RPS Analogue Journal Issue 14

Contents

FotoFunwiththeSprocketRocket

AHasselbladXPanisidealbutfailingthat youcanachievepanoramaswithimpactata fractionofthecostasSteveJonesshows.

500Tinmediumformatcameras

TonyLovellFRPSimprovisesawaytoshoot cineflminmediumformatcameras.

Gallery

Refectivecolourimagesfromsunnyclimes byDavidFells.

Members’Darkrooms

RobertAdamshascreatedasuperbly equippedyetcompactdarkroom.

What’sintheBag?

RobertAdams’skitbagisaswellthought outashisdarkroom.

‘OwMooch?!

Amiser’sapproachtoanalogue photography.

MamiyaUniversal

Thebigandversatilerangefnderreviewed byDavidFells.

ProductReview

TPleatherhalfcasesarewellmade,look goodandprotectyourpreciouscameras fromscuffs.

BookReview

Readthisthoughtprovokingbookby DominickTylerandyou’llneverbestuckfor titlesforyourlandscapes.

Analogueisthejournalof theAnalogueSpecialInterest Group(SIG)oftheRoyal PhotographicSociety(RPS)and isfreetoAnalogueSIG members.

Committee

Chair:

RichardWilliamsLRPS

Secretary: CharlesBinns

Treasurer: RobertAdams

JournalEditor: CharlesBinns

JournalDesigner: OwenAndrew

WebContentManager: FernNuttalARPS

Allrightsreservedonthepartof contributorsandauthors.Nopartofthis publicationmaybereproduced,storedina retrievalsystemortransmittedinanyform orbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical, photocopiedorrecordedwithoutthe writtenpermissionofthecopyrightholder. Requestsforsuchpermissionmustbe addressedtotheEditor.TheRPS,the AnalogueSpecialInterestGroupandthe Editoracceptnoliabilityformisuseor breachofcontractbyacontributor.The viewsexpressedinthisjournaldonot necessarilyrefectthepoliciesoftheRPS oroftheAnalogueSIG.

TheKodachromephotofromSaint-Gilles, Gard,Franceisfrom1997andwastaken onmyLeicaM2withaSummicronf/2 lens.Almostcertainlythe35mmrather thanthe50mmIwouldguess. ItwasdigitisedusingtheM240withthe BEOONcopier.

AndrewSpackmanARPS

Editorial

Well,ithasbeenawhile!Notsurehowthathappened. ‘Procrastinationisthethiefoftime’andsoarealotofbig wordslikeitwhichspringtomind.AddadashofCovid, whereOwenandIfailedtocoordinatetobeaffictedatthe sametime,butsequentiallyandthatwasanotherplanned deadlineby-passed.Butintheendthetruthofthematteris –‘thedogatemyhomework’.

Havingdustedmyselfoffandclimbedbackonthehorseso tospeak,weareherenowwithourlatestedition.This oneis ColourPhotographythemedandshouldbecomingtoyou completewithacopyoftheexhibitioncatalogueput togetherbyRichardWilliamsandOwenAndrew.

Theexhibitionitself,attwovenues,SolihulandThe HeseltineGallery,MiddletonCheneyworkedoutwell.A verygoodattendanceattheHeseltineopeningwithover40 membersonthedaywasverygratifying.Thebestpartwas thevarietyandqualityofentriesfromyou–the membership.Theadditionalprocessnotesondisplaywere wellreceivedandtheverylargeprintsshownbyTony Lovell wentdownastormwithfellowmembers,other photographersandthepublicatlarge.Wehavepenciledin adatefornextJanuaryfortheHeseltineandwearein discussionswithtwoothervenues,Solihulagainand London.Anorthernvenuewouldbenice,buthavenot managedtofndoneyet –suggestionswelcome.Entry detailstofollowindue course.

Someverygoodinputinthisedition,withmanythanksto thatmanTonyLovellagain,anexcellentcamerareviewby DavidFellsoftheMamiyaPress,anunsunghero(anda favouriteofsomeguycalledDonMcCullinwhoI understandisahalfdecentphotographer)andalookatthe ‘SprocketRocket’fromSteveJones.Wealsogettovisitthe pristineand‘machinetooled’splendourofourHon. TreasurerRobertAdams’sdarkroom.Thinkingofyoudear membersweevenhaveanantidotetotheastronomical increaseinthecostofflm–seedetailsinside.

InthebackgroundwehavebeenrunningregularZoom ‘showandtell’meetingsandarecentLondongettogether

overcoffeeaswellasarevisitofourBreconWaterfalls event.Onceagainagoodturnoutwitheightofus,butitwas wet.Iwassoakedtotheskinbetweenthecarandthestart ofthewalk.ManythankstoourWelshmembersfor supportingthedayandRogerHarrisonfororganizingitfor us.

Lookingatthefeedbackimagesonthegroup’sFacebook page,theshotofthedayformewasaveryfneandmoody pinhole6x17imagetakenPaulBullockLRPS.Ournext editionis‘Pano’themedandIamhopingtogetPaultogive usfeedbackonhis6x17andthatimageforit.Icouldalso dowithacamerareviewoftheHasselbladXPanortheFuji 6x17cameraifanyofyoufeelsoinclined.IputittoHon. TreasurerthatweshouldbuyanXPanforthepurposesof thenextedition–hedemurred–haveyouseenthepriceof them?WearelookingtopublishagainintheAutumn.

ItiswithsadnessthatIhavetocommentonthedemiseof Silverprint,theSouthCoastbasedsupplierofallthings analogue.Ihavebeenbuyingfromthemsincetheysetupas theimporterofthethenfantasticAgfaprintingpapersand associatedchemicals.Theyalsohadaveryinterestingpaper basedcataloguewithprocessingnotesfortheAgfa products. AvisittotheirLondonpremiseswasalwaysajoy.Thisisa big losstotheanaloguecommunitybutwestillhaveProcess SuppliesinLondon,AG+inBirmingham,The Imaging WarehouseStratfordandFirstcall.HaveImissed any?

Afterourlastcommitteemeetingwehavealsohadachange ofheartresendinghardcopyeditionstoouroverseas members,soyoushouldbereadingthiseditioninyour handsratherthanonscreeninCanada,theUSA,Australia, HongKongandNewZealand.Iwillalsoincludecopiesof thelasteditionforyouandtheExhibitionCatalogue. Membershipcontinuestogrowsteadily;currentlyrunning at244withthismailing,wemaybesmallbutstillthe largeststructuredspecialistAnaloguegroupintheworld–probably.

Confessiontime–Idonothaveadog.

CharlesBinns

PhotoFunwiththe SprocketRocket SteveJonesARPS

IsawtheLomography

SprocketRocketonAnalogue

Wonderland’swebsitein 2020.

Itrekindledmemoriesof panoramicpictureswiththe HasselbladXPanIhad twentyyearsago

UsedXPansnowchangehandsforaround£3,000,soa new35mmpanoramiccamerafor£60,albeitverybasic, washardtoresist.

Basicitcertainlyis.Thereisachoiceofaperturesof f10.8orf16andfocuscanbesetateither0.6to1metre or1metretoinfnity.Shutterspeedis1/100.ThereisaB optionandatripodsocketbutnomeansofattachinga cablereleasesomaintainingsteadynessforalong exposurewouldbechallenging.Thereisafashhotshoe andflmisfairlyeasytoload,windandrewind.

Theinterestingthingisthatthereisa30mmlensgiving anangleofviewof106degreesandanimageareaof 34x70mm.Asitsnamesuggests,thismeansthesprocket holesoftheflmarepartoftheimagearea.Ifyoudon’t wantthemamaskisincludedwiththecameraalthough thatseemstometobemissingthepoint.

Asyoumightexpect,theRocketcan’tmatchtheXPan forsharpness.Savingnearly£3000givesyouafuntool toplayandexperimentwith.Imagesarereasonably sharp(ish)inthecentre(thinkdisposablecamera)but defnitionrapidlyfallsoffaclifftowardsthesides, particularlywhenthesubjectisclosetothecamera.As anaddedbonus,barreldistortionismassive.

IhaveonlyusedmyRocketwithcolourflmandseek outshotswherecolouritselfistheprincpalsubject,

typicallyatfairgroundsandseasidetowns.Itsverylight andfairlycompactsoIdropitinmybagalongsidemore ‘serious’gearwhenoutandabout.

Inkeepingwiththeexperimentalandplayfulnatureof usingtheRocket,IuseKodakVision500Tcineflmand processinC41colournegativeorRA4colourprint chemistry.Cineflmneedstheblackcarbon‘Remjet’layer removedatthestartofprocessing,soyoucannotsenditto anordinarylab.Remjetremover,togetherwithcineflm

BrightonPier-Horse500T

andchemicalscanbeobtainedfromNik&Trickin Folkestonehttps://ntphotoworks.com/.Cinestillflmhas alreadyhadtheRemjetremovedwhenyoubuyitsocan besenttoaC41processor.

Likemostflmshooters,Iscanallmyflmsandonlymake analogueprintsofaveryfew.Lomography’s DIGITALIZA35mmscanningmaskenablesyoutohold flmstripsfatwhilestillexposingthesprocketholes.

Ihadoftenexpressedtheviewthatno-oneintheirright mindwoulddodarkroomcolourprintingintheageofthe scannerandinkjet.However,fortheAnalogueGroup’s 2021exhibitionatSolihullIhadmyfrstgoatitfor30 yearsusingSpocketRocketnegatives.Thisexperiencedid notchangemymind!Myblackoutwasfnefor monchromeprintingbutwhollyinadequateforcolour;it’s verydiffculttofocus,thecoloursafelightwaslittlebetter thanuselessandyoucanonlyadjustcolourbalanceand notcontrast.ButIwillhaveanothergooneday,ifonly becauseIhave45sheetsofA3colourpaperleft!

SouthBank Liverpool

Oppositepage

Top: Hastings

Middle: Waterloo

Bottom: SouthBank

BrightonPier-Carousel

500Tinmediumformatcameras TonyLovellFRPS

I’ma99%proofblackandwhitelargeformat photographer,usuallyworkingwithouthesitationor deviationfromtheoriginalnegative.Ialwaysstrivetobe morecreativeinwhatIproducebutitmustbetheengineer inmethatfndsthecreativeandartysidediffcult.

WhenIwenttotheAnalogueGroup’sexhibitionlast September,IwasimpressedbySteveJones’sBrightonPier colourworktakenonasprocketrocketusingKodakVision 500TdevelopedinRA4printchemicals.Ilovedthecross processedcolours,theflmdetailsprintedinthebottomand ofcoursethesprockets.

Itookaphotographoftheprintdetailsonthewalland cameawaytodosomeresearch….

IsoonfoundNick&TrickPhotographicservicesonline, sellingawiderangeofflmsandchemicalsincluding500T flmloadedin35mmcassettesandtheRA4Chemicals.Ilater boughttheflminbulkrollsoneBay,boughtsomereloadable cassettesandrolledmyown.

Ididn’thaveaSprocketRocketcamera,butIhaveplentyof oldrollflmcamerasthatIthoughtwouldworkwell.I boughtsome3Dprinted35mmto120flmadaptersagainon eBay.Iwasreadytousemyfrstrollof500Tflminearly October2021justastheAutumnFunFairarrivedin Peterboroughandthoughtthiswouldmakeanidealsubject.

ThefrstcameraItriedwasmyVseriesHasselblad503witha 50mmwideanglelens,thisgavemeanegative35mmdeep and55mmwide.Theadaptersdidnotftthatwell,butthe cameradidn’tjamandIproduced14goodimagesonthefrst roll!Iratedtheflmat500ISOandtookalltheexposuresin theearlyeveningdarknessat1/8thsecondatF8.

Thencamethedevelopment,theprocessshouldbe undertakenat100F,Iwasn’tsetupforthis,soIhadtubsof hotwaterandkepttoppingupfromthekettletomaintainthe temperatures.

Extreme –Hasselblad503,50mm,8th atF8. Thisimagewasoneofmyfavouriteimagesfromthefrstroll.

Waltzer –Arax,30mm,8th,F4

Hasselbladbackloadedwith120rollflm

Insulatedboxfortheflmprocessing

Thefrstthingwith500TistoremovetheRemjetlayer fromtheflm.Remjetisaprotectivelayeronthebaseof motionpictureflmwhichneedstoberemovedbefore development.YoucanbuyaRemjetremover(Nick& Tricksellit)butIdidn’thaveany,soIused2teaspoonsof bicarbonateofsodaand4teaspoonsofsodiumcarbonate in300mlofwaterandthatseemedtoworkfne,inthat blackwatercameoutinthefollowingwashandIjust hopedtheblackwaterdidnotincludetheflmemulsion!

Ithendevelopedfor3minutes,Blixfor6½minutesanda 5minutewashandyes,Ihadsomeimages!Theflmwas stabilised(partoftheRA4process)for30secondsandthe flmwashunguptodry.

Lovingthewideangleofthefrsteveningsshots,Idecided toreturnacoupleofeveningslater,thistimeIloadedmy UkrainianbuiltArax6x6camerafttedwitha30mmcopy oftheCarlZeiss30mmF3.5Distagon.Againtheadapter forthe35mmflmwasnotagoodftandIonlymanaged

fourgoodframesbeforetheystartedtooverlap.Thefourth frameishoweveroneofmyfavourites.

IwasrealisingatthispointjusthowmuchIlovedthese imagesanddecidedtoupgrademyprocessingequipment. Ilookedatsomecolourprocesserswithtemperature controlandthepriceswerejusttoohighformeatthetime andIdecidedtomakemyown.

IwenttothelocalDIYstoreandboughtacoupleof stackingboxesthatwouldftonewithinanother,Ithen boughtsomeexpandingfoamandflledthegapbetween themtoprovideaninsulatedtank.Ithenboughtan aquariumheaterwitharangeinexcessof100Fandaset offourdedicated300mmmeasuringcylindersforthe Remjetremover,dev,Blixandstabiliser.

Byfllingthetankwithhotwaterfromthetankthewater heaterwouldeasilykeepthewaterat100degreesalmost

indefnitely.Icoveredthetopofthetankwithasheetofglass justtokeepdowntheheatloss.

OneissueIhadwiththeHasselbladandtheAraxwasthat theflmhastoruntoptobottomsoyouneedtouseaprism fnderwiththecameraonitsside.Ihaveafewold120roll flmcamerassoonthenexttripoutItrieda6x8Epsilon camerawithanice105mmRossXpresslenswhich worke d well.Iputtapeoverthereframewindowsand markedthewindonknobsothatIcouldcountthree revolutionstogivethecorrectframespacingforthe80mm widepanoramicimages.

Thewiderformatallowedbettercompositionofimagessuch astheWaltzer,whichIcouldnowflltheframeandoverallI thinkthisisthebestsolutionoralternativetobuyinga dedicatedcamerasuchastheSprocketRocket.Acameralike thisistypicallysoldfor£20to£30soitsnotgoingtobreak thebanktohaveatry.

Ross120flmfoldingcamera

6x8foldingrollflmcamera

PanoramicWaltzer

GALLERY

SponsoredbyAnalogueWonderland

ColourimagesbyDavidFells

Findouthowyoucanreceiveavoucherworth£25fromAnalogueWonderlandonpage31

Montpellier

DoorAveyron

PaintedWall,MontagnesNoir

Mountains,Spain

StAntonineNobleVal

Refections

YellowRoseSaloon

MyDarkroom

RobertAdams

Icreatedadedicateddarkroomattheendof 2018inpartofagroundfoorhouseextension. PriortothisIhadamakeshiftarrangementinthe garagewherecontrolofdaylightleaksand temperaturewasextremelydiffcult.

Withafoorspaceof1.5x4.5metersthis darkroomhasmodernlevelsofinsulationand underfoorheating.Althoughcompactithasa vaultedceilingandislargeenoughforallthe equipmentIneedtomakemonochromeprints upto20x24inchesand12x16incolour.

TheworktopsaresupportedonbasicIkeakitchen cupboardunitswithDIYshelvesandextractorfan ductsabovethecustommadesink.

Thepreparationareaisaboutameterwideandis equippedwithanA2LEDlighttablet. Twosafelightsareinstalled,oneinthedryarea besidetheenlargerandalargeroneabovethe sink.ArecentlyacquiredclassicKodak‘Beehive’ modelisparticularlygoodhavingbeenfttedwith aredNo.1WrattenSeriesflterandanLEDbulb. Asoneofmyphotographicmentorswouldhave said“Adarkroomdoesn'thavetobedark.”

Theenlargerisa1973vintageDeVere504 withaDichromatcolourhead,fourlenses (50,80,110and150mm)andnegative holdersfor35mm,6x6,6x9and4x5 formats.Iboughtthisin2016forabout £300.Unfortunatelymanyofthese superb largeformatenlargerswere scrappedduringthetransitiontodigital. Theyarenowmorediffculttofndand priceshaverisenconsiderablyinrecent yearsasinterestinanaloguephotography hasrevived.

TheDeVerehasbeenmodifedtotake Ilfordmultigradeflters,underthelens,by constructingasimpleslide-inholderfrom blackfoamboard.Thefltersthemselves

arecutfromlargersheetssuppliedby Ilfordandmountedonblackfoamboard holders.Thesewereintendedtobe ‘prototypes’buthaveprovedtobe robust andworkwell.Colourworkisvery easywiththepurposebuiltDichroic enlargerhead.

Myblackandwhiteprintinghasbeen greatlyinfuencedbythebook ‘Way BeyondMonochrome’ byRalphW. LambrechtandChrisWoodhouse.They advocate‘f-stopprinting’withexposure controlbasedonf-stopsratherthan absolutetimes.IusetheoriginalDeVere manuallysettimerbutIamthinkingabout anupgradetoamodernprogrammable

timerliketheRHDesign’sStopClockPro’

whichisspecifcallydesignedtofacilitate f-stopprinting.

Rememberingtheirregulartime incrementswhenmakingteststripscanbe achallenge.Tomakethiseasier,especially whenworkingundersafelightsorin completedarknessforcolourwork,Ihave madeupasetofplastictabletswiththe timeincrementsforvariousf-stopfractions andrangesprintedonthem.Theseare placedalongsidemystandardised2x10 inchteststripontheeaselallowingthe timeincrementstobeseenasIworkalong theteststrips.

Onthe‘wetside’isacustommade polypropylenesinkfromRichardsofHull. Plumbingforhotandcoldwatermixing anddistributiontothreeoutputsis attachedtothePVCpanelledboard behindthesink.Thewatertemperatureis monitoredbyabrewingthermometer.

Wehaveasoftwatersupplyinourarea. FortunatelyIhaveneverhadproblemswith contaminationofflmorpapersoIhave

decidednottoincludeawaterfltration systemforthedarkroomplumbing.

Iuseopenprocessingtraysfor monochromeworkupto12x16inchesand Jobodrums(4550and3063)onamanual rollerbasefor16x20and20x24inches.

ForRA4colourworkIhaveaJoboCPE2 processorforprintingupto12x16inches. Thishasreplacedamanuallyrotated Patersonunitwhichwasquiteawkwardto useincomparison.

Printsarewashedineithera16x20sizetray insidethesink,withanincorporatedwater supplytubegivingahorizontalfow,ora homemade‘washboard’setupforlarger sizesupto20x24.Duetoit'slengththishas tositontheadjacentworktopdraininginto thesink.

Dryingofbothflmandpaperisdoneina heatedandfan-ventilateddryingcabinet. ThisisanadaptedIkeasteellockerftted withtwo80Wtubeheatersandatopmountedextractorfanwhichdrawsfltered airthroughventsonthesides.The extractorfanandflteredventsarereadily availablepartsforPCpowersupplies.

What’sin thebag

RobertAdams

What'sinmybagforlargeformatphotography?

Iusemylargeformatcamerasforlandscapephotography andIespeciallyenjoycapturingcoastalscenesinboth blackandwhiteandcolour.

EdwardWeston,thegreatAmericanPhotographer,once said“Anythingmorethan500yardsfromthecarjustisn't photogenic”.

Hislargeformatcameraequipmentmusthavebeenvery bulkyandheavy,especiallythetripod,soperhapshis tongue-in-cheekcommentwasaresultofalongcareer spentnursinganachingback?

ThingshavemovedonsinceEdwardWeston'sdaysin termsoflightweightequipmentbutIstillseemtoendup witharucksackweighing9or10KgbeforeanyTunnocks CaramelWafers,whiskyfasksoradditionalclothingare added!

HereiswhatInormallypackforatypicallargerformat shootingexpedition:

Iuseaconventionalrucksackinpreferencetoapurpose builtcamerabackpack.MineisanoldBerghaus35+8litre one.Ihavetriedpurposemadecamerabackpacksbuthave notfoundthemtobeascomfortableforlongerwalks mostlybecausetheydon'thaveaproperframeanda ventilatedmeshback.

OntheleftisacompactVelbonUT63Dtripod.Ihave replacedthestandardVelbonheadwithaBenroV2which ismucheasiertocontrolwithheavierloads.Tripodsare alwaysacompromisebetweenweightandperformance.I fndthattheVelboniscompactenoughtoftinsidethe rucksackasIdon'tlikehavingthingsdanglingonthe

outsideofarucksack.Itextendshighenoughforme,at6 feettall,togetbehindthegroundglasswithoutstooping. Ithasaverycleverspacesavinglockingmechanismfor thelegsandissturdyenoughtocarrythe4x5Intrepid Camera,(itwouldn'tbeanygoodforportraitworkwitha longbellowsextensionbutfornormallandscapeworkitis fne).IfI'mnotventuringtoofarfromthecarIwilltakea largerManfrotto055carbonfbretripodfttedwithaBenro G3headinstead.

AwhileagoIdecidedtostandardiseonthe‘Arca-Swiss’ typeoftripodadapterforallofmycameras.Thismakes lifesomucheasier!Theseadaptersareinexpensiveand easytofndoneBayindifferentsizes.

Alsoontheleftisthehomemadedark-cloth,whichis reallyanenclosed‘darktunnel’madefromcurtain blackoutmaterialwithadrawstringtogiveatightft aroundthecamerascreen.Thesedaysmykneesaren'tas robustastheyusedtobesoIcarrypairofScrewfx'sfnest £5.99kneepadsforthoseoddoccasionswhenImighthave

tokneelbehindthecameraonwetorrockyground.

LargeFormatistheonlytypeofphotographywhereyou actuallyhavetoassemblethecamerainthefeldsohaving easyaccesstoallthecomponentsisessential.Thecamera equipmentisshownonthebluegroundsheet.Ipackthis ruggedwaterproofsheetatthetopoftherucksackanditis alwaysthefrstitemout.Itendtosetup‘basecamp’some waybehindtheintendedcameralineofsight.Ithenunload therucksackcontentsontothegroundsheetasthisgives meeasyaccesstoalltheitems.

Itiseasiertowalkaroundtheareawiththeassembled cameraonthetripodlookingfortheideallocationforthe shoot,unencumberedwithalltherestofthekit.Once,in Australia,Ireturnedtomy‘basecamp’onaremotebeach tofndthatseabirdshadattackedmy‘basecamp’andallof mykitwasscatteredaroundinthesand!

Whentimepermits,Itrytodoareconnaissanceof interestingscenes.Iuseaveryhandysmartphoneapp called‘Viewfnder’tohelpwithcompositionandlens

selection.Intheory,havingpreselectedalensfora particularshotIcouldlightenmyrucksackbyonlytaking onelensbutItendtocarryuptothreeincaseIcome acrossanunforeseenopportunity.

Ihavemanylargeformatlensesinmycollectionbutthe threethatIalwayscarrycanbeseenwiththeirindividual protectivegreenneoprenepouchesonthetoprowonthe groundsheet:

1.SchneiderAngulon90mmf/6.8–asupercompactand lightweightlenswithsurprisinglygoodperformance.

2.SchneiderSymmar-S120mmf/5.6–afantasticlens withgoodcoveragefor4x5

3.FujinonW210mmf/5.6–anotherbeautifullysharplens whenyouneedabitofextrareach.

TheexcellentSymmar-S120mmf/5.6wouldbemychoice ifIhadtopackonlyonelens.

AllofmylensesaremountedonLinhoftypelensboards,

haveadaptorsfortheLee100flterkit,acablereleaseand Leewhitelenscapspre-fttedforeaseofuseinthefeld.I havelostcountofthenumberofcablereleasesthathave slitheredoutofmypocketsintotheundergrowth,so attachingthemtothelensesreducesthechancesoflosing them.Youdohoweverneedtotakeextracarenottoknock themaboutasthecablereleaseattachmentscanbeeasily damaged.

Purposemadecamerabagsdohavetheadvantageof havingbuilt-inpaddedcompartmentstoseparate equipment.WiththeconventionalrucksackIhavemade individualprotectivepouches.Theseareeasytomakeat homefrom8mmneoprenewetsuitmaterialavailableon eBay.Thismaterialcanbecutoutwithscissorsandglued alongtheedgeswithspecial‘BlackWitch’neoprene adhesive.Velcrodotsaregluedtotheopeningstocreate closuretabs.Thesepouchesareabitroughandreadybut doagoodjobofprotectingthemoredelicateitemsfrom the‘washingmachine’effectoftheinsideofarucksack.

TopleftonthegroundsheetisaSilvestri4xloupe.Iuse thisveryrarelybecauseIamquiteshortsightedandhave theabilitytoseeveryclearlywithoutmyglassesbutonly atabout15cmfrommyeyes!Focusingusingtheground glassisthereforeveryeasyformewithoutanymagnifers.

OntheleftofthemiddlerowisaPentaxDigitalSpotmeter. Iamahugefanofthisamazingpieceofequipment.Ihave triedallkindsofmetersincludingfancyovercomplicated modernspotmeterswithmorefeaturesthanyoucanshake astickat,butforoutsideworknonecancomparewiththe Pentaxforgreatdesignandeaseofuse.Imanagedtobuya usedonefrommytrusted‘dealer’inJapanoneBaybackin 2017beforethepriceswentbonkersandoneofthelast new-old-stockonesfromRicoh/Pentaxafewyearsagofor aneye-wateringprice!Ihavefttedminewithazone systemstickerfromZoneVIthatmakesexposureselection eveneasier.

Ialwayscarryasmallboxofsparesandtoolsformaking adjustmentsinthefeldandaA6sizednotebookwith pencilforrecordingexposuredetailsetc.

InthecentreismyFujiGW690III(akatheTexasLeica) usuallyloadedwitha400ISOblackandwhiteflmlike KodakT-MAX.Thisismyback-upcameraforthe occasionswhenitistoowindytouseaviewcamera.The 90mmf/3.5lensisexceptionalandthenegativesat6x9cm, althoughnotstrictlylargeformat,arelargeenoughtodo justicetomostlandscapescenes.OnwindlessdaysItend toleavethiscamerabehindasitaddsandextra1.5Kgto therucksack.

TheIntrepidSpecialEditionBlack4x5,bottomcentre,is mysecondcamerafromIntrepid.Theirproductshave improvedsteadilyoverlastfewyears,aregoodvaluefor moneyandexcellentforbeginnerswhomightnotwantto committospendinglargersumsonaposher4x5camera. Theyarealsoverylightweight.MyBlack4x5isfttedwith afresnelscreensuppliedasanoptionalextrabyIntrepid. Thisisveryeffective.Itmakestheimageontheground glassmuchbrighterforeasierfocusing.

Iusuallycarryatleast2flmholders.Eachispackedinside ananti-static,zip-lockplasticbagandaneoprenepouch.I mostlyshootIlfordFP4+forblackandwhiteandKodak Portra160forcolour.Iamabletodevelopbothtypesof flm athomebutItendtosendcolourouttoaprofessionallab.

IusetheLee100fltersystemwithacombinedholderand lenshood.InsidethespecialLeecarryingbagisaselection ofneutraldensity(ND)graduatedflters,apolariser, colouredgelsforblackandwhiteworkandarecently acquired6-stopNDflter.

Itiscertainlypossibletominimisethisoutftandthe resultingweightoftherucksackwhenaveryspecifc locationandshotareenvisaged.Perhaps1-2Kgcouldbe shavedofftheoverallburdenbutIhavefoundthatthe unplannedopportunityalwaysseemstopop-upmaking youwishyouhadbroughtthatextralensafterall!

Ikeepallofthisequipment,withtheexceptionofloaded flmholders,packedintherucksack,readytogo,whenthe urgetogomorethan500yardsfromthecarcomesover me.

TheCastleandPaladianBridge,StoweLandscapeGardens RobertAdams

ThePaladianBridge,StoweLandscapeGardens RobertAdams

HungarianParliamentBuilding RobertAdams

‘OwMooch?!’

KodakEktarandanewcamera

Filmpricesarejustgettinghigherallthetime.Atthisrateitcould seriouslyputthebrakesonthecurrentanalogueresurgence.

LeaderofthepackonpriceincreasesisKodak,currentlyselling Ektarcolournegativeflmfor£15.00forasingle36exposureroll -ifyoucangetit,withmanysuppliersoutofstock.

Tri-Xisabargainat£11.00itwouldseem,butatleastwehave IlfordHP5tofallbackonatamorereasonable£7.25,soit’s goodbyetoTri-XformeIamsorrytosay,after50yearsofloyal andhappyuse.

Wedohaveourmember’sofferof10%offwhentheaboveare boughtfromoursponsorAnalogueWonderland,whichisahelp.

Withmonochromeflmwealsohavethefurtheroptionofbulk loading35mmtomakefurthersavingsunlessyoustickwith Tri-Xwhountilrecentlychargedmoreforbulkthanpackaged.

Theyseemtohavebackedofffromthisapproachanda30mtrroll

of Tri-X(1836exposureloads)comesinat£170.00,£9.40per roll.PlugintheAnalogueWonderlanddiscountandthatcomes downto£8.50.TakethesameapproachtoHP5anditisavery reasonable£5.00perroll.

Iamcurrentlyfeeling‘blessed’tohaveovertheyears accumulatedacollectionofhighqualityreloadablecassettes (LeicaandNikon)buttheyarecameraspecifcsoIalsomakea pointoftaking35mmflmoutofcassettesforprocessingwithout brakingthemopensoIcanreusethemforbulkreloading–workswell,youjusthavetoremembernottorewindflmallthe waybackinwhenit’sfnishedleavingaleadertoloadontothe processingreelanda‘reload’tongueattheotherendtotapeyour reloadto.Donotforgettomarktheleadersoyoudonotreloadit intoacameraagain–notthatIwouldeverfallforsuchasilly mistake–justsaying.ButyouknewallthatIamsure

Sohearingthecollective‘’OwMooch!!’(andnotjustfrom Yorkshire)a‘marketinggenius’(bitofatautologythisonelike ‘ArmyIntelligence’etc.)atKodakhascometoourrescue.

TheyhavelaunchedtheKodakEktarcamera.Itrevivesthehalf frameconceptfromthesixtiessoyouget72shotsforyour£15 andnot36,thushalvingtheexpenseatastroke.

NowrememberingthatitisKodakwhobroughtusthe110 format,thedisccameraandthe126cassette(thatwillnotallowa liefatflmplaneduetocostcuttingfromtheoriginalexcellent Germandesign)weshouldknowwhattoexpect.

SureenoughwehaveaplasticfantasticwithanF9.0plasticlens –anditonlycosts£44,ontopofyour£15.00arollfortheflm.It doescomeinanicerangeofcoloursthoughandhasabuiltin fash,whichyouwillneedgiventheF9.0aperturewitha100asa flmandapparently‘thekids’justloveitifYoutubevideo’sareto bebelieved.

IthastobesaidthoughthatEktarisaveryfneflmandcarrying theaboveconceptthroughwithabitmorelogic,Ihatcheda ‘cunningplan’.

Therearesomeveryhighquality‘real’halfframecameras kickingaroundfromthesixtiesfromCanon,RicohandOlympus.

TheOlympusPenrangehasacultfollowingandwithgood reason.FornotmuchmorethanthepriceoftheKodakmulti colouredplasticeffortIpickedupanOlympusPenEE2.Thetop platewasfallingoffandthelightsealswereshot.Ifoundascrew fromanoldcameraandasparelightsealkitfromanOlympus TripandtwentyminuteslaterIwasgoodtogo.TheEE2likethe aboveKodakisapointandshootwithonlytwoshutterspeeds, andisfxedfocus–butithasacracking28mmlens.

Myexpectationsweremodest,butIshovedarollofFP4in(re loadedinanoldcassette)andshotawayhappily.Thefreedomof justpointingandshootingwasveryliberating–butIwasnot expectinggreatresults.

Wrong!!Asetofveryniceresultsconfoundedmyexpectations tosometune.

TakingthisresultinhandwiththeKodakinitiativeIbrokeopen thebankvaultwhereIkeepmyextremelyvaluablesupplyof Kodakcolourflm(myflmfridgeactually)anddecidedtoput thatthroughitspacesinthelittleOlympusPen.

Ipushedtheboatoutontheprocessingandsenttheflmto

Harman(Ilford)inCheshire.Manylabscaterforhalfframebut onlyHarman(atthetimeofwriting)haveaspecifchalfframe maskontheirprintingmachineleadingtoeveryframebeing individuallycalibratedratherthananaverageofeverytwoframes beingusedbyotherprocessors.Ialsowentforasetof7x5prints withaborderonlustrepaperandinduecourseapackageof delightturnedup.Ektarispriceybutitisalsoverygood.Bearing inmindtheflmIusedwaswayoutofdatetheresultswere stunning.Totalcostincludingcarriagewas£20.

Mypreviousmonochromeeffortswereverygrainyandthe 125 ASAoftheflmwasattimeslimiting,soIalsodugoutaroll ofXP2fromthefridge,alsowayoutofdateandagainprocessed byHarmanandthisimprovedmattersnoend.Ireadthoughthat XP2respondswelltoRodinalsoIwillbeselfprocessingthis flminfutureIthink.

Whattodowiththeoutput?Iwasgoingtosaythatexhibition printsareastretch,onlytofndaverynicepairofimages submittedtoourpreviousexhibitionbyOwenAndrewtakenwith aCanonhalfframe.IalsowenttotheUPPannualmeeting recentlyandtheirexhibitionhadasectionforverysmallprints, andtheylookedverygood–photogemsifyoulike.Formyown

partIhavecreatedanalbumofinkjetprintsfrommyeffortsso farandwillprogresstoa’zineIthinkplusacoupleofcheeky entriesinboththeUPPboxandourclubcomps,justtostirthings up.Theothersurpriseformewastheoccasional‘dyptich’that presenteditself.SoIwillbeprintingupacoupleofthoseaswell asapanoortwo.

JustwhenIthoughtIhadgotridofthehalfframeitchIcame acrossalittleRicohhalfframe,fullymanualcameratoaddtothe stable.FiddlytouseandsofarIamnotasimpressedwiththe lensasIamwithOlympus–butwewillhavetoseehowitgoes.

SointheunlikelyeventthatyouaretemptedbytheEktarplastic fantasticIwouldrecommendthatyougodownthe60sretro routeandputarollofEktar(agreatflm)throughyouroldhalf frame–greatfun.

Postscript–Agfa(brandowners)havealsobroughtouta ‘plastic fantasic’halfframe.Thisonehasa50mmfxedfocus f5.6lensandcomesinat£33.00–ThinkIwillstickwiththe Olympus Pen….

CJB

TheUniversal,insomeguisescalledMamiyaPressisa camerawhichcanbeoverlookedprovidingacheaper alternativetosheetflmcamerasandbeingveryeasyto use.

Thecameraisavailablewithnumerousbacksfor120roll flmandforsheetflm.The120backsare6x7,6x9or 6x4.5.Theyaresimpletoloadandalthoughtheycanbe changedforanotherbackeasilymidflm,with6x9backs thereareonly8imagesperflm,sothisneedn'tarisetoo oftenifyouusethelargersize.

Thelensesare50mmto250mm.TheyallhaveaCompur typeshutterand,asthefocusisbydirectviewfnder, are manual.

Thecamerahasadirectvisionviewfnderwithbrightline frameoutlineschangedbyabuttonadjacenttothefnder. IhaveusedoneforyearsandIregarditasabigLeica. Holdingthecameranormallyateyelevelmakesitideal foramonopodindarkerconditionsthehandleontheside fallingeasilytohand.Itcanalsobeheldwithaneckstrap withoutdamagetothecameraorphotographer.

Theformathasmultipleadvantages.At6x9ithas50% moreimageareathan6x6andnotleastwitha100mm lensis1.4kghalftheweightofaMamiyaRB67(2.88kg).

ThepriceisalsosubstantiallylessthantheRB67andthe flmis120sothephotographerhasalargerangeof

speedsandmanufacturerstochoosefrom,whichcanbe easilyprocessedusingtheequipmenteveryanalogue photographerwillhave.IhaveusuallyusedFujiProviaat 100ASAasmystandardflmaswellasFujiVelviaat50 ASA andhavenotfoundtheneedtousethemonopodoften.

Ihavefoundthequalityoftheimagestobeexcellent and thecameraeasytouse;itliterallyisalarger rangefndercamera.

Ascanbeseentheflmoperationisidenticaltoaflm SLR,thismakesforeasyadaptationfromothercameras. Thismakesflmreloadquickandfamiliar.

Althoughtherearefouradaptersforthecamerabody,M, G,afocussingscreenandPolaroidbackIwouldusethe Madapterasthe6x9backsasillustrated.TheGadapter enablesRBbackstobeused.Alargeamountofcloseup tubes(5)andbackextensions(2)arealsoavailablebut canbediffculttosource.ForcloseworktheRB67with itsbellowsprovidesamoreusablemethodparticularlyas thiskindofworkisnormallytripodbasedandtheextra weightoftheRB67isnotaproblem.

AsacheaperalternativetotheRB67theUniversaloffers anexcellentworkhorsewhichiseasytooperateandoffers goodquality.Iwouldrecommenditwithouthesitation

TPLeatherHalfCase

Nodoubtyouwillhaveheardsomephotographerssay thattheyarenotobsessedbycameraswhichareonly toolsthatenablethemtoacheivetheircreativegoals.

Whilethereismuchtruthinthat,analoguephotographers recognisetheimportantrolethatcamerasplayintheir photographyandrespectthetimehonouredadagethatif youlookafteryourequipment,itwilllookafteryou.Now tothesubjectofthisreview.

MadeinChina,thesehighqualityleatherhalfcasesare tailoredtoftvariouspopular35mmandrollflmcameras. Closefttingwithablacksuedelikefabriclining,thecases areneatlystitchedaroundalledgesandaredesignedso thatallcontrolsareusable.Theyhaveacutoutforaflm reminderwhereoneisfttedtothecamera.Thecaseis securedbyastainlesssteelboltwitharetractablesemi circularhandle,whichscrewsintothetripodbushand itselfhasatripodbushallowingthecameratobe mountedonatripodwithoutremovingthecase.These wellmadeandstylishhalfcasesaregoodvalueandwill preventscufsandpaintwear.Availableonlineinarange ofcoloursfromseveralsuppliersataround£40to£50at thetimeofthereview.

UncommonGround

Awordlover’sguidetotheBritish Landscape

DominickTyler

GuardianBooks2015,250pp,Softback

ISBN978-1783-35048-3

IfyoulovelandscapeandIthinkmostofusdo,thisis thebooktohave.Readthisandyouwillknowyour Jackstraw fromyour Sgeir.Oftenknowingsomething abouttheit,detailwithinitandhavingwordsforithelps thephotographertoexperienceagreateraffnitywith the landscape.

Theauthor,adocumentaryphotographershamedbythe inadequacyofhisvocabularyinmattersoflandscape researcheddescriptivewordsandphrasesfrombooks andgeoraphicaldictionaries.Inspiredbythisknowledge, hesetoffinhisVWcamperwithaHasselblad503cw andmanyrollsofKodakEktartocollectimagestogo withthewords.

DominickTylerdidnotsetouttoproducean encyclopaediabutmoreaprimertoraiseawarenessso thatreaderswouldgofurtherintothesubjectthemselves.

Thetextisenjoyabletoreadandthephotographsare excellent,especiallyasmanyofthemmusthavebeen diffculttocapture.

RPS Analogue isyourjournal

Haveyourworkfeaturedin Gallery andwina prize

Sendusfromsixtotwelveofyourimages,scannedor digitallycopiedandoutputasjpgsbyWeTransferor similarservice,oronaCD.IfsendingthemonaCD,be suretowriteyournameandemailaddressorphone numberonthedisk.Alternatively,arrangementscanbe madewiththeEditortoacceptprints.

Pleaseincludeashortcaptionforeachimageanda paragraphortwoaboutyourselfandyourphotography.

Pleasebepatientasyourworkmaynotbepublishedinthe nextissueof Analogue butmightbeheldinreservefora futureissue.Wewillcontactyoubeforepublishingyour work.

Whenyourworkispublishedin Gallery youwillbe awardedafreeflmvoucherbyoursponsor Analogue Wonderland.Yourdetailswillnotbepassedtoany third party.

Congratulationsgotothisedition’scontributor DavidFells whorecievesaflmvoucher worth£25.

WriteanarticleforRPSAnalogue

Ifyouhavesomethinginspiringtosaytoanalogue photographerspleasesendusashortsynopsisofyour articleandsomejpgimages.Itcouldbeaboutthebenefts youhaveexperiencedfromanaloguephotography,a techniqueyoucouldshare,anoutingwithcameraandflm orreallyanythingofinterest.

Pleasedonotsendthefullarticleinthefrstinstance.If yourideaisaccepted,wewillcontactyoutodiscussit further.

Yourfavouritecamera

Doyouhaveafavouritecameraoronethatisabitoutof theordinary?Ifso,tellusallaboutit.

Yourdarkroom

Darkroomsareimportanttoanaloguephotographersbut

canalsopresentproblems.Doyouhaveapermanent,fully equippeddarkroomordoyouhavemakeshiftsetupina cupboardorbathroom?Helpfulideaswouldbewelcome.

Letters

Ifyouwouldliketoexpressanopinioninthisjournal pleasesendittotheEditor.Theusualconditionsforletters tojournalswillapply,forexampletheEditorwillhavethe fnalsayinwhatwillbepublished.

Theemailaddressforallcontributionsand correspondenceis: analoguenews@rps.org.

Analoguephotography-Whocan play?

Whendiscussingtheentryrequirementsfor ourrecentexhibitionwereviewedwhatwe wouldconsidertobealegitimateanalogue printforentry,andbyinferencethetypeof photographythatqualifesasanaloguewithin ourgroupgenerally.Wesummarizeasbelow.

Allimagestakenonflmtoproducethefollow‐ingoutputs:

•Silverprintseithertradeorselfprocessed

•Digitalprintseithertradeorselfprocessed •DigitalflesfromscansforPDIsharing

•SlideTransparencies

•Alternativeprintprocesses,including WetPlate Imagescaptureddigitallytoproducethefollow‐ingoutputs:

•Silverprintseitherselfortradeprocessed

•Alternativeprintprocesses

NonAnalogueimages: Imagesthatareoutsidethescopeofourgroup andnoteligibleforexhibitionsorsubmissionin ourpublishedgalleryaredigitallycapturedim‐agesthatarethendigitallyprintedorusedin PDIsharing.

Itdoesgivethewidestpossiblescopetothe defnitionoftheanalogueprocessandas suchisintendedtobeasinclusiveaspossible,

HasselbladX-Pan

AlwaysamuchadmirednichecameratheuniqueXPanisonmany wishlistseventoday.Pricesarehugeat£4kto£5k.Thecamera ceasedproductionduetolegislationstoppingleadbasedsolder. Thecamerawastooexpensivetoretooltothenewstandardsand sowasdiscontinued.Ifyouarebuyingoneitcomeswithamajor healthwarning,giventheabovesolderissue.Unlikeeventhe oldestLeica,iftheybreakthentheycanbeunrepairable.Stillyou willhaveanicebookend.Idogettheimpressionthoughthatifyou ownoneanditisworkingtheyareajoytoworkwith.