Goodbye! My companion for 2 years

Almost 2 years actually.  I bought my used Hasselblad 500CM camera in 2009 in late Sept (see post).  I have been shooting over 40 rolls of film with the camera and I was very happy with it.  So happy, during the course of shooting.  I accquired another lens, a prism and another A12 back to compliment it as a shooting system for me.  

I loved how it handles and the safety features that prevents you from accidentally exposing the film (not so smart for the Mamiya Universal in this department),  The  lenses were pretty good too.  But 6x6 is really not a good format for me particularly in landscape.  I found that I shot most of the rolls with my family and portraits rather than serious landscapes(original intention of purchasing the camera).  I found that most of the shots I took needs to be cropped to 2:3 to be good for me.  I found that I spend more time trying to frame a shot in a square that it disrupts my original intention of angle of view or pre-vis.  Its a great camera but I just find myself struggling with it.  Maybe if I took more time to master it then I might get used to it.  Actually I think I am getting used to it but I just find that the slides are still small considering the fact there are 6x7, 6x9 or even 4inx5in.

I started to look for a view camera that accepts 120 roll film (easier to load the film, easier to develop, easier to handle and cheaper)  in 6x9.  Not 6x7 as I want to prevent myself trying out another aspect ratio.  I am so used to 35mm and so 6x9 should be the way to go (as explained in my previous post).  I plan to buy it mainly just for landscapes and keep my Hassy for other things.  Then after some research, I found out about the Mamiya Press system.  Its cheaper then a Hassy system and its very modular like a Hassy too.  So naturally I got one and after using it for just a week.  I know its a keeper.  I started to neglect my Hassy because besides shooting landscapes, its great for family shots or portraits too :P.  For the pass 2 months, it was in my dry cabinet and the thought of selling it came when I find my drybox in Thailand is not big enough for both of them.. :P  At first, it was a bit reluctant sale until the developed slides of my Press camera came back.  The colours and sharpness actually are equal or I dare say, even more superior then the Hasselblad!  So I made up my mind to sell away my Hassy system to get back some cash to invest in more lenses and accessories for my new Press camera.

Anyway, here are some landscapes/nature shots I took with this companion of 2 years,  Its has been great having you serve me but I guess you have a better home now.  One who might use you more often to create great images rather then sitting idly in my dry cabinet :)

 

 

 

 

Same old routine again.

My visa runs out tomorrow.  I actually planned to extend it but my NS deferment for coming September was rejected so I guess I have to return back to Sillypore.  So I got my bus ticket to Chiang Mai and a ticket out of LOS.  

So I guess I got to vote in the Singapore Presidential Election. :P  Just read that all four "Tan" were granted their "CoE" (Macham buy car like dat) hehe

I guess I will have more time to blog once I'm in Singapore as I am jobless over there.  Someone want to hire me?? 

Anyway, will write more once I'm back in SG.  I won't be hauling the "Beast" back as I have my Hassy system with me.  Plan to sell it at a reasonable price and confirm my move to 6x9 format. Its a reluctant sale actually, but I need the moola more then anything else.  Maybe one day I will buy the whole system back but at the moment, rather than letting it rot in my cabinet.  Just sell it to someone who would make use of it :)

Just for a record.

I am actually a very camera shy person (all the way back since I became a teenager).  And its only these recent few years that I started teaching photography at SLCC that I actually allowed my students to take photos of me.  Slowly (and painfully) this camera shyness erodes away....

My father is an avid photographer and he took many many photos of me and my sister when I was a baby and child.  I have sorted most of my old photos and its a bit sad when I had difficulty finding a photo of him with me. The reason, of course you should have guessed it.  He was the person behind the camera.  

I went through the hundreds (maybe thousands?) of photos I took of my family and sad to say, those photos with me in it are just sucky... hehehe.. mainly because the person behind the camera sucks... or maybe the main reason is I look sucky :P

But I do want to have more photos of me with the kids, for record purpose and so I did.  Took some 3000B today.  Just 2 shots left in the back so I set the camera on tripod and focus the camera beforehand.  Posed with the kids while my wife triggered the shutter.

So for record purpose.. here are the photos.. :)  Taken on the night of 6 Aug 2011 @ 930PM. 

Both photos taken with the new 100mm 2.8.  Yup the lens vignettes on the Instant 100 film but I just loved it!

One goes, another comes...

Personally, ever since I started holding a camera in my hands.  I had never ever dropped one while shooting.  Ever!

Well, maybe except once when I was fooling around with my friend's kid and my bag dropped and broke my Bessa R.  But it was not when I am holding or shooting with the camera. 

Anyway,  I dropped my "Beast".  That was about 2 weeks ago during a shoot . The whole camera was 1.7m above the ground on my tripod when it dropped.  And it hit the ground with such a large bang I thought the whole thing was gone.  Luckily (not sure to say if its lucky), only the lens was damaged.  But it was a lens I was having great fun and results with.  My 75mm!! Its physically looking alright but the shutter and aperture was jammed.  I managed to release the jammed shutter and aperture later by pulling the lens barrel by sheer force.  It was a straight down drop so the lens seems to slightly pushed into the helicoid.  It still focus well but the shutter just won't fire now. :S

Feeling sad, I was thinking of looking for a broken 75mm or Seiko S0 shutter part on ebay when I saw a lens being listed. The legendary and rare 100mm 2.8!  The only 2.8 lens in this Mamiya Press system!!  And it was in pristine condition!  Without thinking, I emailed the guy for a shipping quote and bought the lens.  While waiting for the lens, I was stuck with my backup copy of the 100mm 3.5 for the pass 2 weeks to shoot with.  I was using the 75mm more often as it provides full coverage to the Instant FP100c and FB3000B without any vignetting.  The 100mm has slight vignettes if open wide but once stopped down to f5.6, Its literally gone. 

Shooting with the 100mm 3.5 on film makes me excited.  Why?  Because from the viewfinder, the angle of view was very very familiar to me.  I was wondering why then I found out that its Field of View (FOV) is actually around 40mm angle of view on a 35mm system!! Which means it's my favourite RF focal length!!!  (My favourite RF lens is my VC 40mm 1.4)  This means the new 100mm 2.8 would be almost an exact same lens (FOV and DOF too!) on my "Beast".  So I was waiting in agony for the new lens to come... f/2.8 will be like f/1.4 on 35mm or greater!

It also means I can get to shoot handheld with my 3000B Instant indoors and at night :)    Anyway, I planned to bring the damaged 75mm back to Singapore and see if Steven of Camera Hospital could fix it.  I just absolutely love how the lens renders colour.  Its FOV is about 35mm but the main issue is its speed.  Its only a 5.6 lens so I plan to use it more for landscapes and outdoor shoots. 

Here's a great link on the Mamiya Press camera system overview for those who are interested in this camera :)

And finally a test shot of the lens indoor at f/2.8 with 3000B.  Sharp and sweet!  Bokeh is wonderful too! 

Boy - Body

Its beem sometimes I have tried artistic abstract and recently I had acquired a Soft Focus Optics for my lensbaby composer.  After browsing through the web and getting some inspirations.  I decided to use this optics to shoot my boy real close with it.  And I mean really close hehehe.

My setup is simple.  Nex-3 with the A-mount adaptor and Composer with the optics.  The closer shots are taken with a +4 Macro filter.  Post processing is just convert it to black and white and viola.  Here's the series :)  You may feel free to look at the bigger photos at my gallery over here :)

MouthDigitsNoseEye

FingersBellybuttonFaceFeetEar

Light leaks.

When I received my 75mm lens and started shooting some Fp100Cs.  I noticed that the lens on and off gives me very low contrast photos, especially those taken outdoors.  At first I thought it was lens flare as its the entire photo and so I was very particular about having the hood on the lens all the time.  

When I received the 100mm lens, I too shot and sometimes occasionally saw the photos are a bit over exposed or low in contrast.  I was really dissapointed with the results until I developed my slides and negatives.  Its a total different experience!  The shots on the slides and negatives were great.  Very contrasty and sharp.  No flares detected.  

Then my 3000B arrived from the mail and I shot a few shots with the 100mm and to my horror, see light streaks all over the place.  Then I felt so stupid, its not the lens that flared!  Its the back!  The lightseals are worned and need replacements!  The higher iso 3000B actually reacts faster to even the least of light leaking into the back.  So I could easily determined the previous low contrast photos were due to leaks.

I have to quickly finished the 10 shots that I loaded and performed an operation on the polaroid back.  Shined my torch through the lightseals and presto.  Saw the leak.  Opened the back up (just held with 8 little screws) and cleaned the seal with some alcohol and replaced the foams.  All done in less than 30 mins time.   

 

Before

 

After

Moral of the story?  Check your equipment, especially those old old cameras for such issues first before blaming the lens... :P

 

 

2 years old!

Last Sunday (17th Jul) was my son's birthday.  He's 2!! Time really flies! Wife's friend came over for dinner and some cake.  Only 3 kids came but still havoc man.. 

Boy boy seems blur blur on what is happening hehehe.. But he did blew out the candle all by himself.  

It was sometime I shot with a DSLR and flash.  I did not take a lot this time as I was busy shouting here and there to control the crazy commotion. :P  I also shot some instant photos.  There were 3 shots left in my Press back and I finished them all in one go.  Then to my horror all came out blur as I forgot I had the 100mm lens retracted! !#$@$#  Bloody money wasted...

The "Beast" is really hard to tame but I am kind of getting attached to it.  i was thinking if I could retire and sell off my Hassy if it delivers but from the testing so far, there is one big problem with the press cam.  And that is the lens is a bit wanting.  Not say its not sharp but I am so used to Hassy's Zeiss glasses, the Mamiya photos is a bit "less contrasty".  Bokeh is actually better on the Press but the 75mm (which I intended to use it for serious landscape) is so easily prone to flare that I already nearly given up on it.  Even with the shades on, the 75mm could easily get flare in my photos.  Which means I need to be very very careful in positioning myself.   I planned to do some more test shots before confirming if I would sell of my Hassy system.  The Zeiss lens on Hassy is just brillant and its one of the main reason I am holding onto it. 

The rest of the photos are on my facebook album.  Do feel free to browse through them :)