climbing

In the last year I have made some rather serious investments. There was my Rollei last summer, which is probably my favourite camera. The image quality is stunning, people react well to it because it’s a beautiful camera and I take it out maybe once or twice a week. It’s not the camera for decisive moments – the TLR focus is a little slow and the medium format depth of field narrow – but I enjoy slowing down and looking for those moments that give me time to compose. And just the last few days I’ve found out that it also renders colour quite nicely.

Then in December I invested in a Leica M6 with an absolutely wonderful Zeiss C-Biogon 35mm lens. The Zeiss was actually a compromise so that I could start using the M6 right away while I save to get the lens that I originally wanted, a Leica Summicron 35mm version IV. However, the C-Biogon is such a great lens that I’ve decided to keep it. It’s so sharp it can cut your eyeballs, it has character, renders out of focus areas really nicely and the bokeh is quite decent as well, although I don’t shoot it wide open often enough for the bokeh to really make such a big difference. I also like how it handles. It has click stops and a buttery smooth focus. And of course the M6 itself is a great and simple camera with a very good viewfinder. The rangefinder is bright enough so that it can be focussed even in very dark situations and the light meter is rather practical too with TTL metering. The best thing about it might be the film forwarding lever though. It’s so smooth that it always makes you want to shoot more.

Not long after getting really trigger happy with the Leica I decided to get a 35mm film scanner that doesn’t make me want to tear my hair out, a Pakon f135 plus. Definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made for my sanity! It scans a roll of film in 3-5 minutes (depending whether digital ICE is turned on) and it does the colour correction of most consumer films really well. Basically I hardly have to do any colour correction at all on 35mm now unless I want to shoot expensive film that came out after the Pakon went out of production. It’s not a scanner for Portra or Ektar, but rather for Kodak Gold or Fuji Superia. And this of course fits my purse quite well actually.

And just a few days ago I also got myself a Jobo CPE-2 film and print processor, which was another stroke of genius. It makes colour processing easy and reliable thanks to a decent thermostat and I can process 5 rolls in one go with it. I haven’t tested it properly for black and white yet, but first experiments show potential for perfectly reliable results and economical use of chemicals. No more need to watch the thermometer while the chemicals get up to temperature, perfectly even development and no need to babysit the tank at all.

As you can see, the trend is clear: I’m committed to film and plan to be shooting a lot of it for a very long time. I love the results I’m getting, the scope for experimentation and the potential for a completely apocalypse safe process. Film is here to stay.

All pictures taken with: Leica M6, Zeiss ZM C-Biogon 35mm f/2.8.
Kentmere 400 stand-developed in Caffenol-CL.

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

We were on the way to the roof. Very photogenic attic!

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

You only really notice the knight on the next building when you’re sitting on the roof.

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

And when I say sitting on the roof, I mean sitting on the roof! I was defeating my vertigo with my viewfinder again. And although I’m afraid of heights I don’t let myself be hindered by that when I want to get a picture! And the picture wouldn’t be half as cool without the strange old military car or whatever it was.

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

Tram picture. I just can’t resist public transport.

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

The ad in the background talks about the beautiful legs you get by standing on the tram.

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

Details of the synagogue. It’s an odd building.

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

A dream for a black and white photographer though.

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

Looks like the guy in the background has strange electrical horns. And I really like how my Zeiss lens renders the out of focus areas.

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

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Comments

  • Hey Lilly any chance of seeing the Rollei colour work before the next ice age cometh………:):)

    • Hah, I see I’ve got your attention Harry 😉 Most of it still hasn’t been developed, but I’m on it now and was actually by chance planning to post the results from one roll today!

      • I know you have been getting your chemicals right but I have been itching to see it.I use a Rollei but only ever use BW and I even read somewhere that the lens is not best suited with colour work which I find hard to understand.
        Anyway thanks Lilly and looking forward to seeing it.
        Regards Harry.

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