Winter Storms on The Sonoma Coast

Gale Warning…Wind Advisory…High Surf Warning…Coastal Flood Advisory. All of these weather alerts are in the forecast this week here in Northern California as a series of winter storms roll through. For the ten years I lived in Bodega Bay, I got used to hunkering down and letting nature do her thing. After the storms had cleared, I loved grabbing a camera and heading down to the beach to see what had washed up. What shapes had been carved in the sand.

This series was shot on Eastman 5222 film with my Pentax Spotmatic and the 55mm f/1.8 Super Tak.

One Photograph: Analog on Analog

Since my days of working as a disc jockey on the radio in the 1970s and 80s, I have always had a turntable of one sort or another in my house. I like relaxing after dinner with a nice glass of wine and putting on an old classic rock album or some jazz. There’s something about plucking an LP from its sleeve, placing it on the platter and dropping the needle into the groove that warms my heart — just like using an old film camera does.

My audio equipment has changed many times over the years. I’ve had some decent receivers and amplifiers over the years and some real crap. Good speakers and bad. As life goes, I sold, gave away or threw away gear. My set up right now is a Yamaha amplifier that I am not at all impressed with. I bought it on the cheap five years ago and you really get what you pay for. My speakers are vintage Klipsch Heresy II which the Yamaha huffs and puffs trying to drive. I’ve been seriously thinking lately about buying a vintage Marantz receiver to compliment the Heresys. I remember listening to the old Marantz receivers back in the day…warm, rich and powerful. There are a number of people that recondition these old receivers. Maybe a 2235B…or even a 2270 to make my speakers happy.

I shot this picture using available light back in 2014, listening to albums and sipping wine. The camera was my Nikon F4 and Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF-D. The film was Cinestill 800T. The Pioneer turntable was damaged beyond repair during a move a few years later.

One Photograph: Embarcadero Pedi-Cab Ride

A stroll along San Francisco’s Embarcadero is one of my favorite things to do whenever I visit the City. I’ve walked the almost three miles from touristy Pier 39 to the Giants ballpark on several occasions. Good exercise and lots of photo opportunities.

In September, 2013, the America’s Cup came to San Francisco. I spent a nice afternoon in the City enjoying the festivities. By the late afternoon, all the walking and the crowds got the best of me and for the first time, I grabbed one of the many Pedi-Cabs that run up and down the waterfront.

I snapped this with my Nikon F2S as my driver peddled me back to the parking lot and my car. I was using Kodak Tri-X film that day.

Downsizing Update

It has been so rewarding to see some of my cherished film cameras find their way around the world into the hands of photographers who will use and enjoy them as much as I have. And I’ve made some new photography friends along the way, which has been nice.

The downsizing continues.

Pentax K2 with 50mm f/1.7 SMC Pentax-M: The K2 was the top of the line in the K series full size Pentax SLRs. Think KX, KM or K1000 with aperture-priority auto exposure. I love the analog meter read out in the viewfinder. This copy came from a dear friend in Los Angeles who used to work for Pentax. Overall in excellent ++ condition. Lens is in similar condition. I’ve included an after-market lens hood as well. $200 + shipping.

Nikon FE with 50mm f/1.8 AI-s Nikkor Pancake Lens: This FE is mint, from top to bottom. It received a complete and thorough clean-lube-adjust (CLA) from Jim Holman at ICT in San Diego in October, 2022. That service was $180 and I will include the documentation. This FE comes with one of Nikon’s sharpest standard prime lenses, the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 Pancake. This version which is different from other, cheaper more plastic versions. You can tell this lens from other 50/1.8 Nikkors by these features:

  1. Serial number starts with a 2. Other more common and cheaper versions start with a 4.

  2. Lens has only one row of rubber focus rings on the front of the lens. Other versions have 2 or 3.

  3. 1.5’/0.45 meter close distance focus

  4. NIKKOR, not SERIES E, engraved on the front of the lens

I am also including a Nikon 52mm chrome protective filter and Nikon OEM hot shoe cover. I am into this kit for just over $500 including the body, Holman service and lens. As with all of my gear, I’d prefer it go to a loving home, so if you are interested, shoot me an offer.

A Sunday Walk

It’s been a spectacular fall here in Northern California. The leaves changed slowly and then all of a sudden, brilliant colors were all around like an explosion. The peak was about ten days ago, but I was so busy with work…and then there was Thanksgiving. Finally, late yesterday afternoon, I got out for a walk around the neighborhood with my Fujifilm X-T1 to document what’s left of the color.

One Photograph: Love on the Beach

For all of the years that I lived in Bodega Bay, fall was my favorite time for long walks on the beach. While in lots of other places, the weather is getting cold and blustery, the Northern California coast is awash in warm sunshine. I got some of my favorite beach images from October through January. I shot this one in 2018 with my Canon F-1, 50mm f/1.4 chrome nose FD lens on Kodak Portra 400 exposed at 200 ISO.

I feel like the world needs a little more love right now.

Love on the Beach, Bodega Bay, CA October, 2018

Ilford HP5+

There were lots of variables in play as I tried out some Ilford HP5 Plus 400 speed black and white film. First, I am still getting used to my meter-less Nikon F camera and second, this is my first roll using a new-to-me Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 Non-AI lens.

Nikon F with 55mm f/3.5 Micro-Nikkor

With the F, I am alternating between using my Sekonic L-208 meter and Sunny 16. An article by Gregory Gross on his blog, about photography without a light meter, inspired me to try and use my eyes and my head more in determining exposure. I am enjoying the challenge.

I’ve not shot a lot of Ilford film. Most of my experience is with their FP4 125 speed film. Here’s our dog Jazz, shot Sunny 16 trying to get some treats out of her chew toy.

Our side yard gate:

One evening, a couple of glasses of cab by the fire pit. My Sekonic helped with this shot:

A glass vase on the kitchen table in late afternoon sun, best guess on the exposure.

The pentaprism of a Nikon F:

And the marquee on the theater downtown:

I’ve said for years that I want to really try and get to know one type of black and white film and use it until it becomes second nature. And learning to meter with my head is a good exercise to keep this old brain sharp.

What I really got excited about was this lens. Like the faster f/2.8 AI-s version I have, this lens is a real solid performer.

PASSED Sticker: Epilogue

A few posts back, I was debating over what to do with a gold PASSED sticker that was featured prominently on the front of the pentaprism of a lovely black Nikkormat FT2 I had just purchased and had serviced. If the sticker was anywhere else on the camera, I would have left it in place since it had already traveled with the camera for nearly 50 years. I asked my readers here and on several Facebook groups I belong to what they would do. Interestingly enough, it was about a 60/40 split with the larger percentage of people in favor of removal. But not by much.

I decided to remove the sticker. Amazingly enough, when I scuffed one corner of the sticker with my fingernail, the entire thing popped off, poof! It was surprising to me, very surprising in fact that the sticker left its nearly five decade resting place so easily. Perhaps because it knew this camera had finally found its forever home? Yeah, I’m a bit of an old camera romantic.

Some isopropyl alcohol on a microfiber cloth made fast work of the residual glue. The sticker left a faint oval on the finish of the pentaprism, which I expected. It may fade in time. It may not. I have some Rollei RPX in the camera now, a film a friend of this blog recommended I try.

The JCII Passed Sticker: To Remove or Not To Remove

I just got my Nikkormat FT2 back from International Camera Technicians. As usual, Jim Holman did a fine job bringing this 1975 vintage camera back to factory specs.

Nikkormat FT2, Nikkor-S Auto 50mm f/1.4 Non-AI

As I mentioned in the previous post, this camera is in amazing cosmetic condition. I cannot imagine it was used much, if at all. Not a scratch or scuff anywhere. As was the case with many Japanese cameras produced from the 1950s to the mid 1980s, this camera carries the JCII PASSED gold oval sticker. JCII stands for Japan Camera Industry Institute. You will also notice JMDC below the word PASSED. JMDC stands for Japan Machinery Design Center. During this era, Japanese-made products had the reputation of being of less quality or in the case of cameras, cheap knock-offs of German designs. These stickers were an effort by Japanese companies and the government to improve their image on the world market.

I’ve had a number of cameras and a few lenses that have had these stickers in various conditions. On a Nikon F3 and Canon F-1, these stickers were on the back of the top plate, so they didn’t bother me much. My Olympus OM-1 had one on the side of the pentaprism. This is the first camera I have had with the PASSED sticker smack dab on the middle front of the beautiful black pentaprism.

Part of me wants to remove the sticker. I removed one from my OM-1n and had a devil of a time getting all of the residual glue off the camera. That was a chrome camera. Black body cameras can be a bit different. Rubbing the finish can make the paint look shiny in the spot where the sticker was. I emailed my friend Sover Wong and he said that some rubbing alcohol is good for gently removing the residual glue from the sticker, but to be gentle with the rubbing. Sover also said, if it were his camera, he’d leave it on.

For nearly 50 years, that sticker has been part of this camera. But this beautiful all black camera would sure look nice without it. What do you think? Do you remove your PASSED stickers or leave them on?

Nikkormat: The Sport Utility of 35mm SLRs

I wish I could remember where I read it so I could credit the author, but someone called the Nikkormat the “Toyota Landcruiser” of cameras. I have to admit, at first glance, Nikkormat cameras seem very utilitarian. No nonsense machines. Mechanical minimalism at its best. But after a couple of weeks of walking around with my latest camera acquisition, the Nikkormat FT3, I have to admit that these cameras are much more than they seem.

Nikkormat FT3 with Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 Ai-s lens

Nikon introduced the Nikkormat line of cameras to the world in the late 1960s as a more affordable alternative to their professional F body. Nikkormats stayed in production until 1977 when they were replaced by the smaller-bodied Nikon FM. During the era when professional photographers used the Nikon F and F2, a Nikkormat body was often in their camera bag as well, serving as a back-up.

There are several cameras in the Nikkormat series. The Nikkormat FT and FS were introduced in 1965. The FT featured full-scene averaging TTL metering. It was the first Nikon camera with a built-in light meter. The FS was the FT without a meter. The Nikkormat FTn was introduced in 1967 and featured simpler lens mounting and Nikon’s 60/40 center-weighed TTL metering. All of these early Nikkormat meters were powered by 1.35v mercury batteries. The Nikkormat FT2 was introduced in 1975 and featured the Nikon F2 plastic tip on the film advance lever and self-timer and was powered by 1.5v S76 or SR44 batteries. The FT3 was manufactured for only a few months in 1977 as Nikon had the new FM in production as well. The FT3 is similar to the FT2 except that it supported Nikon’s auto-indexing lenses. There were also several Nikkormat EL models which offered auto-exposure.

With the exception of the FT3, all of the Nikkormats that preceded it require the photographer to “index” the camera’s meter to the lens. The procedure has come to be known as the “Nikon Shuffle.” The early Nikkormats had an indexing prong on the lens mount that mates to the “rabbit ears” on Nikkor manual focus lenses. When mounting the lens, you push the prong on the camera body all the way over to the right, set the lens aperture to f/5.6, line up the prong with the rabbit ears, mount the lens and then shuffle the lens aperture all the way to the left and back to the right. This “tells” the camera’s meter what the minimum and maximum aperture is of the lens you are using. Sounds complicated but it becomes second nature to anyone who has used these pre-AI Nikon bodies. I even find myself doing it when I mount AI lenses to more modern Nikon bodies.

I found my Nikkormat FT3 at my local camera shop. I was amazed at the condition this 47-year old camera is in. I cannot find a scratch or any brassing at all on the body. It appears unused. There was a similar condition FT2 on the shelf next to the FT3. I ended up making a deal on both, two of the cheapest film cameras I have ever purchased. The FT3 functions as designed. The meter in the FT2 was dead. I sent it to Jim Holman at International Camera Technicians. It is repaired and on its way back to me as I write this. Turns out the meter issue involved some wiring in the battery compartment and meter contacts that required cleaning.

While I was waiting for my FT2 to return from the shop, I spent some time with the FT3. When I mentioned earlier that the Nikkormats were marketed as less expensive alternatives to the F professional bodies, it is still very apparent that these cameras were from an era where hand assembly and inspection were the norm. Fit and finish is extraordinary. No planned obsolesce here, all metal, glass, levers and springs. The Copal Square vertically traveling focal plane shutter sounds amazing and very strong. The camera feels great in the hand, inspiring you to want to get out and take pictures.

One of the things I love about the Nikkormat is the big film frame counter. I find I need to grab my reading glasses to see what frame I am on with most cameras. Not the Nikkormat.

Big, beautiful film frame counter

A weird ergonomic quirk on these old Nikkormats is the placement of ASA and shutter speed controls. You’ll notice they are not on the top plate as is the case with most SLRs of this era. Similar to the Pentax K2, these controls are located on the lens mount. Here is the ASA setting:

And here is the shutter speed setting:

I found the Nikkormat’s lens mount ASA and shutter speed setting much easier to manage than my Pentax K2. The shutter speed control has a tab on the left side of the lens mount which makes adjusting speeds easy with the camera to your eye. The FT3’s viewfinder is big and bright, with shutter speeds visible at the bottom of the frame. Meter display is a simple, center-the-needle affair. The FT3 has Nikon’s nifty K screen with split-image focusing. One very cool feature is the additional metering display on the top plate of the camera.

I loaded some Kodak Ultramax 400—the very last roll of color film I had, in the FT3. Here are a few test shots from a bright day out at the coast.

And a few from an afternoon of wine tasting.

A friend of mine has an old Landcruiser with several hundred thousand miles on it. It screams utility but in a very refined way. Comfortable, dependable, capable, built to last. Much like the Nikkormat.

I am anxious to get the FT2 back from service. It will be interesting to compare the serviced FT2 with the FT3. And I have a number of nice non-AI Nikkors that will mate nicely with it.

If you are looking for a very capable 1970s vintage SLR, I would heartily recommend the FT2 or FT3 Nikkormat. FT2 prices start at $25. FT3 prices $50 and up. FT and FTn models are even cheaper, but you’ll have to shoot them with an external meter, Sunny 16 or pay a technician to modify them to take modern batteries. The Wein cell is an option too, but I’ve not used one.

Madness

I knew when I saw the black Nikon F Apollo in the case at my local camera shop on my lunch hour that I would go home that day with a lighter wallet. I’ve recently become quite infatuated by the F bodies with the standard non-metered finders and this 1972 vintage example looked to be in fine shape. In these days of escalating film camera prices, Nikon’s original SLR is still somewhat of a bargain. I asked to see the camera and quickly ran it through all of its shutter speeds. The finder seemed clean and clear with no de-silvering. Removing the back, the film chamber looked very nice, the film advance was smooth and sure. In short order, the old Nikon was in bag next to me in the car as I headed back to the office.

I know buying another old camera sounds like madness if you’ve read my recent posts where I talk about reducing my collection, but there really is a method to all of this. There is. Really. My plan is to whittle my collection down to just a few cameras that inspire me to get out and take more pictures and it seems that after all of these years, minimalist, mechanical machines seem to do that for me. As for the F, I wanted a chrome one and a black one. I already owned a chrome one so…ok, maybe it is madness.

I think, maybe a little too much, about these old cameras that find their way into my life. This particular F is over 50 years old and in very good condition. The body is cosmetically probably an 8.5. There’s a little brassing on the top plate and some surface scratches on the bottom. The finder is nearly mint, which makes me think that at some point, someone switched out an older Photomic finder for this one. I wondered who owned this camera and how, after all of these years, did it end up on a glass shelf in a camera shop in Northern California?

I decided that this old F deserved a spa day and reached out to my friend, Nikon F2 guru Sover Wong, to see if he might take in my F for a refurbishment. Sover only works on F2 bodies but graciously offered to make an exception and service my F.

Having a camera serviced by Sover Wong is an immersive experience. From the moment he opens up your camera for inspection, he sends pictures and updates. Sover’s first email to me thankfully did not contain any surprises:

  • The camera had not been opened or serviced before

  • There was original old glue on the front leatherette coverings

  • Foam seals were old and rotten

  • Mechanisms were dry

  • Slow speeds were good, fast speeds needed adjustment

  • The inside was very clean with no corrosion or fungus

Here is the photo of my F, opened for inspection:

Sover cleaned and lubricated all of the mechanisms, replaced the rotten foams, cleaned the mirror, adjusted the shutter speeds and returned the F to factory specs. Next, he inspected the prism finder:

  • The finder had rotten internal foams with fungus

I asked why the camera body had no fungus and the prism finder did. He replied that fungus is very common in F and F2 standard prism finders as they have no ventilation and are very dark inside. Fungus loves that kind of an environment.

Here are some pictures of my finder with the icky fungus:

Servicing the finder, Sover removed all of the old rotten foams, cleaned all of the surfaces and optics and applied new foams. He also added a Nikon F2 protective cover inside the prism. Here is a shot of the prism finder with new foams and prism protective cover:

I was quite surprised to receive my camera back from Sover four days after it was shipped from the UK. I sent a birthday card to my Mom once and it took two weeks to get from California to New York. As many people have written, receiving a camera back from a Sover Wong service is like getting a brand new camera. A properly serviced mechanical camera is a delight!

Here is my serviced Nikon F Apollo with a Nikkor 50mm F/2 lens, lens hood and my favorite Eggleston leather strap:

I have some Ilford HP5+ film loaded in the F as I write this. As you can see from the photo, I’m about halfway through the roll. I will share the results soon.

I believe I have a clear vision of my photographic workflow moving forward—Simple, mechanical film cameras loaded with black and white film and my Fujifilm X-T1 mirrorless digital camera for color work and also as a platform for some of my older legacy lenses with adapters.

I see myself with just a few cameras. Maybe two or three...or four.

Really.

One Photograph: The Golden Gate from Tiburon

I’ve lived in the Bay Area for nearly 14 years now and have not spent much time at all in the little community of Tiburon. Just across the Bay from San Francisco, Tiburon is an upscale community with a quaint little downtown area. My wife and I spent a night there a few months ago and I took along my Nikon FE loaded with some Ferrania P30 film. I’ve not shot much P30…I think this is only my second roll…so I am still deciding if I like it or not. Nonetheless, I do like this photograph I made of my wife taking a photo with her iPhone as the Golden Gate Bridge emerged from a fog bank.

Downsizing Update

This blog has rewarded me with some enriching connections with photographers in the US and around the world. I feel very fortunate to be part of an analog film community that is vibrant and healthy.

Last month, I listed six film cameras that I am selling in order to downsize my collection to just a few cameras that I regularly shoot. I sold three of the six to friends of the blog. I feel good that these cameras have gone to good homes and it will be fun to see the photos they shoot with them.

Here are the three that remain, all with price drops. Any of these would be great for someone just discovering film or for seasoned shooters as well.

Pentax K2 with 50mm f/1.7 SMC Pentax-M

Pentax K2 with 50mm f/1.7 SMC Pentax-M: The K2 was the top of the line in the K series full size Pentax SLRs. Think KX, KM or K1000 with aperture-priority auto exposure. I love the analog meter read out in the viewfinder. This copy came from a dear friend in Los Angeles who used to work for Pentax. Overall in excellent ++ condition. Lens is in similar condition. I’ve included an after-market lens hood as well. $200 + shipping.

Canon A-1 with Canon FD 50mm f/1.4

Canon A-1, 50mm f/1.4 Canon FD: Jim Holman at ICT in San Diego did a complete CLA on this A-1 last March which cost $180.55. I’ve shot it twice since then, hence my desire to see it in the hands of a friend, making amazing photos. The A-1 was the top of the line of Canon’s A-series cameras when it was introduced in 1978. It offers four exposure modes: Manual, shutter-priority, aperture-priority and a program mode where the camera does all of the work for you. I’ve tried many times to fool the meter in this camera and have never been successful, it’s that good. The information display in the viewfinder is unique to this camera with bright red shutter speed and aperture. The 50mm lens is a stellar performer. Camera comes with lens, cap and an after-market red soft release that I think looks cool. SOLD

Nikon FM2n

Nikon FM2n Black Body: I had Bellamy Hunt, the Japan Camera Hunter source this FM2n for me. Other than the FM3a, which I could never afford, I think he FM2n is Nikon’s most amazing all mechanical camera. With a top shutter speed of 1/4000th of a second and Nikon’s dependable center-weighted metering, there is really nothing this camera cannot handle. This is a camera that you can buy, shoot for a few years and then sell and probably get back what you paid for it. SOLD

Considering Color

I shot the last roll of color film I had on hand this past weekend. It was Kodak’s ColorPlus 200 which I bought for about nine dollars earlier this year. I like ColorPlus, but not as much as I like Portra 400. I’ve made some of my most satisfying color photographs on Portra 400, setting my camera to meter at 200 ISO to coax a little more sizzle out of the film.

Portra 400 sells for about $15 a roll as I write this and I think that is a lot. Processing and scanning costs another $15. That’s nearly a dollar a frame!

I see that Kodak’s Pro Image 100 is available again for $8.99 a roll and I like that film, but not as much as Portra. Fujicolor 200 is about the same cost. It’s just me, but I like the flexibility of 400 speed color film.

Right know, I am pondering using my Fujifilm X-T1 digital camera for color photography and shooting black and white exclusively in my film photography. I have a nice supply of Kodak Tri-X, T-Max, Plus-X and Ilford in the chiller. Maybe by the time I shoot that up, color film prices will come down a bit. If not, I’ll be content with monochrome analog photography.

The author shooting Portra 400 in his Olympus OM-2, Marin County, CA.

The image on Kodak Portra 400