A return to Analogue- PX600

After the breakthrough by the Impossible Project to enable instant analogue photography once again through the development of a new film type, releasing both Monochrome versions of the classic 600 film [PX600 Silver Shade] and then releasing the colour equivalent, has allowed the Supercolour to start making images once again.

I did manage to buy some of the last stocks of the 600 Polaroid film, from the Impossible Project online and whilst I was over in Berlin last year. As this was really the last stock of the 600 made by Polaroid: - and at the time the new IP films hadn’t yet been released, I used the film I had cautiously…. Then….

The new monochrome version of the 600 films was released, under the new name of PX600 Silver Shade, I got hold of some: This was the first flush edition. It was touted as an “Experimental” film as certain aspects of the emulsion were sensitive to light post exposure and also temperature, both could affect the performance of the film [The IP did point this out quite clearly]

Loading it into the Supercolour the darkslide was quickly ejected, that was an encouraging sign; I set off out and about to try out the new instant film. 

Shot on a Polaroid Supercolour 670 AF with the new First Flush PX600 Instant Film. 

Tenement flats around Glasgow can be found in all states of repair, these images represent the final stages before demolition. These are to be demolished to make way for the Commonwealth Games Athletes village which are to be held in Glasgow in 2014.

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Nikon and the IR conversion

So a while back in early August I finally got the D1x and figured out how it actually worked (still can’t figure out why in aperture priority mode the f value shifts with focal length!) and took it out for a few pre conversion shots. As I have never really used Nikon it was quite refreshing to use, it seemed a very nice photographic tool, and extremely easy to use. The fast shooting speed seemed strangely addictive.

It was time to get the camera boxed up and sent away to Protech Photographic again to perform the conversion, this time I had decided to have the 665nm conversion performed, which suits the false colour infra red photography better than the 720nm filter conversion. Once securely boxed up away it went.

It didn’t take long until the converted D1x returned. The only trouble seemed that the weather had yet again turned to the rainy season again – stifling any real opportunities to get out and try out the new shooter. After waiting a week or so, the weather finally broke and the sun appeared in the sky and brightened things up.

Heading back to one of my favourite local spots I managed to get some photographs using the converted D1x.  

Pollok House Gardens
Nikon D1x 1/200 @ f8 ISO 100. Shot at 18mm (18-55mm AF-S f3.5-5.6G ED DX)

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Filters and Waterfalls

After investing in rather expensive neutral density filter from B+W a few months ago I have spent a while experimenting with this rather special filter. Offering a ten-stop reduction it can be used to slow the mundane down to offer some interesting images. The filter used normally for industrial applications has been one of my favourite filters I have bought so far. 

So this weekend I ventured out to the beautiful location of Ingleton in the North Yorkshire dales. After some research online, one of the attractions of Ingleton was the cascade of waterfalls situated nearby. Enlisting one of my photographic cohorts we set off early on Saturday to get there in plenty of time to shoot.

Hitting the Ingleton Waterfall Trail early (we were one of the first to arrive!) we set off, the trail is 8km or 4 and half miles, and has eight falls along the way. The rain had been heavy in the previous couple of days so the falls were pretty fierce, plenty of spray to get on the front of the filter!

Setting up proved a task; the trail is a rather narrow footpath, in places quite a squeeze- throw in slippery rocks and mud and you have an interesting combination…

With the filter in place and the camera firmly on the tripod the exposures began, most needed at least a 30 second exposure on bulb, shooting at f8 with the ISO dropped to 50. Being in a shady gorge the exposures were all over the place, the brief passages of light from the sun penetrating the moody sky helped out in exposing the dark corners of the shot. With exposures varying depending on the light breaking through, bracketing widely helped.

Moving around the trail, the light got better as the day progressed, by mid afternoon the sun had broken through the early overcast sky.

After a couple of hours out on the trail, we headed back to the car park to get the car and head home. Definitely a place I would return to, I think in the winter with a blend of snow and ice the place would be pretty impressive to shoot. 

Ingleton Waterfalls Trail

Beezley Falls
Canon EOS 1Ds 55s @ f8 ISO 50. Shot at 28mm (EF 24-105 f4L)

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An Infrared Conversion 665nm – and a suitable Nikon.

After having the Canon EOS 10D converted last year using the 720nm filter, I had seen at the time the alternative conversion using the 665nm filter. This one gives the strange colour infrared effects that, as the black and white images produced by the 720nm conversion are just as ethereal and wonderful.

Having managed to get hold of the Canon on e-bay for next to nothing getting another one might be difficult. After a few months of looking nothing really was being offered, most sold as seen with none descript faults or just plain broken. It’s amazing how many cameras’ are crushed or dropped in the sea.

I would have kept looking but had seen that the early Nikon digitals were being converted using the 665nm filter; indeed the initial conversion I had seen was for a Nikon. I had read some where on my web travels that the Nikon sensor was based on a Sony manufactured unit which had been present in some of the early compacts that had started the digital infrared interest.

Back to e-Bay and weekly trawls soon indicated that early Nikons of the D series were also hard to come by, and getting one was looking difficult. Luckily for me I managed to find a D1X body, with charger and two spare batteries, that was on sale for a decent price; and it helps that no one else bids, the only down side was that I’d need to find a lens for the camera. Now these are pretty decent digital shooters, from what I’ve read on a few of the well know review sites, so I was looking forward to getting it and taking it out for a pre conversion check.

Well it got here last week, I managed to borrow a 28-80mm off one of my Nikon friends and have a quick play about.

Well, it’s a great camera; it’s solid and looks the part, not being familiar with the whole Nikon chic it was a bit of a learning curve to get the thing fired up and doing what I wanted.

After a weekend of shooting I managed to pretty much figure it out, I should receive a nice 18-55mm AF-S f3.5-5.6G ED DX in the post in the week too.

D1X Review

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Analogue Returns....

I never really gave much though to instant photography, I remember using a Polaroid of some description in the eighties as a child, other than that I hadn't had any real interest. (Now I know it was a Polaroid 1000, that used SX 70 film)

Then suddenly after browsing the internet - again looking for other avenues of photography to discover, came across the Impossible Project.

For me the awareness that the instant film made by Polaroid had ceased production was not something that I had been aware of, at this point the value of what this team of individuals was in the process of trying to do caught my attention. 

But you still had Fuji, making the FP series of instant film and the slightly lomoesque Instax series of films. 

But Polaroid? The inventors of the instant film? No longer manufacturing instant film? Edwin H. Land would not be impressed. 

http://www.the-impossible-project.com/

Shot on a Polaroid Supercolour 670 AF with the last of the original Polaroid 600 Instant Film. Part of the Impossible Projects final stocks of the film issued as the Paul Giambarba Edition. 

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Lomographs

I had previously used a Lubitel medium format camera a good few years back, and didn't really have much fun with it. The plastic body and the fact that is wasn't light tight made it pretty tricky to use. Having to seal it with electrical tape lost its appeal pretty early on. It finally got thrown in the bin after many years of sitting redundantly in the cupboard. 

That though was before the Lo-Fi photography movement that is Lomography came along and the characteristics of the eastern block cameras were seen as pretty cool. 

After seeing the growing number of LOMO type cameras popping up (E- Bay and the high street Urban Outfitters) and the images taken with these appearing on various web sites, the subject of Lomography came up whilst visiting friends. Always looking for alternatives to straight forward photography and the march of the digital takeover, my friends thought that a LOMO LC-A was gathering dust in a cupboard - pretty much the same as the Lubitel languished unloved under my stairs. 

After a rummage the pretty much unused LC-A was produced. Original and with its plastic presentation box it looked a decent point and shoot. My friends told me that it hadn't really been used, and most probably saw the light of day back in the early 1990s. 

A quick review of the web indicated that this one was probably a early Russian one, and not one of the current Chinese impersonators. Getting the basic instructions from the web, I set out to try to get some images. The first roll of film through it was an expired Fuji Reala. To really try to emphasise the characteristics of the LC-A, I wanted to get the film cross processed, alas the outfit who I use locally stopped E6 processing (Huh?) so regular processing was performed. I was pretty impressed with the images from the camera. The automatic shutter speed performed well, everything seemed exposed correctly with the characteristic overexposed centre and dark edges. The focus of the shots were hit and miss, with selection of the estimated distance from your subject selector used with liberal disregard for any real image sharpness. Most of the time it was left at infinity. The images on the film were spaced almost evenly, the small guide sprocket made of pure plastic in the internals of the camera did a good job to advance the film frame by frame. 

So what happens when you load one of these cameras up and just shoot, forget the usual rules. Shoot anything? Factor in out of date film and cross processing and you might be in for a surprise....

Cross processed Agfa CT Precisa 100 - This film expired in June 2006. 

Cross processed Kodak BW400CN - This film expired in September 2007

Cross processed Fuji Reala 100 - This expired at least 3 years ago….

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