Finally...A weekend of photography!

January 20, 2019 by JR Smith

Feeling a bit more settled now and finished off some Portra 400 in the Nikon F3, Fuji Industrial in the Leica R6 and two rolls of P3200 in the Minolta XD. Ahhh.

Giving a brand new lab a try too!

Camera Therapy

January 11, 2019 by JR Smith

There’s been no familiar point of reference for me these past five weeks. New town. New home. New job. New commute. I’ve had to find a new place to do my grocery shopping and tomorrow, a brand new stylist will cut my hair.

It’s been unnerving. I love familiar and there’s been absolutely nothing about this that’s familiar. I have had my share of anxiety and restless nights.

So I’ve made myself feel better, calmed myself down a bit by setting up a space in my new home for my camera gear. It’s modest, minimalist and won’t always look this tidy.

My desk. I use the red felt pad to work on my cameras.

In my new house, I have a large closet to organize my gear and keep it all out of sight.

It’s been hard for me to find touch points during this transition that have brought me peace of mind, but I discovered that the process of unpacking and organizing my cameras brought about a nice, calm feeling of familiarity. Just handling my gear made me happy.

Photography has always been the one constant in my life, from my awkward teenage years, through a troubled marriage and divorce, moves and career changes, I’ve always had a camera or two. It’s been good and lately, it’s been necessary.

Winter Solstice

December 23, 2018 by JR Smith

I don’t use the camera in my iPhone for much other than taking photos of the analog photography gear I write about in this blog or sell on eBay. Don’t get me wrong, the Apple phone has a fine camera and it’s damn convenient, but I just don’t enjoy the phone photo taking process beyond its utilitarian value. Photography for me is so tactile. Dials, levers and gears. An analog light meter needle swinging up and down in the viewfinder. The wonderful sound of a mechanical shutter.

On Friday night however, I’m glad I had my iPhone handy as the sun slipped below the horizon on the shortest day of the year. Mother Nature served up a spectacular sunset for me. I took a deep breath and held back the tears as the Pacific slowly swallowed up the sun. My last Winter Solstice on the Sonoma Coast.

Sunset over Bodega Head

Coming Around Again

December 15, 2018 by JR Smith

I’ve written here before about the camera that reignited my passion for photography nearly nine years ago; the Nikon FE2. It was the first film camera I purchased back in 2010. This is an image I made at Spud Point Marina in Bodega Bay the first year I lived here with that FE2 on now discontinued Kodak BW400CN, a black and white film that can be processed in C-41 color chemistry.

I sold that first FE2 for a small profit to help finance my first Nikon F2 and I’ve always kind of regretted letting it go. First, it was a really nice chrome body that I hardly paid anything for. Second, it was just a damn nice camera to make pictures with.

Some months back, I got to thinking about that Nikon FE2 and mentioned on the Classic Cameras Facebook group I belong to that I might want one again. It wasn’t long before photo friend Johnny Martyr messaged me that he had one he wasn’t using much and offered it to me for sale. Johnny’s camera was a black body FE2 that was in really good shape. I knew I wanted to properly review the FE2 this time around, so when the camera arrived, I immediately sent it up to Blue Moon Camera & Machine for a CLA.

The Nikon FE2 is a manual focus 35mm camera with manual and aperture-priority auto exposure modes. It was made from 1983 to 1987 and sold new through dealers until nearly 1990. Its predecessor was the FE, a fine camera in its own right. Nikon dropped a titanium-bladder shutter into the FE2 besting the FE and allowing an amazing 1/4000th of a second top shutter speed. The camera featured Nikon’s reliable and hard to fool classic center-weighted TTL metering.

This entire class of Nikon F cameras, including the FM, FM2n, FE, FM3a and FE2 are just the right size and weight. With a normal 50 out front, they feel just right in hand. Of this entire series, I love the meter display in the FE and FE2 the best, a simple analog needle that swings up and down on the right hand side of a magnificently bright viewfinder. There’s a split image screen in the FE2 to make focusing easy. While I’ve always considered 1/2000th or even 1/1000th of a second fast enough for most any shooting I do, it is reassuring to know that you’ve got those upper gears if you need them. And the FE2’s shutter sound is so nice!

I was bouncing back and forth between shooting my Nikon F3HP and this camera, so it was interesting to compare the pro-level F3 to the advanced amateur FE2. While the F3 certainly felt more robust and refined, the FE2 had features I wished the F3 had…most notably the FE2’s fine meter display. And even though the FE2 is not up to the F3’s professional build quality, you could head out on any photo adventure and not worry that this camera would let you down.

I loaded up some Kodak Pro Image 100 one Sunday and took my new FE2 for a late afternoon walk on the beach.

I was surprised to see some flowers still smiling in early December

It was getting dark by the time I got home. I am happy I left my string lights on.

Shooting the FE2 again after all these years, it was easy to see why this camera inspired me to start shooting film seriously again. It feels great in the hand, is super easy to use and has bullet proof light metering. As a platform for an incredible selection of Nikkor manual focus lenses, you really can’t go wrong with either the FE or FE2.

I shot my very first photographs of the Sonoma coast with my chrome FE2 nine years ago. It’s ironic that I shot what could be my last roll here with this FE2. I’m moving inland very soon to take advantage of an opportunity to advance my career. New life and new photo adventures await.

Third Time Is A Charm!

December 07, 2018 by JR Smith

I’ve owned three Nikon F3 cameras.

The first was purchased used at Lewis Camera Exchange in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1994. I was getting back into film photography in a big way and had bought a new Nikon N90s and 50/1.8 AF-D kit a year or so before. I didn’t need the F3, but it was a gently used trade in and the price was right. I hardly used that F3. Not because it wasn't a nice camera, but because the N90s was a GREAT camera and auto-focus was such a marvel. I loved shooting that N90s, so my first F3 sat mostly in a camera bag until I sold it during my divorce in 2000.

I got my second F3 about five or six years ago from a photo friend who was selling off some nice gear to fund a Leica acquisition. Didn’t need another camera, had too many already and my second F3 only saw a roll or two before I gifted it to another photo friend.

I never regretted parting ways with either of my first two F3s. I love Nikon SLRs. In fact, the bookends to the F3, the wonderful Nikon F2 and the revolutionary Nikon F4 are two of my all time favorite cameras. I just never clicked with the F3 and had one of my trusted sellers, Josh Cohen at Victory Camera, not sent me a photo of an almost new, minty Nikon F3HP he just got into his shop, I’d probably never have given this camera another thought, but as I gazed at the photos of the subject camera, I got to thinking that maybe I’d never given the F3 a fair shot. If you’ve followed my blog for any time at all, you know it wouldn’t be the first time that I have given a camera a second (or third) whirl and changed my mind. Besides, I’ve gotten pretty good at knowing how much to pay for an old camera and still leave some room to make some money if I had sell it. At least, break even. I gave Josh the green light.

My third F3 arrived from Colorado in a few days. It came nestled in its original box and foam insert, complete with the little white plastic bottom plate cover. If this camera was used at all, it was pampered. No nicks, marks or scuffs. This F3 has the HP or high-eyepoint finder. Nikon says this finder is great for people who wear eyeglasses as it allows the photographer to see the entire viewfinder even if your eye isn’t right up against the camera. I don’t wear glasses, but I appreciate the big viewfinder with its soft rubber eyepiece.

The Nikon F3 was released in 1980 and was Nikon’s flagship pro body until 1996 when the F4 was announced. It remained in production until 2001, but you could find new, in-box F3 cameras on store shelves for many years after that. There are lots of places online to read about the technical specs of the F3, so I won’t go into a long list here. Simply, the F3 is a professional grade manual focus 35mm SLR, built to serve working photographers. Nikon designed this camera to be used and used hard. That’s why it was in production for 20 years. That’s why NASA sent it into space. That’s why so many of the over three quarters of a million F3s that Nikon produced are still around today and still working just fine.

The F3 offers manual or aperture-priority automatic exposure with a top shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second. The shutter is electro-mechanical and is dependent on batteries. The viewfinder is removable and there are all sorts of different finder configurations, focusing screens and attachments. You can also bolt on a huge motor drive if you want. It’s a true system camera.

It has been several years since I’ve handled an F3 and I had forgotten how nice the fit and finish is on this camera. Cameras like the F3, Pentax LX and new Canon F-1 were really the last of the true metal-bodied cameras. Various plastics and rubberized coatings became the norm with the next generation of film cameras. The F3 is all finely finished metal with deeply etched brand and model markings. The controls on the F3 feel reassuring. Film loading is easy and the advance action is sublime. Oh, and the shutter sound of an F3 just brings a smile to my analog face! I shot the F3 concurrently with a Nikon FE2 that had just been CLA’d and while the FE2 is a fabulous camera (review coming soon), the F3 feels far more substantial in every aspect. When you shoot an F3, you know you are using a professional caliber camera.

When I shoot a new-to-me camera for the first time, I usually like to eliminate all of the variables. That normally means selecting brand new, familiar film stock like Kodak’s Portra 400, but I was feeling like living dangerously and loaded the F3 with some Agfa APX 100 that expired twenty years ago. My F3 test drive was a stroll along the Embarcadero in San Francisco.

I think having some miles under my belt and trying so many different brands and kinds of film cameras over the years has given me a new perspective on what kind of camera feels good in my hand. I had forgotten that the F3 has just the slightest of a hand grip built into the right side front of the body. It’s subtle, but just enough to make it one of the best handling SLRs I’ve tried.

In the past, I had considered the F3’s viewfinder display one of the camera’s least attractive features. This time around, I appreciated the simple display of camera-selected shutter speed and photographer-selected aperture. I totally get now what Nikon achieved with this camera…a big, bright viewfinder that gives you just the critical information in a minimalist way, allowing the photographer to concentrate on picture taking. I hadn’t enjoyed a photo stroll so much in a long time. Of course the warm and sunny San Francisco afternoon was nice too!

I finished off the roll with a few shots in the house, pushing the limits of the camera’s meter and expired film under indoor available light. My old school stereo receiver…

And my jar of collected seashells and sea glass…

So, after three of these cameras, I finally get the Nikon F3. It’s a superbly designed, well built picture taking tool and excellent platform for a wide variety of Nikkor manual focus lenses. Nikon’s classic center-weighted metering is hard to fool even when you throw outdated film at it. Yes, it needs batteries to operate and I always read about photographers talking about how great it is that purely mechanical cameras can take pictures all day if the batteries die, but for a casual shooter like me, that’s hardly a worry. I’ve been using film cameras for nearly 45 years and I’ve never had a camera battery go dead on me.

I always ask myself two questions about cameras.

One: If I had to sell all my cameras and keep just one, would I be okay with this one? If it were the Nikon F3, yes. It’s a fun to use, super capable camera that looks great, feels great and will handle most anything you throw at it.

Two: Do I like it enough to invest in a CLA? Yes! Even though this F3 has been well taken care of, it deserves a good cleaning, lubrication and shutter/meter calibration. No matter how nice a camera might look, nearly four decades can take its toll on foam seals. Shutters and on board metering systems can slip out of tolerances as well.

I’m glad I gave the F3 another chance. It’s a fine camera.

Yay! The E100 is here!

December 04, 2018 by JR Smith

Thanks to the Shot On Film Store in Seattle, my Kodak Ektachrome has arrived! So happy to see this iconic film revived by Kodak and super excited about getting out and shooting a roll!

Thankful

November 22, 2018 by JR Smith

It’s been nearly nine years since I started getting back into film photography in a big way. I had just moved to California, started a new job with a regular paycheck after a decade of freelancing, and was nearing the final years of paying off a huge debt load from a difficult divorce. I finally had some time and a few bucks and needed a hobby. If I don’t have a hobby, I work too much. Well, I work too much anyway, but that’s another story.

My first film camera in 2010 was a Nikon FE2 I bought off of eBay. The FE2 hooked me. Whenever I had a few extra dollars to spend, I’d go looking for another classic film camera. Selling some cameras created the revenue to try new ones. I’m thankful I’ve had the time and resources to enjoy so many great old cameras and that the hobby has been mostly self-sustaining. Here’s a parade of photos featuring some of my favorites, starting with that FE2.

The camera that started it all…The Nikon FE2

Minolta X-570

November 19, 2018 by JR Smith

There isn’t much to dislike about the Minolta X-570 35mm SLR. It’s an easy to use, aperture priority film camera that accepts affordable and quite wonderful Minolta SR lenses. I paid about a hundred bucks for this copy with the 45mm f/2 lens. 35 years since new and who knows how many owners later and this Minolta performed exactly as it was supposed to during a Sunday afternoon of shooting. But it left me wanting for more.

Released in 1983 and a few years after the popular X-700, the X-570 was marketed as a less expensive alternative to the X-700. While the X-700 offered various modes of auto-exposure, the 570 is a simple aperture priority or manual mode camera. From the late 1970s through the end of the 80s, there was a huge market for amateur and advanced amateur SLR cameras. Affordability was the key though and to hit the right price points, camera manufacturers began to abandon metal in favor of plastic bodies and parts. For sure, the X-570 is made of lots of plastic and it is light. It feels sturdy though, crafted from super tough ABS. Despite the plastic, Minolta put a lot of thought into ergonomics—the X-570 feels great in the hand.

I very much doubt that Minolta was dropping their expensive Acute-Matte focusing screens into these cameras, but nevertheless, the viewfinder in the X-570 is Acute-Matte bright and sharp with a nice red LED read out of shutter speeds down the right side of the finder and f/stop display at the bottom. I find the split image focusing on Minolta SLRs to be one of the best of this vintage of camera.

I picked a lousy day to put the X-570 through its paces on the Kortum coastal trail near Bodega Bay. The air was thick from smoke from the wildfire burning in Butte County. Many people I met on the trail that day were wearing masks. I probably should have worn one too. I used Kodak Pro Image 100 film.

There’s an ocean out there…somewhere… through the smoke

Rock climbers often do practice climbs here

As I said above, there’s really no reason to dislike the Minolta X-570. It did everything I asked it to do, despite the smoke, lack of color on the trail and poor choice of film stock for the day. The camera was light and easy to carry on my hike. With the 45mm f/2 lens, the camera could easily slip into a large coat pocket. It would be great for street photography.

In the end, the X-570 just didn’t do it for me. Cameras are highly personal and I just didn't bond with this camera. It’ll be for sale soon for what I paid for it. I’m sure someone will love it.

The Joy of Photography in 2018

November 15, 2018 by JR Smith

As the final days of 2018 click down, I find myself feeling very optimistic about the state of analog photography. That certainly was not the case back in 2010 when I was getting serious again about film and cameras. Seemed at the time every week brought another sign that film photography was nearing rapid extinction.

I watched videos of construction crews imploding the massive factories at Kodak Park and a CBS Sunday Morning story on the last roll of Kodachrome. Fujifilm was pulling the plugs on this film and that. And some crazy ex-Polaroid employees were trying, in what at the time appeared to be a futile effort, to resurrect the recipes for instant film.

Over at my local camera shop, they moved the mostly empty film display cabinet from its place of importance at the main counter to an obscure corner of the store near the picture frames and eliminated the darkroom department altogether. Online, you had to dig real deep on B&H Photo’s web site to find the place to order film. It was hidden behind a symbol of a memory card.

In 2010, I honestly thought I’d shoot my way through a few great cameras until fresh film was no longer available. Then, just as Dwayne’s Photo Lab in Kansas processed the last roll of Kodachrome, I’d send my final rolls off to one a few remaining labs, put my classic cameras on a shelf and feel grateful that I was able to enjoy the last gasps of the analog film era.

And then, something wonderful began happening.

I had wrapped my head around the notion that most analog photographers were like me—aging baby boomers who were trying to revisit their youth by using old cameras and listening to vinyl records. As I started to poke around the internet, I discovered photography blogs written by all sort of people young and old. There were You Tube videos with camera reviews and user experience videos, produced mostly by folks decades younger than me and with an excitement for film photography that was intoxicating! There’s something very fun about watching a millennial discovering a Canon A-1 for the first time! Flickr film groups were multiplying rapidly.

As I became more connected to the online analog photography community, I discovered camera repair technicians dedicated to keeping film cameras working as new. And over the last eight years, those technicians have gotten far busier. When I sent my first Nikon F2 off to Sover Wong in the UK for repair, I had it back in a bit over a month. Now, Sover has so many Nikons in line for repair he has started a ticketing system! Pentax guru Eric Hendrickson has Spotmatics and ME Supers lined up in queue too. I even read he has a young assistant he is mentoring in the fine art of mechanical camera repair.

Back in 2010, eBay was the best source for buying old film cameras. Now, there are dedicated Facebook groups as well as great online camera shops like Victory Camera, fStop Cameras and Blue Moon Camera & Machine. Blue Moon also has a great in-house repair department that I highly recommend. KEH Camera has been around for years and they’re still one of the biggest and best sources of used gear. And last time I ordered film from B&H Photo, the film canister icon was back on the home page!

And even as Fuji pulls the plug on my beloved Acros black and white film, Kodak has brought back Ektachrome slide film and introduced Tmax 3200 black and white. And the instant film folks I mentioned earlier proved everyone wrong by bringing back Polaroid film and even a new Polaroid camera with the Impossible Project, now renamed Polaroid Originals.

My local camera shop hasn't moved the film display cabinet back to front and center, but it’s full of film now. 35mm, 120…even Fuji and Polaroid Originals instant. And my friend behind the counter tells me their stock sells briskly.

Digital imaging has replaced film for consumers and most professional photographers, but film has not met the quick demise people were forecasting in 2010. Instead, analog photography is settling into its own little niche that appears to be growing at a slow but healthy pace. I am pleased by this and happy to be part of a diverse and growing community of analog shooters.

Near Sebastopol, CA. Nikon FM2n, 55mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor, Portra 400

Change

November 08, 2018 by JR Smith

I don’t like change. I love routine. An orderly manner to things. A predictable rhythm. I’m certainly a creature of habit.

As much as I abhor change, it has been the one constant in my life. And while I still can’t embrace change like I should, I do admit that whenever I’ve come out the other side of it, things have mostly been better.

It’s always nice when change is of your own choosing and not forced upon you. Many, many times in my past, it was forced upon me. This time, I’m more or less in control of it.

So there’s change ahead. I’ll be writing about it soon and my photography will certainly reflect it.

Agfapan APX

November 05, 2018 by JR Smith

One of the best benefits of writing this blog has been connecting, either in the comments section or offline via email, with all sorts of interesting photographers who have shared tips and tricks. I’ve learned so much and become a better photographer because of my readers. Thank you.

I’ve also been able to buy a few cameras that have eluded me and passed on a few of mine to blog friends who got great deals on pampered gear. I’ve even been offered some expired, hard to get, rare and unusual film stocks to try. Such was the case when a Bay Area friend opened up his freezer with an offer to buy some expired Agfapan APX 25 and 100 speed 35mm film as well as a few bricks of Kodak Plus-X 125 film.

The Agfa film has various expiration dates ranging from 1998 to 2010. The Plus-X expired in 2015. While I’ve shot many rolls of Plus-X over the years, this is my first experience with the Agfa films. I loaded one roll of the 1998 expired stock into my Pentax MX and fired off some test shots around the house.

I don’t do a lot of post processing, but decided to throw this last shot into Lightroom for a flip.

While my subject matter in these shots leaves much to be desired, I am impressed with the rich, inky blacks this film is capable of. This film has inspired me!

I’m sorry now I didn’t pay more attention to Agfa films in the past. I am very grateful however for my friend who decided to part with some of his stash.

Darkroom

October 14, 2018 by JR Smith

I’ve had two darkrooms in my life. The first was a makeshift affair I cobbled together in the basement laundry room of my parent’s home in Upstate New York. It was simple and crude, but adequate enough for me to learn to develop black and white film and make prints on a 1950s era Federal enlarger that was a hand-me-down from a friend’s father. When I left home, my mother was happy to have her laundry room back.

My second darkroom was built in the mid 1990s in my suburban Phoenix home. Carved out of some space in the third bay of a three car garage, it was a dream lab complete with a real darkroom sink, air conditioning, sound system, archival print washer and an amazing Omega ProLab enlarger. I spent many hours under the glow of safelight in that desert darkroom. I lost the darkroom and the home to a divorce in 2000.

I’d like to have another darkroom someday, if only to go through the exercise of designing and building the space…maybe spending some rainy days holed away inside. I think some of my work deserves to be printed.

In the meantime, I enjoy seeing some of the darkrooms that photographers are working in on the various Facebook darkroom groups I am a member of. That’s where I came across Adam Bartos’ book Darkroom.

It’s a large, coffee table book containing many interesting images of darkrooms and darkroom equipment…fascinating for darkroom geeks like me. I can almost smell the stop bath!

A roll of Fujichrome Velvia in my Pentax ME

Velvia & Me

October 13, 2018 by JR Smith

I can’t even imagine how many rolls of film I’ve exposed since the early 1970s when I first took up photography as a teenager. Many hundreds? Thousands? I have no idea. I do know that I could count on two hands the number of rolls of slide film I’ve taken during that same time. And I think it’s always been one of the various versions of Fujichrome Velvia.

While my Dad always did marvelous work on Kodachrome years ago, guessing exposure on his Kodak Retina rangefinder, I’ve never been happy with my Velvia images, no matter how simple or sophisticated my camera was. Slide film isn’t forgiving at all, so I know I’m mostly to blame. I should work on becoming a more competent photographer and learn how to meter correctly when shooting color positive film. Perhaps Velvia and I just don’t get along well. That possibility will be explored soon when I try out some new Kodak Ektachrome 100 I just ordered.

I’ll figure it all out. Or maybe I won’t. I’m head over heels in love with Kodak Portra 400 and get very satisfying and consistent results with it. I might just be a color negative film guy. And that’s okay too.

Here are some recent snaps from a roll of Velvia 100 I’ve had frozen for a while.

Town Square Sonoma, CA. Pentax ME, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Velvia slide film — Town Square Sonoma, CA. *Pentax ME, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Velvia slide film*

Red Mustang Sonoma, CA. Pentax ME, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Velvia slide film — Red Mustang Sonoma, CA. *Pentax ME, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Velvia slide film*

Sidewalk Book Cart Sonoma, CA. Pentax ME, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Velvia slide film — Sidewalk Book Cart Sonoma, CA. *Pentax ME, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Velvia slide film*

Between two buildings Sonoma, CA. Pentax ME, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Velvia slide film — Between two buildings Sonoma, CA. *Pentax ME, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Velvia slide film*

Cliffside trail Fort Ross, CA. Pentax ME, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Velvia slide film — Cliffside trail Fort Ross, CA. *Pentax ME, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Velvia slide film*

Near Fort Ross, CA. Pentax ME, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Velvia slide film — Near Fort Ross, CA. *Pentax ME, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Velvia slide film*

On the Call House Trail Fort Ross, CA. Pentax ME, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Velvia slide film — On the Call House Trail Fort Ross, CA. *Pentax ME, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Velvia slide film*

Possibilities

October 11, 2018 by JR Smith

A camera and film I just can’t make my mind up about…the Canon A-1 and Kodak’s Pro Image 100 film.

I’m a traditionalist when it comes to camera controls. Aperture on the lens barrel, shutter speed dial on the top of the camera just right of the pentaprism. It’s what feels natural and comfortable for me. The Canon A-1 was one of the first cameras to introduce a front mounted thumbwheel to manipulate settings. I’m still getting used to the thing. So with both rolls I’ve shot in my A-1, I’ve shifted the camera into its automatic Program mode and just let the machine do all of the thinking for me. And during this latest outing, that was a very good thing. It allowed me to enjoy the Canon’s big, bright viewfinder and watch this 40 year old camera compute shutter speed and aperture through its brilliant LED display. More importantly, it did what a great camera is supposed to do…get out of your way and let you enjoy photography! I think if I spent several months shooting nothing but the A-1, I would bond with this camera.

As for Pro Image 100, a film stock available only outside of the US, I’m starting to think that it has possibilities. An interesting, subtle color palette. And it has tasty grain for a 100 speed film. I didn’t like the grain at first, but it’s growing on me.

Analog photography takes time and the more time I spend with this old camera and this interesting film stock from Kodak, the more possibilities I see.

Growing on me

October 07, 2018 by JR Smith

I picked up my Canon A-1 this weekend and realized that it had a half shot roll of Kodak Pro Image 100 in it. I can’t recall the last time I had used the Canon, but with 18 unexposed, it seemed perfect to take with me on my Sunday afternoon walk on the beach.

I’ve been on the fence about this camera since I bought it, but today it felt just right. I don’t know, something clicked—no pun intended. I put the A-1 into program mode and got some shots that I might have otherwise not. I’ll drop the film off at the lab tomorrow. Anxious to see the results and what the first 18 frames contain.

I had considered selling the A-1, but I am glad I didn’t. It’s growing on me.

The Best First Film Camera

September 27, 2018 by JR Smith

I get into the office around 6:30 each morning. I find I can get a lot done early, before my staff arrives, the phones start ringing and before the start of endless knocks on my office door. By nine or so, I’m ready for a break and sometimes, if I have a roll of film that needs developing, I’ll slip down the street to the little camera store near me. They open at 9:30.

One day last week, I had two rolls to develop and scan, so I slipped through the Starbucks drive-thru, got a hot cup and popped into the photo shop. As I was being waited on, I couldn’t help but overhear a conversation going on over at the used camera counter about which was the best film camera for a newbie analog shooter. A young man from the junior college was on a mission to get a 35mm film camera for his photography class and he was asking questions as he held a Nikon FG to his eye. One of the clerks motioned for me to come over… “this guy has like a hundred film cameras, let’s see what he says.” For the record, I don’t have a hundred cameras, but I’m always happy to join a conversation about film photography. And I had a nice cup of coffee to sip on.

A lively discussion began. Almost all of the folks who work at this particular store are over 50 and while they’ve all moved on to digital photography, most had shot their share of analog cameras. Since it was early in the semester, the used camera case was fairly well stocked with a variety of affordable film cameras. Everyone had an opinion or two…or three about the best starter camera. I found out a few days later that the student did buy a camera that day and I’ll tell you which one at the end of this post, but as a service to anyone in the same situation, here are the notes from our coffee conversation, best I can recall.

OLYMPUS

Everyone was fond of the OM-1/OM-1n and OM-2/OM-2n SLRs from Olympus. The OM-1 bodies are getting pretty old and they need a battery conversion to work with modern power sources unless you want to carry a light meter. If you can find a converted and CLAd OM-1, it wins. If not, the OM-2n is the Maitani masterpiece to get. Also worth mentioning that the kitted Zuiko 50/1.8 was the winner in the Olympus glass part of the discussion.

CANON

My Canon experience isn’t very deep, so I could only offer up the original F-1, F-1n and A-1 as my suggestions. The TLb was brought up as being a good, simple picture-taker and you can’t have a Canon film camera conversation without the the AE-1 coming up at least once. In the EOS line, it was recommended to stay with the single digit pro bodies if possible. I have not shot any of the EOS film cameras, so I couldn’t weigh in here. I love my Canon F-1n. It’s never been serviced, the meter is spot on, it’s beautiful to look at and those Canon FD lenses are inexpensive and amazing! And my Canon A-1 is a very competent picture taker once you get used to its controls.

NIKON

Here is where the conversation got interesting. Nikon’s line of truly great film cameras runs pretty darn deep and availability is always good. Everyone was in agreement that the Nikon FM, FM2 and FM2n were pretty good choices for a fully manual SLR to really learn on and grow into. The FE and FE2 were close seconds and at just $30 without lens, the FG that the student had in hand wasn’t a bad choice either, although I’ve heard that the build quality of the FG isn’t up to par with many of the other F series cameras, but I don’t know that for a fact. And all of these cameras are easily and affordably serviced at a number of places if needed. The Nikkormat/Nikomat and Nikon EM cameras are pretty old, but many of them are still taking beautiful photos today, so if you can find a good one from a dependable source, they might be an option too.

Nikon’s pro bodies are hard to beat and they are still affordable (although that might change given the resurgence of film photography). The original F is wonderful to shoot, but these are 50 plus year old cameras so finding one that doesn’t need at least a minor CLA is getting more and more difficult. I’ve owned two and the meters were dead in both. They had black body F in the used case that day with a working but finicky meter. The F2 is probably my favorite camera of all time. It’s an assembled-by-hand, metal and glass masterpiece that uses modern batteries. Every analog photographer should shoot an F2 at least once. And even though the F2 was built to handle extremes, every one I have ever owned required—or at least deserved a CLA. In the F2 line, the F2A or F2AS are probably the ones to look for if only for lens compatibility. The Nikon F3 is an incredible camera and there was one in the case for $169. Nikon sold the F3 for like 20 straight years! It’s hard to imagine a digital camera today staying in production for 20 years! That says volumes about the F3. The student was seriously considering the F3. I’m particularly fond of the Nikon F4 for sentimental reasons and love mine, but it’s probably too big, too heavy and too complex for someone just starting out in film photography. Same with the F5. And the F6 is just way too expensive. Some other more modern Nikons to recommend: the N90s and F100. The N90s was a 1990s marvel and the F100 was nearly the last film Nikon. Both are good choices if you want an auto-focus body. I told the group that I enjoyed shooting my F100 on my recent vacation.

PENTAX

Pentax often gets overlooked in favor of Nikon and Canon. I have to admit that I did the same for many years until I tried a Pentax ME Super. There are a wide variety of Pentax cameras to choose from, but you have to make the choice up front between two lens mounts; the M42 screw mount or the K bayonet mount. M42 is the earlier Pentax mount. At the time, it was also called the “universal” mount, so there is a wide variety of Pentax and aftermarket lenses available in this mount. The Pentax-made lenses are called Takumars and they are just amazing lenses! AMAZING! M42 Takumar lenses mount to the Pentax Spotmatic series which includes the Spotmatic SP, SPII, 500, 1000 SPF, ES and ESII. Most of the early Spotmatic cameras require “stop down” metering, which means in order to take a light meter reading through the lens, you must manually stop down the lens to its taking aperture. It’s one extra step in the picture taking process, sounds harder than it is and, with practice, become second nature. Almost all of us around the counter that morning had owned or at least used a Spotmatic. I was the only one STILL using one. I love my Spotmatics and I think stop down metering is a great way to learn more about photography. You can buy a Spotmatic for around $30 and Eric Hendrickson in Knoxville, TN can make it like new.

Move over to the Pentax K mount and you can select the KX, KM, K2 or the all time favorite student camera—the Pentax K1000. The camera store guys would’ve recommended a K1000 right out of the gate that day if they had one in the case. The K1000 is a great starter camera—simple and straightforward. That’s why the minute one arrives in the shop, it’s quickly snapped up.

Pentax kept the K mount when they introduced a new line of smaller SLRs—the M series. Designed to go head to head with the Olympus OM, there are a number of Pentax M bodies including the MV, MX, ME, ME Super, Super Program and Super A. Any of these M cameras would be a great starter and could be the only film camera you’ll ever need. Top of the line camera body in the K mount is the LX, which some call the best SLR ever made by anyone—but that’s a whole other coffee discussion! Almost every one of the SMC Pentax K mount lenses for these cameras are fabulous and best of all, affordable! There were two ME Super cameras in the case that day with the popular and awesome 50mm f/1.7 lenses attached.

MINOLTA

Only two of us around the photo counter that day had experience with Minolta and both of us with one of the XD series SLRS (XD, XD-s, XD-7, XD-11). In my experience, if you can find a good one, any of the XD cameras are good and Minolta’s lenses can hold their own against most any other brand. The X-700 and X-570 are also good choices. I like my XE-7. It was designed and built during a time when Minolta and Leica were all cuddly. It has one of the nicest sounding shutters of any camera I’ve ever used, but I know when it dies it’s dead for good because I cannot find a single person anywhere who will CLA it. That’s a shame. Some people swear by their SRT series Minoltas. I’ve never shot one. The auto focus Maxxum cameras were also mentioned.

HIS CHOICE

The junior college film student, I later found out, left the camera store that day to think about it and came back to make his selection. He chose a Nikon FE and kitted it out with a 50mm f/1.8 Nikkor manual focus Ais lens. I think he made an excellent choice. I had seen that particular camera in the case a few days before. It was a nice, black body version like the one in the old ad below. The FE will allow him learn photography by shooting in full manual mode with the added benefit of aperture-priority automation when he wants to lighten his workload. Nikon’s center-weighted metering in this camera is bullet-proof. The 50/1.8 lens, in all of its variations, has historically been a great performer. I’m really not certain if we influenced this young man or confused him, but he walked away with a great camera and we all enjoyed the conversation.

What camera would you have recommended he get?

Change

September 22, 2018 by JR Smith

By mid-September, the rush of tourists has died down along the stretch of coast I call home. Usually by this time, and always by the first of October, the sky opens up and the fog relents. I always giggle to myself when I see folks shivering on the beach in July and August, waiting for the marine layer to lift enough for the sun to slip under and warm the sand. It’s a cruel trick Northern California plays on its summer visitors. That sun doesn’t start appearing until about now and had they planned their beach visit for Halloween, the warm sand would’ve felt just right between their toes.

I’ve wandered the same stretch of beach with my cameras for nearly a decade now, paying attention to the subtle and not so subtle things happening around me. Where there used to be a deep calmness in my soul, I now feel a stingy uneasiness. Something is not quite right. The sky isn’t smiling down on me yet. Maybe it’s the fierce fires that have burned inland and all around me the past two years. Or some shift up in the jet stream that’ll right itself all on its own. I fear it is something more.

I made the most of this unusual September with weekend walks, exercising my Pentax Spotmatic and MX cameras. I had Kodak Portra 400 in my Spotmatic and some very expired Agfa APX 100 in the little MX.

A dull and dreary middle of September day. Pentax Spotmatic with 50mm f/1.4 8-element Super Takumar on Portra 400 film

Pentax MX, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Agfa APX 100 film expired 1998

Even on a gloomy day, a dog will make the most of it. Pentax Spotmatic, 50mm f/1.4 8-element Super Takumar, Portra 400

This little guy was just happy to walk along side me. Pentax MX, SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 on Agfa APX 100 film expired 1998

I did find a little color! Pentax Spotmatic, 50mm f/1.4 8-element Super Takumar, Portra 400 film

The Leica R6: Mostly Unloved

September 06, 2018 by JR Smith

It's easy to jump on a bandwagon--root for the winning team, rave about a popular restaurant or join in on a fad. On the other hand, it's lonely supporting the underdog, trying a hole in the wall dining spot or setting your own personal style.

Such as it is with the Leica R6, one of a series of SLRs that Leica introduced beginning with the SL and SL2 in the 1960s and culminating with the oddly shaped R9 in 2002. Scour the internet for reviews on any of these cameras and you'll find slim pickings. While cameras like the Canon AE-1, Minolta X-700, any of the Nikon F series, Pentax M42 or K mount bodies or Leica's M rangefinders have legions of devoted followers singing their praises, with the Leica R series...you'll hear mostly crickets.

Let's face it, Leica was not known for building great single lens reflex cameras. The company wandered down that road only after it became apparent that Japanese camera manufacturers were capturing the imagination of photographers (and the marketplace) with a quickly evolving line of well designed and easy to use SLRs. After the SL and SL2, German designed and built manual everything tanks, Leica teamed up with Minolta to release a series of perfectly capable camera bodies with varying degrees of technology that mated to a limited but quite extraordinary series of Leica-built R lenses. The R3, R4 and R5 cameras had electronically-controlled shutters and auto exposure metering. None of them sold well. By the time 1988 rolled around, Leica decided to return to what they knew best--a fully manual minimalist mechanical camera. At this time, it was far more economical to build a camera with an electronic shutter rather than the clockwork mechanism required for a shutter independent of electricity, so when the R6 hit the shelves it came with a price tag that put it out of reach for the advanced amateur and pro market it was intended for. When you consider the fact that Nikon was rolling out their revolutionary auto focus F4 at the same time as the R6, it's amazing Leica sold any of these cameras at all.

Unpopular and unloved. An underdog. A perfect camera for the Fogdog Blog!

Truth is, I tried an R6 once before. I stumbled across one early on along the path of my rediscovery of film photography. At the time, the R6 was not appropriate for me, either because of my skill level or for whatever hair I had up my ass at the time. I shot one roll, wasn't impressed and sold it. It wasn't until I read a review on the Leica R5 on Casual Photophile and emailed the author to see if I could buy the article's subject camera that I got to thinking about my relationship with the Leica R series. After an enjoyable weekend spent shooting the R5, I got the itch to revisit the R6 and see how I felt about it, only now through the lens of a few more years experience.

Despite the low volume of Leica R cameras sold when new, there always seems to be an ample selection for sale on eBay. Having had quite a bit of experience with Leica over the years and knowing the pitfalls of buying a bad one, I opted for the safer route of reaching out to Ken Hansen, one of my trusted sellers, to source my R6. Ken had one of the largest and most respected camera shops in New York City for years, has been an authorized Leica dealer since 1976 and now buys and sells out of his home in Manhattan. There is no better choice anywhere for Leica and you won't find a more knowledgeable, honest or responsible seller than Ken. I emailed him and to my delight he had a mint R6 on the shelf for a very affordable price!

I'm not certain now what turned me off about the R6 when I tried it the first time. Looking through my archives of camera shots, I was shooting an Olympus OM-2n quite a bit then. I had also just been introduced by my friend Jim Grey to the wonderful Pentax ME, so perhaps those two, small, joyful cameras clouded my experience with the Leica SLR. In any event, when the box with the Ken Hansen label arrived, I opened it with the intention of giving the R6 a more thoughtful test drive the second time around.

First, the specs. There is nothing revolutionary about the R6, especially when you consider where the competition was at this point in time. Mechanical shutter with speeds to 1/1000th--(Leica would later introduce a R6.2 version of this camera with speeds to 1/2000th). TTL metering with a choice of center-weighted or spot. A very simple metering display in the viewfinder, similar to the Leica M6 rangefinder, two arrows and a center dot. Adjust aperture or shutter speed until just the dot lights up and you have proper exposure. That's about it. Minimalist and...wonderful!

The camera is smaller and lighter than I remembered and felt comfortable in the hand. A thumb rest on the back film door cover helps in handling. Having used many many different film cameras over the years, it became apparent how thoughtfully well designed the R6 controls are with everything falling naturally in place and all of them being just the right size. Leica was working hand in hand with Minolta during this time and you can easily see bits and pieces of the best of the Minolta XE and XD in the R6. With the craftsmanship of Leica and the brilliant minds of Minolta--how could you not have a winner?

Shutter speed dial, metering switch, ASA selector and other basic camera controls are robust, feel sublime and are perfectly intuitive without reading any instructions. Film advance is silky smooth and the shutter sounds wonderfully authoritative.

I paired my R6 with Leica's signature standard prime, the 50 Summicron. For Leica newbies, all Summicrons are f/2 lenses just as all Summilux lenses are f/1.4. The Leica Summicron R 50 deserves its own blog post, but nicely rounds out the shooting experience with perfect focus feel and delicious aperture clicks. The R6 has a big, brilliant viewfinder with various focus screens available. My R6 came with a grid screen that I intend to replace with a split image screen as soon as I find one. Even without split image assist, focusing is easy and sure with the R6 and the Summicron.

Leica suggests loading film into their R series cameras a bit differently than most 35mm cameras. Open the film back, thread the film leader into the grooves of the take-up spook first. Then pull the film back across and drop the cartridge into place. It sounds odd, but it works! I chose Kodak's Pro Image 100 film to test my R6. Film speed is set manually. The R6 doesn't read film speed off the film canister...of course.

I took the R6 for a hike along the Kortum coastal trail near Bodega Bay. I love this bluff-top trail because it winds along the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean and can be joined at multiple locations along the Pacific Coast Highway so you can take a short or all day hike. It's mostly flat, but there are some hilly sections that'll provide a hardy work out if you're up to it. There are also lots of spots for coastal picnic.

To protect sensitive wetland areas, parts of the trail feature elevated boardwalks.

The trail winds close to the cliffs over the Pacific.

The Kortum Trail is part of Sonoma Coast State Park. Typically, there are rock climbers using this rock for practice.

The marine layer is your constant companion along this trail.

What I love about Northern California, almost the entire coast is protected and open to all!

Vegetation that grows out of cracks in rock always interest me.

Is there really a difference in a Leica camera compared to others? I know some say this is an overblown myth and that people make way too much of the Leica mystique. I will say this and it's only my personal opinion from having used several different Leicas...there is. Drive a Chevy or a Honda and then take a BMW or a Mercedes for a spin. A car is a car, but the German cars just "feel" different. There's a thoughtfulness to everything. Even the turn signal actuation has been carefully thought out, the feel of the knobs and levers. It's the same with Leica. Thoughtful, inspired design, well engineered, over built, special. I believe every photographer should at least try a Leica rangefinder or a more affordable Leica R series camera. Even just once.

As for the R6, I'm glad that I decided to revisit this mostly unloved camera. For me, the true test of an old camera is whether or not I am willing to invest in having it serviced. I believe every vintage camera you intend to keep and use regularly deserves a CLA. As I write this, my R6 is on its way to DAG for some spa time. This time around, it's a keeper.

Traveling Light with the Nikon F100

August 31, 2018 by JR Smith

I always over pack for trips. Weeks ahead of my departure date, I begin to agonize over which suitcase to use, what clothes to pack, how many pairs of shoes I'll need and whether or not I'll be able to iron things that get wrinkled. And no matter how much I think about it beforehand, I always end up having way too much in my bag and wearing only half of what I've brought.

The same holds true for my camera gear. On each of two consecutive trips back East to see family, I packed three different cameras and ended up shooting only one.

So as I began to plan a 10 day trip around the Northwest--the longest vacation I'd taken in nearly 20 years, I was determined to pack smartly and lightly. I did my research, devouring content from travel blogs written by savvy world wanderers. You Tube reviews became my best friend. After all the research, I settled on a simple plan: One bag, radically different clothing choices and one camera.

The Bag: A GR2 backpack from Goruck. I'd honestly never owned a backpack and never considered living out of one for 10 days, but the more I read, the more I realized that a backpack made really good sense. You're forced to consider each item you pack. The limited space encourages thoughtful organization. And if you buy the right backpack, you can carry it on an airplane, skipping the dreaded baggage check and claim all together. I narrowed my search down to a half dozen, then three and finally settled on the GR2. The Goruck packs are not the cheapest, but they're designed and built (in the USA) to military specs and will last a lifetime. I couldn't find a negative review anywhere and most people just raved.

Clothing: Merino wool shirts and socks. Travel pants. Travel underwear. A light windbreaker. My biggest revelation during this process was that I was not only packing too much, I was packing the wrong stuff. Cotton and many synthetics wrinkle when packed. On the other hand, Merino wool hardly wrinkles at all and if it does, a few quick shakes when you pull it out of your bag dismisses most wrinkles immediately. And while you can get one or two wears out of a cotton shirt, a wool shirt resists absorbing body odor. You can honestly wear one Merino wool t-shirt for a week straight, give it a sniff and it smells just as fresh as the day you put it on. Honestly! I chose a few short sleeve and one long sleeve t-shirt from Woolly. I packed two pairs of North Face Motion travel pants, my lightweight North Face windbreaker, wore my Van's sneakers and packed an additional pair of lightweight hiking sneakers. And two pair of travel briefs did me just fine over the 10 days.

The Camera: Deciding on the camera gear I'd bring was a difficult decision. I had sent my Pentax ME off to Eric Hendrickson for a CLA with the intention of taking it on the trip. I flirted with taking my Pentax Spotmatic with the 8-Element 50. My Nikon F2AS was calling out to me from its camera bag. And my nifty Minolta XD was certainly small and light. In the end, I decided on the newest of all my film cameras, my Nikon F100. While not the smallest or lightest of my SLRs, it felt like the most dependable of all my camera bodies and auto film loading would be nice while changing rolls on the go. I also treated myself to a brand new Special Edition Nikkor 50/1.8 AF-S lens from B&H Photo and packed six rolls of Kodak Portra 400 in the GR2. I let the F100 read film speed off of the canister and set the camera to autopilot for the trip, insuring days of carefree snap shooting.

Nikon F100 with the Special Edition 50 (released with the Nikon Df digital camera)

I took the Amtrak Coast Starlight from Oakland, CA to Seattle, WA. Here are some shots from around Seattle.

The very first Starbucks at the Seattle Public Market. The line went around the block.

The Space Needle has gone through extensive remodeling inside.

I'll be posting more shots soon from Portland and Salem, OR as well as the few days I spent in Vancouver and Victoria. I won't bore you though with endless vacation pictures.

Some takeaways...the F100 performed admirably--what a great camera! I carried the Nikon on my shoulder almost constantly with a Think Tank strap and the camera never got in my way. The 50/1.8 AF-S is one of Nikon's sharpest lenses with super fast, silent autofocus. Portra 400 really does well at its box speed. I usually over expose by a stop, but you really don't need to with this exceptional film. And I didn't miss hauling around extra cameras.

I learned that I can live for 10 days out of one single bag. It was nice walking on the plane for the return flight to SFO with my pack, stowing it easily and not having to wait at baggage claim. I loved the GR2 so much, I bought a smaller Goruck Echo to use as an every day carry. Merino wool definitely is the ultimate travel clothing. I could have packed even fewer shirts and have been just fine. All the online research really paid off. One bag traveling really reduced stress before, during and after the trip.

The Last of My Acros

August 13, 2018 by JR Smith

I'm getting down to the last of my Fuji Acros film and that makes me a bit melancholy. Acros is a fine grain, dependable and easy to use black and white film that's never let me down even when my camera's meter is off a bit, as is the case with my Leica R5. The Leica is going in for meter calibration and general CLA later this year. Before she goes in for some spa time, I loaded up some Acros and took a walk through the displays at the Pacific Coast Air Museum at the Sonoma County Charles M. Schulz Airport.

It was a warm afternoon. Wasps love old airplanes and I was chased away when I got too close to this old radial engine.

There are a number of world class wineries not far from the airport. Couldn't resist stopping to get off a shot or two and buy a nice bottle of wine for dinner.