Shooting color with the Bessa I

Shortly after acquiring the Bessa I, while doing research on the camera I read that the Vaskar lens showed aberrations and color shift.  So, while the B&W tests came out fine, I thought, why not push a roll of color through the camera to see what it would produce.

I put in a roll of Portra 400 and started looking for opportunities.  Carrying it with me on several excursions provided enough opportunity to test this theory.  I also carried my Soligor digital spot meter to get some accurate exposure readings.

These images were scanned, dust spots removed, minor sharpening to adjust for scanning, and with only slight color corrections based on what I remember about the scenes.

The first image was during a trip to the central coast, and while exploring around town, I found a colorful garden, so I stopped, metered and snapped a picture.

A coastal garden, with a bit of vibrant color.

The next image was from a family fun day of wine tasting at a local winery. A bright, sunny afternoon.

Out doing some wine tasting, a bright sunny afternoon.

The last image was a very early morning... before blue hour... where I saw this shot, and thought it would be a good test of neon lights in low light.  With a tricky metering, I was surprised on how good the exposure was.  I think I metered the colored neon and put that at zone 6 or 7.  In this shot you do notice the slight corner vignetting, with some light falloff.

A early morning shot, with some neon lights.

Overall, I am very satisfied, as the color seems to be very good, with only slight adjustments for color balance, and shooting Portra 400 handheld is a viable option with this camera.  Could be a "go-to" or "carry at all times" film for this camera!

Shooting 4x5 without a tripod (AKA are you nuts!)

Film photographers are a strange lot! Always wanting a challenge... looking for ways to push the envelope.  And if I'm honest, I am no different.  I shoot 4 different cameras, in small, medium and large formats, developing BW, C41 and E6 film at home.  Scanning and digitally editing, and finally printing on my small inkjet printer.

So, while planning for an upcoming family vacation, I came up with a wild idea.  Why not try faster film, and hand hold the 4x5, using faster shutter speeds and the built in range finder as a quick focus.

What would I need to do this?

To start with, I would need a fast ASA so that my shutter speeds would be high enough to hand hold the 4x5 in decent light.  My Graflex Optar lens has a maximum 1/400 sec shutter speed, so using the sunny sixteen rule, I could get these possibilities using some Arista EDU 400 film:

F16 @ 1/400 (full sun)
F16 @ 1/200 (bright clouds)
F16 @ 1/100 (clouds)

Fast enough to not cause blur, so if I could trust the range finder, this should work out... right?  I previously calibrated the rangefinder, so out I went, with several film holders in the pack.

And, sure enough it worked.  I managed to capture a few sheets, one at F22 @ 1/200 and one at F8 @ 1/100.  The focus?  Not too bad.  See images below.

100% crop detail!

Am I sold on using this technique on my next vacation?  Probably not... If I'm honest, the focus could be better... and wrangling the spot meter, dark slide, filters, etc would be difficult while staying agile and mobile, traveling about with the family.

But, if I am traveling by myself, I think this may be a process I could enjoy.

It has some historical significance in that it is the way these camera's were originally used by the press back in the 50's.  And that is the joy in owning and using this type of gear!

So I will probably stick to my Pentax 645 and C41 color for my next vacation.  It is simple and flexible, and will not be an intrusion to the family plans.  But I am glad I tried this approach.  #lifelonglearner

Feed the Bellows

It has arrived!  Some fresh Arista EDU film to feed those old mechanical image making machines.  A valentines gift from one of my girls. Many thanks!

I ordered (2) rolls for the Bessa I, and a pack of 4"x 5" for the Crown Graphic, all of it at 400ASA hoping to practice hand holding both cameras, and pushing some of the film to 800 or 1600 or who knows... maybe 3200!!

The goal is to refine my zone focusing technique on the Bessa I, and test the Range finder on the Crown Graphic 4"x 5".  Time to go play.  Stay tuned for results.

Re-visiting a past with Tri-X film

How many years ago? 30+ ?

It seems like I was never really there, but in fact, there was a day. When Kodak Tri-X 400 was a viable option for me, shooting the Canon A1 in college and beyond. But I never explored this film in medium or large format.

During the holidays, I decided to revisit some of the "old" film stocks. So Tri-X was chosen, a 60 year old proven film stock. A favorite with many journalist of the day. Think Magnum, or other news agencies.

For me, it was the first time ever in medium format. With my Pentax 645 and 75mm prime, shooting  wide open, I explored around the dinner table.

Can I say, wow... I fell in love with this film. "Creamy", that's what I came up with to describe this film.  Check out the results.  More of this film in my future!

Blossom Trail 2018

We headed out early, on a COLD morning here in Fresno. Too cold for these blossoms! Farmers are scurrying to save the fruit production, and it was honestly a bit sad to see. Wind machines, irrigation, and even flying helicopters over fields to keep from freezing the blossoms. A few pics from my daughters Canon T7i are below.

Results from the Bessa I

First roll out and scanned... not too impressed. Bergger Pancro 400 which might have been over developed, and maybe even under exposed, since there is not much published data on this film yet!

Second roll... wait... where are the frame counters??  Off to my local camera store rescue the roll of TriX from the Bessa... After further investigation it appears to be a known problem with Kodak backing paper. Fixed as of emulsion #0981 (according to Kodak tech support).

Second actual roll, much better!  Delta 400 developed in D76 1:1, see below.

Decent tone quality and resolution, but I need to learn how to zone focus better! Stay tuned... More to come...

A new addition!

Merry Christmas! Thanks to my daughter... I now own a 60+ year old, beautiful, Bessa I medium format 6x9 folder.

Manufactured in the early 1950's it is a very simple camera to use.  I started with a roll of Bergger Pancro 400, and will be attempting roll #2 with Delta 400.  Will post back results soon.