Of all the things I know
I understand almost nothing

woensdag 30 mei 2012

Ensign 29 (1)


Stolz erzählte ich meinen fluchenden holländischen Mitbürgern wie einfach es sei in Düsseldorf: Münze 'rein, Kärtchen 'raus. Das waren noch Zeiten! Heute erklärte ich verzweifelten düsseldorfer Damen wie die verfl*** Rheinbahnautomaten funktionieren könnten! OMG!
Wie auch immer.
E29 also. Das ist ein Filmformat zwischen 127 und 120, wurde kurz nach'm Krieg hergestellt bei Agfa-Wolfen. Wo bitte? In der russischen Zone, ± 1955, wurde nachher Orwo. Was heisst exklusiv, Isopan N6.
Und noch ein Nussbecher bei Vecchio. "Hat's geschmeckt?"
Signorina: il gelato, il sole, e lei...

maandag 28 mei 2012

MINIS 2 the cross-over


This blog is about analogue photography, but, like Walter Mitty, I do have a secret, digital, life.
Birds.
And once a year I show you some of it, this time (look below) minis.
All made with the simple Canon Rebel and the haze-bitten 55-250.

(Ornithological details on my flickr photostream erwinruys.)

zaterdag 26 mei 2012

The 2012 Pentecostal Lecture












For the "Easter Lecture" I just could get 3 1/2 big ones on this table; now I have seven cameras, plus accessoires, 3 flashes - and still room for more.
These are the notorious minis.
Hard to handle, because they are so small, but you can always have them with you. Great performance - except the Hit, alas. It was my first first camera (you know: the Lubitel - oh I've told you) and the one I now own doesn't work. And the Minox35 of course. Leica owners did prefer the Minotar over their 35mm until they discovered the electronics of this seductively beautiful monster.


The last outsider is the Ernemann Liliput. Takes 4X6 sheets, look at the ground-glass (no it's not CTV!) and the pictures this ± 1916 folder delivers (when you don't mind the occasional leak...)
I love it.


The Liliput was disigned for the trenches, small and unbreakable, but not as a "spy"-camera. At that time spy-cameras looked like buttons, watches or umbrellas.
But then came the Minox - the real Minox, I mean. Every spy had them. Great quality: even with 400 ASA Agfa you can read the text, and I made a picture of a "military interesting" object - doesn't it look nice?
Problem: keep your fingers away and the camera steady - it's in the manual!
But, to be honest, that's the only problem with the Minox. Film is still available, and they have that nice daylight-drum, works fine.

With the Minoltas and Киев30 that's another story. There are several problems. First: getting cassettes. Second: getting film. Film is rare, Свема is for those who know (me!) and do not go to Texas! Maybe the best solution: cut your own 45cm 16mm film. Or try and buy a 16mm movie roll (even better: DS8 or Super16, less perforation).

And then comes the real challenge: developing. OMG!
 I own all kinds of 16mm spirals, Lomo, Durst, Polymax, Standard Russian. And it took me months to find the best solution. So stupid.
You have two choises: 20 mins sweating to get the film in the spiral, (scratching it all over the place) or 7 mins hand-developing in the dish. Well, I'm not allergic, so I know what I do: get my hands dirty, no shame in that, hey?

Okay, we can handle that, so: what about quality.
Well, that depends. Pixel-freaks will not be satisfied. Neither will fine-grain high-resolution lovers be. But I am, well, not impressed, but pleased with the results. Of the Minox because it's good, the Ernemann because it still works, and the киев because it's Ucrainian. Both Minoltas are also okay (but not so exciting as my first spy-cam, the simple Minolta16 - although I can't remember ever taking pictures with it).


Accessoires.
Of course they aren't "systems". My Minox has in-built filters, look at the 1939 adv. below, later came a flash and a slide projector. For the Minoltas I have two flashes, for cubes and AG1 and I glued a shoe on the Киев, looks cute with the ISI-K, does it not?


Conclusion.
Look at the "Mini-Art gallery" above: size doesn't matter when you want to make a good photo (he said with modesty). If you don't mind some work, and like to handle different cameras (not exclusively "the best").


In der Beschränkung zeigt sich der Meister - I like that very much.



dinsdag 22 mei 2012

33° im Schatten

Ich hatte noch ´nen halben Meter Свема, in Kekerdom stand noch die Mühle "de Duffelt" und die Sonne schien, aber das reichte nicht für den fragwürdigen Film.
In der Canon FTbQL, mit New (naja: in 1983) 35-70mm

Und wieder dieses Свема-Rätsel: ein Negativ is okay, mehr oder weniger.

zaterdag 19 mei 2012

Pen on Porsche


No, not Irving Penn, but Olympus Pen. With a National flash. Because my electronic/notorious Minox35GL broke down (and doesn't do anything at all) and my Pen, although the diaphragm is stuck, still works, even with the flash!
So: German/elec - Japanese/mech 0-1 KO.

(Heavily cropped on Rockhard100)

vrijdag 18 mei 2012

Komposition in weiss


Mein Ticky auf der Argus funktioniert tadellos (der Schaffner is beeindruckt und ich habe sogar einen Fahrschein...) aber der Свема (в кассетте, also nicht unbedingt original Свема, vielleicht Ungarisch?) sieht schwarz, wenn überhaupt. Und das bei dem Wetter - Sonne! Also geniesse ich das Himbeertortelettchen, mache einen Umweg, und fahre wieder in die Bewölkung meines Wohnsitzes.

zaterdag 12 mei 2012

International effort

No, it isn't snowing: this is the Russian 1992 Свема-fog.
 In the Japanese Yashica635 + Sun tele-aux.
In the German Agfa ISI-K were English 1B bulbs (Atlas), look at the bike-reflectors!
And all this in the oldest city of the Netherlands

woensdag 9 mei 2012

Flashing



I rather like this modern way of flashing; in fact, a couple of decades ago I - well, maybe not on the net.
Anyway, last week I found myself tinkering on old bulb-flashlights, trying to synchronize pre-war cameras and stuff.
So, to start a new label: today my only E-flash picture that survived from around 1965.
Later, as sports photographer, I had to use the Metz 60 + 36 to span the big halls with a loud blob.
More, very low-tech, to come in the next weeks.

donderdag 3 mei 2012

Mills around the house


Honestly: I didn't know that there were so many mills in my neighbourhood! Didn't pay enough attention. So this morning I spent a couple of hours, nice weather, good old Hasselblad with two lenses (and that's definitely not me!) and very foggy Свема64.



From top to bottom:

In the village Mill: the "Cornflower"

The "Heimolen" (Heather) in St. Hubert

The little one I like most: in Haps, the "Mariamolen"

"Bergzicht" (Mountainview) in Gassel







woensdag 2 mei 2012

Reflecting April 16


Well, I think that pinhole reflection problem is solved. It was not the logo on the lens holder, but on the bed!

One down, one to go: the shadow on my mother's back... (HB Sonnar 150mm)

dinsdag 1 mei 2012

Another paint job...



Today I went back to Mondrian's mill (see below) because the wings would be painted. Well, that's a big job.
Yes, I know that the only black stuff they use can stand wind and rain, but wouldn't it be nice, Mondrian's basic colours on her?

The < 1992 Свема 64 did have some problems, couldn't cope with the contrast although born in a time full of contrasts (late Soviet).
On the 1977 Praktica were the 28mm Albinar (+Yfilter) and the wobbly 135mm Pentor, both eighties.