From Roll-040 (Leica MP)

A few from the most recent roll from of the Leica MP. It’s HP5 Plus, processed in HC-110 (dilution B) for 5 minutes. Scanned on the PrimeFilm XAs. This roll is concerning because many of the frames have horizontal scratches, which could indicate a problem with the film pressure plate. There’s also boatloads of hair and dust. My process needs refining. Chuck the bulldog My Polaroid SX-70 kit Quotes on index cards Skeleton Trash, just finishing the roll Camera Identification Selfie ...

November 12, 2021 · 81 words

Leica lenses, my how you've grown

Leica M lenses are tiny little jewels with unmatched build and image quality. Leica SL lenses are giant monsters with unmatched build and even better image quality. And auto-focus. I prefer the small ones.

October 12, 2021 · 34 words

Managing my TiddlyWiki with WebDAV and Tailscale

Short version: I am managing my TiddlyWiki wikis as stand-alone HTML documents using a WebDAV server accessed securely from anywhere via Tailscale and I can now drag and drop images into content and have them uploaded and linked automatically. It’s brilliant! As much as I love TiddlyWiki, I’ve never enjoyed managing images with it. Embedded images are easiest but can quickly bulk up the wiki’s HTML file size, so I reference them instead. I’ve done this a couple ways. ...

October 3, 2021 · 312 words

From Roll(s) 2021-35/36

I’ve got nothing. Two rolls shot at the MSU tailgate. One with the MP and HP5 and one with the Olympus OM-1n with expired XP2. Lots of missed focus. Lots of too-far-away. Lots of dust. It’s dampening my enthusiasm for film, but here are a few anyway. Golden looking out back of party bus. (Leica MP. Summicron-M 35mm ASPH) ...

September 27, 2021 · 93 words

Some new scans of old Kodachromes

I miss Kodachrome. I was able to shoot a few rolls before Dwayne’s Photo, the last shop capable of processing Kodachrome, stopped processing it for good. The last roll was processed on January 18, 2011. For some reason, all of my original Kodachrome scans are fairly low-res, so I re-scanned the better images using my new Prime Film XAs scanner. Here are a few examples. It was beautiful film. ...

September 22, 2021 · 69 words

From Roll 2021-033 (Olympus OM-1n/HP5)

It had been a while since I used the Olympus OM-1n. The Zuiko 85mm f2.0 has been a favorite lens for a long time, so I put a roll through the kit while helping a friend take his boat and dock out of the water for the season. Olympus OM-1n with Zuiko 85mm f/2.0 The OM’s viewfinder is still one of the biggest and brightest I’ve ever used. The camera itself is actually smaller than a Leica M. It’s a great setup. Here are a few highlights from the roll. ...

September 21, 2021 · 90 words

From Rolls 2021-030,031 (Leica MP)

Steve and Chuck The dogs were very popular, especially Chuck, the puppy Maybe too creepery, but I thought it was a beautiful and powerful configuration. Charlie was tuckered _25.jpg 600w, /img/size/w1000/2021/09/2021-Roll-031_25.jpg 1000w, /img/size/w1600/2021/09/2021-Roll-031_25.jpg 1600w, /img/2021/09/2021-Roll-031_25.jpg 2048w" sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 1200px" />My Nikon F3HP and motor drive _40.jpg 600w, /img/size/w1000/2021/09/2021-Roll-031_40.jpg 1000w, /img/size/w1600/2021/09/2021-Roll-031_40.jpg 1600w, /img/2021/09/2021-Roll-031_40.jpg 2048w" sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 1200px" />Megan and Aidan _55.jpg 600w, /img/size/w1000/2021/09/2021-Roll-031_55.jpg 1000w, /img/size/w1600/2021/09/2021-Roll-031_55.jpg 1600w, /img/2021/09/2021-Roll-031_55.jpg 2048w" sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 1200px" />Megan, Chuck, and Aidan

September 12, 2021 · 74 words

From Roll 2021-029 (Autocord/BW400CN)

My 1962 Minolta Autocord has seen better days. I had an expired (in 2006) roll of Kodak BW400CN (C-41) film in 120 so I figured I didn’t have much to lose. The film looks ok, but the camera scratched the hell out of it on the way through. And the frame spacing was all over the place, including a couple of frames with no space between them. The old Autocord was fun to shoot, but I think it’s time for it to retire. It looks cool on the shelf, so that’s something. ...

September 9, 2021 · 92 words

In a rut

Dogs, myself, and cameras are about the only things I’ve been photographing lately. I just don’t seem to have any ideas. Well, that’s not true; I have plenty of ideas, but I’m too lazy to act on them. So, I sit around the house and shoot what’s in front of me. I need to snap out of it.

September 9, 2021 · 58 words

From Roll 2021-028 (Leica IIIf/XP2)

The little Leica IIIf is adorable, tiny, and capable. Built in 1946, it’s showing its age a bit. Also, it’s kind of a pain to use, so I only drag it out occasionally. I notice there’s also a light leak. This time I used a long-expired roll of Ilford XP2 Super.

September 8, 2021 · 51 words

The shitty camera with you

The best camera is the one you have with you. Unless it’s a shitty camera. In that case the best camera is the one you left at home. Idiot. Jack Baty, Twitter 2010

September 7, 2021 · 33 words

From Roll 2021-027 (Leica M6/Porta)

I exercised the M6 by running a roll of Portra 400 through it, as it’s been dormant since I bought the MP. This was self-processed in Cinestill C-41 chemistry using the JOBO. Scanned on the V750 and processed in Lightroom with the Negative Lab Pro plugin.

September 7, 2021 · 46 words

The (Leica) band is back together

My repaired and overhauled Leica M4 was returned to me today. It’s beautiful, and with new shutter curtains and gearing, it works flawlessly. It’s so smooth! Apparently, most of the original lubricants had dried, which was making it a little catchy. Now it’s like butter again. Original (broken) Leica M4 shutter curtain So I currently have four beautiful Leica M cameras in perfect working order. They are (from left to right in the photo)… ...

September 3, 2021 · 279 words

Making 8.5 x 11 Digital Prints

I’ve been making 5×7″ prints for several years. I like small prints that are handy to toss around on the coffee table, are easily mounted in notebooks, and don’t take too much wall space (or storage). But I also complain a lot about the problems with viewing tiny Instagram photos on a phone. “Too small!” I’d lament. It got me thinking about making larger prints. I don’t mean crazy 16×20″ monsters that eat up ink, paper, space, and money. I was thinking maybe 8×10″ would be a nice, larger change of pace. ...

September 3, 2021 · 361 words

A few 4×5 self-portraits

I had the house to myself today, so I set up a backdrop and pulled out the strobes for a few large format film self-portraits using the Linhof. These were all shot with the Linhof Master Technika on HP5 Plus, developed in HC-110 for 5 min (Dilution B) and scanned on the V750. I triggered the shutter by biting the bulb. Try that with an iPhone ???? [ Self-portrait (2021) I can’t explain it

September 2, 2021 · 74 words

From Roll 2021-026 (Leica M3/HP5 Plus)

The Leica M3 is The One, when it comes to the Leica M line. I love it so. The higher-magnification viewfinder makes it easier to focus longer lenses, so I sometimes mount the Elmarit 90mm and it’s a fine combination. A few here are using the 90mm. The others are using the Summicron-M 50mm (v4). P The roll of HP5 Plus was processed in HC-110 (Dilution B) and scanned with SilverFast on the V750. ...

August 26, 2021 · 74 words

Having a camera vs a computer with me

A friend of mine mocked me for carrying a camera around my neck and I said, “I like to always have a camera with me.” and he held up his phone and said, “I always have a camera with me, too, see?” and I asked, “Does it take film?” and he laughed and said, “No, of course not.” and I said, “Then you don’t have a camera with you. You have a computer that can record images.” and I’m kind of a dick I guess. ...

August 26, 2021 · 85 words

The "charm" of vintage lenses

My Leica Elmar 9cm collapsible lens was made in 1957, making it nearly 70 years old, and it shows. The front element is hazy, causing images to be very low-contrast. Here’s an example (mounted on the SL2-S)… Hazy self-portrait with Leica 9cm f/4 collapsible It’s like a real-world Instagram filter and I don’t care for it. If it were in better condition, I might like the overall softer look for portraits. ...

August 25, 2021 · 272 words

The story of Leica’s APO M-mount lenses – Macfilos

  Jonathan Slack: But this is not just about Chromatic aberration, as Peter Karbe explained to me, the lack of aberrations results in much more contrast at the point of focus than in an ordinary lens, and that this contrast falls off very quickly in front and behind the point of focus. This means that an f/2 lens can appear to have the same depth of field as an f/1.4 lens (or even less in the case of the 75 f/1.4 compared to the 75 f/2 M lens). ...

August 23, 2021 · 137 words

Old film challenge: Use it.

I was surprised to find that I had 55 rolls of various 35mm and 23 rolls of 120 negative film stocks just wasting away in my fridge. I mean, look at this treasure trove! Rolls of 35mm film from my fridge I’ve standardized on Ilford HP5 Plus for black and white film and Kodak Portra 400 for color. This doesn’t mean I won’t try something different occasionally, but those are my go-to films. ...

August 21, 2021 · 359 words