03.11
When I got into photography in late 2005, I went straight to a digital SLR and I didn’t look back, until now. Last November I bought my first real film camera. I purchased a used Pentax 67, skipped the traditional 35mm film format and went straight to medium format.
My new (to me) Pentax 67, metered prism and SMC 105mm 2.4 lens.
At first I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of using hand held light meters and writing down exposure details in a notebook but I’ve actually grown to enjoy it. Everything down to the focusing is accomplished manually, which can be tricky if you’re in a rush. In addition to this, there are only 10 photos per roll of film since the Pentax 67 shoots 6×7.
View from the top
Changing out an exposed roll of Portra 400
The result is a methodical process that makes you think about composition and dialing in the focus and exposure before taking the photo, rather than fixing something later on the computer. It’s not a camera I shoot with every day and it definitely helps that I have access to a dark room/chemicals and a digital lab with scanners on campus this semester. Overall it’s something that I wish I had tried sooner, as it’s a process I’m really enjoying.
Here are some photos I’ve taken with the Pentax. The color photos were scanned/developed by North Coast Photographic Services and the black and white I developed and scanned on campus.
Steve – Ilford Delta 400
Chula Vista Salt Works – Kodak Portra 400
Chula Vista – Kodak Tri-X 400
Chula Vista Salt Works – Kodak Portra 400
Josiah – Kodak Tri-X 400
Chula Vista – Fujicolor Pro 400H
Old Town – Ilford Delta 400
Fernando/Nondo (me) – Kodak Tri-X 400
Man, some really nice shots. You should not tempt me to get one of these…
Haha thanks Bryn. I secretly blame Mannequin/William for peaking my interest. One downside is that it’s a whole new aspect of photography to want/buy gear for. Scanner, lightmeter, film, archival storage sheets, etc.
I’d look for a Yashica Mat 124 (I don’t remember if the G or non-G is important) if you want something to test the waters with.
The G is the preferred version. You used to be able to get them for around $125, and I guess you probably can in BGN condition from some places. But today, it seems like medium format film has taken off again — at least from my observations. Gear that was once readily available 1-2 years ago is becoming much harder to find. I think if you just look at the Dorkroom as an example, the number of film shooters has increased quite dramatically in the last couple of years. I see a lot more Bronica and Mamiya medium format users these days, as well as 35mm film shooters. It’s good! But it’s also bad for people like me because the bargains are getting whisked away faster than I can take advantage of them. The Yashica 124G commands more like a $300-$400 price tag in excellent condition. But it’s nice: it’s a self-contained TLR, no lens changes (50mm equivalent), excellent image quality, easy to use, and if you shoot b&w you can buy cheap film and do the development yourself. It doesn’t have to be expensive. You can even buy used light meters for under $100. If medium format is something that looks appealing, you should get it just for the heck of it while you still can. Although I don’t envision B&W film disappearing any time soon, certainly the color films are going — first the slide and then eventually the negative. Jump on the bandwagon while it still has wheels!
I’m really liking your shots Nondo, and I always look forward to seeing more. I think you should use the Pentax more, too. There’s no reason not to use it unless you really are trying to keep the cost of film use down. I only use my digital equipment now when the job actually requires it, or speed/efficiency is a necessity. I may pick it up again in the next few weeks just to differentiate things, but otherwise if I’m not shooting film I feel like I am doing something wrong on an almost ethical level.
I’ve noticed the same thing with Pentax accessories on KEH. The waist level finder has been out of stock for some time now.
Lately I’ve been bringing my Pentax or my digital depending on location and assignments. For the Salton Sea trip I brought both. It was annoying juggling the straps but weight wasn’t as big of an issue as I thought it would be. I’m sitting on 7 or 8 rolls of film. Two black and white I plan on developing later this week. Rest I’ll send to NCPS or maybe try a more local lab.
One thing I’ll say is that I already hate scanning film. It doesn’t take quite as long as it did originally now that I’ve got it figured out but the scanners in my class lab (Epson V600 and V700) are often dusty and covered in finger prints. Settings get changed from student to student too, so things might be a bit better if I had my own at home. I can’t complain too much though since they’re free.