OK and Good Morning/Evening.
Well this tale is like a strange love story.
It's a bit like the best Romcom ever made - When Harry Met Sally.
First the characters meet but there's indifference. Then time takes its toll, life moves on, they meet every now and again and they start to get used to each other; then there's the denouement when love is proclaimed and they sail off into a happy future together.
Sorry to ruin it if you've never seen it, but you really should.
Oh and it has the best Mexican Wave in the history of film - I never tire of it.
Oh and it has the best Mexican Wave in the history of film - I never tire of it.
Anyway, nearly 2 years past this April, I bought a reasonably priced CF 150mm Sonnar for the 500C/M. I liked it, but barely used it. It was part of my arsenal, but was bypassed in favour of the 60mm Distagon and the SWC/M.
If you read FB regularly, you'll know I had terrible trouble with underexposure recently - you can read the whole sorry story here - however, as detailed below, I am pretty sure I've discovered what I did wrong.
Huzzah!
Huzzah!
But to rewind a little, I desparately wanted to see whether I really did need to buy another light meter (I was convinced it was duff, despite testing it against 2 other meters) so I packed the 500C/M, attached the Sonnar and went out into the freezing cold.
I dunno, the things I do for this 'ere blog . . .
I dunno, the things I do for this 'ere blog . . .
Why the Sonnar?
Well Bruce from The Online Darkroom and I had been talking about lenses and he'd said he'd love to see some of my reflection photos made with the 150mm. I thought about it for a while, because I didn't think it would work; I didn't think you could get in close enough to get that wideness you need with reflection photos. Anyway, my fears were unfounded and even though there's only a couple of those photos of slightly that ilk on here, a longer lens really does work.
Not only that, but I've discovered that at pretty much any aperture, the humble 150mm Sonnar (the cheapest lens you can buy for a Hasselblad, full stop) is sharp and beautiful.
It's a stone cold optical bargain actually.
Well Bruce from The Online Darkroom and I had been talking about lenses and he'd said he'd love to see some of my reflection photos made with the 150mm. I thought about it for a while, because I didn't think it would work; I didn't think you could get in close enough to get that wideness you need with reflection photos. Anyway, my fears were unfounded and even though there's only a couple of those photos of slightly that ilk on here, a longer lens really does work.
Not only that, but I've discovered that at pretty much any aperture, the humble 150mm Sonnar (the cheapest lens you can buy for a Hasselblad, full stop) is sharp and beautiful.
It's a stone cold optical bargain actually.
As an optical design it is ancient - nearly as old as semi-modern photography itself - and wonderfully simple; however, with Zeiss' T* coating (and maybe a lens hood++) it is as good as it gets actually.
Well it is in my opinion.
Well it is in my opinion.
++ If you own a Hasselblad, don't be tempted by the likes of Photodiox lens hoods or those awfully cheap ones on Ebay - they're mostly very poor - I know because I have spent the money for you and tested them myself.
The real Hasselblad ones are made from high grade plastic and are built to last.
The real Hasselblad ones are made from high grade plastic and are built to last.
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| Urban Artist, Dundee |
Film #66/53
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| Film #66/53 |
Anyway, as before and the new regime, here's my film notes - you know the score by now, read 'em or don't bother!
#66/53, HP5 EI 200, 10/2/19
1./ 1/15th, f8, Z? Guess Gossen/Lux comparison
2./ 1/125th, f11, ZIII, Gossen
3./ 1/125th, f11, ZIII, Gossen
4./ 1/125th, f11, ZIII, Gossen
5./ 1/125th, f11, Z?, Gossen/Shatter
6./ 1/125th, f11, Z?, Gossen/Shatter
7./ 1/250th, f11, ZIII, Refl.
8./ 1/60th, f8, C-Gul, Guess
9./ 1/60th, f16, ZIII, Wall
10./ 1/60th, f11, ZIII, Design
11./ 1/60th, f.8, ZIII, Plant
12./ 1/15th, f5.6, ZIII, Guess
All handheld
PHD 5+5+500 22℃.
Agit 30 sec, then 4 per min,to 17 mins then stand to 21. No waterbath.
Very happy with this - I double checked the Gossen with Lux on the piephone - the Gossen is fine. I read the standard reading not the spot on 66/52
It might be hard to discern from the contact above, but it was printed at Grade 0 to give me some idea of the negatives potential. It is a new way of working for me and I like it. Sadly scanning only really reveals part of the story, but if it wasn't scanned you wouldn't see it, so you'll have to carry on squinting.
Maybe you'll remember in Rescue Job I detailed the horrors of an underexposed film, well I think I've worked out what I did wrong.
The bit below also explains why I am talking about Gossen and Piephone in the notes above.
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| An Old Friend |
So, here's an old old friend, my Gossen Lunasix 3s, with spot attachment.
When
I started again, I couldn't afford fancy-pants Sekonic or Pentax
spot-meters, so I ended up with a battered but useable Gossen, from MXV
for very little money - possibly about £30 - and it has been a reliable
friend ever since.
It's also one of the most sensitive light meters ever
made and tbh I love it.
I had him recalibrated (for exactly NOTHING)
by Gossen about 10 years back, and have made many well metered
photographs with him. The spot attachment was an option accessory and
clips on the front - it reads 7.5 or 15 degrees, I use 7.5.
The whole
shebang is kept in a £5 Lowepro compact camera case on a strap, and when
out and about, that is worn on my left hip, camera bag on my right, bandolero
style!
It's convenient and works for me.
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| Gossen Lunasix 3s |
What I did wrong last time:
- I'm only huuuuman after all, I'm only huuuuman after all . . . blah blah blah -
You see the meter window at the top has the needle nearly on 11?
Well using the spot attachment, I should have been aligning the 11 on the lower yellow disc with the green mark (just above that disc - it is to the left of the yellow triangle).
Instead I was using the spot attachment and using the 'standard' reading on the silver disc (just above the 'V'.)
Confused?
Me too, and I hope I have dissected it correctly - it really is much easier with a meter in your hand than staring at a screen. Anyway, suffice to say that I was consistently underexposing by a whole stop - not too much trouble if you were using ZV, however I always place shadow readings on ZIII, so with the last film I was actually placing everything on Z II, hence, shite.
Lesson learned!
Be aware.
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| Shattered Window, Wobbly Bridge, Dundee |
A picture of that shattered window from last time - it is trickier to photograph than it looks - I've probably handled the exposure a bit too heavily here, but it does get the extraordinary texture across. On the whole I like it, but I've taken better photos of it.
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| Inside Outside, Vision, Dundee |
If you're a REALLY longtime FB reader you might recognise this scene from years back. It's in the Vision building in Dundee. The last time I photographed it, it was almost empty; nowadays, well there's a lot of it being used, hence the office chairs and tables. I just liked the fact that it wasn't at all apparent where the outside began and the inside ended.
It's scanned off a print made on Ilford MGRC Pearl and lightly toned in selenium. The print is better than the scan (but then I would say that wouldn't I!) - in fact everything on here is scanned - the prints are better.
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| Urban Artist, Dundee |
I've photographed him before - he's a really interesting chap actually, more artist than graffitti artist, he's more inclined to cheer the place up with his crazy pictures of charachatured Seagulls, than to tag his name everywhere. I like that attitude. Anyway, he was doing this crazy Doctor Octopus Seagull on an ex-Dundee Waterfront noticeboard that someone had scrawled "Cock" all over - public service or what?!
I asked him if I could take his pic and he agreed.
I asked him if I could take his pic and he agreed.
It was a tricky one actually, because of the strong backlight coming from behind him, and I am glad I opted for f8 rather than f5.6, because it snagged the catchlights in his eyes.
There's something Breugel-esque about this and I can't place it.
I know, give him a brush and some sack-cloth and there y'go!
PS. the arm movement was from his spray can shaking - gotta keep it moving in cold weather . . .
It is my favourite from the whole film - maybe I am more of a people person than I thought. It was easy to go up to him and start chatting.
There's something Breugel-esque about this and I can't place it.
I know, give him a brush and some sack-cloth and there y'go!
PS. the arm movement was from his spray can shaking - gotta keep it moving in cold weather . . .
It is my favourite from the whole film - maybe I am more of a people person than I thought. It was easy to go up to him and start chatting.
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| Wall, Dundee |
This wasn't as well executed as I'd hoped - I just liked the simplicity of the shadows. It was v.hard getting the wall straight from a ground level pov.
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| Safety Glass, Dundee |
Ah, the dread shatter again. Again not as well executed as I'd hoped, but not bad - it kind of looks like a giant Spring roll over-mounted with broken glass. I should try and do a better print of it . . maybe get Bruce in, in his Split trousers to do some adjustin' an' waftin' an' stuff . .
And the final one - this is a print too, but I'll confess that I've straightened it ever so slightly, as my verticals were off and it is better for it. |
| Whole Safety Glass, Dundee |
This is the back of DOJCA opposite the old plaster sheds - I just liked the starkness of everything!
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| A ThinkTank Suburban Disguise 20 Just Ate My Hasselblad |
Oh, yeah, I wasn't pulling a Spiderman or nuffink, but just so's nobody can spot me, here's a pic of my ThinkTank Suburban Disguise 20. A 500C/M with Sonnar, hood and back fills it completely, but it is dead convenient and very well made.
Probably one of the better bags I've owned actually - should I need another bag for anything in the future I might well buy more from their range.
Anyway, that's it.
I've come to love the Sonnar now and look forward to using it further in the future - what a great lens.
Now, remember to tie your shoelaces, lace your bow-tie, clean your teeth, brush your hair, check your wallet and make sure you turned the toaster off.
That's you!
Off you pop . . see you in a couple of weeks.
