Canon FT QL

I recently used my Canon FT QL ("quick load"). It's a robust SLR with an FL / FD lens mount and a reasonable TTL light meter. I mounted the FT with a Canon FD 35mm f/3.5 lens. As always this isn't a technical review but if you'd like more information here is the manual.

Here are the things I like and dislike about the FT:

What I like:

• Convenient shutter release lock under the shutter release button
• Good shutter speeds from B to 1/1000 & X setting for flash sync of 1/60
• Quick load mechanism that eliminates / minimizes film mis-loading
• Convenient battery check switch
• Wide range of affordable / high quality lenses

What I dislike:

• Loud shutter slap so the camera is not stealthy 
• Cold shoe versus hotshoe
• Metering lever is next to the lens and somewhat awkward to use
• The lens stops down when the meter lever is activated so the viewfinder darkens making it hard to see the light meter needle in the viewfinder
• The light meter needle is very small so somewhat difficult to see in darker settings
• requires a 1.3V battery for the light meter which are not readily available
• The FT is heavy

Even with the camera's negative features I enjoy using the FT QL. My version is clean & I have a good range of FD lenses. Also, even though the camera uses a 1.3v battery I used a standard 1.5v button battery successfully. The light meter reads hot, so I simply adjusted the aperture by a stop whenever I used the meter. This seemed to work OK. The rest of the time I simply used sunny 16.

Here are a few images from a recent shoot using Fujifilm 200 and home developed with CineStill C-41. 

 

Roberts Camera Garage Sale

 

My local photography retailer is Roberts Camera and it's associated Used Photo Pro. Roberts Camera is located in Indianapolis, IN. One of the cool things they regularly do is hold a sale of excess inventory, returned items, "as is" items, expired items, etc. etc. The event is called the Roberts Camera Garage Sale. Items are sold are really affordable / give-away prices. I've been to a number of their Garage Sales.

Pricing is done one of two ways: 1) you use one of 2 sized boxes they provide (or several of them) and put anything in the box that will fit. The box has a set price based on the size no matter what you are able to put in it, or 2) items have a colored stickers. The sticker color represents a set price like $5, $10. Items with the sticker don't qualify for one sized fits all boxes. Bottomline, prices are outstanding and you can find some good deals especially if you dig through the bins / tables. 

I personally like going through the "as is" or damaged items to see if I can find any gems.

The above photo is what I bought at last Saturday's Garage Sale. Total was just over $50. I found (including some comments):

• 2 x Paterson 2-reel daylight developing tanks and reels (these were free).
• A Fujifilm underwater point & shoot camera with 800 speed film (new in box) for $2.
• 2 x Ilford Multigrade RC Deluxe photographic paper including 2 rolls of 36-ex Ilford HP5+ 35mm film for $5 each. The paper is damaged (looks like the shipping box was crushed) but the film is fresh and that's why I bought the items. 6 rolls of 36-ex HP5+.
• A film developing changing bag.
• A 35mm film leader extractor.
• 2 boxes of Cokin 3x3 creative filters including 1 x 52mm Cokin filter holder (all are clean / unused).
• Watson Model 100 bulk loader (looks like it's brand new / never used).
• Albinar Auto f/2.8 28mm manual focus FD lens (works, mounted on a Canon TX to test).
• Canon AC 35-70mm FD mount lens (not sure if works. Was made specifically for a Canon T80 which I don't have).
• Yashica DSB f/2.8 28mm lens (looks clean, but I don't have a Yashica or Contax camera to mount it on to test).
• Tamron f/3.8-5.6 28-200mm zoom lens with Nikon mount (well used, but appears to work AOK).
• Pentax-M f/2 50mm lens (clean / works)
• Mamiya ZE body (battery door broken & ISO dial feel off when testing, so through the camera away).
• Minolta QTsi Maxxum body (tested / works).
• Canon EOS Rebel Gii body (tested / works).
• Pentax SF1n body (tested / works, but only in A mode. Some of the Mode functions appear unavailable).

Lots of film photography equipment that I'll be able to use in my workflow. I've already tested all the cameras & have 2 of the lenses mounted. I'll load the Watson bulk loader soon and have played around with the Cokin filters. Not bad for $50.

So if you are ever in the Indianapolis area during future Roberts Camera Garage Sale events you should definitely go!

Olympus-Pen

With the upcoming launch of the Pentax 17 half-frame camera I decided I would use my Olympus-Pen half-frame camera again. The Olympus-Pen was the first of a line of Olympus half-frame 35mm cameras. The camera was initially released in 1959. The version I have is the original Pen. 

Here are the basic specs of the all manual Olympus-Pen:

• 35mm Olympus D.Zuiko f/2.8 lens
• Aperture f/3.5 through f/22
• Speed B, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, 1/200
• Manual focus from a minimum of 2 ft to infinity
• Range finder with bright half-frame lines in viewfinder
• Film advance via a thumb wheel on the back of the top plate of the camera
• Count down exposure dial (manually set to number of images on the roll at the beginning of the roll)
• Flash sync plug
• Cold shoe (accessory shoe)

Here is an online manual from Butkus.org.

I shot a bulk rolled cartridge of Ilford HP5+ and home developed it with Kodak D-76 at 1+1 for 13 minutes. 

A few examples in downtown Indianapolis:

Ferrania Orto 50 35mm Film

 

I've recently tested Ferrania's Orto 50 in 35mm for the first time. As with all new film stocks I was excited to give it a try. 

I shot a roll through my Nikon F4 and a roll through a Hasselblad X-Pan. Both rolls were used on different but very sunny days. Both rolls were home developed using stock Kodak D-76 for 7 minutes as recommended by Ferrania.  

Not going to lie I didn't like the results. The key word for this film based on how I shot and developed the film is CONTRAST.  This might be an understatement. Honestly, the images straight out of the scanner are unusable without significant editing. 

Examples from the XPan:

Examples from the Nikon F4:

I might be able to tone down the contrast and improve quality of the images by spot metering on the shadows. However, the Nikon was matrix metered and I didn't consider it with the XPan.

A few observations about the images without editing:

• The shadows / midtones are so dark every dust spot shows up like a spotlight,
• Highlights are surprisingly understated,
• Grain is very fine / almost non-existing,

I did not shoot any of the images in overcast conditions, so this condition may be better for the film.

HOWEVER, there is detail in the shadows and because of the fine grain / moderate highlights there is lots of room to edit the images. 

I normally don't spend much time editing my film images, but for this film I did .... A LOT. All of the images were edited in both Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. 

Here are some of the above photos that have been edited:

 

Bottomline, I don't like making negative comments about any film stock, but I don't think I'll be using this film again. I prefer less contrast even though I enjoy the fine grain. However, if you enjoy contrast or are shooting in more muted lighting the Orto 50 may be for you.

Konica Autoreflex TC

I recently purchased 3 different "as is" Konica Autoflex cameras (bodies only) from Used Photo Pro in Indianapolis. UPP has a section in the store that sells assorted cameras / lenses / equipment in "as is" condition. This means what it says. There are no guarantees and in almost every situation the equipment is in rough condition cosmetically or mechanically. Caveat Emptor! However, in my experience I've rarely purchased an as-is camera that I can't get working. 

The cameras in this section are normally sold in for $10-15 without a lens or $25 with a lens. 

The first Autoreflex I tested was the Autoreflex TC. The camera works A-OK, but you can no longer purchase the 1.35V mercury batteries needed to operate or check the light meter. You can hack the batteries, but the camera does operates without a battery. You simply need to use an external meter (which I do) or shoot sunny 16. 

I didn't have a lens for the Konica Autoreflex line so I purchased an f/3.5 28mm Konica Hexanon lens from KEH. The lens is perfect for street photography and general photography.

This is not a technical review. If you want to see the specs Butkus.org has a manual: Autoreflex TC. 

A few key features of the Autoreflex:

• Speed from B to 1/1000
• Light meter turns on simply by partially initiating the film transport lever and is turned off by pushing the "off" switch. These means the battery is not accidentally drained (if you do have a battery)
• Shutter release can not be activated when the light meter is "off"
• ISO range from 25-1600
• Synch speed of 1/125
• Without a battery the camera can be operated in fully manual mode (flexibility with speed and aperture).
• Well built but lots of plastic
• Form factor is fairly compact & a bit "slippery"

I enjoyed shooting the camera. Here are a few images from my test shoot using a roll of LuckyPan SHD400 developed with Rodinal 1:25 for 7 minutes. The film and developer creates significant grain & contrast which probably wasn't the best film for a test. However, it did show that the camera worked well.

Konica Hexar Silver

One of my favorite cameras is a recently purchased Konica Hexar Silver. The Hexar has a classic rangefinder design that can be used as an auto-focusing point & shoot or fully manual camera. It's very easy to use in all modes and has the following features:

Basic Features:

• Classic rangefinder size (think Leica M6), solid & nice ergonomics.
• Extremely sharp Konica Hexar 35mm f/2.0 lens with built in lens hood.
• Aperture range from f/2.0 to f/22.
• Program, Aperture priority & manual mode (I've used it in Program mode primarily).
• Autofocus is fast and true.
• Hotshoe.
• ISO set through DX coding or manually from 6-6400.
• Very quiet shutter which makes it great for street photography or when you need stealth.

Negatives:

• Manual focus is done through the up / down buttons on the top of the camera and honestly is not useful in most situations (possibly when on a tripod with a self timer).
• Top shutter speed of 1/250.
• Lens cap doesn't fit securely when the lens is fitted with a filter.
• Exposure meter is on the outside of the lens (non TTL) close to the lens, so you need to be careful to keep your finger off of it while shooting. Also, therefore, when using a filter you need to adjust the ISO manually.

The top deck is very clean with an information LCD screen, shutter release with surrounding aperture dial, self timer button & easy to use mode switch. No clutter.

The only downside in my experience is that the maximum shutter speed means you need to be mindful of the film speed based on the lighting you will experience. A very day means you need slower speed film. Other than that it's a very nice camera that I've used primarily as a high end point & shoot.

I've shot my Konica Hexar regularly with different film types. Here are a few examples:

Chicago - CineStill 800T

Chicago - CineStill 800T

Chicago - CineStill 800T

Kansas - Fujicolor 200

Colorado Springs - Fujicolor 200

Chicago - Eastman Double-X

Chicago - Eastman Double-X

Chicago - Eastman Double-X

Colorado - Fujicolor 200

Colorado - Fujicolor 200

Colorado - Fujicolor 200

Indianapolis - Tri-X 400

Indianapolis - Tri-X 400

Indianapolis - Tri-X 400