Film Fun Folio #6: Rodenstock Citonette and Provia 100F

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 #6:
Camera: ca. 1936 Rodenstock Citonette 645 120 folding camera
Film: Fuji Provia 100
Locale: Oregon

I don't usually feel I have a good idea of a camera's worthiness until I have shot a roll of color slide film through its chambers.  After all, reversal film (as it is also called) leaves little margin for exposure error in the way that Color Negative and even Black and White films do. Every film camera that I've shot has seen at least one roll of slide film come its way while in my possession. Except the Rodenstock/Welta.  Since acquiring this camera from a sale on Analog Photography Users Group, I had started it off with a roll of Ektar 100, followed by Ilford and Fomapan offerings in Black and White.  With a westward trip on the horizon and a desire to get as many images as possible, it was the perfect time to finally give this camera a chance to show what it could really do when given a film that allows little room for error.  

1 - Portland, OR - f/8 1/50 - My first color transparency shot with this mid-1930's folder looks pretty flippin' awesome! The Twin Coach parcel truck interestingly dates from the same era as the camera! 

2 - Portland, OR - f/8 1/100 - A second shot of the same scene also shows a great rendering.  So far, so good for this budget folder.

3 - Portland, OR - f/9 1/250 - Sooooo close to being an amazing shot.  If only a light leak wasn't turning the right edge of the image with a reddish hue.

4 - Portland, OR - f/8 1/5 - Red Light Special? Nope, just the same leak.  Unfortunate, as the rest of the shot looks fairly well rendered.

5 & 6 - Portland, OR - f/11 4 sec. - Two tries to score a follow up time exposure of the Baghdad were less than successful.  Maybe a third visit is in order.

7 - Portland, OR - f/12.5 1/100 - Just what one wants from a medium format photo.  An image of a St. John's eatery shows excellent sharpness and contrast.

8 - Portland, OR - f/11 1/50 - Similarly, this image rendered quite well despite clouds that tended to mute the direct sunlight to illuminate the scene.

9 - Oceanside, OR - f/11 1/250 (x2) - OOPS! Double Exposure.  Interestingly enough the result is something of a happy accident.

10 - Oceanside, OR - f/12.5 1/250 - I realized my previous error and re-shot the second exposure.  The nagging light leakage has returned.

11 - Oceanside, OR - f/11 1/250 - And now it has gotten more pervasive in this shot.

12 - Oceanside, OR - f/9 1/250 - Better than the last two, detail rendered well in this shot, but the cliffside lacks any real definition in the evergreens.

13 - Seems I am making an unintended habit of skipping the 13th exposure on 645 rolls. Superstition?


14 - Netarts, OR - f/11 1/250 - I had pretty high hopes of this capture of the rental.  It would be a great shot if not for the light leak.

15 - Portland, OR - f/11 1/100 - A view of Portland from Mount Tabor Park shows some leakage, but is somewhat restrained by atmospheric haze as well. 

16 - Corbett View Point, Columbia River Gorge - f/16 1/100 - Quite a vivid rendering and the detail level is quite good from the Rodenstock lens.  

Thoughts: Unfortunately, light leak issues marred too many of these shots, this after thinking I had fixed a bad spot in the bellows.  That facet aside, the results of this camera using Provia film were really pretty good, with only a few of the scenes lacked the punch in color rendition and contrast that I've tended to see from my Meyer-Gorlitz Trioplan equipped folders.  Still, once the light leaks are remedied, this camera could wind up to be a great landscape shooter, as the shutter is definitely accurate enough to handle the narrow latitude of color transparency film!