Mos6502
Well-known
I have posted before about the little forlorn Miranda S I acquired and fixed up a few years ago. Quite a nicely made camera, which after a little cleaning and lubricating, was operating again with perfect accuracy. With it, the Soligor-Miranda 2.8/50 lens, a real oddity in the world of 35mm SLRs, being a 5 element Heliar type. This was the budget lens in the Miranda lineup of the 1950s, and so features a screw mount and a preset aperture operation. The camera and its lens are a glimpse into the state of SLR development in the late 50s, with the S being the old-tech, on its way out, and sold for a discount. No instant mirror return, no automatic aperture stop down, knob wind instead of a lever, and if you really wanted to pinch your pennies you could get one with a waist level finder instead of a pentaprism.
Fuji Neopan SS, was introduced in 1953 and discontinued in 2011. When Kodak killed Plus-X, I purchased a couple of bricks of Neopan SS, as the next best thing. Well, Fuji axed Neopan SS only a few months later, and one of those bricks has been in my freezer since. I had thought I may one day take it to Japan with me and shoot it in the Miranda S, seeking out nostalgic subjects and keeping the theme of vintage Japan. That never panned out, but I wanted to revisit to the old film anyway. On a recent trip to Washington state, I took three rolls from the brick, and enjoyed making every shot.
Strait of Juan de Fuca by Berang Berang, on Flickr
Moss Mountain by Berang Berang, on Flickr
Neopan Woods by Berang Berang, on Flickr
I'm always impressed by how sharp that odd little lens is, and how wonderfully it renders. I wish I had a clue as to who produced it for Miranda, as it would be interesting to know if it was ever offered on any other cameras or mounts.
Neopan SS had a rather dim reputation in the U.S. for some reason. I wish I had bought a whole lot more of it before Fujifilm killed it though. Sure, it's not the same as Plus-X, but it looks a helluva lot better than most B&W films available today. Yes, it is noticeably grainy for a 100ASA film (and no it's age that's done this, what I shot back in 2010 looks the same), but on the other hand it has a certain softness in contrast, without halation, that's rather pleasant, particularly for natural subject matter.
All rolls were developed in D76, 1:1 solution, and printed on Arista VC paper.
Fuji Neopan SS, was introduced in 1953 and discontinued in 2011. When Kodak killed Plus-X, I purchased a couple of bricks of Neopan SS, as the next best thing. Well, Fuji axed Neopan SS only a few months later, and one of those bricks has been in my freezer since. I had thought I may one day take it to Japan with me and shoot it in the Miranda S, seeking out nostalgic subjects and keeping the theme of vintage Japan. That never panned out, but I wanted to revisit to the old film anyway. On a recent trip to Washington state, I took three rolls from the brick, and enjoyed making every shot.



I'm always impressed by how sharp that odd little lens is, and how wonderfully it renders. I wish I had a clue as to who produced it for Miranda, as it would be interesting to know if it was ever offered on any other cameras or mounts.
Neopan SS had a rather dim reputation in the U.S. for some reason. I wish I had bought a whole lot more of it before Fujifilm killed it though. Sure, it's not the same as Plus-X, but it looks a helluva lot better than most B&W films available today. Yes, it is noticeably grainy for a 100ASA film (and no it's age that's done this, what I shot back in 2010 looks the same), but on the other hand it has a certain softness in contrast, without halation, that's rather pleasant, particularly for natural subject matter.
All rolls were developed in D76, 1:1 solution, and printed on Arista VC paper.