I really do like trees! I admit to a leaning toward deciduous hardwoods, but when I saw this shadow projected onto the building, I realized that one of the things I enjoy about palm trees is just their crazy (to me) appearance. This shadow looks like me on a bad hair day, but for the palm, it is nice and tidy.
Nikon FM3a, 50mm f1.2, and Tri-X. And more to come!
Out I wandered with my long-lusted-for Nikon 50mm f1.2 AI-S lens attached for long-lusted-for Nikon FM3a. A maiden voyage for the lens with film.
The film was Kodak Tri-X 400, shot at 1600, and supposedly processed at +2 at the lab. Did they do it? No idea! I just have to trust they did – I think they did, though, because the images are pretty contrasty, which is what I was aiming for. I made them a bit more so in post.
There is a small liberal arts college within a short distance from where I live, and bits of it seem almost like you are in the country, but the truth is, you are not. Still, I like to wander over in that area to enjoy the trees and their canopy of leaves. This is a panorama of 6 photos I merged together.
I linked the photo to my Flickr account, and may start to do that in the future. It will save space on my WordPress site. Also, you can click on the photo and jump to the Flickr site, and from there see the trees in their glorious detail. It really worth it to see these trees (I think, anyway!).
More browsing through history! Today, a trip back to the spring of 2017, a hike on a pathway behind the local botanical garden. Obviously there was some rain that year as there are green plants!
One thing I really enjoy doing is making panoramas out of a whole series of images. Sometimes I fail to get enough to create a good study, and that is where Photoshop comes in. I did a lot of filling in of empty spaces, and if you look closely you will see repetition of the cloud in the upper right corner, and plants in the lower left corner. That is what happens when I hand hold my Nikon Df camera and a long lens – this was the Tokina 100 macro lens. I think I took about 50+ photos here. I like to use a macro lens for panos because of the sharpness that is inherent in such lenses.
Altogether, I like what I did in post here. The coloration and composition are pleasant and summery. I also think it is a photo worth using as the basis for a landscape.
Besides acquiring a bit of old glass, I have also, as said before, been wandering through my digital archives. Here, a photo taken in March 2017 using the Retina IIIc with the Xenon 50mm f2 lens and Agfa Vista 200. Some images I desaturated to B&W because I thought they looked better that way. Digitalizing film can be quite a good thing!
When I first used this camera, I found it rather trying. It has an EV metering system which made absolutely no sense to me, even after reading the manual. Yes, I do RTFM! However, YouTube came to the rescue once again, and there are several good videos about the Kodak Retinas from the 1950s. Many consider these to be some of the finest Kodak cameras ever produced. I won’t disagree. Nearly every American in my age group has used Kodak cameras, and many were rather cheap and produced rather poor pictures. But, for a kid, they were just perfect!
This camera came to me about 4-5 years ago from Chris Sherlock at Retina Rescue, across the sea in Australia. He’s great. You can find his videos on YouTube. Playing with it again, and having more experience with older cameras. I really appreciate this camera far more than I did before. I think I am going to throw some film in the camera and see what this puppy can do yet again.
The first time I saw photos taken with the Nikon 50mm f1.2 AI-S lens I was smitten with lust. The narrow DOF, the bokeh, the visual qualities of the lens all beckoned. For years I have sat on the fence about buying one – they are expensive!
Finally, I gave in and found a wonderful deal on “that auction site” and won it for what I consider to be a good price. I bought it 3 days ago, and now it is here, complete with hood, front and back caps, but in need of a filter. I removed one from another 52mm-filter-using lens, and went to work. I took these with my Nikon Df just now.
I shot all of these wide open at iso 100, indoors and out to see how the 1.2 aperture worked. To say I am happy is an understatement. The Df shows what the lens can do, an it still retains that quality that many older lenses. The serial number of this lens indicates it is an older one, dating from an earlier manufacturing run. This lens has been made for over 40 years, from 1981 till 2006 from what I can see. Since you can still buy them new on B&H for $749.00, perhaps they are still being made.
I ordered some extra filters to use with this lens. I already have UV and orange, but amongst my other 52mm filters I have NDs and polarizers along with an Orange 21. I have decided to add both yellow and red to use with black and white film on the FM3a to experiment and learn more about colored filters.
And that brings me to another thought: I need to up my game and challenge myself a bit with photography. Perhaps a 365 project with hints from sources, or just a determination to shoot B&W film for a year with this lens and the FM3a. Maybe I should aim for 3 images a week with just one film (ie Tri-x, HP5) or a variety of B&W films to see what they are all about. It certainly could be fun.
So, a BIG Christmas present to myself . . . a prime lens I know I am going to enjoy.
Happy Holidays everyone!
Ink, Yarn & Beer 