Kent T

I hope to have great light, great weather on my next trip south 120 miles to Chattanooga, TN. Breakfast/Physical Medicine And Rehabilitation Physicians Assistant exam/hopefully the Downtown Trolley, wheelchair bag will have Retina 1b, Canon L1/50 mm/f2.8, and a Luna-Pro F. I have Kodak UltraMax loaded in Canon, Retina will shoot Ferrania P30 and inspired by Italian cinema. Italian B&W and Kodak Color. Photo Roll and Push! Wheelies meet photography on the great views of Downtown and one Art District. 

You get still, no delay. My brain wants to do a movement, I get 10 movements and spasms, before I get the ONE movement I wanted, or can stay still one brief moment. I get one chance or two chances to get a picture, or it be blurred badly. Control is on Cerebral Palsy terms. Not on camera's terms. 1/60 second or more, high ISO needed. Can you take a picture under tough conditions when standing still is hard work, this is my Normal. My cameras take jars and bounces, as I can't control or help that. Can you fall on your DSLR, your fancy Mirrorless with Zoom and motors? Will it still work afterwards?  I need brass, glass, and Rugged? And it must withstand wheelchair life and living. 

I don't bite my baseplate, I don't load from the bottom. My RF Canon loads like any SLR you know, you love, and everything on it has a purpose and is there to do something. I don't shoot a full SD XC card. I travel with 2-3 rolls of 36 exposures. I choose my subject and when the light, the composition, and my body will give me 1 click, wind, 2 clicks for steadiness insurance, then I look for the next thing I want to shoot for posterity, and not Photoshop it, or AI over do it to death. I am what you see, is what I shot. At that moment. Real Life!!!! 

Here's some visual and creative vision for us to get started, Mike! Lenoir City, TN and the Cerebral Palsy warrior's point of view. A Canon L1 rangefinder, my Canon 50mm/f2.8 budget lens of the era, and one Gossen Luna-Pro F meter was used. I shot a roll of Fujicolor 400 and all is manual, mechanical and what the lab scans are. I am on board the Replica of the Pinta ship from the time of Columbus. Enjoying re-enacted American History brought to life. 

Photography done manually, mechanically, which for me requires careful planning, fine motor control harnessed when my body will let me make the exposure for me is not optional. Distractions I do not need, I don't need delays or cameras which tell me what to do. I meter it if need be, set the camera, compose, focus, CLICK, CLICK again, one for fine motor control insurance. Shutter speed matters that I can hand hold. My AE, and AF is called using the intelligence the spastic, neurodiverse, photophile was born with, and comes naturally. Nothing your over automated camera can't shoot that I can with 3 rolls of my favorite film, one Leica Screw Mount Canon one or two lenses, and one Gossen Luna-Pro F I know are accurate and won't fail me. I know them better than most do their spouses. Make the corrections when you shoot your photo. 

An image for November 15th. From the top of Lookout Mountain, TN. The Incline Railway, the most amazing mile. Funicular cable operated railway. Accessible to wheelchairs. The sign which means you made it to the top. A wheelchair user's view of the famous sign. Wheelchair eye view of what awaits you when the elevator gets you to the top! Canon L1 Rangefinder Camera, 50 mm/f.2.8 lens, Fujicolor 400 film, and 1/60 second/f2.8 wide open hand held. Gossen Luna-Pro F light meter. Travels in my wheelchair back bag often. 

7 hours ago, c_watson1 said:

So digital photographers are mostly mindless shop-a-holics and victims of aspirational advertising? My average weekly lab bill from a decade ago for around 5 rolls of 35(c-41, E-6, b&w) and a couple 120s at current prices+plus scans would more than cover my trailing edge digital buys...

No. But we need to slow down the industry, and get cameras and lens mounts more stable, and longer lived. I remember when cameras didn't change every 6-14 months. I remember when a great camera stayed in production for 4-6 years plus. I like the direction mirrorless cameras are heading, and we need them to not try to be video and cinema cameras too. And build quality, and reliability matter, and lens mounts need to be longer lived, and compatibility better. I need my still cameras to be still cameras ,and less distractions and ADHD, and less to fail me when I can't help being a bit clumsy. 

7 hours ago, c_watson1 said:

Mind sharing what those annual costs are?

I suspect cheaper than chasing the upgrade and replace gravy train when something is "New" and "Must Have" 

Tony, welcome back. Glad as many folks are here as possible. For the 13th! 

In the spirit of the thread. An image from me! Enjoy it. Canon L1 rangefinder, Canon 50 mm/f2.8 lens (Leica Screw Mount). I used Fujicolor 400 film and metered with a Gossen Luna-Pro F. This image was shot inside the Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe and BBQ located at the foot of Lookout Mountain, TN. This is near the Incline Railway! The food, the atmosphere and mood were fantastic. I shot this at 1/60 second at f2.8 wide open. 

In the spirit of Photo.net and it's revival. And a toast to Mike Gammill, I will keep the thread moving along with some more images. These images were shot with my Canon L1 rangefinder camera, my Canon Leica Screw Mount 50 mm/f2.8 lens, on Fujicolor 400 film, metered with my Gossen Luna-Pro F meter. The first image was shot at f2.8 and 1/60 second, the second at F8/1/250 second. Enjoy! A toast to the living, a toast to loved ones in our past! The first image is a still life in my living room. The second image is a mural in Chattanooga, on McCallie Avenue. Wheelchairs, fine cameras, lenses, and fine photography and living mix well. 

On 5/23/2023 at 5:51 AM, Jochen_S said:

Sorry, over 1$/frame (+ processing + ...) isn't what I 'd call "affordable", especially with digital competition at hand. Sure, it is somehow doable, but why?

Shooting C-41, lab processing and medium res scans are less expensive for me per year than DSLR or Mirrorless is, good primes native to it, and repairs/sensor cleanings. And more pleasant for me to use, and not having to outwit automation and keeping batteries enough for a day. your mileage may vary! 

Nikon FG are AI/AIS/AI Converted lenses only. Avoid anything needing mirror lockup and fisheye lenses. I've owned several, they were excellent travel cameras, their only shortcoming is being a bit delicate with age and not non AI lens friendly. 

Here's some photos. Canon L1 rangefinder, Canon 50 mm/f2.8 lens. Fujicolor 400 film, Gossen Luna-Pro F meter. Chattanooga, TN (Mural on McCallie Ave.), and Lookout Mountain, TN/GA (Atop the Incline Railway). I shot both photos at f/5.6/1/125 second. 

I have 36 exposures of Fujicolor 200 loaded in my Canon L1/Canon 50mm/f2.8 Leica screw mount classic. My Gossen Luna-Pro F is along for the ride. We're scheduled to have the Budweiser Clydesdales in Oak Ridge, TN tomorrow. I have turned into a Barnack fan, as this system works well for my street photography needs ideally. The LTM Camera is light weight enough and is an extension of me, and works well for my needs for lightweight, versatile, and fast handling in Canon Lever Wind form. A joy to use. I am on my 5th roll of film using it. 

On 6/17/2023 at 8:51 PM, john_shriver said:

Seattle Film Works was Eastman 5247, a color negative material for camera use in motion pictures, in ECN-2 process. But it may well have been "short ends" left over after a movie was completed, so somewhat outdated. (Movies buy more than enough film from the same production lot for each film.) Plus, cinema camera films are designed with very little concern for storage life at room temperature before exposure, or for latent image keeping.

Plus, Seattle Film Works probably wasn't running the cleanest ECN-2 processing line.

Also, ECN-2 films have a color response NOT designed to match color printing paper. Different contrast and color response. So you could not get prints with as good color as from Kodacolor film.

Seattle Film Works would also make slides for you, on motion picture projection stock. Release prints are considered "expendable," so no major concern with color stability. Ever notice how badly the souvenir slide sets they sold at tourist traps in the 1960's and 1970's fade? Same projection stock.

As for color stability, Kodak said the contemporaneous C-22 and C-41 color films were pretty similar to 5247, as were the E-4 Ektachrome films. Kodachrome has always been Kodak's most stable film, in terms of fading in dark storage.

Of course, Eastman 5247 is long discontinued, and Seattle Film Works is no more. Plus all of Kodak's color films are more stable than they were 40 years ago!

Some Pro Tips: Cinestill 800T, 50D, are Eastman Vision 3 with the Rem-jet removed so they can be processed just like any other C-41 film in any C-41 lab. Disadvantages: Prone to halos in the bright highlights. Use a correcting filter for daylight. Advantages: Easy C-41 processing, Scans like nobody's business. Superb for hybrid workflows like still photographers do today.. I have to keep CineStill so spastic me can get his Exposure. The F-stops Here. 

I agree. This is how daylight balanced Ektachrome handled Fluorescent lights in the day. Green cast. 

I hope to get a little street shooting in with my Canon L1, and my Canon 50mm/f2.8 and enjoy it! I have really enjoyed this camera, a longtime dream camera. 

Here's some Canon L1 rangefinder action. Canon 50 mm/f2.8 lens (Leica Screw Mount). Gossen Luna-Pro F meter. Enjoy! Both shot on Fujicolor 400, f5.6/1/250 second. Chattanooga, TN

I remember it. Never owned a copy. Still use my Nikomat FTn, and 50mm, f1.4 Nikkor. 

On 8/4/2023 at 8:01 AM, Niels - NHSN said:

Already weekend again!

A friend was about to throw this Kodak Retina 1 camera out.

At first I wasn't interested as it is fairly worn and corroded, is modified with a wonky looking accessory shoe and isn't a camera with any particularly interesting features.
Besides, I can't save every camera friends and acquaintances want to dump on me.

However, a little internet searching revealed that Magnum photographer David Hurn used this exact model during his early career and was his first camera: https://youtu.be/7aSxWBVVbTc 

Why not try it out then?

If it checks out with the roll of ProImage 100 I have loaded, I may try to clean it up and make it a little more presentable.

Kodak Retina I (Type 149) 1939-1940.

I get the love for the Retinas. I have it's last spiritual successor, the 1b. For those who scale focus or can learn (I know you know how to very well) or want a good take anywhere small 35mm folder, the Retina is superb. I've owned my 1b over 30 years. 

On 7/30/2023 at 1:45 PM, bruce_z._li2 said:

Even Mint is making a new compact 35mm camera. I guess like the new Pentax, both are rangefinder type of compact 35mm film camera. Both seem to have manual film advance. Mint has auto focus, while I'm not so sure about Pentax.

Personally I'm more than happy with scale-focus, manual advance compacts from the 70's-90's. But lots of electronics and ribbon-PCB are failing, and the last generation of Fuji are getting pricy. So it is welcoming to have two companies making new 35mm compacts.

We need Pentax to revive the K-1000 ethos but add DOF preview, and. up the build quality a bit. That would sell. a good basic everyman camera for most people. 

For the 5th. Canon L1, Canon 50 mm/f2.8 lens. Fujicolor 400. 1/60 second, f2.8 (maiden roll) 

Lens happens to be a 50 mm/f2.8. Happens to be very sharp, even wide open. First roll was superb. This shot was on Fujicolor 400 film. 1/125 second. F5.6

15 hours ago, AJG said:

While I agree that it is easy to cover the rangefinder window on a Contax with a finger, it isn't that hard to learn to avoid it.  What I don't like about my Leica IIIa is the placement of the shutter release.  It is too far toward the back of the camera for me, although I realize that everybody's different and thousands of people obviously like it where it is.

I get that. And for some, not the most pleasant location. 

The grip necessary to hold the Contax slowed it down considerably, more than anything else. Please note, I admire Zeiss and the engineering effort which went into the Contax. The lenses were the best for years on Contax. Once film is loaded, the Leica was the better, faster, easier operated, shooter of the two. Leitz optics were no slouch, especially past the super fast/