Lightbox Wednesday #38 and a Rant

I'm the odd man out, I know that. I have an iPhone, but I mainly use it to take photos of my old cameras for this blog and for Flickr. Whenever I take a photo with my iPhone, the image automatically appears on all my Apple devices. It's convenient and I like that.

My iPhone is a 5. I got it in 2012 from a friend who worked at Apple and I paid $100 for it. I don't ask questions. It's unlocked, so I am not tethered to any one service provider. My previous phone was a 3 and I bought it new because, at the time, I was just starting to need readers too see up close and I liked the big, illuminated numbers on the key pad of that first iPhone. I'd still have it if I didn't forget that I had set it on the roof of my car one day at work while I was loading some stuff in the trunk. Last I heard of my iPhone 3 was the sound of it bouncing off the trunk as I accelerated southbound onto the 101 Freeway.

I rarely talk on my iPhone. The one I have now has a total of just over 7 hours of total talk time in the 5+ years I have had it. I've sent 11 text messages this month. I found a service provider who will sell me a minimum data plan, like 30MB and I think I use about 1.1MB of that each month. That's probably just the amount needed to keep the phone's heart beating...I don't know. I have cellular data mostly turned off and only use wi-fi.

My current phone looks like new because I never carry it with me. It used to be that cell phones were getting smaller and smaller. You could easily slip a Motorola Razr flip phone in your pocket. The latest smart phones are like the size of a piece of toast. I've never felt comfortable with an iPhone in my pocket, so I leave it, mostly, in my briefcase. From Friday afternoon to Monday morning, I rarely even look at my phone. If people need to get in touch with me, anyone who matters knows that email is best.

But I love the iPhone for taking photos of my old cameras and until recently, it's performed admirably. Lately though, the phone's camera seems to be consistently under-exposing images and they all look milky and hazy. I thought there might be a smudge on the lens, but cleaning it did not resolve the issue. On top of that, the battery will hardly last a day without charging. And that's a problem when the owner isn't even really using the darn thing.  I'll probably stop in at the Apple Store and see if a Genius can look at it. I'm sure it's coming to the end of its life and undoubtedly they'll ask why I don't upgrade to the 6, 7, 8 or X. I just looked at the price tag of the latest iPhones...OMG!

I'm thinking that I might just look for a digital point and shoot with built-in wi-fi capability, if such a thing exists. That would allow me to take photos of classic cameras, the only thing I am really using my current iPhone for anyway.

In the meantime, one of my favorite iPhone camera photos, an image of my first Nikon F2 from about 6 years ago.

The Canon A-1

This may be the most indifferent camera review I have ever written because, after using it...I'm not quite sure how I feel about the Canon A-1. I wasn't looking for another Canon FD body when this one streamed into my Facebook feed, although I do have to admit that the A-1 was always sort of in my peripheral vision. Some photographers I follow on Flickr do some nice work with their A-1s. And I've stumbled across a couple of YouTube videos with new-to-film photographers gushing praise on this Canon. So for the $60 asking price and the assurance from the almost local seller that this camera was operating as designed, I went for it.

The A-1 was introduced in the late 1970s as one of Canon's A series of cameras, which included the AE-1 which was and still is more popular. The A-1 was the top of the line in the series and from what I can tell, was built more robustly than the other A cameras. The A-1 sits right at that sweet spot in camera design and build where just bits and pieces of plastic were being used on an otherwise all metal chassis. It wouldn't be long before Canon would introduce the EOS line and the industry would embrace plastic construction and blob-like camera bodies.  

The A-1 is also a historically significant camera in that it offered every available metering mode plus full automation accessed through a multi-function dial on the top of the camera. This control, revolutionary at the time, would become commonplace on future film and digital bodies. And it's this dial that makes this camera, at least for me, just "eh" rather than "yeah!"

The Multi-Function Dial on the Canon A-1

I'm more comfortable shooting either manually or in aperture-priority mode, so I headed out to a local winery for some indoor shots in their cellar with the A-1 set in Av (aperture-value) mode. The camera was loaded with Tmax 400 and it was my intention to capture some features of the wine crushing equipment and fermentation tanks under available light.

With the A-1 in aperture priority mode, the Canon FD lens is set to "A" on the aperture ring, transferring control to the multi-function dial. The meter in the camera only wakes up when you slightly depress the shutter button and since you're using the same finger to depress the button and spin the multi-function dial, I found this process a bit frustrating and much more time consuming than cameras where you simply adjust aperture on the lens while applying pressure to the shutter release and watch the meter's readout in the viewfinder. I guess Canon intends that you decide on an aperture you want to shoot at, then raise the camera to your eye and let the camera come up with whatever shutter speed is best. If it can't come up with a suitable speed to match your desired aperture, or if you are skilled enough to not like what you see in the digital readout in the viewfinder, than you have to take the camera away from your eye and select a new aperture setting. After fumbling around with this a few times and with only limited time allowed "backstage" at the winery, I shifted the A-1 into fully automatic PROGRAM mode.

Stainless steel fermentation tanks

Once I let the A-1 do all of the heavy lifting, this SLR was a pleasant shooter. The viewfinder is big and bright with a nice split image focusing screen. Shutter speed and aperture are displayed digitally in large red LEDs along the bottom of the finder. Not having to think much about exposure did allow more time to search for interesting subject matter.

Fittings for valves and hoses used in transferring wine from tank to tank

Fermentation tank valve

Barrel fermentation

Cooling and heating pipes above the fermentation tanks

Open fermentation of Pinot Noir grapes

Barrels and stainless steel tank fermentation

Certain barrels are labeled for lab testing

The A-1 performed well in the fully automated mode, although the camera's computer consistently selected slower shutter speeds over opening up the lens more in low light situations. Many of the images here were shot at 1/30th of a second at f/3.5 and I was worried that I'd have some blurred photos. I guess I am steadier than I thought.

So, a few weeks after shooting this camera and now reviewing the images I made, I'm still sitting squarely on the fence. I'm liking these Canon FD lenses a lot, but think I prefer shooting the F-1 body with its AE finder in aperture-priority mode over PROGRAM mode in the A-1. But...it was kinda nice letting the A-1 do all the thinking, freeing me up to concentrate on composition.

On the fence. Six of one, half dozen of another. The joys of photography.

Lightbox Wednesday #37

The Northern Light Surf Shop in Bodega, CA is one of my favorite camera/film-testing subjects. Be it in black and white or color, the little shop is a wonderful subject. As I was sorting through all of my images, I had forgotten just how frequently I had photographed the shop.

Nikon F2 Photomic, 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor-S Auto, Kodak Tmax 100 

Olympus OM-2n, 50mm f/1.4 Zuiko, Kodak Portra 400

Continuing Adventures With The 8-Element Super Tak

Of all my vintage lenses, I've used my 8-element 50mm f/1.4 Pentax Super Takumar lens probably more than any other this year. This Super Tak is considered one of the best normal lenses of its era. My copy continues to dazzle me with its sharpness and unique color signature. It's a wonderful lens to use, with buttery smooth focus action and definitive, clicky f/stops. When I transition between this lens and others, they feel crude by comparison.

Mounted on a Spotmatic SP body, protected by its leather half case and slung over my shoulder on a leather 1901 Eggleston strap, this is a kit I really love shooting.

One weekend, one roll of Kodak's Portra 400 with the camera set at ASA 200.

Saturday. Here are two shots at the beach. Shutter was set to 1/500. I was trying to get waves crashing against the rocks. I like how the Super Tak rendered the spray.

There are always plenty of birds that'll pose for you in Bodega Bay. This image shows the sharpness of the Super Tak. Subtle color too.

Close focus is a hair over 17 inches on this lens, allowing you to fill the frame if you desire.

The next day was totally overcast. I headed over to the Russian River wineries to buy a few bottles and get some shots in the vineyards before the grapes were picked.

The close-ups were all hand held. I think this lens could really do some damage with a tripod-mounted Spotmatic.

I will continue to sing the praises of these Takumar prime lenses. I haven't tried one yet that has disappointed. And the 8-element 50/1.4 might just be the best of the bunch.

Lightbox Wednesday #36

I've been cleaning up my archives of images taken over the past 7 years, saving some, deleting many. Every Wednesday, I post interesting images I've revisited over the past week.

Coastal wireless station KPH at Pt. Reyes is one of my favorite spots to visit and photograph. It's quiet, desolate and lonely out there. A perfect break from my noisy, always connected work life.

KPH, first a Marconi Wireless property and later owned by RCA, was once the main radio relay point between ships in the Pacific and the mainland. The National Parks Service owns the property now and a dedicated team of volunteers maintain the station and its aging transmitters and antenna fields.

KPH was a high power Morse code only facility. The receive and transmitter sites are located some miles apart to reduce interference. The receive site is at Pt. Reyes and the transmitters are south in Bolinas.

KPH Receive Site at Pt. Reyes

Feed lines out to the HF antennas at the receive site.

The place really lends itself to black and white film photography. I shot these with my Leica M2 on Acros film.

The transmitter building at the KPH site in Bolinas

There is an abandoned phone booth in the parking lot of KPH. Wireless telegraphy and public phones; two communication forms from a bygone era.

PacBell phone booth at KPH

Analogbook

Random notes, thoughts, whatnot...

It's been a busy Summer, allowing far less days for photography than I had hoped for. But Fall on the Sonoma Coast is a delightful time and I look forward to getting out for lots of fresh air and picture taking.

Nikon F2 shot with Nikon F2 and 55mm Micro-Nikkor

A few weeks ago, I sent my Polaroid SX-70 camera in to Matt Widmann at 2nd Shot SX-70 Service. We've been emailing each other back and forth since and I have already learned things about my Polaroid I never knew. A complete report on my SX-70 refurb is coming soon!

One of my two black body Pentax Spotmatic SP cameras is in Eric Hendrickson's shop now for CLA. Once I get it back, I'll have two good serviced SPs to shoot. Maybe keep color in one and black and white in the other? And wow do I love the 50mm 8-element Super Takumar lens!!

Kodak Brownie shot with Nikon F2 and 55mm Micro-Nikkor

I can't say enough good things about the repair folks at Blue Moon Camera & Machine. They did a CLA on my Minolta XD and that little camera is just a joy to shoot now. My little XD is packed with features including aperture and shutter priority automation and full manual control. I have some black and white film in the Minolta as I write this. Blue Moon also did a CLA and battery upgrade on my Canon original F-1. The Canon came back all spiffy and smelling really good. I wrote Blue Moon to ask what that wonderful smell was and Sophia wrote me back and said it was probably the Pliobond adhesive they used on the new seals. Didn't know glue could smell so good!

Weston Master III shot with Nikon F2 and 55mm Micro-Nikkor

I've also had a roll of Acros in my new-to-me Leica M7 for several months now. After shooting my way through most of the Leica M film cameras, I believe I have finally settled on the M that I want to keep. I know that Leica purists will hurl rocks at me for saying this, but I really like aperture-priority automation in a Leica M body. First impressions on this camera soon and full review to come.

Polaroid Land 450 shot with Nikon F2 and 55mm Micro-Nikkor

I hope to get back to San Francisco for one more street photography photo walk this year. I learned so much the last time and even had an "a-ha moment" that I'll be writing about soon.

Vito camera shot with Nikon F2 and 55mm Micro-Nikkor

Any time I think, even just for a moment, that one of my 35mm cameras or even my medium format Pentax 645n is too big or too heavy, I think back to the chap I came across on the Bluff Trail overlooking the Pacific Ocean near Timber Cove a few weekends back. I was shooting my Pentax MX. He had hiked a mile in with an 8x10 view camera! 

Life is good.

My well-traveled mug shot with Nikon F2 and 55mm Micro-Nikkor

Lightbox Wednesday #35

My Lightbox project this year has coincided with an effort to reduce the number of film cameras in my collection. Through this process of reviewing almost eight years of work, I am realizing that I've made my most satisfying images with the simplest of tools.

It was a nice evening on the beach in mid-February when I caught this kid playing in the surf with my Pentax Spotmatic F. Open-aperture metering on the SPF and a minimalist user interface contributed to capturing the decisive moment.

Pentax Spotmatic F, 50mm Super Tak, Portra 400 film