This past Friday evening I photographed actor Justin Miller’s transformation into his character Pearle Harbour. Along with the digital images, I shot a roll of Tri-X at EI 800 on my Bessa R rangefinder, with my late 50’s-era Canon Serenar 50mm/1.8 lens. I was shooting wide-open at f1.8, at 1/30th of second, and I like the available light look of the image.
If I ever need to do a Steampunk group shot, I think this would be the location! (The old train station, now a liquor store near Yonge/Summerhill in Toronto.
Voigtlander Bessa R 35mm rangefinder camera,
35mm/2.5 Voigtlander Color Skopar lens
Svema Foto 200 film, developed in Rodinal 1+25,
5 minutes @ 20 C
Still getting used to the Voigtlander Helios 15mm f4.5 Superwide angle lens, shot here with my 1930’s vintage Leica IIIa 35mm rangefinder body. I love what it does with the entrance an old train station (now a liquor store) near Yonge and Summerhill in Toronto, taken on a bitterly cold Saturday morning recently.
Leica IIIa, Voigtlander Helios 15mm/4.5 lens
Tri-X, developed in Pyrocat HD 1+1+100, 16 minutes @ 20 C
After having recently had success with shooting medium format Tri-X at EI 3200 and stand developing in Rodinal for two hours, I was anxious to see how well it would work with the smaller 35mm negative and the answer is, not bad at all! Not nearly as grainy as expected, and shooting at 3200 (considered pretty extreme for Tri-X) will allow me to handhold in pretty dim light. Rodinal is indeed a magic potion, not bad for a developer first released in the 1890’s!
Voigtlander Bessa R 35mm rangefinder, Russian Jupiter 8 50mm/2 lens
Tri-X @ EI 3200, semi-stand developed for two hours @ 20 C
(Gentle agitation every 30 minutes)
This past Sunday was dark and gloomy in Toronto, but I have decided not to let lousy weather interfere with my photography! I went out with my Voigtlander Bessa R rangefinder and 21mm/4 super wide lens and still found some interesting subjects.
Voigtlander Bessa R 35mm rangefinder
with 21mm/4 Color Skopar lens
Tri-X film @ EI 400 developed in Pyrocat-HD 1+1+100,
15 minutes @ 20 C
There are places in Toronto I keep coming back to for photography: Kensington Market, The Beaches, the ravine near St. Clair/Yonge, the Lower Don Valley, and of course High Park, where I was yesterday. A cold, rather dreary day, but still plenty to photograph!
Voigtlander VITO B 35mm camera, 50mm/3.5 Color Skopar lens
Svema Foto 200 film developed in Pyrocat HD, 1+1+100 for 15.5 min. @ 20 C
For my last post this year, one more image from my “mystery roll” that had images from the VOX conference in Hamilton. For this image I used my Voigtlander 21mm/4, a lens that mounts on any camera that uses the classic Leica screwmount (in my case I used my early 1960’s vintage Canon 7 rangefinder). I love the sharpness of this lens, and I need to use it more!
Canon 7, 21mm/4 Voigtlander lens, Fomapan 100 developed in D-23 1:1 for 15 minutes
I have many “mystery” rolls of film, where I have no clue what is on the roll. I was finishing just such a roll today in High Park. When I developed it, I found some images from the VOX social media conference in Hamilton this past summer. I like this image as there is only one person in front of the camera, but a whole collection of friends (and me) represented by long late day shadows.
(Canon 7 35mm Rangefinder, 21mm/f4 Voigtlander lens, Fomapan 100 film developed in D-23 1:1)
One thing I like about cameras like a Speed Graphic is how parts can be mixed and matched. I was able to use a Voigtlander Voigtar Anastigmat lens (15mm/f6.3) rescued from a non-working Voigtlander Avus folder from the 1920’s. The roll film holder was from a Mamiya RB67 camera; it mounts perfectly.
My Third Eye 