Photo Safari 7-3-09

The challenge in a photo safari is having a total lack of defined subject or specific event that may generate an “easy” subject. 

I set out today with a Kowa Six medium format and a Nikon D1h with a Lensbaby and a destroyed Pentax screw-mount lens that somebody had thrown in the garbage.  The reason somebody had tossed this 200mm f/2.8 was because it was stuck open at f/2.8.  Not too much of a problem for a Nikon that can exceed 1/10,000 of a second.  Far faster than an old Pentax.

 

Image above is from the trashed Pentax lens on the Nikon D1h.

The image above is the Nikon D1h with the Lensbaby.

The image above is the 1979 Kowa Six 85mm f/2.8.

In the Kowa, I used Arista Ultra 400 that I souped in the kitchen this evening in Tmax developer at 22C for about 8 minutes with a 5-minute pre-soak in Cobb County tap water.  Then I scanned the film using an Epson 4490 film scanner.

Lensbaby

Lensbaby

Image above is from the Kowa Six.

Still reacquainting myself with the old Kowa.  (Better images to come from this old camera.)  The bokeh of the Kowa lens is just amazing!  Look at the softness of the blurred background.  1970’'s medium format cameras have a lens and film resolution equal to better than 40 megapixel digital.  Yes, I said “forty.”

 

Fuji F50fd

Also, I have a small Fujifilm F50FD that I use like a polaroid/light-meter when I’m shooting film.  I set it on manual and see what exposure works, and then I use that exposure on the film camera.   I was shooting from the hip to check the light, and this image was in the camera.