Click on the audio button to listen to a quick discussion on 3 important topics:
Viva la Revolution- Stephen
Camera Technologies
Side by Side The Movie
A must watch! Click on the audio play button to listen to a review and thoughts by yours truly and guest contributor Author Eve O. Schaub.
An Honest Look At Leica
A Leica Worth Showcasing
I am sure many of you are as disappointed in the new Leica introduced today as I am…. the Leica X Vario. This coupled with the M 240 which I am NOT a fan of makes me think Leica needs a swift kick to get back into the game. A note to Leica… do not try to compete with Fuji or Canon or Sony as you can not… Instead, do what you do best and make cameras like the M9P and my MP a la carte. Anything else is just a waste of time.
Now to put a smile on your face (well, it did mine!)… here is my newest camera with some fun additions…. a black paint Leica MP a la carte with my PinZonie 28mm pinhole lens as well as a 18mm pinhole lens in the Leica Lens Holder M on the bottom and the very cool Leica Universal Viewfinder – The Frankenfinder!! (covers 16mm-28mm with a brilliant clear view and also has parallax correction for close up distances which is sooo nice… for me the perfect walk around camera!
Viva la Revolution- Stephen
Emulation – Film Is Still King
Please click on the audio play button below to listen to a 3 minute discussion why digital emulation “proves” that film is still king!
Film Testing
So I very recently got a Leica MP Black Paint a la carte with a matching black paint Leica 35mm F2 ASPH Summicron… Nice! But what film? I’ve been shooting a lot of 4×5 film recently, mainly Kodak 160 Portra and there is NO way a 35mm negative was going to give me the tonality or depth of color that I had grown acustomed to. So what to do?!
Here are the results of my first tests…. Kodak 400TX processed 1:100 at 68F for 20 minutes with gentle agitation every 3 minutes. The negatives when scanned on my Imacon scanner at 6300 dpi were fantastic- I love grain! I made a test print at 28″ x 40″ on Canson Aquarelle 310 on my Epson 9900 using the BW mode and it was spot on. But…. was it perfect? No. Since this first test I have run many others and now feel that a bit more agitation is needed, perhaps one gentle inversion per minute. I also have ran a test with D76 1:1 using my JOBO and the results were quite nice but the grain was not as crisp as the Rodinal.
So today I am running one last test as I am leaving tomorrow for a week of shooting from FL to VT (will mainly be shooting 4×5 color but want the Leica for my reportage work.
My test today will use PMK developer which I used a lot back in 2006-2007 and I remember how amazing the never ending highlights were…. more as that test concludes.
Viva la Revolution- Stephen
Hasselblad Ends V Series Camera
50 years is a great run for a camera system. From the first photographs made on the moon in 1969 to iconic images from fashion, landscape (Ansel used a Hasselblad in his later years) to journalism- the Hasselblad V system represented to many the bench mark for precision and quality. Can you name a digital camera that will have as long of a legacy? I can’t either.
Viva la Revolution- Stephen
Which Way Is The Front Line From Here
I just watched this powerful documentary last night on the photographer Tim Hetherington. I think it illustrates the dangers encountered in this hyper news/ documentary world where getting the shot in all too many cases is paid for by the life of the photographer.
The movie is available on HBO on demand. On a side note please notice all the film cameras Tim Hetherington worked with from a Rollei TLR to a Hasselblad.
Cape Cod 2013
Just finished a great trip to Cape Cod with my oldest daughter. Many wonderful conversations about film and exposure and getting her comfortable using her “new” Rollei 35S. It was very interesting watching her tune into the light and it’s subtle changes and thinking about how it would look on film- she was much more engaged to the whole process than when I see her shoot with a digital camera. Yes I am very proud!
Two From Yesterday
My wife Eve and I watched this movie last night on Photographer Bill Cunningham… it is available on Netflix Streaming and I am sure other venues… very enjoyable and yes he shoots film!
Also… Ilford Photo announced the release of a pinhole camera “system”… more info here: http://www.ilfordphoto.com/pressroom/article.asp?n=140
Viva la Revolution- Stephen
Figital Revolution 