Gorgeous flares using the Sensia & Vivitar UWS
Fujichrome Sensia 100 on Vivitar Ultra Wide Slim
It’s really simple. Just shoot at an angle where the sun is partially obscured by a large object. It could be a tall building, a canopy of trees…anything! I especially like the 3rd photo, the flare almost resembled a waterfall!
You can see several different pallettes than can be produced with cross processed Sensia 100, ranging from indigo, dark reds & dusty greens depending on the light intensity.
And sometimes, the roll decided to surprise you and you get something like this! Amazing huh? That’s the magic of film for you ;D
-delusiana
Zero Image Solarized
Fuji Neopan Acros w/ Zero Image 2000
(exposure @10mins)
(exposure @38 secs)
(exposure @40mins)
(exposure @1min 15secs)
(exposure @19secs)
Being a huge fan of pinhole photography I knew it was time for me to get a solid camera from Zero Image, famed for their beautiful and sleek looking pinhole cameras. To aid me with getting the proper exposures for my shots I use the useful chart on Mr Pinhole’s webpage keying in the f-stop of the Zero 2000, in this case is at f/138. I used my Sekonic light meter to measure the light and cross-referenced my exposure readings with pinhole exposure chart. Simple as that.
I made sure to always place the camera on a stable and flat surface if not secured with a tripod. The Zero 2000 weighs at a nice 250g, heavier than any of my past plastic pinhole cameras, and this is really convenient to avoid unwanted shakes and blurring (of course it’s not really a problem when photographing moving objects) .
I did everything by the book, exposed each capture at the optimum times indicated but what a shock I got when the negatives came out a little odd, with patches of inverted tones! The blacks are a little white and the whites a little black. That was when I realized something happened unbeknownst to me, I must have somehow somewhere exposed the negatives to light while I was developing the roll creating this effect, also known as solarization. Solarization is a phenomenon in photography in which the image recorded on a negative or on a photographic print is wholly or partially reversed in tone. Dark areas appear light or light areas appear dark. The solarization here is only partial as a 100% solarized image would look just like a B&W negative when scanned.
The outcome of my first roll on the Zero 2000 was a surprise but I think it gave the images a touch of class and elegance which is pretty cool. Not so sure I can achieve the same results in the future, unknowingly at least.
-eleanorrigby236
The Zero 2000 made with polished teak wood with a f-stop of f/138, it looks mighty good and definitely feels good in your hands.
Sunday Tea & Vitamin C
Fuji Neopan Acros 100 on Gevaert Gevabox (Flipped Lens)
At CGSF, we weren’t just busy preparing some tasty soup for colorful film adventures, we’re also brewing some Tea in Vitamin C to develop our black & whites in! Thanks to Paul Gadd of The Print Room KL who’d kindly allowed us to use his space & darkroom to demonstrate how to make your own film soup & develop your BWs in tea, we’ve finally managed to achieve this feat which has been eluding us since we first featured this technique courtesy of the lovely Firda Beka of Many Cameras.com!
Yes, I know the results aren’t that great, the photos look almost like a badly xeroxed version but this set was from one of my experimental phase. I’ve yet to discover the exact developing times & agitation scheme for the Neopan Acros 100 & Kodak TMAX but I’ll be sure to post here once I get that figured out.
So, the first set was taken with my vintage Gevaert Gevabox with flipped lens, which explains the crazy flared out effect & lack of focus.
The recipe: (to make 1000ml of stock solution)
5 bags of black tea (I used Lipton) in 600ml freshly boiled water
10 tsp of washing soda
5g of crushed Vitamin C- Let the tea steep for 30 mins and squeeze every drop out, you should get about 500ml of tea
- Dissolve the washing soda & vitamin C in about 400ml of water and add the two solution together and mix them well,
- The solution should stay usable for about 24 hours
- First minute continuous agitation, then 3 agitations every minute for 30 minutes
- Stop bath, fix & rinse normally.
Kodak T-MAX 400 on Gevaert Gevabox (Flipped Lens)
For this set I used the same recipe but with 8 bags instead of 5 (6 bags of japanese green tea & 2 bags of black tea) to avoid the excessive fogging & staining by the black tea which could hamper your scanning (and printing if you plan to do it traditionally with an enlarger!)
I also cut down the developing time to 15 minutes, with continuous agitation during the first minute and 3 agitations every 30 seconds (that’s an almost continuous agitation scheme!). I found that the negatives are much less foggy but I guess it could still be fine tuned.
This recipe works really well with the cheapo Shanghai GP3 100 though, and I’ll be posting the results from that set in my next post so stay tuned for that.
Oh, and say hi to my lovely Gevaert Gevabox!
-delusiana
The new Holga 120 PAN camera review
Fujichrome Tungsten 64T on Holga 120 PAN
Fujicolor Superia 100 on Holga 120 PAN
My first time ever writing an article about a camera. Ever! Well there is a first time for anything right? Although it is not my first time using a Holga. Been using it since 2004 as it is one of my first real “toy camera”.
The camera that I am writing about now is the new Holga 120PAN (PAN = PANorama). One of its first kind on a plastic toy camera (open for dispute). I got hold of this camera from my supplier in Hong Kong when it was first announced. It might also be one of the first to land here in Malaysia. It was exciting for as the closest to its “wideness” is the uber expensive Linholf Technorama. Try googling it and be in awe.
It has been in my possession for a while before I finally got the opportunity to run a few test rolls on it while I was back in my hometown of Johor Bahru. I was pleasantly surprised at the results. It still maintains the signature effects of a Holga, the vignetting and dreamy soft focus, but the centre focus is quite sharp. The distortions that are evident on most wide panorama toy cameras are also nowhere to be seen. I love that.
The Holga 120PAN takes two 120mm film frames per shot. So a 6x12 shot will give you six photos per roll of film. If you are the kind that prefer quantity over quality, get a Diana Mini and use the half frame mode. The camera comes equipped with a bubble level for shooting landscape straight. I find it useful when shooting my favourite scenes using my el cheapo tripod that does not have a bubble level.
The camera really shines when shooting wide landscape scenes as the resolution of the 120mm captures more details compared to 35mm films. To me, it is not the camera for you to bring along to parties or gigs as a panorama 35mm camera like the Horizon would suit those kind of scenes better.
The Holga 120N is at the top of my all-time favourite camera and this 120PAN is not far below.
-DemanG
Edit: Demang is our friend who owns the super stellar online camera shop ROFLCAM, and he specialises in Holgas & refurbished Russian rangefinders among others. Do check his shop out and just so you know, ROFLCAM ships internationally!
Georgetown Heritage Walk - A Report.
Fujichrome Velvia 50 (shot at 40ISO) on Canon A-1
Y’know, I’ve always wanted to re-live certain wild hobo moments in life that I can cherish its very novelty over and over again. Too bad, the incumbent reality of life won’t accommodate one’s every desire -you can’t always get what you want! Nevermind, I’ll settle for something lesser yet still adventurous: travel by train to Penang.
It was a Friday, the holy day for Moslems. Most Penangites are Moslems, regardless of race. But when I walked passed the Kapitan Kling Mosque, it was tight closed and the sign informed this time around Friday prayer was to be held at Leboh Acheh Malay Mosque. Either there are not so many professed Moslems anymore in Penang or it’s the strategy for national unity in religion (Kling is associated with Indians), I guess. I don’t know. Perhaps, the nasi kandar joint next door has the answer. But I’d prefer the dirtier and Dickensian Nasi Kandar Line Clear.
One of the famous attractions in Penang is Sun Yat Sen’s house in Armenian St. I could not really tell which one was the house as all the houses in that row along the street looked the same. Inside the house, or rather Dr. Sun’s HQ in Malaya back then to raise fundraising to lend support for the revolution in China, I felt the ghost of history.
If I were to build my own mansion, I would build one like the Cheong Fatt Sze Mansion, famously called the Blue Mansion. I was so amazed by its architecture and underlying eastern zen philosophy of the house, which at the same time wears a facade to permit me to click my shutter secretly and shoot a picture of its interior.
Its true, Penang is very metropolitan. It’s where differences of cultures reside. The island where a statue called Logan’s Monument was built in memory of a lawyer who fought against the East India Company. Oh, that rings a bell! I say, Nemo iudex in causa sua!
-J.K
What the Leica taught me
Fuji Acros 100 on Leica M6, Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.4
I’ve always had trouble focusing in photography, having 6 different cameras loaded with film at once and not being able to finish any one of them. Last year I came across an article online encouraging people to shoot with a single camera (a Leica), single lens, and single type of BW film for one entire 365 day year. I kept coming back to the article over and over and finally went looking for a Leica online, found one and purchased it on a whim. I didn’t have money to burn, and I didn’t feel completely comfortable dropping over $1,000 on a camera and lens.
I committed to a Leica M6, Voigtlander Nokton 35mm 1.4, and Fuji Acros 100 shot at 200 and developing in Diafine. The article encourages you to shoot 4-6 rolls per week, but I have come nowhere near that many. In fact over the 4 months I’ve been doing this I’ve only shot 15 rolls. The one thing I love about it so far is that each picture has a purpose; I have not been forcing myself to shoot. When I develop, every single picture on each roll is something I’m excited to see. It’s taken me back to when I had only one camera and it might take me a month to finish a single roll, but each picture was a very unique moment that caught my eye. Part of the process is also recording all of your exposure information, it slows you down and makes you want each photograph. It’s amazing to go back months later and know exactly how you shot every photo.
Leica has a bit of magic in everyone’s mind, but it’s just a tool. Just about everything stated in the article that inspired me is true. It won’t do anything you don’t tell it to, it shows your pictures as they really are without any additional effects that add or detract, it’s nice and sharp but so are many other slr cameras. Nothing extra to get distracted by; shutter speed, wind/rewind, self timer, and shutter. It’s a beautiful and very humbling experience!
Read up and be inspired for yourself:
http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2009/05/a-leica-year.html
http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2009/05/why-it-has-to-be-a-leica.html
-Charlie Wray
edit: FYI, I bought my Ensign Ful-Vue from Charlie on Etsy, and in the package he’d kindly given me a print taken with his M6 and I was immediately in awe and forced him to submit a write-up on his experiences with a Leica. Thanks a lot Charlie! Makes me wanna go and start saving up for one now (though it may take years…*sigh*)
Keep up with Charlie on his tumblr http://goodluckcharles.tumblr.com!!
-delusiana
Fake pano shots: The Ansco Pix Panorama
Fujichrome Provia 100F on Ansco Pix Panorama
The Ansco Pix Panorama is really a small plastic 35mm camera that much resembles the unassuming Vivitar UWS. It isn’t really a true panoramic camera, but instead falls into the category of “pseudo panoramic” cams. It’s essentially a normal 35mm camera that has a mask obscuring the top and bottom frames, thus producing instant “panoramic” images.
I’ve actually cropped out half of both the upper and lower black frames, instead of eliminating them completely cos I thought that the photos contrasted better against the black.
It’s really a cheapo plastic camera, but I find that it works really well under bright bright sunlight. But honestly I’ve no idea how the really strong vignetting appeared in the last 2 shots as compared to the others. Hmm…
EDIT:
You know sometimes I can be really lazy in blogging and I thought sharing the photos would be fine but I guess people are interested in the details of the places I went to, lol.
Alright, the first 4 photos were taken in Penang where I was backpacking cum photo-walking with J.K. It was somewhere near Nagore Street in Georgetown, a real eyecandy with colorful heritage buildings that would make any photographer/photography hobbyist go ga-ga.
The Sungai Siput photo was taken in-yup, you’ve guessed it: Sungai Siput, Perak. Taken from the train we were on, during one of the many stops to Penang.
The stone bench photo was from a jaunt I had with eleanorrigby236 at the Putrajaya Botanical Park and the last 2 photos were of the historical KTM Building in Kuala Lumpur.
-delusiana
Strolling around Pest at midnight
Neopan Professional 400 on Nikon FE2 w/ Lensbaby Sweet 35
(self-developed with Ilfotec DD-X 1+4, 10mins)
I recently got myself one of those sweet little things from Lensbaby aptly named the Sweet 35. Here is an excerpt from the official website,
The Sweet 35 Optic is a 35mm selective focus optic with a 12-blade adjustable aperture that creates a tack sharp Sweet Spot of focus surrounded by blur. Experience an unprecedented level of creative control over the size of the Sweet Spot.
I have been a user of their Composer Pro lens coupled with their double optics for a while now but found swapping out aperture discs to be a pain and a chore. When Lensbaby came out with the Sweet 35 boasting a built-in adjustable aperture system, I knew I had to get it and surely as I imagined I was very satisfied with this optic. Not only is the lens much wider than the previous series, it is also much sharper and best of all, requires nothing but a little twist of the barrel to set the aperture right.
I shot these images at midnight (to eliminate having to shoot through or past humans) and had to resort to shooting most of it at an aperture setting of f/2.0 minimizing the sweet spot (focused area) and blurring 60-70% of the image. This was my first roll shot with the Sweet 35 and as it was night time, it was actually hard to see through my viewfinder. I just had to play by heart, twisting and bending the lens hoping I get something good. I like what I got, but I know with a more precise calculation of light and composition, I can do better. Looking forward to playing some more.
-eleanorrigby236
Beautiful Arizona
Fujichrome Sensia 100 on Vivitar UWS
I love the combination of Fuji Sensia 100 slide film, cross-processed, and the Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim (UWS), for particular landscapes and subjects.
Fuji Sensia typically produces a purple/red color shift when cross-processed, which worked beautifully with the Arizona landscape. These images were taken in the spectacular red-rock country of Sedona, the quaint old-town area of Scottsdale, and in Phoenix-downtown and at the botanical garden.
The 35mm all-plastic Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim, with its 22mm lens, creates great wide-angle vistas, whether they be horizontal or vertical, often with a little distortion to add interest. It also works well with closer-up subjects, and is great for lens flare. Small, simple, lightweight, and fun sums up the UWS…especially with slide film for cool, dramatic results.
Now, if only it took double exposures…
-Stephanie
Light vignetting can be cool too
Fujifilm Neopan 400 on Zenit E (self-developed)
(D-76, 1+1, 9.5 mins)
My first roll done at home!
I used the Helios44 50mm f/2 lens on these, which is a gorgeous lens - these are all taken near where I live, along the corridor of green space and old industrial buildings running from the city up to the northern edge of Leeds.
The sapling against the wall is about my favorite shot ever at the moment, the building is a derelict cricket club and this just sums up the emptiness of so many of these old local places left to decay. The film has come out really well I think for a first attempt, though my scanner is not great and has left a slight (reversed) vignette on the images, though on some of these this looks quite nice…
-Christian Bodden
Fat rolled?!!
Fuji Reala on Diana no. 151
So this was the 2nd test roll I loaded in my vintage Diana camera, and it got fat rolled! I should probably tape the film leader to the receiving spool to avoid the roll from unwinding. Anyway what I did when I realized it was fat rolled was to tighten the roll in a dark environment: in my case, I had to make do with whatever was available to me at the time so I shoved my hands in my handbag and had my partner throw a black cardigan over them. Yup, unfortunately this happened to me in the car! Luckily the leaks weren’t so bad, huh?
So let’s talk about this Diana no. 151. This camera was made in Hong Kong during the 60’s by the Great Wall Plastic Company in Kowloon. It has 2 basic shutter settings, the I & B (bulb) with 3 apertures (sunny-f19, partially cloudy-f13 & cloudy-f11) - much like the current Diana F+ cameras, except without the 2 pin flash gun attachment.
OK, so we’ve done B&W & color negative. Next up, test shots with a slide film and I’ve just popped an old expired Kodak Ektachrome E100SW for the occasion :)
-delusiana
Film Soup : Tea + Detergent Ver.
Expired Fuji Tungsten film on Diana Mini
I’m sure you all remember this wonderful tutorial shared by Film Soup Guru, Kristian J, of AnalogueOnly.com . Here is my first set using my very own film soup recipe. I chose to dunk a roll of expired Tungsten film because I prefer the colors on a fresh roll of T-64 any day. My roll here was left to sit in my film soup for 2 days and thoroughly dried in a darkroom bag. My attempt to sun dry it did not work, even after leaving it under direct sunlight for 3 full days. I ripped the roll in camera as I was advancing it, and knew that my roll was still wet, thus it went into my darkroom bag for proper drying.
From this first try, it definitely looks like results are much better when you expose each frame multiple times to get more contrast on your film. As the saturation of the liquid is uneven you get varying results throughout your roll which adds a lot of fun to the whole process of waiting for your prints.
Film Soup Recipe
- 300ml hot water
- 1 cap detergent <—yes cap, not cup!!
- 1 tablespoon vanilla tea leaves
*film roll left in film soup for exactly 48 hours, dried, exposed, and cross-processed.
I have another roll, but this time of a fresh color negative film, soaked in salt water to share. That is yet another discovery!!
-eleanorrigby236
Develop your B&Ws in Tea!
Fuji Neopan Acros 100 on Great Wall DF
Agfa APX 100
We’re honored to feature Firda Beka of Many Cameras on CGSF and she had also kindly agreed to share her tea developer concoction, which she termed 4-Tea-C.
Now, I’ve always loved B&Ws developed in caffenol but tea?? I’m intrigued! Let’s hear what Firda has to say,
== 4-Tea-C Developer Recipe ==
Ingredients (to make 500ml):
- 2 tea bags of each orange pekoe tea, pure green tea, pure peppermint tea, and pomegranate green tea (8 tea bags in total)
- 2 teaspoons of washing soda
- 1000mg vitamin c
- water
Instructions:
- Put 300ml of water in a saucepan, threw in all the tea bags, bring to boil.
- Once boiling, turn off the stove and let steep for 30 minutes.
- Transfer to a measuring cup to see how much tea solution you got. I got 200ml after squeezing every drop from the tea bags.
- Drop the vitamin c into the tea mixture. In retrospect, dropping it into the washing soda solution would probably be a better idea since mixing it with the tea mixture creates a lot of froth.
- Mix washing soda with water to create 300ml solution or adjust according to the amount of tea solution you got in order to have a total of 500ml.
- Mix the tea-c and washing soda solutions together.
I didn’t check the exact temperature but I’m pretty sure it was room temperature, i.e. 20 degrees. I know. Very scientific indeed. As for developing time, I did a 2 hour semi-stand development, only agitated 3 times during the 2 hours. You don’t want to agitate too many times when doing semi-stand development because the film could easily become over-developed.
Isn’t this just great?? I can’t wait to start developing my B&Ws now. Thanks so much Firda!
Firda also has a tumblr photoblog at http://www.manycameras.com (she has over 200 of them!) and definitely check out her Flickr stream for more analogue goodness.
-delusiana
I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world?
Fujicolor Superia 400 on Diana Mini
Photos by Jamie, a self-portrait and the exploration of her relationship with photography. Head over to her Lomo Home for more of her analog adventures.
