Arista

 I have had somewhat inconsistent results from my Arista Edu Ultra 200 with Rodinal and in this last roll with PMK Pyro.  I'll likely try to give it a minute or two longer in the developer.  I have a hundred foot roll, so plenty of time to get it figured out.

We are having some cool overnight weather in Albuquerque, but still a lot of sun most days and some great light along the river.

2926

It was a fine day to be outside, so I got on my bike and rode over to the locomotive restoration project not far from our home.  A lot of work has been done on the big engine since I last visited and there was a big crew at work.  They are always very welcoming to visitors, and this time they invited me up into the cab.

My yard sale Minolta X-700 had developed some problems with the exposure system and I was ready to send it off for a cla when I friend showed up with another for me which seems to work perfectly.
    I made these shots with a Minolta Celtic 2.8/28mm on HP5 and processed in LegacyPro L110b.  The overcast sky provided particularly good light for this subject, and the wide-angle lens along with the fast film ensured good depth of focus.

X-700

I took the Minolta X-700 and two lenses to the Biopark to shoot the African Forest Lily which blooms in the conservatory in January and February.

The first shot is with the 135mm and a +2 closeup accessory lens.  Shooting slow film in 35mm is something of a challenge in a greenhouse.  I would likely have had better results either with a tripod or using medium format with 400-speed film.

Outdoors, the use of the normal and telephoto lenses presented no problems.  However, my negatives were a bit thin, so I'll try the next roll with a +1 exposure setting which worked well for me with the XG-1.

The Minolta Celtic 2.8/28mm lens I ordered on ebay showed up the next day on my porch.  It was gray, cold day, but I wanted to see what the lens would do. so I finished off the roll of TMAX with Roxie at the dog park.  Poor light, but the lens looks like it will be a sharp shooter.

I'm enjoying learning to use the Minolta X-700.  I borrowed one from a neighbor six or eight years ago, shot just one roll and decided I didn't like the camera.  Having shot a Spotmatic for forty years, I felt that the X-700 had too many buttons to deal with, and I was a little unhappy at the time with the plastic components.  Now, having spent some time with the manual and experiencing the excellence of the Minolta lenses I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with a full kit.