Morning

Gyro Corner

Kodak 160VC.  Nikon FE.  Nikkor 28mm f/2

 The bottom one is scanned by myself using the sucky Epson Perfection V500 Photo.  It's straight from the scanner, well except to scale it to the smallish 1818 width to match the paid scanned file from some operation in midtown.
I can understand how I can do such a sloppy job but I just can't understand why people who got paid can do such a sloppy job, am I expecting too much?  I look at the negative, they just chop it off somewhere and stuff them in one single sleeve, all 36 exposures in one single sleeve.  If it's really you got what you paid for then I don't know how much I have to pay in order to get a modicum degree of professionalism and anal retentiveness from these operators.

Handball Court

This appears a bit too grainy for a 125 film. Possible reasons:

1. This is the way it is
2. Wrong exposure when taking the picture
3. Wrong developing, HC-110 working solution, develop time, agitation and temperature are off.
4. Scanning problem, sharpening added
5. All of the above

I suspect it's number 3. I mix HC-110 concentrate at 1:49 for 500ml to develop two rolls of 135 in a steel tank, for a total of 8 minutes. The temperature is more like 70F instead of 68F. So I don't know if I have developed it for too long. The Kodak 125PX seems to have this "problem." Whereas the Fuji Acros 100 seems finer even I believe I developed it in the same routine. I am pretty bad at controlling the variables.

UPDATE:
5/20/10
Looks like the comment is screwed up, and I shall totally blame it on wp2007.

Nikon FE

I finally bought a couple of SR44 batteries for my FE.  What can I say, the more I use the other camera, the more I like my FE.  This couple of batteries probably would last another decade if not longer.  I really don't remember any problem with my FE other than the time I got it wrecked in a car accident with my Nikkor 50mm f/1.4.  I was playing with my FE and MD-12 last night.  And again, something I should have been pretty sure but I just don't.  The camera battery is still needed for the meter and shutter (except for B and M90) even you have a fully powered motor drive MD-12 attached.  The FE is just an unbelievably reliable fine piece of engineering triumph.  The meter display makes sense, the shutter makes sense, the double exposure makes sense, the self-timer makes sense, the MD-12 motor drive makes sense.  It just kicks ass now, then and probably forever.

2 Duracell D357H MS76, it's rated 1.5 (or 1.55V according to their technical publication).  I paid $5.99 for each.  I like products or brands that are anal retentive about their technical data and give full support and publication of such data on the Web.  They are installed on 4/28/2010.

First Roll of Black and White from P Almost Ready

My first roll coming from the P is processed and is hung up in the bathroom to air dry. I shall scan once the negative is ready. I think this time I beat my record in loading up the steel reel, it took me probably 2 minutes to load the film. I did it in one go and there was no crinkles, a very clean load. The exposure doesn't look bad either considering I was just guestimating the exposures as I shot along. The accessory meter doesn't work.

That was the good news.

Here comes the not so great news. Well it wasn't exactly bad. I found out I left the FE film advance lever open and the battery was duly drained. This had never ever happened to me in the 20 plus years that I own the camera. The battery has been in the chamber forever and it had been good for years. I remember I only changed it once all these years. And I thought it has auto power off even if I leave the lever in the open position. Oh well, you live and learn. Without battery the FE only operates at M90 and B unless I use it with my MD-12 motor drive.

Well I can always shoot my Hasselblad 500C/M and my Canon P sans battery and sans meter.

2010

Summer 2007

Film Scan

Scanned using an Epson V500, set a 16-bit gray scale and at 2400 dpi.  One thing about scanning is you have to deal with dust and scratch like forever.  Many years ago I scanned using an HP Photo scanner.

UPDATE:
I think the film holders of the V500 are pretty atrocious.  I mean they work but it's just not something you expect from a photo scanner.  For $160 or so is it the best they can do?  I mean people buy this for scanning film right?  It's supposed to be good not like an after thought because after all it's marketed as a photo scanner.  If you have 6x6 negative that got cut into 3 frames per strip, I am telling you, the contraption isn't all that great at all, you would have a difficult time putting into the 3-frame strip.  But again it can be done.   The 35mm strip holder is slightly better.  You got to scan two strips of 6-frame at the same time.  You will never get the film flat especially the medium format, but I am not really complaining if I can fit the negative just a bit more efficiently and easily.  On the other hand if you have uncut 120 negative I think it should be a bit easier, I have yet to try that.  If the mechanics of the V700 or the V750 is about the same as that of the V500, then I am glad I didn't go for the pricey ones.  I read some time ago there is some third party film holder I guess I will have to look for them.  OMG, I just checked the price is close to $80 and to pay by PayPal, extra as if the convenience on both sides of the transaction doesn't mean anything.  It probably worths every cent of the $80 but I will hold off for the time being.  The film holder is one half of the price of the scanner.  Does it make sense?  I guess it probably does.

The Fuji Acros 100 seems to be a winner, especially compared against the Kodak 125 PX.

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This picture grows on me. For some reason I like it.

Imported From The Past

Nikon F5, with 24mm f2 and HN-1 lens hood. I am a big fan of lens hood.

Nikon FE with MD-12 motor drive. Nikkor 24mm f2 with HN-1 lens hood.

Hasselblad 500C/M with Planar CF 80mm f2.8

Technical details that nobody is really interested except myself:-
All were shot using a D70 mounted on a ball head on a tripod. The lens was the 50mm f1.4 with the metal Nikon HS-9 lens shade screwed on, set mostly at f1.4 except the Hasselblad one which was set at f2 or f2.8, ambient light.

NOTE: Bending down and fiddling with manual focusing on the tiny LCD can be so tiring. I still have my Yashica Mat 124 G that's not taken yet.

Alex

人花爭嫣

I win
Elite Chrome 200. Resized to 1500 wide and increased green 20. An attempt to remove magenta. Photoshop wohoo. It was actually GIMP I can't afford Photoshop.

DC Pictures

The Street Photographer. Wow, the right way to hold a camera. The D70, so easy, even a 7 year old can use it.

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Ivo and Lulu

There is no Photoshop here. It's just how our hostess/waitress rolls.

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The more I look at these two, the more I like them. They really grow on me. I love my pictures, I just do.

Random Pictures

Black and White Nikon FE, 50mm f1.4