Ian's Contact Sheets

[Yardbent]

--, ..but now I'm on the retirement home-straight I increasingly have the same feeling of not being cut-out for this. ...........

haha wait till you actually retire. I was the Export Sales Manager of a hitech exporter to Japan, China, South Korea, Brazil, Spain et al.
Spent my life flying to yet another Hotel meeting. Fiancé left me.........

I'm now living modestly on my own in a small farm cottage - wine making, photography and brown trout fishing
must have been MAD not to retire before....................

 

[sirch]

Already commented on #3 in another thread, the colours in 5 & 6 do look good.

 

[FishyFish]

Two rolls back from AG and one more lesson learned...

Both are expired rolls I picked up from @Yardbent and look fine. Both shot through the EOS30 with my new-to-me (and working perfectly) Tamron 28-300. The two lenses that came with the EOS 30 are on eBay and one has sold already. If I get a tenner less than advertised for the other, then the camera cost me the sum total of £0!! My kind of value!

1st roll is the Agfa Vista 400 which I shot at our local soon-to-be-demolished college on the same day as the B&W above. The last 9 frames were just shot off when I got home so I could get it posted. Some worked, some didn't, and it would be good to go back and have a second crack at it, but I just haven't had the time. Frames 5 & 6 are the standouts for me as I am trying hard to actually "use" the colour in a scene. 1, 3 & 4 are documentary shots for my own benefit, and 13 made me smile. Shame about the distortion on #22, but fiddling in LR has fixed it. (Larger images in this thread.)

Overall, quite pleased, and quite pleased with the Agfa film. May try and hunt some more down because having a good 400 speed colour film is useful!

View attachment 285289

Now the Portra 400. And this roll was really just "gotten reid of" because I'm too cheap to send one roll off for dev and decided to shoot the Portra so I could send two. Problem is I ended up rushing the roll and it shows in the output. I'm also not a fan of how Portra 400 renders colour - especially muddying the greens (to my eyes).

1 shot for this month's FPoTY, 1 for my xBT project, and the rest is all a bit crap and uninspired. Pretty much an entire waste of film. Lesson learned though: If you finish one roll, don't be afraid to just send it off.

View attachment 285290

I see quite a few nice looking shots on the Agfa roll. #2, #5, #6, #17 & #18 stand out. I like the contrast between the illuminated and shaded parts of the building with the lamp-post in frame #6.

I see what you mean with the Portra. Take it as a lesson learned!

I've found myself doing the same thing. Sometimes I have the opportunity to photograph, but not the inclination, and while sometimes the fire gets lit once I'm out and about and seeing things, quite often the best thing to do on those occasions to put the camera down and do something else instead. I have a bunch of photos of a canal that I took recently. The light was great and I enjoyed the walk, and a few of them look quite nice, but I think that I was making the photos because I felt obliged to when, deep down I knew that they weren't my thing really.

 

[Harlequin565]

So I finally finished off my roll of Washi S yesterday only to discover no times for it in HC-110. The fact sheet states dev as for Tri-X, but when I checked it against Rodinal, the times were wildly different with Washi S times much longer (almost double!). That didn't give me a comfortable feeling, so I just added a minute onto the 6 minute time, and I think the results show me that I probably need to stay away from this film.

Also, this was part done when I was photographing my guitar, and 2 frames just recorded nothing. No clue why. Scanned in reverse.

I want to like this film. The grain is non existent, but I feel the dynamic range is a bit pants. The top 6 frames were taken yesterday and it was pretty overcast and gloomy. Perhaps the film is bad, or perhaps adding that minute in dev was a bad idea. I still can't get away from the fact that slow speed film that doesn't like bright scenes isn't much use to me.



Then I shot a roll of Tri-X intending to dev it next to my repaired 35RC test roll, but didn't. It's really great to have a camera I can just graqb & go, and the 300mm range on the lens is really nice. For when I'm feeling lazy, the EOS 30 is a fantastic camera. Switch on and go.

All cat shots, so not very interesting to anyone else. Pushed to 800 and I'm really pelased to get decent results from 35mm when I push to 800. Tri-X in HC-110 is massively different to HP5 Plus in Rodinal. THat was the penultimate roll off the £50 Analogue Wonderland bulk roll though, so the next 6 months will be testing HP5 in HC-110.




Made a tryptich! "Conversation Over"

 

[Harlequin565]

Out in Delamere today for my first photographic outing since Lockdown...

My intent was to take a few rolls of Ortho Plus out, but I ended up watching Steve O'Nion's video before I left the house so I stuck a role of Provia in too. Spent a long time shooting the 4 frames on that and the first two on here, so came back with the sum total of 8 frames in the bag!

This has been over done, and looking at the negs, it's not in the scanning stage. Frame 3 was "add a stop" as a rough guess for reciprocity because it was 4 seconds at f/32 so that one I'm not bothered about. Frame 4 was rushed because it was quite busy down there and I wanted to grab the shot while the path was empty.

I actually think the issue is my metering. There's nothing here that can't be rescued in post, but I'm a bit miffed because I spent quite a while taking spot readings and faffing about.

Ah well... Onwards and upwards.



And with the pp...

 

[FishyFish]

So I finally finished off my roll of Washi S yesterday only to discover no times for it in HC-110. The fact sheet states dev as for Tri-X, but when I checked it against Rodinal, the times were wildly different with Washi S times much longer (almost double!). That didn't give me a comfortable feeling, so I just added a minute onto the 6 minute time, and I think the results show me that I probably need to stay away from this film.

Also, this was part done when I was photographing my guitar, and 2 frames just recorded nothing. No clue why. Scanned in reverse.

I want to like this film. The grain is non existent, but I feel the dynamic range is a bit pants. The top 6 frames were taken yesterday and it was pretty overcast and gloomy. Perhaps the film is bad, or perhaps adding that minute in dev was a bad idea. I still can't get away from the fact that slow speed film that doesn't like bright scenes isn't much use to me.

View attachment 285904

Then I shot a roll of Tri-X intending to dev it next to my repaired 35RC test roll, but didn't. It's really great to have a camera I can just graqb & go, and the 300mm range on the lens is really nice. For when I'm feeling lazy, the EOS 30 is a fantastic camera. Switch on and go.

All cat shots, so not very interesting to anyone else. Pushed to 800 and I'm really pelased to get decent results from 35mm when I push to 800. Tri-X in HC-110 is massively different to HP5 Plus in Rodinal. THat was the penultimate roll off the £50 Analogue Wonderland bulk roll though, so the next 6 months will be testing HP5 in HC-110.

View attachment 285905


Made a tryptich! "Conversation Over"
View attachment 285903

I've kinda shied away from trying lots of B&W films of late. There are a few that I'd still like to give a try, such as Ferrania P30 and and Adox CMS20 for a couple of examples, but some of the more experimental films are a little "out there" for me, giving highly stylised looks that I'm not sure fits with the sort of photos I make. I've kinda slipped on a comfy pair of HP5+ slippers that I'm always a little reluctant to take off now it seems.

Like the trypych a lot.

 

[FishyFish]

Out in Delamere today for my first photographic outing since Lockdown...

My intent was to take a few rolls of Ortho Plus out, but I ended up watching Steve O'Nion's video before I left the house so I stuck a role of Provia in too. Spent a long time shooting the 4 frames on that and the first two on here, so came back with the sum total of 8 frames in the bag!

This has been over done, and looking at the negs, it's not in the scanning stage. Frame 3 was "add a stop" as a rough guess for reciprocity because it was 4 seconds at f/32 so that one I'm not bothered about. Frame 4 was rushed because it was quite busy down there and I wanted to grab the shot while the path was empty.

I actually think the issue is my metering. There's nothing here that can't be rescued in post, but I'm a bit miffed because I spent quite a while taking spot readings and faffing about.

Ah well... Onwards and upwards.

View attachment 286151

And with the pp...

View attachment 286156

View attachment 286157

Although these look a little overexposed, the compositions are gorgeous. I'm a bit of a sucker for paths disappearing into the distance. I really like the way you have trees anchoring the edges of frames 1, 3 & 4. In frame 1 the tree on the left is nicely balanced with the bright birches (if that's what they are) on the right.

 

[Harlequin565]

Had a roll of SFX in the RB67 for a few months now with 5 frames taken. Every single day I wanted to go out and shoot infrared the sun just went away. Then, this morning, IT WAS SUNNY.

Rolled out of bed, packed up my bag, drove down to Delamere. Sun went in. Yay.

Finished the roll anyway.



The RB67 isn't really a camera to "practise" with as the film is gone in 10 shots. Really happy with frame 6 though, but 7-10 are all the same. 7 was with the 720nm filter on which at -10 stops meant I could shoot wide open (f/3.5). Managed to get focus on the tree. 8 was a duplicate where I recalculated the 10 stops to make sure I was right the first time, and then dropped the aperture to f/8 in case it wasn't sharp wide open. Frame 9 was with a red filter on to compare against the IR one, but clearly I've not added 3 stops for the filter (which I *did* do in frame 6), resulting in an epic fail. Frame 10 is a "standard" shot, no filter, because I unscrewed the front element instead of the filter and I wanted to make sure I hadn't broken the lens.

I really should just stick to automatic cameras.

 

[FishyFish]

Frame #6 is a beaut! Lovely stuff. I often find that B&W is difficult to shoot in woodland settings because all the green tones tend to blend into a big mush of greys. Where you can isolate a subject like this it looks great though.

Are you getting light leaks on some of the frames (#3 & #5 most noticeably)?

 

[Harlequin565]

Thanks Nige. 5 was in the back for probably... 3-5 months before I took the rest? I'm putting it down to that for now, but if the next roll shows it, maybe it's light-seals time.

 

[Harlequin565]

Lots of test rolls shot as I'm trying to decide which is better: HP5 Plus or Tri-X. Rolling them all up into just 'representative' 1 sheet.



Had a couple of days out on my bike. My normal walk is now spoiled by dog walkers with uncontrollable dogs and no law to protect us. Scratched several times by leapy cretins, knocked over once, and bitten once. As one apologetic owner stated "you shouldn't f***ing walk round here then should you?". Yay. Time to go on the road.

More EOS-30 and HP5 Plus. I have to say that in comparison to Tri-X, I'd pick the HP5 every time. I was really suprised to see retained detail in the sky where with Tri-X it would need a bit of judicious processing to recover. Plenty of detail here. I know people go on about how great HP5 is, and all I can do is agree.

Feeling a bit fed up at the mo though. Obligatory arms length selfie.

 

[sirch]

I think I might have picked 11 rather than 12 but it seems to catch the mood
I thought Tri-X was more contrasty than HP5 so I guess there is a use for both depending on the look you want.

 

[FishyFish]

I always go for HP5+ over Tri-X for the way it retains detail, especially in the shadows. Tri-X is still nice though, but I'd take HP5+ given the choice, especially for contrasty scenes.

Sorry to hear about your challenges with dog walkers. How are you supposed to expect the animals to behave with owners like that?!?

 

[Harlequin565]

Two more test rolls...

The first is a test of my (ebay purchased) Sigma 50mm f/1.4 art for the EOS-30. Lovely lens and great for shooting indoors. More cat portraits on the horizon I think...



Next is a test of Ilford Ortho Plus to see how well it does on 35mm. I was really underwhelmed when this was announced last year, but I was surprised at how much I liked the results in 120. 80 is quite a low speed for 35mm. I tend to choose 35mm for portability (no tripod) so we really do need bright days to take advantage of it. Of course the Tamron lens I have for the EOS-30 has image stabilisation which helps. All the mod cons eh?



Couple more for my xbt project, and a rare shot of our 2 new Marsbar chickens (Frame 23: Snickers & Twix). Quite like the pylon shot in 20. I was farting around trying to get the tree to be the same height from my perspective. Going to have another go at hand colouring, and 32-35 were for that.

Quite liked my shovel too...

 

[Mr Badger]

Two more test rolls...

The first is a test of my (ebay purchased) Sigma 50mm f/1.4 art for the EOS-30. Lovely lens and great for shooting indoors. More cat portraits on the horizon I think...

View attachment 289124

Next is a test of Ilford Ortho Plus to see how well it does on 35mm. I was really underwhelmed when this was announced last year, but I was surprised at how much I liked the results in 120. 80 is quite a low speed for 35mm. I tend to choose 35mm for portability (no tripod) so we really do need bright days to take advantage of it. Of course the Tamron lens I have for the EOS-30 has image stabilisation which helps. All the mod cons eh?

View attachment 289123

Couple more for my xbt project, and a rare shot of our 2 new Marsbar chickens (Frame 23: Snickers & Twix). Quite like the pylon shot in 20. I was farting around trying to get the tree to be the same height from my perspective. Going to have another go at hand colouring, and 32-35 were for that.

Quite liked my shovel too...

View attachment 289126

Some interesting photos there, glad you're still enjoying the EOS 30. I like the mars bar chickens too, are they called that because they're not as big as they used to be years ago?

 

[Harlequin565]

are they called that because they're not as big as they used to be years ago?

Lol. I think it's because they are a cross between Marans and Legbars, but you could be entirely correct!

 

[FishyFish]

I've got a few cat pics coming up at some point, although one of them is yet to be scanned, and two others are still on a roll in a camera, so who knows if they'll be any good or not? No chickens though.

I've yet to shoot my roll of Ortho Plus. I'm waiting on something that will do it justice, maybe a day in the peak district or something. I have some rolls of "special" film that have been in the fridge or freezer for over a year now, still waiting on their "big day" though.

Which ahve you shot th most - the cats or monkey?

 

[Harlequin565]

Which ahve you shot th most - the cats or monkey?

Cats. No contest. Monkeh is there to test sharpness and to show me how bad I am at manual focus. Bugger that he is.

 

[Harlequin565]

So due to family illness, I haven't picked a camera up for almost 2 weeks and these negs have been on the desk for a week, but this is a roll of Provia from a stroll in Delamere.

I struggle to get decent colour in my "serious" images. Shooting for fun with ColourPlus or Gold is one thing, but trying to get accurate colour rendition is a real struggle. Especially on 120. The only results I've really enjoyed are with Provia. However the dynamic range is pants. I've just been spoiled by digital.

To be fair, the compositions are a let down anyway. Frame 1 has no subject, 2 has a big bush on the RH side that totally detracts from the subject and #4 really just needed me to get closer. With marsh in the way though that wasn't possible, so instead of walking away, I took the shot knowing it wasn't going to be stellar.

I'm quite pleased with the exposure and composition in frame 3, but in all cases I'm finding getting the edges right quite tricky. Using LRs crop tool for 6x17 seems to indicate these are wider than that, so perhaps the viewfinder isn't showing me the full picture (pun intended).

Also not happy with the greens. Other than saying that they "feel too green" I don't know how to describe it. Wish they did Gold in 120....

 

[FishyFish]

W

So due to family illness, I haven't picked a camera up for almost 2 weeks and these negs have been on the desk for a week, but this is a roll of Provia from a stroll in Delamere.

I struggle to get decent colour in my "serious" images. Shooting for fun with ColourPlus or Gold is one thing, but trying to get accurate colour rendition is a real struggle. Especially on 120. The only results I've really enjoyed are with Provia. However the dynamic range is pants. I've just been spoiled by digital.

To be fair, the compositions are a let down anyway. Frame 1 has no subject, 2 has a big bush on the RH side that totally detracts from the subject and #4 really just needed me to get closer. With marsh in the way though that wasn't possible, so instead of walking away, I took the shot knowing it wasn't going to be stellar.

I'm quite pleased with the exposure and composition in frame 3, but in all cases I'm finding getting the edges right quite tricky. Using LRs crop tool for 6x17 seems to indicate these are wider than that, so perhaps the viewfinder isn't showing me the full picture (pun intended).

Also not happy with the greens. Other than saying that they "feel too green" I don't know how to describe it. Wish they did Gold in 120....

View attachment 290367

What scanning software are you using Ian?

I've had lots of headaches trying to get transparencies looking right (greens especially), but my recent efforts with VueScan have been the most successful, giving much better renditions than Epson Scan or Silverfast managed. I still think they fall short of what the true colours should be, but the Vuescan results are pretty close to the the actual physical transparencies when I do a comparison between waht is on screen and what is in my hand. Scanning any type of colour film at home results in a frustrating bout of self-doubt when I try it, but even some of my Filmdev scans look iffy when I're re-appraised them, s maybe I just need to learn to let go.

Hope the family illness is on it's way out and whoever is suffering is on the mend.

 

[Harlequin565]

Hope the family illness is on it's way out and whoever is suffering is on the mend.

Sadly it's a 50-50 fix/gets worse treatment which is not a pleasant gamble when it's your health. My wife is not well at all.

I use Silverfast. There was a reason I preferred it over Vuescan and I can't for the life of me remember what it was. I suspect it was the film emulations which (regardless of whether you use the right one) can reign in the dynamic range a bit. I felt it had more flexibility than Vuescan. Perhaps I should give it another whirl.

maybe I just need to learn to let go

Hah! I get you on this. But like you say, when you hold the slides up to the light and see the lovely colours, then they look crap on screen, it's frustrating. I think that's why I like Gold & Colour Plus so much. They mess with colour, but do it in a way that's pleasing to me.

Perhaps I should just shoot B&W

 

[FishyFish]

Sadly it's a 50-50 fix/gets worse treatment which is not a pleasant gamble when it's your health. My wife is not well at all.

Sorry to hear that, I can imagine the stress and anxiety. Crossing my fingers that all goes well and it's the 50 that delivers the fix.

I use Silverfast. There was a reason I preferred it over Vuescan and I can't for the life of me remember what it was. I suspect it was the film emulations which (regardless of whether you use the right one) can reign in the dynamic range a bit. I felt it had more flexibility than Vuescan. Perhaps I should give it another whirl.

I still use Silverfast for B&W stuff (except MF - where I use Epson Scan because Silverfast is not permitted to be used on my V550. ONLY my Plustek for which I have the license ).
I agree about the film emulations. I often find that the "wrong" emulation produces preferable results too.

Hah! I get you on this. But like you say, when you hold the slides up to the light and see the lovely colours, then they look crap on screen, it's frustrating. I think that's why I like Gold & Colour Plus so much. They mess with colour, but do it in a way that's pleasing to me.

I lamented on my blog recently the fact that there are no consumer grade 120 colour films (Lomography stuff excepted I suppose). It would be nice to be able to use Gold / Colorplus / Superia in 120 format again.

Perhaps I should just shoot B&W

Sound like a plan!

 

[Mr Badger]

Sorry to hear that Ian, I very much hope for as speedy a recovery as possible. I like the Delamere photos, I always found Fuji slide film had a green bias to it but I don't think your shots look too exaggerated. Perhaps try some of the new Kodak Ektachrome, as the colours on the one roll of 35mm I've tried so far seem quite natural looking (if a little on the flat side for my taste).

 

[sirch]

Sadly it's a 50-50 fix/gets worse treatment which is not a pleasant gamble when it's your health. My wife is not well at all.

So sorry to hear that, sounds like a really difficult situation.

I still think they fall short of what the true colours should be, but the Vuescan results are pretty close to the the actual physical transparencies

I tried the demo version of Vuescan for colour and just couldn't get anything remotely sensible out of it which was why I bought Silverfast. I'm getting to the point where I am reasonably happy with the colours I can get from Silverfast (negs, not transparencies) but interested to hear that you use Vuescan for colour, maybe it's time to have another go with it.

 

[FishyFish]

I tried the demo version of Vuescan for colour and just couldn't get anything remotely sensible out of it which was why I bought Silverfast. I'm getting to the point where I am reasonably happy with the colours I can get from Silverfast (negs, not transparencies) but interested to hear that you use Vuescan for colour, maybe it's time to have another go with it.

It's only colour transparencies that I've been using VueSan for at the moment. Most of my colour negs have gone to Filmdev (or I've used my Plustek and Silverfast for some older 35mm stuff)..

However... I've been trying out the new free Grain2Pixel plugin for photoshop and been quite pleased with the results it gives me for colour negs. Now I've sorted my PC out (I had a RAM problem that was causing it to run exceptionally slowly) I might try re-scanning some of my older colour negs and see if I'm happy with that process over Filmdev's scans. I can certainly beat their resolution - especially where medium format is concerned, so it's just about being happy with the colour rendition I can get.

 

[Harlequin565]

Perhaps try some of the new Kodak Ektachrome,

Tempting... Maybe 1 pack for the Autumn...

Thanks for your comments all.

 

[sirch]

It's only colour transparencies that I've been using VueSan for at the moment. Most of my colour negs have gone to Filmdev (or I've used my Plustek and Silverfast for some older 35mm stuff)..

However... I've been trying out the new free Grain2Pixel plugin for photoshop and been quite pleased with the results it gives me for colour negs. Now I've sorted my PC out (I had a RAM problem that was causing it to run exceptionally slowly) I might try re-scanning some of my older colour negs and see if I'm happy with that process over Filmdev's scans. I can certainly beat their resolution - especially where medium format is concerned, so it's just about being happy with the colour rendition I can get.

hadn't come arcoss that. Tried twice to watch some of the Grain2pixel set up videos and they are so painfully slow that I just got bored both times IDK why people can't just write a few simple instructions rather than making a tedious video.

 

[FishyFish]

hadn't come arcoss that. Tried twice to watch some of the Grain2pixel set up videos and they are so painfully slow that I just got bored both times IDK why people can't just write a few simple instructions rather than making a tedious video.

Once you have the plugin set as an action it's just a matter of selecting your negative and starting the process but, yeah, the video makes it seem something of a chore. There are various other settings that I've not paid much attention to yet, but it's pretty straight forward otherwise.

 

[Harlequin565]

Wow. It feels like much longer since my last contact sheet...

I've got 2 rolls of colour sat on a shelf that are older but not yet developed... Wondering whether I should shoot a roll of Ektachrome before I send it all off...

Ilford HP5 Plus at 800, developed in HC-110. Voigtlander Bessa R3M with the 40mm Nokton. This is really my desert island "one camera one lens forever" deal.



Yep. Cats on the roof opposite my office window and that's about all it is. Frame 12 was the only frame I took on a whole afternoon out walking such was my inspiration.

Autumn is coming though... Maybe August/September is a "bad patch".

 

[FishyFish]

I'm guessing frames 21-24m were finishing off the roll?

I like frames 8 & 20. The former because I enjoy these sort of domestic scene shots, the latter because of the way the sloping bannister rails direct your eye straight to the cat and the nice contrast.

I've developed a roll today amd have three more to be developed - 2 rolls of C41 to be sent away, plus another B&W to be done at home another day. The weather is pretty nice today and I wanted to go out and shoot some more colour - I've even loaded the Yashica Mat with some expired Ektachrome - but I'm not in the mood and I think I'd just end up shooting stuff for the sake of it rather than getting into a state of inspiration. I've got a few days off work this week though, so still time yet...

 

[Harlequin565]

I'm guessing frames 21-24m were finishing off the roll?

Sadly not. Me trying to work with the shadow and the cat. I really should have pushed the door up and risked losing the moment 'cos I could have maybe stepped left a bit and removed the distractions.

Interestingly 3, 8 & 20 are the only 3 frames I've kept on the roll. Negs went in the bin. I too enjoy domestic "around the house" images. Mainly because it's nice to look back on to trigger the memories.

 

[Harlequin565]

Konica IR750, Pentax 645n



I'm finding my own thread quite useful to read back over my notes - especially when shooting something a bit more esoteric. The first roll of this I shot back in January had a note saying "pull it a bit". This film expired in 2009 and has a recommended ASA of 32, so back in Jan, I gave it a measly bit extra, shooting it at 25 and the results looked over exposed. I think I thought I should pull it to recover the highlights a bit.

This time, I shot it at... Yep, 25 again... I switched to 32 at frame 8 but you can't tell because I balanced all the negs before scanning. So for future Ian's benefit, set the camera ISO to at least 50, and maybe even 100 before putting a red filter on the front because all of the shots above have been pulled by at least a stop before scanning. And bloody listen to me! I may get a roll of 35mm out and try pulling it by a minute or so to try and reign those highlights in. Also for reference, HC-110(B) @ 7 minutes was pretty much bob on.

I really really like this film. The sharpness is very nice and the grain is very pleasing to my old eyes. The only shame is that I made a decision to swap from the 35mm lens to the 150mm for the last 5 frames, and forgot to swap the red filter along with it.

Looking forward to shooting this hand held at 100 and having a tiny bit of latitude with aperture. Shooting at f/3.5 just to maintain 1/40sec meant depth of field went bye bye and what could have been a nice woodland shot was just a bit too blurred (OOF) for my liking. The 35mm lens would ordinarily have a massive depth of field at f/11 but not at wider apertures.

 

[Harlequin565]

Update time... Decided that all I have to take pictures of around the house these days is the cats, so why not just do it with a sense of purpose than resigned "ah well, if there's nothing else..."

Canon EOS-30, Sigma 50mm f/1.4, Ilford HP5 Plus (@400)


The first 8 were all way too slow shutter speed. Dusty in his cat cave worked ok though. It's in teh conservatory, so the lighting is really nice. Crow was an experiment at f/1.4 and I got eye contact when I was stood up, then as I went in closer to see how close it would focus, I lost the connection. Sad really. I actually quite enjoyed taking this roll and may give it another whirl. The Sigma lens is gorgeous.



Then I got some scans back from AG.

Yashica Minitec, Kodak Ultramax 400

This has been in the camera, since before lockdown in March and it's been a struggle to get through it. This contact sheet is in reverse order.
Not keen on the film, not keen on the content, but it reflects the lackadaisical attitude I'm having at the moment. Our 2nd bedroom with the evening sunlight is a favourite for me (#3) and I'll keep #24 for posterity but I've done all the other scenes before and just.. better...



A couple of rolls of Ektachrome are sitting with AG at the moment which I'm not holding out much hope for as I think the batteries started to go on my 645n and left the aperture stopped down after each shot, buggering up the meter...

Interestingly I'm looking at my MF kit and wondering whether I still need it. I started with it because the quality I could get from 35mm negs was pants and I wanted digital levels of detail. My thinking has changed since then, and my ability to get decent 35mm scans has left me favouring 35mm cameras over the bigger, heavier medium format. Maybe I should take the Rollei out for a spin...

 

[sirch]

We've got the same cat bed
5 & 6 on the HP5 look like interesting poses and #2 from the Ultramax catches my eye.

 

[Mr Badger]

Nothing wrong with cat photos, Ian, especially ones like that.

 

[FishyFish]

In my experience, you need to shoot a full roll when attempting to photograph a cat as it takes at least 36 goes before you get one where they don't look away the second you fire the shutter...

Nice looking colours on #25 of the Ultramax. I've not shot any Ultramax at all. Not since my "fingers in front of the lens and little advice stickers on all the prints days" at least.

 

[Harlequin565]

2 rolls of Ektachrome back after running them through the 645n. Not sure whether it was Peter B or Mr Badger who recommended E100 for landscape, but I bought a 5 pack off the back of it and here are the results!

#1

Exposures are all over the place and I'm fairly certain that's down to the camera. I'm not sure E100 is a "point & shoot" film and will probably put the rest through the RB67 with a bit of proper metering. Taking into account the fault with my camera, I think I'd rate this as 50 and want to give it a bit mroe light.

Second roll was a bit more annoying, as I also have an intermittent issue with the Pentax where the aperture sticks. It's not lens dependent sadly. I tend to set the aperture to whatever I want, and then let the shutter speed be decided by the camera. Shot 1 is fine, but if the aperture is (for example) f/11, the iris remains stopped down. That means the next shot is metered with a much lower shutter speed resulting in over exposure.



As you can see, everything is shot way over here, and I pulled it down in the scans too! Still, it's much more forgiving than the under-exposed nonsense above, and I'm quite pleased with the almost metallic feel I get from these exposures. Very interested to see what results I get when there's much red in the scene.

 

[sirch]

Lovely tones in those

 

[FishyFish]

Frame #3 of the first roll looks like it might be overexposed, but it also looks really nice in the way it's lifted the tones.

It's a shame that E6 film is so expensive. I'd like to shoot a lot more of it. I've got at least 10 rolls in the house, but most of those are expired, so I don't know what I might get from most of them.

 

[Harlequin565]

I've got at least 10 rolls in the house, but most of those are expired, so I don't know what I might get from most of them.

Got to admit that I'm a little bit jealous of your results from expired Ekta.