Today i said goodbye to a solid friend and one of my monsters...
Yes i sold my Bronica S2a kit... I love the camera, but it also frustrated me absolutely as i struggled to get my head around framing a 6x6 image, i either had far to much foreground, far to much sky, or i cut things off in the vertical plane.
Im not going to say how much i got for the camera, but i got an ok number, and although if i had of sold it on the likes of ebay i could have gotten much more for it because unlike many that have been online for sale in kits, most had 1 nikkor lens, 1 back and maybe another brand of lens in the kit, whereas my now former kit had 2x 120 backs, a pentaprism finder, 75mm Nikkor lens, 5cm Nikkor lens and 200mm Nikkor lens, and the original Zenza Bronica travel case.
Im happy with my decision to sell the big girl, but i hadnt used the camera in 6 or 7 months, and honestly, ive been going for my 645 bag when i grab a medium format camera bag, because although still a big 120 film camera with auto wind and metering, it still slows me down and the image quality is superb.
The new owner is already planning on giving the Bronny a little birthday by re-lining and restoring the case a little, and using it more than i have and will in the future.
No regrets for me selling, as i know it will get used, but there will be a soft spot for the Big Bronica for me as a camera that totally re-invested me in film photography...
Thursday, 23 March 2017
Sunday, 5 March 2017
The 645
Its been a while since i made a post, and this one is a follow up to the monsters post.
I have had my Pentax 645 a little over 6 months now, and i must say it is rapidly becoming a favorite camera of mine.
The 645 with a back, and the 80-160mm lens it is no lightweight at a shade over 2.5kg but yet i am able to carry it around and not feel exhausted.
There is just something nice about that big shutter going clunk and the whirr of the advance moving the film on to the next frame.
I touched on the nostalgia i have for Pentax's big beastie last post, and i was worried that the nostalgia would temper my reality, but in fact it is the opposite, the nostalgia is turning my dabble with film photography into a serious return to using film as a major part of my photography now.
There is just something about using film that makes me feel comfortable and the anticipation of seeing what comes out on the film is part of the fun, as is knowing i only have a limited number of frames to capture, that is limited by the amount of film i am carrying, against my ILC digital camera with the 5 memory cards i carry and having around 4000 frames to go through.
The 645 makes being careful an art, with 16 frames per film, i have to be careful and selective of what i take.
Part of the other reason i am loving film photography, i am developing my own black and white films at home, i have a nice small setup that i can use easily, and the cost of developing a roll of film is down around $5 a roll compared to paying triple that if i have it processed commercially.
I have had my Pentax 645 a little over 6 months now, and i must say it is rapidly becoming a favorite camera of mine.
The 645 with a back, and the 80-160mm lens it is no lightweight at a shade over 2.5kg but yet i am able to carry it around and not feel exhausted.
There is just something nice about that big shutter going clunk and the whirr of the advance moving the film on to the next frame.
I touched on the nostalgia i have for Pentax's big beastie last post, and i was worried that the nostalgia would temper my reality, but in fact it is the opposite, the nostalgia is turning my dabble with film photography into a serious return to using film as a major part of my photography now.
There is just something about using film that makes me feel comfortable and the anticipation of seeing what comes out on the film is part of the fun, as is knowing i only have a limited number of frames to capture, that is limited by the amount of film i am carrying, against my ILC digital camera with the 5 memory cards i carry and having around 4000 frames to go through.
The 645 makes being careful an art, with 16 frames per film, i have to be careful and selective of what i take.
Part of the other reason i am loving film photography, i am developing my own black and white films at home, i have a nice small setup that i can use easily, and the cost of developing a roll of film is down around $5 a roll compared to paying triple that if i have it processed commercially.
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| Pickup truck, USA Day March 2017 |
Shooting Black & White film is so much fun, the above neg is an Ilford Delta 400 film shot at 400ASA and processed at home using Ilford LC29 at 1+9 mix
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| The molars in Dunedin |
This neg is an old expired roll of Fuji NPH400 that was one fo the first rolls put through the 645 and processed commercially
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| Abandoned Gun emplacement in Dunedin |
This frame is a roll of Lomography X-Pro 200 Slide film cross processed in C-41 commercially processed The colors of the Lomo film cross processed are quite cool, the next roll of this will be processed in E-6
The 645 is an amazing camera, i love it, so much so that my Bronica is sitting idle now, not having been used since not long after i got the Pentax, and i am now wondering about do i keep it, or do i try to find a new home for the Bronica and a couple of others in my collection.. But one thing is for sure, the Pentax will be a very loved and trusted companion.
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