Film
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Red Filter test
I found an old red filter in one of my camera bags today and thought I’d try it out with the remaining film in the camera. For a while now I’ve been wondering what differences it can make to black and white photography, I’ve read about what it does and why it was popular before the days of photoshop, but I figured I’d just make my own test and shoot two identical shots to see the difference with and without the filter (I was looking for ways to finish the roll off, haha)
I have to say I was quite surprised by the boost in contrast it gives. I never imagined it’d be that much.
The example shots below probably didn’t have the best subject matter or setting to see the full advantage of a red filter but I took some photos afterwards that really benefited from it (will post them later). I tried to stitch them together in the pic below. It looks more drastic when I export this jpeg from photoshop than the individual scans suggest. There should be a little more detail in the bottom right shadow even though that area is very dark in the red filter example below.
I don’t think this will be the last tie I use this filter.
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Canonet 19
Ok, I’ve been cutting back on my camera collecting, but this little gem was going very cheap so I had to buy it. I mean, for less than $20 you cant really go wrong.
Its a Canonet 19 from the mid to early 60’s. Sort of a beefed version of an Olympus trip bit with a faster 45mm f/1.9 lens and manual control. Oh and a funky bottom film advance lever too. I wasn’t too confident on the condition as it was really cheap (they’re not worth a great amount anyway), but I was pleasantly surprised when I received it today. Aperture and shutter are all working, and even auto mode seems to be going good which means the light meter is ok. Cosmetically its in top condition too. It also came with its original eveready case and yellow filter which look great. But what is even cooler is its original box. I think it looks great with the fancy “Canonet” typeface, and canon logo with colour design etc.
I have a little time off soon, so will put a roll through it and see the results. It looks as though someone changed the light seals not too long ago, so I’m quietly confident that it’ll work.
Here’s a shot of it below. I didn’t take it in my light box as I couldn’t be bothered setting it up. I just put it in front of a window on white cardboard and put some white paper behind it. You obviously cant get the same lighting control you would with a proper light box, but this is a decent quick/temporary solution.
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Scanned some more shots
Scanned some more shots today, nothing profound, more just fodder to try out some new developing times. APX400 in Rodinal at 1:50 for 28 minutes. Its all a learning experience for me so I’m quite pleased with how they turned out. Also, I couldn’t find any suggested times suitable, so I kind of had to make my own up.
The thing I’ve noticed lately with film is that shallow depth of field shots looks wonderful. Especially with some nice grain, it has such a unique aesthetic that I really love. In the future I’m going to try and take advantage of that more.
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A week with my Mju:II
Last month, for a bit of fun, I shot a roll of cheap film over the space of a week with my Mju:II. I kept the camera in my car and in my pocket most of the time just taking pictures of things that looked interesting. There’s nothing revolutionary about this concept, and I’ve been carrying cameras around with me for quite some time now. But there seemed something different this time. The fact that the camera only offered a limited amount of options to the user. No manual settings, no zoom, an auto focus, auto everything pretty much. Every other camera I own has manual settings, so I wasn’t sure how far I’d get with this automatic plastic fantastic Olympus. Also, I’d never used the camera before so thought it’d be a good opportunity to test it out.
To say I was happy with the results is an understatement. This little camera has now shot up the list of my current favourites. The lens is sharp, and i think the photos it produces (looking at the prints) has a distinct look. Its also very compact and strong. I was walking over rocks covered in moss once and managed to slip over (I’m normally not that clumsy). The camera was in my right hand, which took the full weight of my body when I fell over on the rocks. The camera survived with just one scratch, a lot better than me who managed to be bleeding from my arms and back =/ . The camera had this roll of film in it too, so I was worried at one point that the back may of opened, or something cracked letting light in, but everything was completely fine. I finished shooting the roll that day.
Photos were taken in the Sydney CDB and suburbs, quite often driving to or from things. There’s a night shot in Circular Quay where I just put the camera on a fence and let it select its own shutter speed which turned out perfect. There’s some other night ones where I turned on spot metering and turned the flash off.
Here are some shots.
Here is a more detailed review of this neat little camera.
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b&w film developing
I’ve started developing my own black and white film recently, so thought I’d post up some info on the process for others who may also be starting out. When I first begun researching the process I noted the vast array of conflicting opinions for the more minute details, however managed to distil the fundamental process of developing fairly easily. Quite simple, it consists of three steps. They are :
- Developer
- Stop Bath
- Fixer
Now it’s possible to break down each step further as there are almost endless options. Basically it comes down to timing and choice of chemical. I decided to keep things simple though so this is how I approached those steps.
- For my developer I chose Rodinal. It is the oldest commercial developer on the market, so my logic was that there should be plenty of info about dilution and timing online already.
- Next you have the stop bath. This can consist simply of water if you choose, however I decided to go with an Ilford stop solution as it uses less water and is a little quicker (Ilford Ilfostop).
- Lastly there’s the fixer with another range of chemical options, however I kept things simple and went with an Ilford product again (Ilford rapid fixer).
After completing these 3 fundamental processes you have a couple of extra options :
- A Hypo-Clearing Agent which cuts down washing time considerably (instead of using 30 minutes you use 7 for example).
- Then a product like Photoflo which is the very last step before drying. It will coat the film and help prevent uneven drying and water marks etc.
Although these two steps are optional, they are worthy of serious consideration. After you’ve completed the whole process all you need to do is hang the film to dry. If you don’t have a dedicated dryer it’s recommended by many to let the film dry overnight. I normally wait at least a few hours depending on the weather though as I’m often a little impatient. You just don’t want to put wet film away in to storage though as it won’t end well.
Now, what about timings and dilutions for the development stage? Behold the amazing resource that is digitaltruth’s Massive Dev Chart :
http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.html
It should contain the film you’re choosing to develop and the developer you’re using. Just match it up with the iso you shot at and choose your dilution, you’ll then have a suggested development time. Bear in mind though with b&w film there is no standard method, it involves trial and error as factors such as water type and temperature, dev tank and reel design, rotation method and chemical age can all influence the end result. My tip would be using the same equipment and keeping your own journal of dev times and results to refer back to.In the interest of keeping things simple I’ve left out a number of elements that are better demonstrated than written. Simply search youtube for a guide on film developing as visualising the process will increase your chances of success. Here are a couple links to help get you started :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu0Ul_wsYO8 (One of many film developing videos on youtube)
http://outsideinpixels.com/blog/?p=1152Â (My friend Jack’s more detailed film developing guide)
http://www.photogs.com/bwworld/bwfilmdev.html (Another b&w film developing guide I used to get started)Below is a picture of the equipment I’m using at the moment. Nothing advanced of complicated, all very simple stuff. In addition to this I have a dust proof folder to store negatives in, plus 3 more measuring jugs.
In the photo you can see the chemicals, the developing tank with 2 reels inside (back left), the changing bag (front right), thermometer (in yellow case middle centre), film clips, measuring syringe, cylinder measuring graduate, and a cheap $2 clock with seconds hand. The chemicals are relatively cheap, and everything else is reused, so after the initial purchase the only things you’re spending money on is the film. At the moment I’m using the Rodinal at 1:50 for 13 minutes for 100ISO film, so at 6ml per roll, the 500ml bottle will last ages.
It’s a really enjoyable and rewarding process so I suggest everyone should try it at least once. The only danger is you may get the urge to make your own wet prints. An equally enjoyable process but one requiring a slightly greater commitment of time and resources!
