Minolta 3000i in Los Angeles

I travel to Los Angeles regularly to do agency & fashion photography on the digital / studio side of my photography life.  When I'm there I try to take time to shoot film as well! I was there this summer and took a simple film SLR, a Minolta 3000i with a 50mm f/1.7mm lens. I did both street photography and general snapshots when not in the studio. 

This time I took a number of film stocks. I took Cinestill 50D, Cinestill 800T, Ilford Delta 100, Ilford HP5 & Fujicolor Superia X-Tra 400. Call me eclectic.  All films were shot in auto program mode which happens to be the only mode this camera has. All film was developed at home using either Ilfosol3 or Unicolor C-41 color kit. 

A few images:

Cinestill 50D (shot during super bright day)

Cinestill 800T (shot at night)

Ilford Delta 100 (very bright day)

Ilford HP5 400 (shot on very bright days)

Fujicolor Superia XTRA 400

Minolta 3000i a Super Simple SLR

I recently purchased a Minolta Maxxum 3000i body from Used Photo Pro in Indianapolis. I was looking for a very simple SLR & this is it. I mounted it with a Minolta AF 50mm lens which is my preferred focal length for street photography.

The Minolta 3000i is essentially a point & shoot in an SLR body. There is only a Lock/On switch, shutter release, P/H (program / program hi-speed), self-timer button, & a focus mode switch. That’s it.  P (automatic) mode only. The high-speed mode is simply when you photograph fast moving objects. The camera uses DX coded film. ISO range from 32 to 3200. ISO is set at 100 when using film without DX coding.

I’ve used the camera a few times and it’s efficient. Just point & shoot. Like I said, nothing to it. Personally, I like more control (i.e. aperture priority, manual mode, ability to push film, etc.) on a camera. I would use it when I just want to run & gun. It’s a really nice starter camera for someone who is just getting into film.

Here are a few photos using Fomapan Action 400

Flea Market Finds - Some You Win, Some You Lose

Yesterday, I went to a flea market with the plan to look for film cameras!  I've done this a few times, and the results are always hit & miss.  Yesterday was no different.  As always, if you go into your flea market adventure looking for film cameras you need to always:

• Don't expect the seller knows anything about the camera you might find
• Expect that some of the equipment won't work
• Don't always expect to find out you have a dude until after you get home and give it a good looking over,
• Don't overpay
• Don't be afraid to walk away

I always use the mental measure, "how much would this cost me if I bought it on eBay?".  If I can get it cheaper online, I'll ALWAYS pass, unless the example sitting in-front of me at the flea market is in great shape.

This is what I found from 2 sellers yesterday including the price paid.  

• Leica AF-C1 - $10
• Polaroid OneStep - $1
• Minolta XG-A - $15
• Miranda Sensoret - $1
• Olympus XA2 - $1

I gave them all a quick going over before I flopped down my $$$.  The Miranda & Olympus were in a bit of rough shape, but I took a flier since they were only $1 each.  The Leica didn't fire at the booth, but I figured that was a battery thing.  The Polaroid looked clean (I have lots of experience buying these), and the Minolta looked clean but the film advance was stuck.

After getting home and giving them a good going over, the Polaroid & Leica appear to be good to go. The Leica fired up easily with a new battery, and the Polaroid worked with a test cartridge.  The Olympus appears to be a goner even if I give it a good cleaning.  But again, only $1.  The Miranda's shutter seems to be stuck, but I'm going to self CLA it to see if I can get it moving.  The Minolta's film advance lever if frozen, so I'm going to try to fix it myself.  If I fail on the Minolta, no major dramas because the lens is in good shape and I can use it on other cameras.

So for $28 I got 2 cameras I can use.  I particularly like the Leica and would have easily paid $25 for it alone.  I might be able to salvage the Miranda, but I'm not going to put tons of effort into it.

Bottomline, I got to hang out with the Mrs and go on this film camera treasure hunt.  A fun couple of hours.

What I'm Shooting - Yashica & Minolta

I had a trip to Cincinnati the other day so I brought a few cameras for some street work.  2 of these were not stealthy, but except for one person I didn't get a second look.  I was shooting with my Yashica Electro 35 GSN rangefinder, a Yashica MAT-124 TLR & a Minolta Maxxum 700si, a mister SLR.  Not a single toy camera here.

My Latest Finds - Minolta & Pentax

I went to a local Goodwill Store today during 50% off day.  Scored!  Found 2 small P&S film cameras.  A Minolta Freedom 35AF/QD & a Pentax IQZoom 130M.  Both appear to work.  The Pentax looks like it will be fun to shoot.  It has a REALLY long zoom at 130mm.

Oh, and both were marked at $0.99 so with the sale I got them both for just over $1.  Nice.