Classic Kodachrome Monday #61

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Cold Crisp Day

Film Fun Folio #12: Seagull 4A-103 and Fomapan 200

Periodically, I'll be posting scans of some complete rolls of film on here, showing both the good and the bad, and giving some basic information as well a little write up of the shoot as well as the reasons why I selected each camera and film.  Enjoy the trip! 

Feature #12:

Camera: ca. 1993 Seagull 4A-103 TLR Camera

Film: Fomapan 200

Locale: Central Maryland

The gum had hardly set on the roll of Rollei Retro 80S that I had finished in the Seagull for the Film Fun Folio #10 feature, when I elected I wanted to feed the Seagull another roll of black and white.  Impressed with some of the dramatic skies I had gotten from Fomapan 200, I wanted to try to put this film to use once again to try to maximize this tendency, and here are the results.

1 - Ellicott City, MD - f/3.5 1/300 - I started the winding process too soon in the Seagull, so the first exposure was not aligned with film, losing this one in the process. 

2 - Ellicott City, MD - f/4 1/125 - Finally a result.  Good tonality, and nice grain to start the roll off.

Classic Kodachrome Monday #60

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Afternoon Shadows

Classic Kodachrome Monday #59

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Busy Thorofare

Same Scene - Four Cameras, Four Films

On my (now not too) recent trip westward to Oregon, I made it a point that I would ensure that I would aim to have one scene that I would shoot with every color film camera at my disposal at the time.  As it was, I wound up holding off using my last shot on two of these cameras to ensure that I could perform such an experiment.

Finally, on the afternoon of June 20, at a stop called Corbett's View, overlooking the Columbia River Gorge, I took the opportunity to snap away to get results that I could compare.  The samples, already featured in several of the Film Folio features, are shown below

Zeiss Ikonta A 521, Agfa Rollei Crossbird 200 Film

Agfa Billy Record I, Expired Kodak Ektachrome 200 scanned with Color Restoration. 

Welta/Rodenstock Citonette, Provia 100F.

Balda Lisette, Velvia 50.

Overall, light leaks aside, there is a lot of differences in how this same scene was rendered on four different cameras and films.  I thought I'd have a clear "winner" in the batch, but I can't say that I do.  Nor can I say that one of these completely fails in its rendering.  It is a very interesting example of how the same scene can be given a remarkably differing appearance based largely on the film.  

And as we head into colder weather, I'm certainly glad to have these vestiges of a trip west in warmer temperatures! 

Classic Kodachrome Monday #58

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Sunny Day at the Harbor

Film Fun Folio #11: Balda Lisette and Velvia 50

Periodically, I'll be posting scans of some complete rolls of film on here, showing both the good and the bad, and giving some basic information as well a little write up of the shoot as well as the reasons why I selected each camera and film.  Enjoy the trip! 

Feature #11:

Camera: ca. 1938 Balda Lisette 645 120 folding camera

Film: Fuji Velvia 50

Locale: Oregon and Central Maryland

Velvia is a truly lovely medium with which to work, as it yields intensely saturated colors and excellent grain for landscapes and scenics.  However, it does not come at a particularly cheap price.  Thus, when armed with just a single roll of the stuff and a number of potential hosts, it is not always easy to pick a camera in which to shoot it.  However, as my Oregon trip was in its final day, I had to make just such a decision.  Since I'd just run a roll of Velvia 50 through the Lisette and was optimistic about the results, I elected to stay the course and give the Trioplan lens another chance to team up with Velvia and provide some outstanding color images.  Besides, shooting images on the 645 format allows for twice as many shots as with the 6x9 cameras, an important consideration when keeping within a budget.  

1 - Portland, OR - f/9 1/50 - A bit of atmospheric haze made capturing distant Mount Hood something of a challenge, one that Velvia was up for, and in managed to put just enough contrast in the scene to make the peak discernible in the distance.