Things Camera

I'm moving!

2008-02-01T03:45:00.000-08:00

Over to another blog.
Parallax Error is her name.
Goodbye!

A Rather Pleasant Christmas

2008-01-08T15:40:00.000-08:00

So this year (or should I say last year?) I spent Christmas with my girlfriend and her family over in a small place called Bracklesham Bay. Its near Chichester, and the Isle of Wight. Well, if you have a boat.
Not much shooting, but a couple of rolls. Shot on my OM20 and the Zuiko 50mm f1.8 and my cheapy (£5) Mitsuki 28mm f2.8. One roll of Jessops Diamond Colour 400 and one roll of Kodak Portra 160NC (very expired).

More Christmassy goodness over on flickr.

WIP: Superman

2007-12-03T15:29:00.000-08:00

Working on a project.

Here's a preview.

A Message From Mr Yamaki

2007-12-03T04:23:00.001-08:00

Who is Mr Kazuto Yamaki? He's the Chief Operating Officer over at Sigma. What has got to say then? Well, finally an update on the DP1, a camera I personally was very excited about. I get the feeling it will do what Ricoh's GRD was supposed to do, but without the drawbacks (such as the terrible noise issues). Anyway, Here's what he says (taken fromhere) :

"Dear Valued Customers,

Over one year has passed since we announced the DP1 and showed the first concept prototype at photokina 2006. At the following PMA in March, 2007, we showed some redesigned engineering samples of the DP1. Since then, we have not made any announcements on the DP1. I apologize for this lack of information, and I would like to give you an update on the development status of the DP1 now.

After PMA, we reached the pre-beta product development stage early in the summer. During this pre-beta work, we tried to optimize the image quality, but we found it was difficult to achieve image quality as good as in our other SD cameras. The images looked okay, but they clearly did not have the special image qualities that we see in our SD cameras: delicate, refined and 3-dimensional images rendered in fine detail. After a careful evaluation, we found that the image processing pipeline we had developed for the DP1 was not ideal for achieving the best image quality as it was intended for the faster image processing speed, and we needed to make major revisions to it. At that time we had a choice between compromising image quality and moving forward or taking a different path. After long and sometimes intense discussions, we finally decided to change the entire image processing pipeline.

When we decided to change the entire image processing pipeline, we also decided to return to the simple and original product concept of "a camera with the best still image quality in a compact body" and dedicate all of our DP1 development resources to that concept. Because of this change, we had to change some of the specifications that we had announced. (An official announcement with the final specifications will be made at the appropriate time.) However, as far as I can judge from what I see in the current version of the DP1, I am convinced that the camera is moving in the right direction now.

I would like to inform our community of loyal and prospective users that we have now started the next major phase leading towards production. At the beginning of November, we began alpha testing of what we feel will be the final design. Unless we encounter serious unforeseen problems, we now think that the following development steps will progress well.

We are very aware of the many discussions in the Internet about the length of time we are spending on the development of the DP1. We have also read about the disappointment of many prospective users who wanted this camera very soon after the announcement. Although we know that many people would like to know when the DP1 will be available for sale, we honestly cannot say at the moment. Much will depend on how smoothly the next development steps go. Also, we feel that it is much more important to get it right than release it early.

We have also noted the many different ways people want to be able to use the DP1. This is heartening. However, we hope that prospective users look carefully at the finished product in light of how they intend to use it. Like our previous digital cameras, this will be a tool for photographers who value excellent image quality above all else – this time in a smaller package. It will also be a good camera for people who would like to see this quality in their own results. And, finally, we are also sure that creative users will find many uses for the DP1 that we have not even thought of.

Again, I deeply apologize for the length of the time you have been holding out for the DP1 and appreciate your patience very much. I know it is difficult for some of you to wait a little more time, but we’re working very hard to deliver a camera that we think will be worth the wait.

Thank you very much.

Kazuto Yamaki
Chief Operating Officer
SIGMA CORPORATION"

Plug.

2007-11-28T13:06:00.000-08:00

Freebies.

2007-11-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

At work this morning one of our regulars came in and handed me a bag full of cameras and whatnot.
Among other things a Canon QL17.
Review on that in a bit. This may see a resurgence in my street photography.

Conversation about street photography.

2007-11-11T15:06:00.000-08:00

stephee says:
im not really sure how i feel about street photo in colour anyway so i would probably predominantly shoot bw anyway untill i got confident enough to use colour

Good Tom [do the whirlwind] says:
when you factor in colour, it adds another element which you have to concentrate on. which really doesn't work when street is about reacting.

stephee says:
yeah excatly

stephee says:
im sure it can be done but its not an aspect id really want to have to throw in with everything else

Good Tom [do the whirlwind] says:
or you could just go mad and shoot positive. because you have so much freedom to worry about perfect exposures.

Sorry it has been so long since I posted.

Unphotographable

2007-09-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

Does anybody read Unphotographable? I think we can all understand why this website exists. Of all of the thousands upon thousands of photographs that have been taken, how many haven't? We've all had at least one supreme "If only I'd had my camera" moment that is that shot that we'll never take again. I don't think I've not had mine yet.

Anyway, a recent entry on Unphotographable to whet your appetite:

"This is a picture I did not take of a woman in fitness workout wear; running shoes, shorts and an active top; standing by herself in a deserted aisle of a flourescent-lit supermarket, her arms crossed in front of her chest, tears smearing her cheeks while she unwaveringly stared at the store's selection of baby diapers."

Imagine it.

http://www.unphotographable.com/

Ricoh 800 EES

2007-09-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

So, recently I purchased a Ricoh 800 EES for the princely sum of £5. Came with a strap, UV filter and half an ER case.

I decided to take it out for a whirl the other day, so I put a roll of Superia 400 through it.
I thoguht I'd got myself a dud when it arrived, but then I realised that it was one of these rather annoying cameras that requires batteries in them to even go through the motions. It takes PX640's. Fortunately I had a couple in my Hi-Matic F.
Anyway, I went out and shot my test roll, and the first thing I noticed was that it has a vertical RF misalignment.

If anybody has any clues as to how one would go about doing this then I would much appreciate any pointers.

My second gripe was that it did note cope well with the strong sunlight that day, and also a lot of shots came out with a grey sheen, but I think that this may be to do with the UV filter that came attached to it.

Thing is, when it works, it works very well:

However, there are less brilliant results too. As I say, I'll try a roll without the UV filter, and see if it makes any difference.

More over on my flickr: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=rico...37662049%40N00

Konica C35EF3

2007-08-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

The other night I found myself on the bay, suffering from a rather strong case of GAS (gear acquisition syndrome). At the end of this episode I ended up with (among other things) a Konica CF35EF3. I had heard a few things about this camera, and had seen some shots of/with it, but it was still a relatively unknown factor. So here's my two bits' worth.

First up, the necessary tech spec. Made by Konica (surprisingly enough), with a 35mm f2.8 Hexanon lens, ASA 25 through 400, scale focus at 1m/3ft, 1.5m/5ft, 3m/10ft and infinity. Built in pop-up flash, self timer arm above lens. Advance lever on top, rewind lever on bottom, as is an off-center tripod mount. Takes 2 AA batteries (which are essential for the camera to function, so take spares).

On first handling the camera, I found it to feel particularily 'right'. Although I haven't been able to find any information on this model, not through want of looking, I can tell you that the weight is well balanced; heavy enough to feel well made, but not hefty.
All the buttons are well placed, very easily accesible and not overly stiff or loose. The only exception to this is the timer lever above the lens, but then again you wont need to use this in a rush. I do however have a bit of a gripe about the shutter button. Given the fantastic build quality of this little camera, the button feels very plasticy, and there is very little resistance which makes it easy to fire off frames by accident (something I don't normally do).

The zone focusing on this thing is a charm; the dial is smooth and clicks satisfying into place. It has enough resistance that it is possible to tell if you turn it too far (or how far you've turned it) without having to look, but it is still smooth enough to do quite easily with two fingers.

There are two additional features that are nice extras which add a touch of class to an already lovely camera. First, on the back you will find an ASA/DIN conversion chart(see above). Secondly, when you open the back, the bottom of the spool holder pops out (see below), which is not such a big deal; however, when you close the back it pops back into place. That is a feature that really excites me far too much.

Finally, just to show you how beautifully this small, functional camera with a top lens in it functions, I'll show you a few shots from the test roll (out of date Fuji Superia 400) taken on a rather gloomy recent Tuesday.

On my shelf: the 35's

2007-08-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

I find more and more that I am running out of storage space for my cameras. I got rid of one, but I've got three on the way, I just need more room. At least I can say (with the exception of two new additions to the group) that I use all of them. Collectors... do my nut, even though a lot of them are nice people. Anyway, here is a brief summary of my current collection, predominantly so I got to play around with Lightroom some more...

First up, the Akira TC-002 and the Cortland CX-7 (one of the two I haven't yet put a roll through). Two little toys that I picked up recently in the states for a total of $7.50 plus tax. They have identical lenses, but the Akira is very light and plastic, whereas the Cortland is far more substantial (frankly excessive given it's such a poor camera otherwise). These cameras have only one manual functionality, and that is choosing which aperture from the whopping range of 5.6, 6, 11 and 16. The rest is entirely preset. You can see some of the results over at my Akira set on flickr.

This here Minolta Hi-Matic F was my first rangefinder. It belonged to my dad before I... liberated it. I remember playing around with it as a kid, before I caught the photography bug. Those horrible cracks occured when the US customs people searched my bags and then didn't repack them correctly. That'll teach me to put things in my case. I love this camera; small, easy to use, just a shame about the lack of manual override.

My 'new-to-me' Canon Canonet QL19 that I picked up for $50 in Laramie, WY. It needs a CLA, and the lovely folks over at Camserve have told me they'll do it all in for £30 + VAT. Once that is done you'll get a proper walkthrough.

My Canon AE1. A really nice feeling camera, if a tad on the heavy side. But my god does the shutter sound gorgeous. This came from my late grandfather, and it is still waiting for a test roll to go through it.

This here is my Olympus OM20. This was my first SLR, and I love it to pieces. It belonged to my mother, so it is yet another camera with history. It is so small, and so sexy, and I will use it until it falls apart. I've just got a 28mm f2.8 Mitsuki so am putting a test roll through for that, which I will let you all know about too.

Finally, I've got my Trip 35, but instead of letting this post get ridiculously long I'll point you over to 35mm Tripping.

Things Camera

2007-08-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

For the sake of argument, I will pretend that this blog may become regularly read. I have, in my past, run blogs, some more popular than others (but none vastly popular). Recently, as my knowledge of things photographic has increased, so has my desire to share things, opinions, arguments, criticisms. So where better to do that than on the interweb.

To begin with, I suppose a brief introduction would be the done thing. My name is Tom, and I 'do' photography. I've just finished an A level photography course, and will shortly be commencing a BTEC Certificate in photography. I work in a camera shop (the big evil one in the UK), who I am sure you will hear me complain about in the future. I would call myself a photographer, but only with a small 'p'. I have a fascination with film, and love being in the darkroom.

So, until my next post,
Cheerioh.
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