- Where: A place somewhere in Bavaria.
- Camera: Leica R9
- Lens: Vario-Elmar-R 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5
- Film: Kentmere Pan 100
- Scan: Nikon Super Coolscan 9000
Every camera that enters this household needs to go through rigorous testing. Which means I can’t hold the excitement, stick a test roll into the camera and bugger off. I accidentally bought a bunch of Kentmere Pan 100 as 24exp rolls, which I find a bit wasteful for normal photography, but has become my current staple for testing out new cameras. Coincidentally, this was one of the two rolls I tested stand development with 510 Pyro on. That was my first time with 510 Pyro and I used way too little of the stuff. Turns out that reading the manual would have prevented the development issue that caused one border of the images to be overdeveloped.
- Where: A place somewhere in Bavaria.
- Camera: Pentax 67 MLU
- Lens: SMC Takumar 105mm f/2.4
- Film: Kentmere Pan 100, CatLabs X-Film 320
- Scan: Nikon Super Coolscan 9000
As a hobby photographer, the area nearby is the one that I have exposed to my little camera collection the most. Every picture framed around this area feels like a never-ending repeat of days that have come before. Yet, somehow, those freshly taken images freezing the now for eternity never feel exactly the same when revisited on a later date. They are shaped by different gear, different knowledge, different experiences, and of course by the course of time. Thus, while the subject repeats, the joy is ever renewed.
- Where: Eibsee and some other lake.
- Camera: Pentax 67 MLU
- Lens: Schneider Kreuznach Cinelux Ultra 140mm, f2.1
- Film: Kodak Portra 160, Reflx Lab 500T
- Scan: Howtek D4500, Nikon Super Coolscan 9000
Two lakes, two different days a couple of weeks apart. One covered in clouds and rain, one covered in snow and blistering sunshine. Two different films, two different scanners, one camera, one lens. Kodak Portra 160, like many times before, performed flawlessly. I like the look you get when you push the roll by two stops. Reflx Lab 500T has a very nice look when the weather does not. I do like the stock in medium format, but it is a bit tricky to scan. The sprocket holes from the 65mm film stock that it is based on tend to show strong halation when the scanner is shining light through them. I don’t like that effect, which means that I have to crop the images aggressively.
- Where: A lake in Bavaria.
- Camera: Rolleiflex 3.5F
- Film: Fomapan 100 Classic
- Scan: Nikon Super Coolscan 9000
Second test roll with the Rolleiflex 3.5F.
- Where: A lake in Bavaria.
- Camera: Rolleiflex 3.5F
- Film: Fomapan 100 Classic
- Scan: Nikon Super Coolscan 9000
First test roll with the Rolleiflex 3.5F. I took it for a walk to the lake right after I got it and took a few shots on Fomapan 100 Classic. My copy is one of those that has all the bells and whistles and everything is working splendidly. Every time I use Rolleiflex TLRs I am surprised by the quality of the taking lens. Neither clinically sharp nor smudgy soft. Overall a very pleasing rendition of reality.
- Where: Maisinger See, Tegernsee
- Camera: Mamiya ZE-X
- Lens: Sekor 50mm f/1.7
- Film: Kodak T-Max 400 (expired)
- Scan: Nikon Super Coolscan 9000
Second test roll with the Mamiya ZE-X and the Sekor 50mm f/1.7. There were a couple of images on that roll that I would call “good” and match the aesthetic I like. For this post, I decided on a few images that “speak to me” in a way the other photos did not. For some pictures, it depends a lot on my current mood. Only a small handful of images seem always to fit this criteria. Those are the ones that I would call “subjectively great”. The selection this time does not fit any particular theme. It is as random as the grain on the negatives.
- Where: Maisinger Schlucht
- Camera: Nikon F6
- Lens: Leica Summicron-R 90mm f/2.0 (Leitax F-mount mod)
- Film: Agfa APX 100 (expired)
- Scan: Nikon Super Coolscan 9000
A few frames of overgrown trees from the Maisinger Schlucht. Shot through the Leica Summicron-R 90mm f/2.0 lens adapted to F-mount with a Leitax kit.
- Where: Maisinger See
- Camera: Mamiya ZE-X
- Lens: Sekor 50mm f/1.7
- Film: Agfa APX 100 (expired)
- Scan: Nikon Super Coolscan 9000
First test roll with the Mamiya ZE-X and the Sekor 50mm f/1.7. This is a neat little camera. The shell is mostly plastic, but it is solid and lightweight. It sports a feature that tries to prevent the exposure time from getting longer than what the user is likely to be able to hold steady when shooting without physical stabilization. While the camera is not very expensive, it is difficult to find one in a reasonable condition on “the bay”. It seems this camera was not one of the big successes for Mamiya. Nonetheless, if you can find one in good condition, treat it well and it will treat you well.
- Where: Somewhere in Bavaria
- Camera: Minolta XD-5
- Lens: RMC Tokina 28mm f/2.8
- Film: Kodak Double X
- Scan: Nikon Super Coolscan 9000
First test roll with the Minolta XD-5 and the RMC Tokina 28mm f/2.8. I love the shutter sound of this compact Minolta camera. Click-sirrr. While the RMC Tokina 28mm f/2.8 lens is nothing special, there is nothing to complain about, either.
- Where: Somewhere in Bavaria
- Camera: Nikon F
- Lens: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2
- Film: Kodak Double X
- Scan: Nikon Super Coolscan 9000
First test roll with the Nikon F. While this is a good camera, it is my least favorite from the F line. The film advance lever on my copy is just a piece of metal, rough around the edges and painful on the thumb.
