bullies

The only thing I have to say about my big move to Spain today is: I can’t wait for it to be over!

In other news, it’s probably better that I’m moving away from Berlin, since I found two shops that would ruin me if I’d stay here any longer. One is a big store with all sorts of arts supplies and the other one is the second hand camera shop where I bought my Olympus XA some weeks back. On Thursday I went there again and they happened to have a beautiful mint condition Rolleicord V there … I probably won’t have to tell you how that story ended. So far I only shot a test roll with my new Rolleicord (!) and from this experience I have several observations to make: 1. It’s better to read the manual first, since that way I wouldn’t have had accidental double exposure issues and likewise wouldn’t have lost 3 frames because I didn’t load the film correctly. 2. Shooting in artificial light at f/3.5 and ISO 400 doesn’t work hand-held, because the shutter release moves sideways and there is no way to hold it steady at 1/60 or 1/30 with a 75mm lens. I guess I should get a cable release for situations like that. 3. The lens is definitely sharp if you focus it correctly, but that is a challenge on the street at f/8. Using the ground glass with the magnifier is a very slow process as well, even though it’s hugely enjoyable.

Later on Thursday I also went to visit my friend Damien, who still had my partly disassembled Yashica Electro 35 CC in a box on the shelf. The lens had some gunk on the inside of the last element and we had failed at getting the element out during our last repair attempt. This time after filing some proper slots for the lens-spanner we finally managed to get the offending element out and cleaned it with some hydrogen peroxide. It now definitely looks clean and I was rather happy that the gunk wasn’t fungus but some sort of oil. How it got there, nobody knows, since there wasn’t any oil on the shutter blades. So far I couldn’t test whether the electronics still work because the battery was flat. It needs some high voltage batteries that aren’t available in the supermarket, so I will have to wait to test it. In any case, if the electronics still work, then I’m coming back from Berlin with 3 new cameras: The Yashica Electro 35 CC, the Olympus XA and the Rolleicord V. These should keep me happy for a while!

All pictures taken with: Olympus Pen E-PL3 and Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7 ASPH.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

Usually the boys do stuff like that, but in the Basque Country there seems to be a bit more equality in that respect.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

Very eager doggy.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

Car repair.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

This was taken at the bar down the road. Wild party with people dancing on the counter.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

The things people take to a supermarket.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

Imminent finger biting.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

A hair moment.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

I especially like the finger gun of the boy in the background.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

Pegtops seem to be all the rage this year.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

The pegtop didn’t end up in the frame.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

Discarded doll.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

Too rich for my taste.

Comments

  • Very enjoyable ! The ‘pegtops’ photo also shows boys spinning tops, which I liked because I’m all for the good old toys of yesteryear. Ditto for the yo-yo. Now if you can just find a hula-hoop…
    Congrats on the ‘new’ Rolleicord. My father once told me he used to own one way back in the 1940’s and he was all praises for its Schneider Xenon lens (if I remember the name correctly). I have never even seen one, though I once held a Rolleiflex. .
    BTW, along with the great pics, your writing style is also evolving, becoming more and more absorbing, informative and entertaining. Thank you for giving us such an educative and lively glimpse of your world…
    BTW-2, even if you are replying to my inputs, I can never see them because – for some mysterious reason – my computer is blocking them. Perhaps there’s malware at work here and my anti-virus is swinging into action.
    I am happy for you that you are enjoying your photography so much. Me too. I recently bought a black-bodied Panasonic Lumix GX1 and two ‘kit’ lenses, the 14-42 and 45-150mm–everything brand new–at a throwaway price. Tried the Olympus 45 mm f1.8 on the GX1 and was taken aback at the huge leap in sharpness and colour fidelity even at ISO 1600. The EPL5 would have truly met its match, had there been sensor-based ISIS in the GX1. Still, shooting at high ISO’s and wider apertures / faster shutter speeds reciprocal to focal length more or less solves the issue of handheld camera shake..

    • Lilly Schwartz

      Thanks Subroto. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for a hula hoop 😀
      Originally I was considering the Rolleiflex 3.5, but after finding this mint condition Rolleicord I changed my mind. It really looks like it’s been sitting on a shelf for the last 50 years almost like new apart from one spot on the forwarding dial. At first I wondered whether I made a mistake going for the cord, because the Schneider Xenar lens on it is supposedly softer wide open than the Rolleiflex Xenotar/Planar. However, I think my intuition served me right, because I mostly shoot street and therefore don’t really shoot wide open very often. With a 75mm lens the DOF is very narrow anyway already at f/8 and at f/8+ the difference between Xenar and Xenotar really becomes negligible. Besides, the flex weighs around 400g more than the cord which at 850g isn’t exactly lightweight either. I myself haven’t held a flex yet, but well I don’t think there is much of a difference. The flex mostly has bells and whistles that I don’t really need like exposure meter or the fast winding crank.

      Congrats on your baby grandson! I’m sure he’ll give you lots of opportunity to train the 45mm on him! Until he will challenge your 20 he’ll probably have to grow a bit 😉 How does the GX1 perform in low light? I find the E-PL3 insufficient at night. It’s ok on the subway at ISO 1600, but as soon as there is a lot of black the noise becomes ugly. Now that I won’t be able to shoot on the subway anymore, I doubt that I’ll use my E-PL3 much in low light. I rather push film and deal with grain than try to cope with noise.

      My Yashica is the rare CC version with the 35mm lens, which is supposedly even better than the standard 40 or 45 on the regular Electros. My test roll couldn’t really show much of that, because the flare was just completely out of control thanks to the gunk in the lens. The batteries in the CC are also more manageable: PX28 instead of those Mercury ones. However, they still only sell them in specialised places because it’s a high voltage battery.

      PS: Check your spam filter maybe? I had to adjust mine as well just now because it kept sending emails about new comments into the spam folder as well.

  • BTW 3. the Yashica Electro 35 (I’ve used one that belonged to an uncle, way back in 1977) takes excellent photos, as you are doubtless aware. I could see no discernible difference between images from it and my Minolta XE-1 with the fabulous 58 mm f1.2 Rokkor lens fitted…at least, in smaller prints.
    The Yashica uses a Mallory TR-164 battery, if I remember correctly. I don’t think it’s available today, perhaps because of technological progress and the fact that it would be now considered environmentally unacceptable (probably uses mercury). But I recall reading about alternatives / workarounds, so a quick Internet search ought to throw up clues…so glad you got the lens cleaned up. Please keep us posted about further progress on making the camera fully operational–looking forward to images from it.
    I became a grandfather on 13 July, the baby boy was born in Dubai where my son and his wife work. Can’t wait to see them in December, when they next visit India–and, of course, to train the E-PL5 / GX1 and Lumix 20mm f1.7 / 45mm f1.8 Oly on the new addition to the family !

  • Your images are just fantastic! I love the man and wild dog!
    Best wishes with your move, Lilly, it sounds like a wonderful journey.
    xx

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