… photos from the Autocord.
Having processed the film, I’ve come out with four (at least) useable negatives. Given that the camera’s new to me, and that I ended up with less than twelve photos anyway (one useless, due to the sticky tape used to attach the film to the spool being left in the developer; one blank, due to winding issues), I’m more than happy with the results. The scanned images do the prints (and negatives) no justice.
Archive for April, 2007
After having the Autocord for over a year, I finally got off my backside and put a film through it. This venerable TLR does have stiff focussing (a common fault with Autocords, apparently), but it was a pleasure to be able to see a subject going in and out of focus. Furthermore, it’s fully mechanical, no battery whatsoever. However, I was unable to get any speed up with the camera, I’m not used to correcting a reversed viewfinder image.
Also, if I could make exposure and composition errors with the Leica, those luxuries were unavailable to me with the Autocord. With only 12 photos on the roll, no hopes of deleting a bad photo, there really was no room for error. Thankfully, the resulting filmstrip shows no exposure errors, focussing problems also seem to be missing. I’m also sold on the negative size. No squinting through single-lens magnifiers, you can plainly see what’s in (and out of) focus.
The “just under a year out of date” FP4+ also showed me that film sell-by dates can be overlooked. That roll wasn’t even kept in a fridge. It was subjected to the heat of last summer (and the summer before that, the film was bought to be used in a Kodak folder… or a Zeiss Ikon folder), along with comfortable (to myself) temperatures.
Less is… a learning curve, and an enjoyable one at that. Now to buy a TLR that handles 220 film…
Photos to follow…
Photography is like wet-shaving….
Preparation makes for a more enjoyable session.
Don’t rush, you’ll not regret the results.
Penny-pinch on materials, you’ll know about it.
Over time, you’ll get better.
Discuss.
A couple of photos taken at the East Lancs Railway, using the Leica Standard…:
The film taken at the ELR was a wake-up call to myself. Having used just digital for a number of years, it was glaringly obvious that I now only get one chance at a photo… blow it and a film frame is wasted. Time marches on, you can’t ask time to go back a few seconds and wait, whilst you get ready. You’re either ready or you’re not.
Along with that, no autos, no machine-gun 3fps. A sudden sense of urgency was felt. Out came years-dormant film-based photography skills. But, now knowing I had no battery to rely on, there was a feeling of reliance I’d long forgotten (thanks to returning to cameras that depend on powersources).
Yessir, it was a wake-up call, but a pleasant and refreshing one at that.
It’s safe to say I dislike the RAW format. The reasons…?
When the raw format allows you to readjust your position/viewpoint after having taken the photo, I’ll re-assess the above opinions. Until then… I’m pro-jpg!
Rant mode: off… for now.
Can’t explain why I like this photo…
Could it be that it’s in black and white (or near as damnit)? It’s something from a bygone era? Nope, it’s the fact that the speedometer didn’t actually fit with the rest of the motorbike.
Yet, there it is. The motobikes owner obviously wasn’t bothered with (or could do nothing about) its looks.
“… that a larka?”
Whilst on the East Lancs Railway, heading home from Ramsbottom, the Leica out of the camerabag… ready for a grabshot (which didn’t turn out, for what it’s worth), some guy heading for retirement age uttered that question.
Smiling, I replied “Yep, it’s a 1938 Leica Standard”.
“Ah… yer can tell… larka qualati”, he commented, whilst putting his DSLR away.
Previously on the ELR, nobody’s batted an eyelid whilst I’ve weilded my 350D. That DSLR might as well not exist, in the eyes of some photographers. I’m just another snapshotter, using commonplace “all singing/dancing/dishawashing plasti-technology”. Unless it’s weilding some big white APO lens, with the Canon logo slapped on it somewhere, which inevitably costs money… and requires trips to the gym.
No thanks. Eva’s going to be used a bit more than what I’d originally planned, when I bought her.
