Been a while since my last post

Wile it's been quite some time since my last post here on my blog, I have been making some story posts over on a site called Medium and if anyone is interested in checking them out, my profile can be viewed at https://medium.com/@ian_mildon.

As you may be aware, I have recently returned to shooting with film. So much so I have now accumulated quite a few "new" film cameras and lenses. My collection now includes a Mamiya 645E medium format camera and three lenses (45mm, 80mm and 210mm); and my newest addition, a Nikon F2A and a pair of Nikon lenses for it. I managed to find a 50mm f/1.2 and a 35mm f/2 at a good price.

Not that my switch to film has been smooth sailing up to this point. While shooting color film on the Mamiya has been pretty fruitful, my forays into black and white have been rather disappointing. So far I have used only Ilford films (HP5+ and FP4+) and found them to not have very great contrast. In fact, I've found them to be rather flat; for my tastes. So I intend to experiment a bit more and see if I can identify a good film stock for my tastes.

The Nikon F2 though is only on it's second roll of film and I'm hoping this one will come out better than the first. I had run a roll of Kodak Portra 400 through it and, even though it was a little old, I expected reasonable results. Instead the images were so badly under exposed, grainy and showing color shifts that I started to wonder if there was something wrong with the camera or the lens. To test this out I decided to compare its metering to my Nikon N90s and swapping the lens between them. Doing this I did indeed find there was a difference, of between 1 and 2 stops of under-exposure on the F2. Believing the DP-11 finder was defective, I started pricing up the option of replacing it; and the need to manual compensate on ISO settings to bring it back into line in the mean time.

It was then that I found what may be a contributing factor to the error. If you remove the finder, there is a small-ish light seal on the back of the camera body that seals against the finder. This seal was "dust" and in serious need of replacement. After sourcing a replacement light seal kit online ($7) I was able to get it replaced. Once completed, I reached for the N90s to do another metering comparison. Would it still be off or would it now be a match?

Thankfully for me the two cameras were now providing the same values for exposures. Which means the finder was not faulty after all, it was light leaking between the body and finder. So, lesson learnt, if using a "vintage" camera, check the seals and either pay to have someone replace them; or if you are confident in your own skills, there are numerous online options to buy kits to do it yourself.

Oh, and like with my medium format photography, I'm also currently experimenting to find which 35mm films I'm going to primarily shoot with. For both formats I am wanting to find a good color and B/W film (that suits my personal tastes) so I can get a consistent look to my photos.

And if anyone is interested in checking out my film gear, there are several photos over on my Instagram feed.

Nothing stays the same

While I may have played around with video cameras in the past, I have always been strict that my working camera was photos only. The trend of having cameras that can shoot photos and video struck me as a compromise; where both "sides" were not optimal.

But as time has passed, I am understanding the appeal more and more. There are times when a still image can't convey the scene to it's maximum and being able to quickly switch over to video would be very advantageous.

Now, as regular readers will know, I currently shoot with a rather aged Nikon DSLR. One that does not have video. I do however have a little pocket sized Sony that does have video on it. Which is all well and good but the image quality is not really there for publishing and/printing. It only shoots in JPG and to me, "overcooks" the image processing. Anyway, I would rather have everything in the one body to keep a consistent look and feel. Plus, the lack of switching between cameras means less to carry, which my shoulders would be very appreciative of.

Of course, this will nescesitate upgrading my primary camera. Which is financially out of reach at the moment, but it does give me a chance to decide on what upgrade path to take. I am currently shooting a DX format camera and am wanting to go "full frame" so whichever route I take will eventually mean all new lenses too. So I am also considering switching brands! (shocked face)

Ever since I really got into photography, and reading photo magazines, I dreamt of owning Nikon gear. And for the last 10 years of so I have. Yet today I am not sure if I want to keep on going down that route. Currently there is only one Nikon body I feel would meet my needs; and even it is starting to age, with no signs of a refresh or redesign. That and the fact Nikon no longer seems to be innovating, plus a slew of quality control issues with several bodies makes me feel like looking elsewhere.

Now I can hear some of you saying go Canon. And while they are good cameras, plus currently​ the number 1 brand with professionals, they are also not really innovating. And yes, I did consider switching to Canon but ultimately decided against it.

In fact, my current train of thought is a little more radical. I'm looking at going "mirrorless" and switching to Sony. The a7 II (a7R II or a7 II) bodies from Sony are looking really interesting and with the latest firmware, they have overcome a lot of the initial issues. And with the release of their new a9 body, they are seriously becoming a contender in the professional arena. Also, they are continuing to expand their lens collection; they already have the the three lenses I would be wanting, covering 16mm through 200mm. And on top of that, the overall costs would be pretty similar to what I would be looking at by sticking with Nikon or switching​ to Canon.

There is also one other reason I'm looking at Sony. They have a great app for my phone and tablet that provides full remote control of their cameras. No more having to purchase or carry separate remote controls is a nice prospect. It also means, if I shoot in JPG format, I can transfer images straight out of the camera and post to Instagram. A interesting proposition to traveling light and not having to pull out my laptop to download, edit and then in turn transfer the images to my phone so that I can share them.

Anyway, this is all a "pipedream" at the moment until I can gather the funds to upgrade. Who knows, Nikon may surprise me and tempt me to stay. Only time will tell.