A Development In My Hobby - The Film Journey

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Ah yeah I see I’m getting confused lol. I don’t know what I did to be honest. It must of been user error, I’ve just developed a roll from a railway museum today and they look ok

Shutter capping normally shows up at the higher shutter speeds (1/1000 +) so if your pictures from the railway museum were taken using slower shutter speeds they may be fine - you need to run a cheap roll of film through your camera using shutters speeds higher than 1/1000 up to the maximum shutter speed of the camera to check it.
 
Shutter capping normally shows up at the higher shutter speeds (1/1000 +) so if your pictures from the railway museum were taken using slower shutter speeds they may be fine - you need to run a cheap roll of film through your camera using shutters speeds higher than 1/1000 up to the maximum shutter speed of the camera to check it.

Cool thanks Fraser I’ll do that to check :)
 
Couple of not very exciting shots from a trip to locomotion in Shildon, Co Durham. Developed at a higher temp of 38 degrees, getting better I think development wise, no where near as grainy as the last roll I did. Vista Colour Plus 400

locomotion11 by Shaun Palmer, on Flickr

locomotion6 by Shaun Palmer, on Flickr

Very good, that first shot looks a good as one from a £3000 digi camera...time to use your skill with a medium format camera o_O ;)
 
The grain seems nice and fine but I think there's a slight magenta cast to them, which I've found when scanning the Fuji Superia 400, but nothing that can't be sorted out in Photoshop or Lightroom. (y)
 
Very good, that first shot looks a good as one from a £3000 digi camera...time to use your skill with a medium format camera o_O ;)

Thanks! Not just yet, I’m only onto my 4th roll of 35 lol

The grain seems nice and fine but I think there's a slight magenta cast to them, which I've found when scanning the Fuji Superia 400, but nothing that can't be sorted out in Photoshop or Lightroom. (y)

Ahh that’s it! I thought to myself they just weren’t quite right and couldn’t put my finger on it, I can see it now you’ve said haha
 
Thanks! Not just yet, I’m only onto my 4th roll of 35 lol

Cheap folder thread? Probably there are quite a few here that use a digi, 35mm and MF camera. I sometimes carry a MF and 35mm camera around...so you could use a 35mm camera (or digi if you want) and cheap MF for special shots for your "film journey"
 
Cheap folder thread? Probably there are quite a few here that use a digi, 35mm and MF camera. I sometimes carry a MF and 35mm camera around...so you could use a 35mm camera (or digi if you want) and cheap MF for special shots for your "film journey"

What model would you recommend me looking for to try? Seems I’m getting my arm twisted here lol
 
What model would you recommend me looking for to try? Seems I’m getting my arm twisted here lol

Well I'm outa touch with the cheap bargains as I bought my Mamiya RB67 and Bronica etrs about 30 years ago and haven't bothered with anything else....but in the past there was a decent? TLR camera (Chinese) and think it was called seagull which went for about £15 at the time......but quality variation affected this model esp the lens. But unfortunately it's going for silly prices on the bay.
 
I wouldn't rush into MF photography until you've mastered 35mm and developing. Perhaps come along to one of the F&C day's out and have a look at a couple of MF cameras first, and learn what to look for before buying. It's easy to buy a lemon if you don't know what you're looking for, and/or to buy the wrong one for you. Shooting with an old fully manual folding camera can be good fun, but learning how to zone focus, meter the light and set the right shutter speed and aperture for each shot (and remembering to wind on before taking the next shot to avoid multiple exposures!) can be a bit of a steep learning curve if you've been used to a modern, multi-mode SLR. So don't rush in, there's plenty of cameras about, so take your time and then choose the right one for you. (y)
 
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Well I'm outa touch with the cheap bargains as I bought my Mamiya RB67 and Bronica etrs about 30 years ago and haven't bothered with anything else....but in the past there was a decent? TLR camera (Chinese) and think it was called seagull which went for about £15 at the time......but quality variation affected this model esp the lens. But unfortunately it's going for silly prices on the bay.

I think something like a Yashica 635 TLR would probably give more bang for buck than a seagull these days, but it's learning what to look for before buying that's important if thinking about an old fully-mechanical MF camera. So don't rush in, and preferably talk to an owner (or several) of the camera model you're thinking about before you buy one! Hope this is useful. (y)
 
I wouldn't rush into MF photography until you've mastered 35mm and developing. Perhaps come along to one of the F&C day's out and have a look at a couple of MF cameras first, and learn what to look for before buying. It's easy to buy a lemon if you don't know what you're looking for, and/or to buy the wrong one for you. Shooting with an old fully manual folding camera can be good fun, but learning how to zone focus, meter the light and set the right shutter speed and aperture for each shot (and remembering to wind on before taking the next shot to avoid multiple exposures!) can be a bit of a steep learning curve if you've been used to a modern, multi-mode SLR. So don't rush in, there's plenty of cameras about, so take your time and then choose the right one for you. (y)

Well true but Shaun has started as a beginner (for film ) to getting VG results from dev in what about a month or two, he might be one of those guys in that everything is easy for him.(y) And the problem with exposure for tricky situations can affect a digi, 35mm, MF or LF user..so doesn't matter much what camera you use
 
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The Yashica 635 also had a 35mm insert, and I believe originally came with a close up lens set. The only drawback is shooting 35mm is all portrait format.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. The Bronica cameras are very nice looking cameras, think I’ll get saving while I practice with 35mm lol

Well one way of looking at is:- if you spend £60/week on cigarettes, or a cup of coffee at Starbucks every morning going to work is £10/week, a pint of beer three times a week about £10, fish and chips once a week for yourself £7 or and so on....so if you cut some of these out for a month or two you could buy a nice camera and enjoy for years well after everything else has passed from your body in days. And get the wife on board saying that your shots would be even better of the family with 12" X 16" pictures on the wall.
And not forgetting if you bought a good cheap MF camera from a reliable source and if you ever got bored with film you could always get your money back on selling.
Anyway just saying o_O ;)
 
Shaun, I would be more than happy with the latest results. Very impressive for only your 4th film.
Once you get started with it medium format is a bit addictive. I think you're looking at the right kit with Bronica; still affordable with some very good lenses although I have noticed that a lot of medium format kit is starting to creep up in price. A good part of my daughter's first year at Uni is revolving around a film based photography project and the youngsters are now starting to see film as an artistic and creative medium.
 
Well there could be only two approaches going to medium format and one is:- unless you see a bargain going for peanuts and snap it up, just take your time in choosing the camera you might like (I took months in the 1970s early 80s choosing the RB 67)..the 2nd seems to be the Andysnap way in that buy a camera and if you don't like it (or get bored) then sell it and get another one o_O ;)
 
Well one way of looking at is:- if you spend £60/week on cigarettes, or a cup of coffee at Starbucks every morning going to work is £10/week, a pint of beer three times a week about £10, fish and chips once a week for yourself £7 or and so on....so if you cut some of these out for a month or two you could buy a nice camera and enjoy for years well after everything else has passed from your body in days. And get the wife on board saying that your shots would be even better of the family with 12" X 16" pictures on the wall.
And not forgetting if you bought a good cheap MF camera from a reliable source and if you ever got bored with film you could always get your money back on selling.
Anyway just saying o_O ;)

Haha I like your thinking, I’ve spent probably close to £300 the last month or two, so I at least need to give it another couple of month cool down period before I push for a MF lol.

Shaun, I would be more than happy with the latest results. Very impressive for only your 4th film.
Once you get started with it medium format is a bit addictive. I think you're looking at the right kit with Bronica; still affordable with some very good lenses although I have noticed that a lot of medium format kit is starting to creep up in price. A good part of my daughter's first year at Uni is revolving around a film based photography project and the youngsters are now starting to see film as an artistic and creative medium.

Thanks Lee appreciate it. I would agree I even find myself taking a much more creative approach to my shots now using the film camera, even with my digital I do now as well to be fair.

Well there could be only two approaches going to medium format and one is:- unless you see a bargain going for peanuts and snap it up, just take your time in choosing the camera you might like (I took months in the 1970s early 80s choosing the RB 67)..the 2nd seems to be the Andysnap way in that buy a camera and if you don't like it (or get bored) then sell it and get another one o_O ;)

Definitely going to take my time, although I’m usually very impulsive and usually do the try it and see if I like it method first lol
 
I’ve spent probably close to £300 the last month or two

WOW....and in the past tried to persuade digi guys to try film and it can be as cheap as this.....bootie Nikon AF210 compact 50p, film at the bootie 10p, dev at Asda with scan and CD £3, total £3.60.

one reason I don't like rangefinders or compacts is I got my finger in the way in this shot
krSW1JU.jpg


Keep finger out of the way and
J1sCSLN.jpg
 
WOW....and in the past tried to persuade digi guys to try film and it can be as cheap as this.....bootie Nikon AF210 compact 50p, film at the bootie 10p, dev at Asda with scan and CD £3, total £3.60.

one reason I don't like rangefinders or compacts is I got my finger in the way in this shot
krSW1JU.jpg


Keep finger out of the way and
J1sCSLN.jpg

Great shots, even better for £3.60 lol!

To be fair, I only spent that much because I pretty much had the go big or go home attitude towards it. A fair chunk of that spend went on the scanner, chemicals and equipment. Yeah it was probably a bit silly to go straight in as deep as I did, but I'm glad I did. I don't have any other vices except photography so I thought I'd treat myself. I've probably learnt more in the last 2 month about the actual technical side of photography by using film than I have in the last 8/9 year.

I have literally just finished developing a film I took on that rangefinder today that is nearly 60 years old, that I've only had for a few days, and there is actually something on the negs. Now this may not seem like a big deal, but had you given me it 2 month ago I would have had no clue where to start. Hopefully there is something half decent on there I can show you guys in an hour or two.
 
I'm looking forward to seeing the results from that Yashica; the Yashinon lens wasn't a bad bit of kit so if the light meter and range finder still work, and the shutter speeds are still reasonably accurate, you might be pleasantly surprised by the results. (y)
 
Shaun Palmer, How much better are you, Your latest photographs are just likeable.

I very much like Eastern, as it radiates a totally different perspective on the photograph.

You have talent and a good eye.(y)
 
Thank you so much for the nice feedback guys. I fell asleep last night while the negatives were drying from the Yashica lol, got a few scanning now but need to pop out so hopefully will be able to share the results later on. I am quietly confident there is some ok photos, I still can’t believe it worked!
 
Right, I've done a few really quick edits as I've just got back from having my haircut and my wife has surprised me with a night away for my birthday for tomorrow! I just had to pop a few photos on before I leave.

Overall I'm so pleased I got something from a camera so old that I had no practice on. One thing I've learnt, don't load a 400 speed film on the brightest day of the year so far in a camera that has a max shutter speed of 500 lol. The light meter on top of the camera basically gave me an EV of 17 pretty much for every scene, which is the maximum this camera goes upto. At an EV of 17, I pretty much could only stick with a shutter speed of 500 and an aperture of 16, which is basically at the end of each scale for this camera.

Couple of my favorites from the roll, and the 3rd is just for an example to show the red mark that appears in every photo. It was just more prominent in this shot to show you guys. Now, I'm guessing this is some sort of light leak maybe? And I don't if its just me, but there seems to be a red cast overall that kind of comes from the bottom of the frames. Which I guess is related to the mark that comes from the same side of the frame. I could probably edit them out when I get a chance to edit them properly, but I haven't got time right now and I was too excited to just get some on here to show you lol. Then again I think it gives the photos a bit of character, gives the impression it's taken on an old camera, not sure to be honest it makes sense in my head :)

herringtonyashica013 by Shaun Palmer, on Flickr

herringtonyashica029 by Shaun Palmer, on Flickr

herringtonyashica024 by Shaun Palmer, on Flickr
 
Picked up one of these today from a gentleman who’s father had owned it from new, couldn’t say no for £10. The shutter seems to work fine, everything that should move seems to freely. Looking forward to having a go with this.

Any idea what the shutter speed is roughly on these? You can’t change the speed, and has two aperture settings of f11 or f16. So need to kind of second guess what speed film to get for it

05A44BD7-9985-478B-BEE1-D83E9D67876B.jpeg 516BFAAB-B50E-4AC8-BA43-25AEC59D948D.jpeg
 
Picked up one of these today from a gentleman who’s father had owned it from new, couldn’t say no for £10. The shutter seems to work fine, everything that should move seems to freely. Looking forward to having a go with this.

Any idea what the shutter speed is roughly on these? You can’t change the speed, and has two aperture settings of f11 or f16. So need to kind of second guess what speed film to get for it

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Found this:- http://adamcostelloportfolio.com/mplsDesigner/mplsDesignerBackUp_2-28-08/cameras/cameras/820.html and is a whopping 6X9 so eight shots. The first check is for light leaks on the bellows.
 
Open the back and fire the shutter a few times, while doing the same with another camera that has a decently accurate shutter with a range of speeds. Adjust the reference camera's shutter until the timing looks close to the Penguin's.

It's probably quite slow - 1/30th to 1/60th is quite likely.
 
Thanks for the quick reply’s guys. It would seem I need to be very selective about the conditions to shoot with this then?

For a shutter speed so slow, I guess a film of maybe 100 would be ok for a slightly overcast to sunny day? I’m not sure how recoverable shadows and highlights can be from a film compared to a raw digi file, is it a case of you either get it right or don’t?
 
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Thanks for the quick reply’s guys. It would seem I need to be very selective about the conditions to shoot with this then?

For a shutter speed so slow, I guess a film of maybe 100 would be ok for a slightly overcast to sunny day? I’m not sure how recoverable shadows and highlights can be from a film compared to a raw digi file, is it a case of you either get it right or don’t?

On the contrary, with negative film, you can get it quite wrong and still have something usable. Under-exposure results in loss of shadow detail, where there isn't enough stuff on the negative to show up against the film base. Over-exposure results in compression of the highlights, which can be recoverable if the scanner can work with the density. In general, err towards a film speed that will give some over-exposure at f11 in the expected conditions, and you'll have the option to stop down to f16.

Also, B&W film is easier than colour to rate at different speeds by messing around with the processing - no colour shifts to deal with, and the developing time is longer, which makes it easier to adjust the process without things getting particularly critical. The main effects are changes in contrast and grain.
 
On the contrary, with negative film, you can get it quite wrong and still have something usable. Under-exposure results in loss of shadow detail, where there isn't enough stuff on the negative to show up against the film base. Over-exposure results in compression of the highlights, which can be recoverable if the scanner can work with the density. In general, err towards a film speed that will give some over-exposure at f11 in the expected conditions, and you'll have the option to stop down to f16.

Also, B&W film is easier than colour to rate at different speeds by messing around with the processing - no colour shifts to deal with, and the developing time is longer, which makes it easier to adjust the process without things getting particularly critical. The main effects are changes in contrast and grain.

Thanks for the explanation Nomad. I’ve just purchased some expired Fuji NPS 160 to just have a test of the camera. What sort of light condition would be ok for this speed at the estimated shutter speed and apertures, I know that sounds like a daft question but I have no idea and sounds like you would know lol
 
Try it with a roll of something relatively inexpensive like Fomapan 100. If it works ok, then you could try some Ektar or maybe Pan F Plus.

Check the bellows are light-tight too. In a dark room, shine a bright light into the inside through the open back of the camera while you examins the material from the outside. You'll see any holes and can then fix them with liquid latex if needed.
 
Try it with a roll of something relatively inexpensive like Fomapan 100. If it works ok, then you could try some Ektar or maybe Pan F Plus.

Check the bellows are light-tight too. In a dark room, shine a bright light into the inside through the open back of the camera while you examins the material from the outside. You'll see any holes and can then fix them with liquid latex if needed.
Thanks I’ll try that tonight, it looks in very good condition for how old it is. There isn’t even many marks ok the lens considering it’s plastic, well I understand it is anyway.

I got two rolls of 2006 expired Fuji NPS 160 for £3 each, so should be enough for a bit of trial and error
 
Thanks I’ll try that tonight, it looks in very good condition for how old it is. There isn’t even many marks ok the lens considering it’s plastic, well I understand it is anyway.

I got two rolls of 2006 expired Fuji NPS 160 for £3 each, so should be enough for a bit of trial and error

I'd rate the film at 100asa (using the half-a-stop per decade expired rule for black and white film - one stop per decade for colour) unless you know it's been cold stored.

Good luck and enjoy!
 
I'd rate the film at 100asa (using the half-a-stop per decade expired rule for black and white film - one stop per decade for colour) unless you know it's been cold stored.

Good luck and enjoy!

Apparently it’s been kept refrigerated according to the guys listing. any idea what sort of light conditions would work with the 160 ISO film, estimated shutter speed of 1/50 and aperture of either 11 or 16?
 
I was asked to try and get some shots out of a kershaw, I think it was a Penguin, that belonged to the f in l of a workmate. It takes a bit of doing tbh but they are huge 6 x 9 negs. I would also suggest some fomapan, the lenses in these older (and cheaper) folders were really made for black and white and colour film is a bit expensive to use for testing.
They can be fun though and if you do get some decent shots the feeling of achievement is all the greater. (y)
 
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