Analog film photography and cameras

It seemed to me that what he and his fellow judges were looking for, were pictures that conveyed a story to the viewer. If that was the true criteria, maybe it would have been better for the competition to have been described as having that particular interest. However, I do believe that he and his cohorts were correct, and at least they applied the standard uniformly. The contestants that have not been completely alienated by the experience, can try again next year, and know that something more than Photoshopped perfection is required.

I remember being awarded (really, thats the wrong word) the LRPS many years ago, and I can look back on those images as being totally shit. They were on slides only though, so the composition and exposure was correct in all, but they were meaningless nothings......and I keep them to remind myself that what is correct, can also be extremely poor. The only image of the lot that I like still, was a 2 minute exposure on Agfa Scala, at about 11:30 at night, on Oxford Street.

Picture, or it didn't happen!

Concearning the Holga / plastic camera vs. 'proper used camera' debate,
I think we were starting to talk at cross purposes.
Of course everybody go and buy what they want, and have fun with it..

Actually I had a play with one of those 'colourflash' Holgas some years ago, and like one of the pictures still *

• ..did only shoot a single roll with it though - as I preferred to use my nice film in a PROPER camera, caugh..

• P

Nice pic, great composition.

Concearning the Holga / plastic camera vs. 'proper used camera' debate,

Not sure what a "proper used camera" is. Are the low cost fixed focus consumer box cameras "proper"? Are my favorite Robot cameras "proper"? Are Rollei TLRs "proper"? Are modern electronic cameras with image stabilization and auto-focus "proper"? I would set the mark as "cameras that were trying to take good pictures" versus cameras that are intentionally made to be out of focus, leak light and produce distorted images. Sure the Holgas were made to be cheap and they did try to make a camera for the masses but the quality control was just horrible. It was not the plastic but the materials, design and quality control. A number of companies made excellent plastic cameras. A number of Minox cameras come to mind--- the EC and ECX 8x11 models and all the 35mm models were made of plastic (Macrolon). Panasonic and Leica too made a number of plastic point and shoot models that were excellent.

With luck one could find a Lomo, Holga or any of a number of cheapest plastic cameras--- Lomo made a number of great cameras but these are not what people mean when they speak of "Lomos"--- could take OK pictures when they came to specification but the moulds were just not very tight and the tolerances were sloppy. The Lomo model that "started it all" is the LC-A. It was a knock-off of a Cosina CX-2, itself a knock-off of the Minox 35mm. The LC-A, like a lot of Soviet cameras in the 1980s, had miserable QC. A number of companies would import models, hand select them and sometimes modify them to be able to sell good cameras at a great price point. The Kiev 88, for example, comes to mind.

Today's Lomos are not really Lomos but plastic Chinese cameras.. and the brand belongs to an Austrian company and not Leningradskoye Optiko Mechanicheskoye Obyedinenie. They are designed and intended to miss the mark..

Vivian Maier on BBC1 now.

Not sure what a "proper used camera" is. Are the low cost fixed focus consumer box cameras "proper"? Are my favorite Robot cameras "proper"? Are Rollei TLRs "proper"? Are modern electronic cameras with image stabilization and auto-focus "proper"? I would set the mark as "cameras that were trying to take good pictures" .

Then you had better define what a 'good picture' is. Or don't. Actually, please, please don't.

I know this is a repost, but there is a very interesting film on Vivian Maier at the moment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0366jd5/hd/imagine..._Summer_2013_Vivian_Maier_Who_Took_Nannys_Pictures/

.

Then you had better define what a 'good picture' is. Or don't. Actually, please, please don't.

You are confusing a discussion of the enabling technology with a product thereof. A good instrument empowers the user. Good tools don't make good art just as good musical instruments don't make good music. In the context of bicycles... its the rider and not the bicycle that wins the race.. Sure one bicycle can provide a little advantage over another but its.... same with cameras..

SO How much does film actually degrade past it's sell by date? Inspired by this thread I had a rummage at my parent's house and found my old EM plus 37 rolls of film:

4x velvia 50
12x sensia 100
3x sensia 200
2x provia 400
9x (too lazy to check name) 800
6x (too lazy to check name) 1600
1x Jessops 100

The problem is that they all probably expired around 2004 and haven't been stored in the fridge (the only reason they survived as my mum culled the stash in the fridge a couple of years ago). Are they still worth shooting or will they be so far gone it's not even worth the processing?

Also, I found a bundle of fuji process paid envelopes, but I doubt they'll still honour them.

Process paid envelopes usually say something about non process a year after the film expires. Always worth a shot though.

If you're wanting to sell any of that - gimmie a shout!

Fuji still honour the process paid envelope, you just have to pay for scanning which relatively is quite expensive, got dev and scan done for three quid cheaper at genie imaging.

I too have some old film stock which has sat in my spare room, now got it in the fridge but will give it a go once I finish this job I'm on. Just to see if its still got some life left in it..

You are confusing a discussion of the enabling technology with a product thereof. A good instrument empowers the user. Good tools don't make good art just as good musical instruments don't make good music. In the context of bicycles... its the rider and not the bicycle that wins the race.. Sure one bicycle can provide a little advantage over another but its.... same with cameras..

My god you're right, but..

Wish I had not brought up this discussion. *
Everybody go and shoot good pictures with what the fuck they like and post them.
Including me!
Meh, dropped my XA yesterday, plopped open midroll.
Only some frames lost, but film advance feels a bit crunchy now. I'll see.

• one last thing to clarify; I was asked what I meant by 'proper camera' (as opposed to Holga / Konstruktor / etc.) -
  think of "tools". There are roto hammers that look and feel like they brake the second time you're using them,
  and there are roto hammers that look and feel like you could put a whole village to pieces with.
  With 'proper' I meant "useful, versatile, high quality tool, that is a joy to use".
  

Everybody wishes that

Wishes wat.

..ability to turn whole villages to pieces?

Less chat more photos. Hopefully manage to get to the lab tomorrow to pick up a roll of Velvia that I put through my Electro.

^ Hear, hear. A couple of recents. Both Ilford XP2 using a Bessa R3A and Nokton 40mm.

Pops Wools be famous and shit now.

Nice, like that first one. Really clean. You get that off kboy?

To keep it moving along

Nikon F100, 50mm, Velvia 50/ Elite Chrome

Nah, mine was an eBay jobbie a few months ago. Only used it for the first time a few weeks ago. It feels really nice to use. Like really really nice. Me gusta.

That's a nice portrait. You know better than to not give details though... Tut tut.

Yeah top one is super nice wools.

(Just going through photos from a trip to scotland. All digital but I want to post them here as I like it better in here. Can I have best of both worlds please?)

I'm selling some RB67 gear in the classifieds. As I can't bother with eBay, I've reduced the prices to get them to good homes. I've linked to it before, but its impolite to do it again, so just search for Mamiya RB67 and that will bring up the sale. I hope some of you guys are wishing to get into medium format, or want to maybe move up from a smaller format.

^Mine :D

Can't wait to get out there, give it a shot and start contributing to this thread!

It's even more impolite to type bold, dude!
: ]

Sad to hear you're indeed selling it, hope Sanddancer will enjoy it.

Oh, here's some RB67 bamboo from back in the day..

Oh, and some animals from back in the day when xpro was cheap (not mamiya obviously; canon ae-1) -