rangefinder – Ink, Yarn & Beer

Enough, and More Than Enough

Many people, myself included, as they age start to get rid of the possession’s they have accumulated throughout their lives. I am no exception, sort of.

To begin with, I am of the thought that to learn about something, you need to experience it. This can be done in a lot of ways, such as projecting ideas and thinking about ways in which people could respond, by reading, and so on. I like to learn things by doing. As a result, I have a lot of stuff. I have too many sewing machines, too many cameras, too many brushes, too many tubes of paint. I used to have too many spinning wheels, too many pairs of shoes, too much yarn. I’ve paired those last areas down quite a bit, but still wonder about other things.

Let’s begin with sewing machines. Why do I have so many – or “sew many” as one might pun. Good question. The answer is simple: curiosity. I have a treadle machine with a vibrating shuttle and long bobbins. I still need to master it. There is a YouTube video I have tagged to watch. I have a Singer 99 handcrank I bought for buttonholes. I have a Kenmore 1030 that was a present from an old beau. I have a Featherweight 222K that I got because it was cute, little, and diverged from the 221 in that the feed dogs drop and the free arm is tiny, making it excellent for sleeves. I have a Janome 6500, a computerized machine that is a workhorse and big. I have a Presto II, also computerized, and lightweight for taking to classes, and using in a sewing table. There are others, too, that have cams and other features that simply make them interesting and different from others in the collection. I also have an non-working one that belonged to my mother – sentiment keeps it around.

Next, photography. Over 10 years ago a very good friend loaned me his Nikon D70 so I could learn about photography without using film. It opened the door to enjoying and understanding photography as an art form. It cost me nothing to use except buying a card for the images. I had it for a year. In that year, I learned a lot and finally felt that film could be an adventure. I have a few digital cameras – Nikons all – a Df, D7000, V1, V3. I also have a lot of lenses, some autofocusing, some manual. I also have bought some dirt cheap film cameras, the FM2n, F3, F100, F90s. I also have some folding cameras from the 30s, in both 35mm and 120mm format, and a Yashica TLR. I have a rangefinder, which I am not at all crazy about. I have some Olympus cameras, too; an OM-1, OM-2, OM-4Ti, a Trip 35, and XA4. All of these cameras provide for different experiences. Lately I have acquired some 50s Agfas, such as the Silette, and these “newer” vintage cameras have their own charms and experiential value.

Finally, paint supplies. This really was the central point of this post! Many people say to work with a limited palette of colors – but color, for me and many others, are a siren’s song. There are so many luscious colors out there. The same color by this manufacturer is different than that manufacturer. How can anyone who loves to paint and loves color resist? I know I can’t! But, I do know, that if I don’t experience the color first hand, how can I determine its value in my palette?

On that note, I leave you. To me, all of the above have provided experiences that I could not have had otherwise. Yes, I have enough, and more than enough in many instances. However, the historical value of sewing machines and cameras is something I enjoy. The range of colors I have helps me to learn what I like and don’t like. All of them draw me at different times, and to experience them, today or a week later, or even months, is a joy. So, enough? Or, too much?

Waiting for Lovers . . . and some notes on On1 Photo Raw

Today is the very, very first day that On1 Photo Raw is available for usage. I think the original idea was to have a product ready to roll in October 2016, but rather than have a “finished” product full of bugs, they realized they had more on their plate, and held off until today, November 23. I’m glad they did – and I am glad, too, that they realize that this really is a “work in progress” as it stands.

Personally, I love On1, and have been using them since version 8, which was a while back. I use it with Lightroom. What makes On1 great as a company is their support, ongoing consistent development, tutorials, and so on. On1 products are sophisticated, and while they do not rival Adobe Photoshop for complexity, On1 products are far easier to use. I prefer their brushes, spot and blemish removal tools, as well as the fact I can create presets which I can store. At this point, the presets from On1 Photo Suite 10 cannot be used in On1 Photo Raw, but I expect they will have the ability to port them later on. The one-up that Photoshop has is its “content-aware” fill.

The image above, Waiting for Lovers, was edited using On1 Photo Raw. It is a film image using Kodak Ektar 100 in a 1930s Welta Weltur rangefinder. The lens is an uncoated Xenar – probably about 75mm – which has an ethereal quality to it that I really love. Scanning the image with my rather dirty Epson V600 (I have since cleaned it), I ended up with a blue streak across the entire image. On1 took it out quite nicely. Spots and threads were also easy to remove. I think On1 did something to their processing algorithm (or whatever), as the spot removal works very quickly.

This image is a pano stitched together in LR, and consists of two images taken with the Olympus XA4 and Lomography 100 film. The only thing I did was perk it up a bit with some detail, in LR and in Photo Raw. It is nearly identical to the SOOC image.

Finally, the above image was really pushed in On1 Photo Raw. Spot removal, brush usage, presets, whatever. This was an overall high-key, pale image, but I set it up to be contrasty and bright – possibly too much so – but wanted see what I could do. This was also taken with the XA4 and Lomo 100 film. Both of these two images were scanned using a Pakon 135 scanner.

There is so much software out there for photographers, that competitors to Photoshop seem to come and go. My favorite and most consistent programs are Lightroom and On1. I also use DxO v. 11, and while it is good for some things, it lacks the diversity of On1. Capture One is good, too, but it makes me crazy as it does not make sense to me at times . . . but I admit, I have not put in time to using it as it has a higher learning curve, and is not, for me, very intuitive. So, two thumbs up to On1 for its Photo Raw software – I think it will prove to be a real winner as they continue to develop it.

Raindrops & Thorns

Another shot taken with Kodak UltraMax 400 and the Olympus XA4. I don’t know if it is me, or the camera, or the film, or a combination, but I don’t think the sharpness is quite where I would like it to be. Despite that, I think this is a helluva a great little camera – so quick and easy to use. Maybe I’ll pick up the XA later on as it is a true rangefinder, not a zone-focusing one as is the XA4. What I do like about the XA4 is the wider angle, and the ability to do some macro work with a point-and-shoot sized film camera.

That Strange Light Before It Rains

If you have ever experienced the scudding light – bright, shadow, dark, bright – as clouds race before the wind, you know what I mean. Suddenly one patch is brilliant against the ominous dark, then vanishes before your eyes.

This was taken with an Olympus XA4, a very small rangefinder from the 80s. The XA4, from 1985, sports a five element Zuiko 28mm f3.5 lens focusing to 0.3m (12 inches), with the help of corded measuring devices for macro work. The cords attach to the camera and extend for measurement. I acquired on which was new old stock, and it’s quite a fun little 35mm camera. It is also – I swear – the last film camera I plan to buy (for awhile)!

I had the film developed at a local lab, and scanned it myself with my Pakon 135.

Goody Bag

While out shooting with the Voigtlander, I was just trying to use film up – I needed to see if there were any light leaks in the bellows. Light tight! This was done with Portra 400, and converted to B&W in Nik.