment and the developed film cartridges were difficult to store and catalog. The size of the negative was smaller than that of 35mm film, which became obvious when the image was enlarged. There was no traditional monochrome film in the APS format, although black and white film using C-41 color dye technology was available. To Nikon’s credit, the Pronea featured Nikon’s magnificent balanced 3D matrix light meter. I bought one on eBay for $15 for that reason alone. I use it as my primary light meter when I shoot with my meter-less Mamiya C330 and M645 medium format cameras. Since the matrix light meter considers distance and image contrast as well as available light in the exposure calculation, I get perfect images every time.
I’m sure that most digital equipment will meet the same fate as their film ancestors after memory cards, lenses, and other digital camera features show a magnitude of improvement. The Fuji Finepix S2 Pro that I occasionally use today once sold for more than $3,000. You can get one now in good condition for about $200.
It won’t be long before even that will be asking too much.
High Quality, Low Cost Digital Cameras
Every week, I see advertisements for the latest in digital photographic equipment that varies from inexpensive low quality mini-cameras to high-end professional grade instruments. Leaving the low quality cameras on the discount store shelf is a no-brainer, unless you want something you can leave in the glove box of your car to document your next accident. If you want high quality photographs, your options are to risk rapid obsolescence by buying today’s latest digital technology, or buy a professional quality film camera from eBay or perhaps a garage sale or local pawn shop. So what does an “old school” film camera have to do with high quality digital photography? Besides the obvious costs involved, more than you might think.
Not even a decade ago, photographs in magazines and exhibitions were created from photographic film exposed in cameras that have changed little in principle for a century. A photograph made with a forty year old Nikkormat or 10 year old Nikon F100 was of better quality than a digital photograph shot through the same lens. Digital imaging technology has improved much since then, but you can still get high quality digital photographs from a film camera if you let the processor scan and digitize the negatives and slides for you when the film is processed. It doesn’t cost much for the casual photographer to get high quality digital images from film. If your volume is low, the cost of the latest digital SLR camera with its dedicated lens is far more than an older film camera using the same optics. If you shoot lots of film, like some folks I know, a quality film scanner can be had for less than $1000.
For less than half the cost of a refurbished $1,300 Nikon D300 body, you can get a professional quality Nikon F100 in excellent condition with a 28-35mm Nikon autofocus lens that produces images, when scanned, rival those from any digital camera. If you prefer a mechanical camera like a Nikon FM2, a Minolta SRT 102, or a Canon AE-1, the cost is even less. In case you didn’t know, a Nikon lens produced in 1975 will fit the Nikon F100, albeit without autofocus. For the price of a few memory cards, you can get a superb Nikon autofocus or a Canon FD zoom lens. There are thousands of them on the market and most are available for a song. Lenses from other manufacturers, like Pentax or Minolta, cost even less.
As a bonus, the photographer also gets low-cost, incorruptible image backups with the negatives and compact discs full of digitized photographs. No corrupt memory cards. No lost image libraries. No missed shots because of dead batteries or faulty electronics, and no confusing menus or settings to fiddle with while awe-inspiring photo-ops slip away.
Besides, good photographers can create outstanding images with any camera, even if it is just a light-tight box with a pinhole for a lens.
Not even a decade ago, photographs in magazines and exhibitions were created from photographic film exposed in cameras that have changed little in principle for a century. A photograph made with a forty year old Nikkormat or 10 year old Nikon F100 was of better quality than a digital photograph shot through the same lens. Digital imaging technology has improved much since then, but you can still get high quality digital photographs from a film camera if you let the processor scan and digitize the negatives and slides for you when the film is processed. It doesn’t cost much for the casual photographer to get high quality digital images from film. If your volume is low, the cost of the latest digital SLR camera with its dedicated lens is far more than an older film camera using the same optics. If you shoot lots of film, like some folks I know, a quality film scanner can be had for less than $1000.
For less than half the cost of a refurbished $1,300 Nikon D300 body, you can get a professional quality Nikon F100 in excellent condition with a 28-35mm Nikon autofocus lens that produces images, when scanned, rival those from any digital camera. If you prefer a mechanical camera like a Nikon FM2, a Minolta SRT 102, or a Canon AE-1, the cost is even less. In case you didn’t know, a Nikon lens produced in 1975 will fit the Nikon F100, albeit without autofocus. For the price of a few memory cards, you can get a superb Nikon autofocus or a Canon FD zoom lens. There are thousands of them on the market and most are available for a song. Lenses from other manufacturers, like Pentax or Minolta, cost even less.
As a bonus, the photographer also gets low-cost, incorruptible image backups with the negatives and compact discs full of digitized photographs. No corrupt memory cards. No lost image libraries. No missed shots because of dead batteries or faulty electronics, and no confusing menus or settings to fiddle with while awe-inspiring photo-ops slip away.
Besides, good photographers can create outstanding images with any camera, even if it is just a light-tight box with a pinhole for a lens.
(This image was created with a 35 mm pinhole camera and TMax 100 film)
Canon AE-1
April 09, 2010 - 20:22 Filed in: Equipment
When the world began chasing after digital photography, most film cameras were left behind, doomed to abandonment in closets and camera bags by their owners, never to be appreciated again. When digital ‘point-and-shoots’ and cheap single lens reflex cameras fell within easy reach of the average consumer, the venerable SLR film camera, once revered by advanced amateurs and professionals alike, became like so much baggage. eBay was, and still is, flush with them. As with any market where supply exceeds demand, the prices of these magnificent machines had no where to go but down. Once coveted precision photographic tools were to be had for a song. Enter the bottom feeders.
For anyone who has followed this blog or even read my home page, you know that I am committed to preserving 35 mm and medium format film photography. Digital imaging is what I do AFTER I process the film for the sake of this website. I have a rather broad collection of 35 mm cameras and I often enjoy taking them out for a stroll. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of running some Fujichrome Velvia through one of my favorites, the Canon AE-1. This camera was a technological breakthrough in 1976 when electronics assumed control of the focal plane shutter in a quality camera built for the consumer market. Deciding on the proper exposure was still a matter of the photographer’s judgment, but now electronics controlled the exposure. Canon was one of the first manufacturers to use flexible circuit boards and microchips tightly wrapped in the camera body. These wonderful machines continue to capture great photographs long after the advent of mainstream digital cameras. To discover more about the Canon AE-1, or any of her sisters, visit the Canon F-A-T section of the Photography in Malaysia website.
I wonder if my Fuji Finepix S2 Pro will be as relevant in 2044 as my Canon AE-1 is today, 34 years after its introduction?
For anyone who has followed this blog or even read my home page, you know that I am committed to preserving 35 mm and medium format film photography. Digital imaging is what I do AFTER I process the film for the sake of this website. I have a rather broad collection of 35 mm cameras and I often enjoy taking them out for a stroll. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of running some Fujichrome Velvia through one of my favorites, the Canon AE-1. This camera was a technological breakthrough in 1976 when electronics assumed control of the focal plane shutter in a quality camera built for the consumer market. Deciding on the proper exposure was still a matter of the photographer’s judgment, but now electronics controlled the exposure. Canon was one of the first manufacturers to use flexible circuit boards and microchips tightly wrapped in the camera body. These wonderful machines continue to capture great photographs long after the advent of mainstream digital cameras. To discover more about the Canon AE-1, or any of her sisters, visit the Canon F-A-T section of the Photography in Malaysia website.
I wonder if my Fuji Finepix S2 Pro will be as relevant in 2044 as my Canon AE-1 is today, 34 years after its introduction?
