Archive for category Gear
Heavy Metal
Mamiya RB67 Pro S
Well, here it is – the aforementioned Mamiya. It’s impressive, right? That’s the 90mm glass up front.
It’s obvious that it’s been used a lot since 1975 (or thereabouts), but most of the dents and dings are cosmetic. I think I’ve found the right guy to clean it and the lenses up, and luckily he’s local. A lot of poor enthusiasts have to ship their precious gear across the country or around the world to one of the few remaining technicians qualified to properly deal with aging equipment like this.
More to come…
When a Big Negative Becomes a Big Positive
Posted by GZ in Gear, Photography on February 17, 2010
The Conceits of Youth
Taking another leap, I saw a camera I’d always wanted on offer from a Flickr member I knew by reputation, and I went for it.
I am now the proud owner of a Mamiya RB67 Pro S medium-format SLR camera, along with a nice assortment of lenses. It’s a beautiful tank of a machine, fully-manual, heavy and in need of a serious cleaning, but I already know I’m going to be getting some good images out of it.
For those who don’t know, medium-format photography produces a film negative that’s much larger than the standard 35mm film most people are used to (if they remember shooting film at all). In this case, the negative is 6cm x 7cm (56mm x 70mm), versus 35mm, which is only 24mm × 36mm. This larger negative captures a lot more information (light), which means much more detail in prints or scans.
More as I learn about it.
Let It Rain
Posted by GZ in Gear, Life, Photography on January 20, 2010
Waiting Our Turn
Re: that creative block, I figure one way to work around it is to try new things. Makes sense, right?
This week, it’s rain photography. I shot some rainy-day black-and-white film over the weekend, and came up with some shots I can say I truly like. I need to work on color digital this week. It looks like I’ll have plenty of opportunity to practice in inclement weather.
Shooting with the AE as much as I have been, I’ve decided that (though being “stuck” with the 50mm has made me think differently) I want some more lens variety at my disposal. I’m hitting eBay up for some cheap glass, in zoom and prime flavors.
Speaking of eBay, I’m exercising different muscles doing tabletop product photography as I prepare items for sale. I’m finding all sorts of things to send off to new homes. Lens money doesn’t rain from the sky, people.
Rawr
Posted by GZ in Gear, Photography on November 19, 2009
Rawr
O.K., so I’m getting the hang of the Lensbaby thing.
Birthday Toys
My new toy, the Lensbaby Composer lens system
It’s impossible to buy gifts for me. I’m one of those people who tends to impulsively buy what I want, when I want it. I’ve tried to curb that lately (not very successfully, I admit), but when the time rolled around this year, I was allowed to choose my own birthday present.
After all of the playing around with film, I wanted something to jump-start experimentation with the digital side of things. I’ve been craving new lenses, but the cost to replace the entry-level glass in my bag is steeper than I can handle right now. The Lensbaby Composer was a cheaper alternative, and definitely will take me in some new creative and technical directions.
Along with the basic lens, I got an accessory kit comprised of a set of macro adapters (really looking forward to giving these a work-out), telephoto and wide-angle adapters and a set of “creative apertures” for making interesting patterns in bokeh.
I’ll post examples once I’ve played with the thing. Happy birthday to me!
Big Squeeze
Posted by GZ in Events, Gear, Photography on August 9, 2009
Big Squeeze
I got the first roll back from the blackbird on Saturday, and I have to say, I was surprised by the results. I put a roll of Kodak BW400CN through it, and even with Costco quick processing, I like what came of it.
I started with a few attempts in the back yard, but both focus and exposure on them were way off. Apart from an interesting mistake, there was nothing worth posting. A trip to the Orange County fair gave me better opportunities with light and subjects I could play with. The camera drew a lot of attention and a couple of people asked about it.
For the first batch, I decided to go with the square mask. It’s pretty tough to frame up a shot properly, looking straight down at a small clear plastic box with the much smaller black box of the black frame outline printed on it. I started to get the hang of it near the end of the roll. Consequently, a lot of shots are too dead-center for my taste. Focusing became easier as I got my head around the process, and the small aperture makes for a forgiving depth-of-field anyway. I like the grain and contrast, and the square aspect adds something to the feel.
You can see a set of images here. There’s a roll of FujiColor Pro in it now with the rectangular mask, so we’ll see how that turns out.
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