Topic: Weekend - June 23 - 25, 2023

[Bryan]

More color from American Samoa.  Minolta srT201 with Minolta MD 50mm f/2, expired Kodak Gold.

Rainbow over Pago Pago Harbor by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

Workers from the tuna canneries protesting the expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands (PRI) National Marine Sanctuary.  They are concerned that it will cost them jobs by reducing the amount of tuna that can be harvested.  The canneries are the largest employer in American Samoa.
Protest in Pago Pago by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

Cat at Tisa's by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

[Francois]

That's always a problem when a place has only industries in a limited field. And I can't blame the people for being scared, but on the other hand, we do have to take care of the bit of rock we live on 'cause if we don't, nobody else will.

[Bryan]

That's always a problem when a place has only industries in a limited field. And I can't blame the people for being scared, but on the other hand, we do have to take care of the bit of rock we live on 'cause if we don't, nobody else will.

Another industry is building these buses.  I don’t think it employs a lot of people because they don’t export them, they just use them on the island.  That’s how a lot of people get around the island and to and from their jobs at the canneries.  They import the truck chassis and build the bus onto it.  Not much of a tourism industry in American Samoa to support many jobs, but if you want to go to every national park in the US, you have to make a trip there. 
 Samoan Bus Stop by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

[irv_b]

To carry on the exotic colour theme, except mine is a studio in Hertfordshire  ,
These are shot on Fuji pro 400 - Mamiya C33 Analog - Wonderland's lab developed the negs with a turn around time of a week.
 I have also sent some colour negs to NTphotoworks to compare, so far price are pretty equal for for rolls of 120 C41, but I haven't them back yet.

[Francois]

Another industry is building these buses.  I don’t think it employs a lot of people because they don’t export them, they just use them on the island.

That has got to be the strangest looking bus I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure it doesn't respect the DOT standard, but what a machine!
I'm sure that if the 24 hours of Lemons people saw this, they would definitely have something to say.

[Bryan]

Another industry is building these buses.  I don’t think it employs a lot of people because they don’t export them, they just use them on the island.

That has got to be the strangest looking bus I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure it doesn't respect the DOT standard, but what a machine!
I'm sure that if the 24 hours of Lemons people saw this, they would definitely have something to say.

The highest speed limit on American Samoa is 25 mph, crash safety isn’t a big concern.  Many people drive their family and friends around in the back of pickup trucks, sometimes with lawn furniture for seats. 

[Francois]

At those speeds, I can probably break the speed limit on a bike! 

[ManuelL]

Oh, love that rainbow and the wonderful portraits.
I still have some film sitting around waiting to be developed. Hope I can have something to share soon.

[Kai-san]

I made a test run today with my "new" BeLomo Vilia. Not too bad for $10.

MMZ BeLomo Vilia / Rollei Superpan 200 in Rodinal

[Francois]

I made a test run today with my "new" BeLomo Vilia. Not too bad for $10.

Those old soviet cameras can really be surprising.

[Kai-san]

I made a test run today with my "new" BeLomo Vilia. Not too bad for $10.

Those old soviet cameras can really be surprising.

Yeah, I've had quite a few pleasant surprises. Some can be bland and uninteresting, but they are really few. I can't remember having come across any that are really bad, despite the rumours circulating.

[Francois]

The only bad one I've encountered so far was a Cosmic 35, but it was bad because the shutter only lasted two rolls of film...

[Kai-san]

I've heard about the Cosmic 35, but who made it? I guess it was one of those plastic-fantastic cameras from the 80's.

[Francois]

The Cosmic 35 is the western export version if the Smena 8. It was made by LOMO in Saint-Petersburg/Leningrad.
It's got a surprisingly good lens in a metal barrel. The shutter is all metal. The failure point is that a rotating part that hooks to the cocking lever is not protected in any way from wear. When the part gets worn, the hole gets enlarged and at some point the tolerances are too big for the hook to catch.

[Kai-san]

Ah yes, I found it now. There seem to have been three export versions; one with Smena-8 in Roman characters, the Cosmic-35 for the UK market and in Australia it was named Global-35. The distinct design gives it away though. It had a Triplet 4/40 just like the Vilia, but possibly a better version than the later Vilia.