Topic: My Cameras

[jharr]

This isn't all of them of course. These are the six I decided to take down off the shelf and photograph because I had six sheets of Kodak Recordak 105mm cut down to 4x5 and loaded into holders for the Speed Graphic. So I set up out in the blazing San Diego sun on a cozy patch of asphalt and hoped for the best. The film is rated at iso 1-ish. So in full mid-day sun I was shooting 1/5 at f/8 with a little bellows extension (so maybe more like iso 1.5). The background is a white wall in the open shade. The film is practically clear in the background. So contrast is an issue, as it is with most microfilms. The dev was done in some month-old X-tol diluted 1+2 and agitated normally for 10 minutes. The base is completely clear and the emulsion is thin and a bit fragile, though not as fragile as x-ray film. I think a little more experimentation with this is in order as I would like to tame the contrast a bit. The grain is non-existent (also a property of microfilms and areal recon films, even expired ones). There seems to be a bit of mold perhaps (see Argus 75 and Instamatic 500). It is most evident in the underexposed parts of the film, so this might be better used in bright, low contrast situations like the beach.

Anyway, here go the photos.


Agfa-Isolette-III by James Harr, on Flickr

Argus-Super-Seventy-five by James Harr, on Flickr

Kodak35RF by James Harr, on Flickr

Kodak-Instamatic-500 by James Harr, on Flickr

Yashica-44LM by James Harr, on Flickr

Zenza-Bronica-S2a by James Harr, on Flickr

[cs1]

James, I really like this series of photos. The light accentuates the shapes and edges of the cameras (lovely Zenza Bronica, BTW ). The contrast between the cushion (?) and the background adds a lot to the aesthetics of the series. I love it, good job.

[jharr]

Thanks cs1. I love shooting with all of these cameras, but the Bronica is a special one. The Nikon glass is top notch and the shutter has that charming "smashing a snare drum with a tire iron" sound. 

[Bryan]

Nice set James, I especially like that third one    Six cameras with 5 different film formats represented.  I've never found mold on old film before.  I'm surprised the film worked as good as it did considering it was stored in such a way that would allow for mold growth. 

[jharr]

Nice set James, I especially like that third one    Six cameras with 5 different film formats represented.  I've never found mold on old film before.  I'm surprised the film worked as good as it did considering it was stored in such a way that would allow for mold growth.

Thanks Bryan. I'm just guessing at the mold thing. It is only visible in the 'clear' parts of the negatives, so who knows? I suppose it could be some other kind of separation of the emulsion or even some weird oxidation. Some of it heals nicely in PS, but not others. I'll keep shooting this stuff since I have 500 feet of it, so maybe by the time I get to the end, I'll have figured out what it is and how to deal with it, or maybe it will just be part of the 'old film' package.

[cs1]

Thanks cs1. I love shooting with all of these cameras, but the Bronica is a special one. The Nikon glass is top notch and the shutter has that charming "smashing a snare drum with a tire iron" sound. 

I like the Zenza Bronicas a lot and maybe sometime when the right opportunity presents itself I might get one. I'm glad to hear that you enjoy it.