tomatoes – Ink, Yarn & Beer

Film Star Tomatoes

I bought the Pentax 17 half-frame camera soon after it came out. And only a couple of weeks ago did I finally finish the roll and get it processed. I scanned the film myself – the first roll in what seems ages – and it took me awhile to get familiar with my film scanners. I have a Pakon 135 which I use with my very old XP eMachine laptop, and my newer Pacific Image PrimeFilm XAS scanner which works with Windows 11.

Tomatoes - Pakon 135 Scan — Pakon 135 Scan

The above image was done using TLXClient (the professional part of the Pakon software – may have the name a bit munched), a part of the Pakon software. It is limited in size for the final scan. I used it with scratch and dust removal along with whatever else was in the arsenal. The image was a tad dark so I lightened it a bit in Lightroom. It has a warm cast which is very nice to the eye.

The above image was scanned as a negative – not a negative turned positive as the Pakon does. From there I converted it to a positive image using Negative Lab Pro and the “Cine” color interpretation. It is a lot colder and more blue of an interpretation. I rather like it. Post-processing of film images is a lot like painting – you can interpret things as you wish.

I used the Pentax 17, one of the two newest film cameras manufactured in the past couple of years. It is a simple camera which uses zone focusing but is automated in a lot of ways which make for some fun times. What I have seen so far in image quality is pretty good – and when you remember to take the lens cap off, you get pictures, too! (There is a light on the viewfinder which blinks at you if you have no incoming light – but I forgot that!) The biggest thing is that this is a “half frame” camera, meaning instead of one image, you get two. Thus, a 36-exposure roll should net you 72 images.

Image quality has been discussed back and forth for different film sizes, so I will leave it to you, dear reader, if you want to find out more. The link above takes you to the Ricoh website for the Pentax 17, and if you use the tabs on the web page, you will get a lot of information. I think the pictures I got look great – when I remembered to do things right! Using the Pentax 17 is easy and fun, and its compact size makes it easy to take with you.

Fujicolor 100, Pakon 135 Scanner, Pacific Image PrimeFilm XAS scanner, Lightroom, Negative Lab Pro, Pentax 17 camera.

Remembrance of Tomatoes Past(e)

Accidental double exposure on an Oly Trip 35 a few years ago – tomatoes that became passata and which we are in need of replenishing. Now that the rains are done and it is warming up, I may be inclined to start a bunch!

Tomatoes on the Farm

The ground here is crumbly and loose, small ditches to collect water, strong stakes and supports for tall tomato plants that are getting close to harvesting time. After the hurricane, I expect this crop may be a bit of a mess – certainly the ground will be sticky and muddy and hell to walk through – the clay soil just sucking you in, caking your shoes. But since then, the sun has been out and the sky is cloudless. I bet those tomatoes are going to be all right!

Tomato Season!

We can all agree that homegrown tomatoes are the best! I also have some lettuces.

Even with water restrictions in place, we are able to do some gardening. The drip system is working well in the front yard. This weekend we will install the emitters on the patio plants. Not all will get water as some are at the end of their lives. We also need to decide how much water to give each pot.

Yay! Tomatoes!

Summer is Coming!

Today I took off for a long-needed walk in the local botanical garden. Spring is ending, summer is here. My own plants are looking good – flowers, vegetables, fruits and herbs. The botanical garden, too, is entering the beginning of summer, and the air redolent with the dry scent of pine and sage.