Tag: Bridgend

Nikon 35mm f2.5e for Film and Digital………

I called into my local camera shop …  (Celtic Camera Centre) …on the weekend to pick up a few rolls of film and noticed they had a Nikon 24mm f2.8 manual focus lens for sale, it was a lovely thing and I am looking to get a wide angle lens to use on my FM2n but sadly it was a bit out of my price range at the moment.

http://www.celticcameracentre.co.uk/Welcome.html

But Andy pointed out they had a Nikon 35mm f2.5e lens also, it was not in the same league as the 24mm……. plastic and a bit tatty but optically fine and was only £50 so I thought I would give it a go.

When I got home I put it on my D7000 and delved into the menus to enter the Non-CPU data so as to be able to use the lens. I only took a handful of shots and imported them into Aperture and was amazed at the results I shot everything wide open and they looked great.

Next I loaded up my FM2n with a roll of Ilford Delta 400 and mounted the lens.

I went out for a walk and proceeded to test out the lens at various subjects and apertures.

On Sunday we went to a Photography exhibition at The Third Floor Gallery, Cardiff bay to see “The Last Resort” by Martin Parr & Tom Wood

http://www.thirdfloorgallery.com/exhibitions.html#exhibition23

so I took the film camera with me to use up the roll and couldn’t wait to get home to develop it and see whether it performed just as good on film as it did on digital.

I was really impressed at the resultant negatives this lens is no way a match for its more expensive equivalents but for £50 it is an absolute steal….closeup the results were excellent even wide open but it did need to be stopped down to get the best images at any distance over a few feet away.

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/emfgfg20/eserieslenses/htmls/283550mm.htm#35mm

Maybe in a few weeks if funds are available and if they still have the 24mm in the shop I will buy that lens but in the mean time I cannot praise this little lens enough.

click on image to view larger……..

“Bridgend Mashup” digital version……..

As I said in my previous blog post I also shot some of the action type stuff digitally which was so much easier than trying to shoot full manual on my film camera…….

The band shots were also shot on film and I prefer the more gritty feel of the film shots over the cleaner/sharper digital ones.

As you can see in this post there are far more digital photographs than film but that is the thing I like about film it makes you choose your shots far more carefully.

There is no way I would go back to shooting film for everything but I will be taking a film camera be it an SLR or a compact like my Olympus Trip everywhere alongside my DSLR as I feel it really compliments the digital shots and I really enjoy shooting and processing film again.

Thanks for looking

click on an image for a larger version…….

 

Ilford HP5 at The Bridgend Mashup……….

It was “The Bridgend Mashup” event last week featuring various Street activities like Skateboarding, Bikes, Street art and music amongst other entertaining things.

My son Ben and I popped down for a couple of hours and as well as my trusty DSLR I took my Nikon FM2n and a 50mm 1.8 shooting some Ilford HP5 Plus 400 for the first time.

I was extremely pleased with the results the film gave me, it performed excellently in the sometimes harsh sunlight and then overcast skies.

I didn’t attempt to shoot any of the high-speed action stuff on film due to the full manual controls I have on the FM2n I left that to my D7000 the results of which I will post in my next blog.

I will certainly be using HP5 again as the level of detail I managed to capture from highlight to shadow was great and considering I processed it myself I was doubly happy  🙂

Click on an image to view larger……….

More from the Classic Car Show…….

I have manage to edit some of my digital shots from the Classic Car show I visited the other week. There is a mix of cars and portraits, I noticed that this year I shot far more people shots than cars which showed me the way my photography is starting to go.

I really like shooting people be it portraits or just candidly in the street and since getting back into film that is what I want to do more than any other photography.

I still like the look I get when tone mapping Classic cars, this type of look is not appreciated by everyone but I like it….lol

Thanks for looking…..  click on an image to see it larger

2nd Roll of Tri-X at the Classic Car Show………

Well this shot was after the Classic Car Show but I put it first to show the difference between my 85mm and my 50mm.

I had a few frames left when I got home eager to process it and see what I captured I decided to try my Nikon 85mm 1.8 just as a comparison  so I dragged my son Ben kicking and screaming out the garden to take a few shots to finish the film.

I love using the 50mm on my FM2n but I must admit the look I get when shooting portraits with the 85mm is so much better.

The rest of the shots were from the car show except for the line of trees, I shot both digital and film on the day and even though the digital shots were good when it came to the people shots I preferred the film.

click on a photo to view larger………

My first roll of Kodak Tri-X 400 and home developing fun……..

Last week I decided as I was shooting more and more film I would have to have a go at developing my own negatives. This is something I have not done since school.

When studying for my ‘O’ level Art my teacher Mr Halley who was a keen photographer set up a darkroom and some of us who were interested in photography got to waste our Friday afternoons developing and printing our own stuff which is where I got gripped with the photography bug over 30 years ago.

With a mixture of memory/facebook friends and youtube I ventured into my makeshift darkroom /bathroom 🙂  and thought I had made a total mess of my film.

First it all unwound and dropped to the floor, then I managed to cut the leader at an angle so it would not wind on to the spool, eventually I emerged from the bathroom thinking the worst but I was so pleased after opening up the processing tank when I saw images instead of clear or black film.

It is such a thrill to process my own film it brings back so many memories, I love processing my digital shots too, but there is something about the look/feel and smell of Film.

These shots are far from perfect but as it is all my own work I love them…….

Thanks for looking…….comments are very welcome  🙂

Click on photo to view larger……….

Last Days of the Embassy Cinema……

I shot this yesterday as a record of the end of a Bridgend landmark. I think most people who have lived in Bridgend have some fond memories of the Embassy cinema I know I do, its sad that the building could not have been saved.

Nikon D300s,  Nikon 85mm f1.8      1/640 sec  f3.5  iso 200

click on image to view larger…….

Sunday Morning…..

    

Went for a little walk around Bridgend Town centre this morning while therest of the family went food shopping. I took my little Olympus Trip 35mm and shot some film but also took the Nikon 300s and the Nikon 85mm f1.8 and got some nice portraits.

click on image to view larger…….

 

Little & Littler…..

I pass these horses on the way to and from work everyday but noticed an even smaller one yesterday so stopped to take some photos.

The foal was very nervous so I kept my distance but still managed to get a few.

Nikon D7000,  Tamron 17-50mm f2.8      1/125sec  f8  iso 100

click on image to view larger…….

 

Olympus E-PL1

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I have been using my new Olympus E-PL1 camera and playing about with the various Art Filters, and must say I am very impressed at what this little camera produces.

I especially like the Gritty B&W filter best.

The quality of the Raw files it produces with the 14-42mm lens is excellent. It has the added bonus of being able to use various other manufacturers lenses with the appropriate adapter.

I can’t wait to try out some of my Nikon primes. I thoroughly recommend this camera especially at the price it is at the moment £279 here in the UK.

Link to the camera….  http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/77124/show.html

This is an example of what the Raw file produces…….

1/250sec @f4  iso 100