My Kiev IIa is a 1956 Soviet copy of the Contax II and possibly the best quality rangefinder camera I own. I haven't used it as much as I should as it is a bit bulky compared to some of my other good 35mm cameras.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Neighborhood Parade
My Kiev IIa is a 1956 Soviet copy of the Contax II and possibly the best quality rangefinder camera I own. I haven't used it as much as I should as it is a bit bulky compared to some of my other good 35mm cameras.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Chaco Bound
We are making plans for another trip to Chaco Canyon. We were last there six years ago. Some of the pictures I liked best from that trip were made with the Dolly Super-Sport. I also shot film with the Pentax and the Yashicamat.
I also shot quite a bit with my Nikon Coolpix digital camera. It did a nice job with many of the scenic compositions, but was totally bamboozled by the red sandstone cliff faces that form a background for the rock art images. I think my current digital, a Canon A650, would likely handle the challenges of the site better, but I may leave it at home. Digital seems to push me toward a careless approach that I think is particularly inappropriate to this subject which really demands thoughtfulness.
I also shot quite a bit with my Nikon Coolpix digital camera. It did a nice job with many of the scenic compositions, but was totally bamboozled by the red sandstone cliff faces that form a background for the rock art images. I think my current digital, a Canon A650, would likely handle the challenges of the site better, but I may leave it at home. Digital seems to push me toward a careless approach that I think is particularly inappropriate to this subject which really demands thoughtfulness.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Shooting the Clack
If you are looking for the best image quality from a simple camera, the Agfa Clack is a good place to start.
The Clack offers greater control than most other box cameras, and the big 6x9 negatives on 120 roll film can produce great sharpness and tonal depth. One does have to keep the single low shutter speed in mind; any movement of subject or camera will greatly degrade sharpness. The close-up setting greatly extends the camera's versatility, but the point of sharp focus is actually at about two meters. Bearing in mind those limitations, the Clack produces images which always seem to exceed my own expectations.
Some of my earlier results from the Clack can be found on the camera's page of my web site.
The Clack offers greater control than most other box cameras, and the big 6x9 negatives on 120 roll film can produce great sharpness and tonal depth. One does have to keep the single low shutter speed in mind; any movement of subject or camera will greatly degrade sharpness. The close-up setting greatly extends the camera's versatility, but the point of sharp focus is actually at about two meters. Bearing in mind those limitations, the Clack produces images which always seem to exceed my own expectations.
Some of my earlier results from the Clack can be found on the camera's page of my web site.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
wallpaper
The carousel picture was made with one of my classics, the Vito II. The photo was taken five years ago during a brief stop-over in New York City on our way to Greece. The rest of the NYC pictures - all with the Vito II - are in a photo.net folder.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Pentax K1000
The annual Albuquerque Art Museum car show provided me an opportunity to try out my latest thrift store find, a Pentax K1000.
The star of the show was this graceful 1934 Studebaker; they are rather rare, and I don't recall seeing one before.
My K1000 was built prior to 1978 when manufacturing was moved from Japan to China, so it is all metal. The film advance is not quite as smooth as my older Spotmatics, but it is otherwise quite nice. There is no on-off switch for the meter, so one must always have a lens cap handy to avoid burning up the battery. The K1000 can be used in auto-exposure or full manual modes. A good over-view of the camera can be found on the Wikipedia page.
I also shot some color with my new cell phone camera at the car show. The pictures are on my other blog.
The star of the show was this graceful 1934 Studebaker; they are rather rare, and I don't recall seeing one before.
My K1000 was built prior to 1978 when manufacturing was moved from Japan to China, so it is all metal. The film advance is not quite as smooth as my older Spotmatics, but it is otherwise quite nice. There is no on-off switch for the meter, so one must always have a lens cap handy to avoid burning up the battery. The K1000 can be used in auto-exposure or full manual modes. A good over-view of the camera can be found on the Wikipedia page.
I also shot some color with my new cell phone camera at the car show. The pictures are on my other blog.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Voigtländer Accessory Range Finder
Voigtländer is an optical company founded by Johann Christoph Voigtländer in Vienna in 1756 and thus the oldest name in cameras. (Wikipedia)
This post-War accessory range finder is one of the nicest items in my collection of old cameras. My need for reading glasses for any close work makes its use impractical for me as I end up fumbling around between glasses, camera and range finder while trying to catch the moment.
The model may be viewed or downloaded at the Google 3D Warehouse.
This post-War accessory range finder is one of the nicest items in my collection of old cameras. My need for reading glasses for any close work makes its use impractical for me as I end up fumbling around between glasses, camera and range finder while trying to catch the moment.
The model may be viewed or downloaded at the Google 3D Warehouse.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Monday, May 03, 2010
Sunday, May 02, 2010
The Balclutha
The Balclutha, a steel-hulled sailing ship, was built in Glasgow in 1886. She was one of the last working square riggers on the high seas. Changes in owners were accompanied by new names: first, the Star of Alaska, and then the Pacific Queen. One of her last voyages was during an appearance in Mutiny on the Bounty in 1935. The ship was acquired by the San Francisco Maritime Museum in 1954.
The camera is my Zeiss Ikon Ikonta A 520, with a Tessar lens and the Compur Rapid shutter. The 6x4.5 format on 120 film yields images with great resolution, and the camera fits easily in a pocket.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Sutro Baths
I took five film cameras on a ten day trip to San Francisco. That was apparently two too many, as I only managed to shoot with three of them.
First up was the little Brownie Reflex which has an uncanny capacity to select what is important in a scene and reject the rest. Since that is what photography is all about, I think my liking for the camera is understandable. I haven't quite yet figured out what the mechanism of selection is in detail.
I was sorry I had only one roll of 127-format Efke 100 to take on the trip. It is a nice film, though the emulsion seems a bit fragile.
We made several visits to the beaches, but only one hike down into Sutro Baths.
We managed to visit all our favorite places in the city, and even explored some new ones.
We always spend the first couple days scheming how we might move back to San Francisco. After that, reality sets in and we admit that it is an impractical idea.
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