A Little Action Today

 
F3HP, Fujifilm Neopan 100SS, Likely Nikkor 35/2 AI

Due to a slight change in my travel scheduling for this Thanksgiving Weekend, I got some time to get out and photowalk today. I ended up shooting 4 rolls of HP5+, bringing that emulsion to 141 total rolls and exceeding my former most used film (Tri-X 400, at 139 rolls). That also brings me to 24 rolls for the year, 2 off my initial goal of 1 roll every 2 weeks, or 26 rolls total. The next goal is 46 rolls, matching my 35mm usage in 2012.

This gave me a chance to work out the FG a little more, about half my shooting today was with the FG, I pretty much left the 28/3.5 on it and my 50/1.8 on either the N6000 or the EM. I was burning a roll on the N6000 so I could reload it with some colour film and after that was done pretty much stuck to using the FG & EM, swapping bodies as I wanted the lens mounted. It's just quicker to swap between two small bodies that to switch between two lenses on the same body and the EM makes a nice second body when shooting with the FG (and they take all the same accessories too, a nice bonus). I'm liking the FG, it actually reminds me of the X-700 a lot, just about every aspect of the X-700 that I really liked is duplicated in the FG. The only missing items are an AE-lock (and the FG has the 2-stop backlight button) and DoF preview (which I never used much). Kinda funny that the X-700 was the flasghip Minolta while the FG was a bargain-basement Nikon yet they are pretty much identical in capability.

Unfortunately, I also discovered today what has happened to film prices in the last 4-5 years. They've doubled for colour film, and gone up even more than that for B&W. I used to pay $56 for a 100' roll of Tri-X, it's $226 now. Per roll used to be $4 or so, now it's just over $12 (yep, the $5 in savings between 18 rolls of TX400 and a bulk roll make buying bulk pointless now). I guess it's too be expected as the non-serious film shooter has pretty much disappeared and they kept the prices low for the serious shooter. But on the good side, my local store, which used to be Fuji/Kodak/Ilford only, is now carrying at least two other options for B&W Film (Rollei/Agfa and Japan Camera Hunter) and is also selling imported Japanese Fuji stocks (Natura in particular). Cost is up, but so is selection again.

Still Kickin'

 
Minolta X-700, MD Rokkor 45mm f2, Ilford PanF+ in Rodinal 1:100

Yep, still around. Been a busy couple of months for me in non-photographic areas, so not too much has happened. I did still have time to shoot a bit, bringing myself up to 20 rolls for the year and around 1500 digital shots. The D90's treating me just fine for digital and I've almost got my basic film kit sorted after picking up a dirt cheap FG to replace the X-700 and a Nikkor-H 28/3.5 AI'd for a mild wide. That leaves me with a primary film kit of the FG with an EM for a backup, the 28/3.5 and a 50/1.8 Series E. I need to add a 100/2.8E or 105/2.5 to round things out for now.

I find film occupying more and more of my interest these days, so I'm expecting to see the rollcount start growing again now that the things that have been occupying my attention for the last 6 weeks should be resolved. I expect to break 26 rolls without issues this month, and 52 for the year is not out of reach at all. Heck, I might even shoot a little colour film.

16 and Counting

Nikon EM, 50mm f1.8 Series E, Ilford HP5+

Finished roll number sixteen of 2016 this morning, tying my count for 2014 and the highest number of rolls I've shot from 2013 on. It was a roll of HP5+ through my EM.

I've also sold the X-700. Great camera, but Minolta isn't where I want to go. I've finally made a call on direction, I'm going all-in on Nikon again. The system just works for me for the most part. not perfect but more than acceptable.

I'm most likely going to put together a pretty similar system to what I had before getting the D700 a couple years ago. I really don't need much. So I traded off the G3 for a D90. That gives me a body to play with on the Nikon side for now.

No Parking

Mamiya 645 Super, 45/2.8 C, TriX@1600

This is the sort of urban geographic shot that I love taking. There's a range of tones and textures all over the shot and all unique to the city. These sorts of small scenes just fascinate me endlessly.

It's also something I struggle to find these days, much of the urban light industrial character of Toronto has been disappearing into endless condo developments. While on one side this is a good thing, I do regret the loss of much of the character of Toronto's downtown core.

Ode to the EM

Nikon EM, Sigma Super-Wide II 24mm f2.8,Ektachrome 100EC

 If the Nikon FM2n is my all-time favourite camera, the EM is my favourite cheap SLR (yes, even more so than the Cosina SLR's which I love).

Simple, small & cheap. Not too complex. Slap a lens on and shoot. That's the EM. I've owned 4-5 of them over the years, including my first SLR, bought in 1993 with a 50/1.8E, Vivitar 283 and a Tamron 70-210 f4-5.6. Shot a lot with that before I got rid of it after acquiring an F801s (another camera I've owned a bunch of copies of). The only camera I've ever had stolen was an EM (with a 100/2.8 Series E)

The EM will always have an opening in my bag, especially if paired with a 35/2.5 or 50/1.8 Series E. It's too cheap and too fun not to. It's simply the camera I chose as a car/desk camera to always have around.

If you shoot Nikon MF, grab one. You'll only be out $25 or so (my average purchase price, current one was free as a rear lens cap). Throw some cheap film through it and have fun.

Just Shooting

GX7, Olympus m.Zuiko 25mm f1.8

It's been a couple weeks since my last post, and yes, I have been shooting. I've been pushing myself to do more walking and it's been helping with my shooting as well.

I like carrying a pretty minimalist kit when walking, a body and a normal is usually enough. This typically ends up being either the GX7 and the 25/1.8 or the X-700 and the 45/2. Even better is a mild wide in the pocket, and maybe a short tele. I don't have that full setup yet with either kit, but in both cases I'm a single $200-ish lens away. I do need to round out both kits.

I also need to get out of the city and do some hiking. This summer has had me out of the city a fair bit, but only for rc flying, not for photography or hiking. I need to change that. This weekend is in fact a good possibility, being too windy to fly, but also looking good weather-wise. Time to find a destination.

Whither Full Frame

D700, 35/1.8G DX (in FX mode)

There is a certain expectation that a serious photographer will be shooting a Full Frame camera. I don't and I get asked occasionally why I don't.

The reality is I don't need Full Frame. I've taken 2 kicks at that can and may take another in the near future, but so far my experience is that the gains of FF (IQ, wide lens options) do not exceed the downsides (size, weight, cost) for my shooting style. Note this is from a perspective of someone who shoots handheld much more than on a tripod and prefers a smaller, less obtrusive camera.

The gear head in me wants to be shooting FF. The IQ certainly is nice (the D600 remains the best camera I've owned in terms of IQ) and I do like the big viewfinder. But I don't like carrying big & heavy cameras like the D700 or D600, and especially not ones with poor grips like the D600.

I find the IQ from 16MP m43 camera's to be entirely acceptable and today's 24MP APS-C camera's are so good I don't really need anything more in terms of IQ. Lens lineups in mirrorless have all my needs pretty much covered, while the DSLR world is good but not ideal (not enough wide prime options for non-Pentax shooters, Pentax's 14/2.8 and 15/4 make a huge difference for a wide to short tele shooter like myself). I'd be perfectly happy shooting Fuji or m43 in mirrorless or any of the decent DSLR options in APS-C.

The only real use case for me in FF is as a digital option to carry alongside a film kit, taking advantage of the common frame size to minimize the lenses I need to carry. I really have 3 options along these lines.

1. Carry a NEX/A6x00 body + native wide + adapters
2. Carry a A7 body + adapters
3. Carry a Fuji X-E2/X-T10 + native wide + adapters

Unfortunately the crop factor in m43 makes a similar kit impractical, I'd need at least two native lenses for that kit to work (wide + normal).

The A7 body is obviously the simplest choice. It'll use exactly the same lenses I use on the film body and will minimize the overall carried kit.

The E mount (NEX/A6x00) kit is the cheapest option, since the bodies are reasonably inexpensive used and I'd simply use a Sigma 19/2.8 as the wide. It also uses the same set of adapters as the A7 and provides a ready path to upgrade.

The Fuji path is interesting because I love the glass, especially the 18/2 which would be the likely wide choice, but would end up nearly as costly as the A7 in the end and would have me fighting X-Trans conversions again.

What will I do? No clue. A lot depends on where my film shooting goes as until I know that, I don't know what I should be optimizing my kit for.