This retirement gig is pretty sweet -- spent the day hiking Indian Trail and thereabouts, played around with an old camera, had some grandkid time.Seriously, the rest of you should try it.
Sorry, don't mean to rub it in, but really...
-- Went hiking on the Indian Trail today. Saw some pretty flowers, Karen Thurber painting a picture, some kids hiking the trail and got photographed by a guy from the Ogden Trails Network, who put me on their Facebook page.
Anyone know if this flower I shot is a sego lily?
-- A year or so ago a friend gave me an old camera that he said needed a home. I finally got around to taking it out and cleaning it up this week. It's made by Ansco, a New York Company that used to make cameras and film based in Binghamton, New York, now long gone. In their day they made some quality cameras and this is one, an Ansco No. 3A, is a good example -- real leather covering, leather bellows, good quality shutter, and all still working lo these 100 years or so. Even has an adaptor to use glass plates.But how to take a picture with it? Film that size in rolls is no longer made, so I cut a piece of photo paper to fit, put it in the back, did some calculations (paper has an ASA/ISO of about 5) and took a couple of test shots. I developed the prints, then scanned them and flipped them in photoshop so they're positives, not negatives, because we need to be more positive these days, right?
Very contrasty, but not bad. That old lens is pretty sharp.
I also spent a couple hours digging out elm trees in the back yard -- damn things grow everywhere and if you wait a couple of years they're permanent. Our yard is so overgrown they hardly show, but I still try.
The day ended holding my granddaughter Story again, 7 weeks old and growing like a weed.
So that was my Monday. As I said, this retirement gig is pretty sweet.
Indeed, that's a sego lily.
ReplyDeleteWhat do people call the pink stuff? Vetch?
Harmon, the folks that make Ilford film are offering to make bulk film the width of old 122 film, if they get at least 20 orders for a roll by the end of June. Not cheep, but would allow getting some on the old cameras back to life. (you would have to fake the backing paper.) Look for "Ilford ULF"
ReplyDeleteI'n not all THAT committed to reviving this camera, stitts, but thanks. Paper negatives are good enough for me -- and now they even make direct positive paper that you load and develop in total darkness but that produce a completed, full-tone image, with use of a paper negative or photoshop like I did here.
ReplyDelete