Trip Report

 We took the dog for a run in the big public open space on Albuquerque's West Mesa which is bordered by some small volcanic peaks.  

In the past we have seen coyotes,  Cooper's hawks and rabbits for the dog to chase.  On this day the only sign of life was the curled up carcass of a centipede.

There was the whine of engines to the South, so we drove down to the Maloof Air Park where rc models are flown.

All the flying model planes these days have electric engines driven by 22 volt batteries.  There are a few with props, but most are ducted fans.

The field has an 800 foot runway which is used by the radio controlled craft.  There are also areas for helicopters and for control line flying, but nobody does that anymore.  Over the years I have visited the site, the planes have gotten bigger, faster and more maneuverable.  One fellow showed me a big model of a troop carrier that could eject parachutists on command.  I'm looking forward to getting back to see that.

Winter Light

Building the Pen-FT System

I've been somewhat intimidated by the prices for lenses to fit my Olympus Pen-FT, so I was surprised recently to find an ebay listing for a 100mm telephoto for just forty bucks, shipping included from Japan.  It was clearly a risk on several levels, but there are no blemishes on the glass or the external surfaces and the focus is smooth.  The small size of the lens is a bit shocking, particularly because the 100mm actually corresponds to 140mm on a full-frame 35mm camera

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I loaded a roll of Kodak Gold 200 in the Pen-FT and started off with some shots of familiar subjects around the house and in Old Town for the sake of comparison.

The next day I mounted the new telephoto and finished off the roll at the Zoo.

No complaints about the image quality from the 100mm; it seems to me that the contrast and resolution are up to what I expect from Olympus.  However, the 3.5 maximum aperture did challenge my focusing ability with the cloudy day lighting.

Another Nikon EM

My Nikon EM developed a problem I was unable to fix.  I haven't used the EM a lot, but I liked it for it's compactness and reliable performance.  I decided I would like to replace the camera, though it seemed unlikely I would find another  for the same cost of $10 which I paid at a neighbor's yard sale.  

To my surprise I did find another Nikon EM on ebay for $13.  A test roll of expired film showed the shutter and meter working, but all the images had a broad stripe light leak near center.  I scraped the old seal material out of the channels on the back of the body and replaced it with black yarn.  What actually got rid of the leak, however, was a strip of black foam which I installed near the back hinge.  I then shot a new roll of Kentmere 400  while walking the dog around the neighborhood, and that showed the new seals to be performing properly. 

The residence of the Brothers Mathias is just across the street, so it has ended up being the subject of a lot of camera tests.  I noticed some nice shadows on the building late in the afternoon, so I made a picture that shows a broader view of the structure than I have shown in the past.

One of the Brothers welcomed us to the neighborhood when we moved in fifteen years ago.  That is the only time I recall speaking with any of the residents.

So I'm pleased to have a working Nikon EM again, particularly because I nearly always have used the camera with the nice little 1.8/50mm Series E lens which probably would not get much use otherwise.

Film for Half-Frame

 I've been going back and forth with 100 and 400 Kentmere for use in my Olympua Pen-FT.  The images from the slower film is slightly smoother, but at the on-line display size the difference in grain seems inconsequential to me.  For processing in PMK Pyro I increase the exposure by a stop for both films, so higher speed gains some advantage in terms of motion control and depth of field, and I think the tonal range is also a bit better.  This last roll was Kentmere 100.

I have a couple rolls of color in the refridgerator, so I'm thinking that should be the next step for the Pen-FT.  I may also shoot one in the Mercury II-CX to see how the performance of that old half-frame compares to the Olympus.

Plants & Animals

 Albuquerque is having fine Fall weather.  Daytime temperatures are in the 50s, while the nights are cold enough to cause the mulberry trees to lose all their leaves.  I spent the week walking around with my Olympus  Pen-FT, visiting the botanical garden, the riverside forest and the Rio Grande Nature Center.

The local wildlife rescue group put on their yearly education event to give visitors to the Nature Center an opportunity for a closeup look at the area's common raptors, a Kestrel, a Red-Tailed Hawk and a Great Horned Owl.  All three had wing injuries preventing them from living free in the wild, but they were all healthy looking and well behaved.

Full-Frame

 I shot some Arista 200 in the Leica IIIa with the Elmar 3.5/50mm for the purpose of comparison with the images I have been getting from my half-frame Olympus Pen-FT.  At the size I normally show on-screen I think there is little difference, but at larger sizes the full-frame images from the Leica do show some better sharpness and finer grain which allow considerably more enlargement.

On a bike ride along the Bosque trail north of Central Ave. I came across the firetruck and a group of firefighter recruits being trained in the use of portable pumps for fighting fires in the riverside forest.

Some cloudy days are bringing nice light to both Old Town and the Bosque.

 

(The chromework on the Harley suggests that some care should be exercised in getting on and off the bike.)