The end...

...of the year, but this looks more like the end of all times. The Gevaert has definitely reached his end, but I still have some old ànd older film so next year, maybe -

Frozen gulls

It was very, very cold this morning. But I hadn't seen the river for a long time.

December grey

The colour of Coke

Christmas Lecture 2010

Ho ho ho! From the beginning of my photographic career, in the sixties, I was more than interested in telelenses. The DIY push-on thing I made for my Lubitel didn't work of course - what did I know! But on my next, a Canon FX, there were possibilities. But I wasn't the only one with big whishes and little money. So Astra and Novoflex remained a dream, but I could actually go and look at them: in my home town was a tiny shop, Steenmeijer, full of those 500 - 2000 cannons! Can't imagine anyone was rich enough to buy them.

But there were more affordable solutions: cheap Japanese lenses, and even cheaper converters and other weird auxiliary stuff.

First there were the interchangable lenses. Cheap for a reason - but sometimes you were lucky: in the seventies I had a Soligor 350, shaky thing, but the 400mm SSC Canon I could afford later was 10 times more expensive - and really hardly better!
I tested this time the oldest I have, the Sandmar 100mm US Zone Germany for Argus. Changing lenses is an Argus thing, takes minutes, but the Enna does what you expect it to do, and looks fine on the art-deco camera.

Then there is the between-camera-and-lens converter. Small and easy to use, but you lose a lòt of light and enlarge the faults of your lens. Add the weaknesses of the converter itself. The quality of my Panagor 2x is so poor, you'd better crop the picture than use the thing.

The auxiliary push-on. It's big. But in theory you only lose the 3 or 4% light of the lens-surfaces, and only add his own faults. But, alas, these are big: strong vignetting, and it is not aplanat for sure. And my Sun doesn't fit properly, I have to use felt packings. 23 Febr 2012 I solved this problem with mastic silicone kit (!) Look also flickr photostream erwinruys.
So: the pictures are mùch better without - but the looks! Impressive!

Of course I also tested a modern (hà! 1983) zoom: the Canon nFD 35-70. Never trusted them, because of the German word "Gummilinse" = rubber lens... But they are o.k. as you all know.


CONCLUSION. The stuff we bought then was nothing compared to what we can afford now. We are rich.
But the exitement we felt then - priceless!

Bleak Winterstart...

...at our local swimming-pool!
PS - the Novar is of course the anastigmat on the 1956 Contina.

1955 Peugeot

This afternoon in Nijmegen.
Expired Gold200 behind the 1938 Retina Xenon.

The big three

1956 Zeiss, 1938 Schneider and Leitz.
And today, at last, I bought myself a snow-plough...

St Petersburg am Rhein

See 7 & 10 Jan 2010 "Noviom-"
I love those candy-crisp colours in the winter. And yes, I did explain the towarishtsh afterwards how important he was as a background for the gull. This small one on <1988 Ektacolor 160.

Fun...

...with the 3D-Iloca from 1951. Zimtsterne, Lebkuchen, Glühwein, Reibekuchen, Dinkel-Butterstollen (ein Stück vom Erzgebirge!) and twenty nice stereographies. In colour.

About Colortec C41

When using Tetenal Colortec for your (old) film there is only ONE thing important: MOTION. I over- and underexposed, developed exactly 237 seconds or somewhere between 13 and 16 minutes, at 35 degrees, at 30 degrees and once even that Triple Print C22 at 20 degrees and it always went fine but you have to move. No shy turning your spiral: shake it, baby! Or else you will get stripes and problems.
The process is cheap and easy; have a try! You'll like it.

This rainy one was on <1988 Ektacolor160 in the 1962 Agfa Click-II, number 19 in the very old Colortec 30*

Early winter guest

<1989 Vericolor, but the Colortec is getting tired. In Jeroen's ±1955 Agfa Box 50

Early winter 3

Early winter 2

Early winter

Passing by (2)

Russians...1

Of course I wanted to test my unique Russian Svema65 1973 film in the also 1973 Zenit 80, but I couldn't convince the cardboard back to bend, so I had to put it in the 1983 Lubitel. And then I couldn't remove the orange filter. And then the shutter stuck. And my flickr photostream broke down (but that is not Russian!). So here is some Lomography for you. Nazdoroviè!

Impossible

This is the <1972 Triple Print C22 developed in Tetenal C41. HÀ!
Details: flickr photostream. (1938 Kodak/Nagel Duo 620)

PS - the Edwardians had a red/blue colour movie system!

Feuerwehr

This afternoon in Oberkassel little children were decorating the Christmas tree - with some help from the fire-brigade.
Biiiig smiles everywhere.
Yes: 1/200 at F9 was a bit too optimistic, even for:
Ektapress 400 (no box, pre 2000?) in the Frankenstein, film number 13 in the 1 ltr. Colortec (!) at this time 35 degrees.

Autumn

Last week it was raining cats and dogs, so I took my 1950 Agifold, hammered 1993 Fujicolor 400 in and got soaking wet. Great! (In still not exhausted Colortec.) (Nooo: the film.)

Weihnachtsmarkt

Couldn't wait any longer, and got a perfect afternoon. Ànd the 1994 Fujicolor superHG performed well in the ±1974 Instamatic, developed in still the same "well used" Colortec at 30 degrees. (see below)

Colortec, again

Spent the afternoon developing ± 10 films, Agfa Optima and Kodacolor. No joy with the (very) old 110 and Bantam, they came out clear green (??) but Jeroen's pictures from America are all right (40mm on the HB, yes: forty millimeter) and my 100 years Brownie also going strong. (Tetenal on 35 degr)
Three hours work on Lavazza and Fürst von Metternich...

Small pic: a week later Colortec (this time 30 degr) still performs good - maybe some purple haze?

25 JUBILEE 25

In my teaching-days I tested everything you could roll up in anything you shouldn't drink, but today I tested the 25th "vintage" film: July 1983 Kodak technical pan 2415 (thank you, Jeroen) in the 1957 Colorsnap. Cheers! (More on my flickr photostream.)

Lost dream - bankrupt.

1956 FP3 in the 1957 Colorsnap Bantam

RPS Historical group

This November one year on flickr: the RPS HISTORICAL GROUP.
I chose this picture because two great photographers made it a favourite - I'm honoured. Have a look, it's in my "addicted to light"-set, and visit their photostream. (1956 Contina on Fomapan400)

Proverbial

New proverb: "Foggy like old AGFA". All expired Agfa-films I tested have fog, from thick black to misty. This time I had <1996 Agfapan 400 in the 1964 Yashica 635 (while testing the SunAux).

Travels with my aunt (T&N22)

Pariserstrasse 8 - just another piece of my childhood.
(Right window: my room)

"Travels with my aunt" Graham Greene

October-replay...

...of one summer day in july. 1995 Agfapan 100 in the 1964 Werra 2E

Grey autumn day

Preparing my "Christmas Lecture 2010" I tested some M42 lenses today. Upsetting some bikers while screwing
on and off the Fuji/Panagor/Albinars, looking like a junk because I sat on the dirty pavement in that obscure tunnel...

The <1996 Agfapan 400 already(!) had some fog, but no problem. 1972 Fujinon 55mm on the Praktica

Contre-jour

See comments below "Strassenbahn". Different lenses give different light-reflexions

Grandads

In the 1956 Contina was <1999 Kodak Tmax. Out: 1/125 at 8,
in: 1/30 at 4,5 Novar anastigmat and again: I love Zeiss.

Strassenbahn

Small one: see comments

Autumn sun

Yes, the weather was fine, today.




Elmar 50mm at F6,3 1/60 sec on 1991 Panatomic-X

HOLLYWOOD 1947

Well, actually it's Overasselt 2010. But shot on "Posto of Hollywood". And that is actually made by Kodak. But it's packaged in Hollywood.
Orthochromatic, lost it's sensitivity of course, but 1 or 2 secs in bright sunlight, 8 min Rodinal does the job.
In the 1928 Brownie 2A 116 (I now am the proud owner of a not-so-easy 116 developing-tank...)

Then and now: Asphalt jungle

I have known this crossing all my life: I lived around the corner. Was a very unreliable school crossing patrol member at eleven, and had one or two accidents, wrecking one bike and bumping one hired car (only! I am famous for my crashes, my insurance company doesn't use the word famous). Saw all the changes (not for the better, alas!) brown cobbles became black asphalt, the white confectioner's became the black b&h building.
1964 Rex/Gevaert in the 1977 Linhof220