FED on vacation

[r-brian]

OH NO. NOT VACATION PICTURES.

I went back to see my Mother in Virginia and decided to take the FED 3b with me. I've load a collection of photos from the trip. All the photos were taken with the Jupiter 12 with a yellow filter. The Blandford Church photos were on TMax 100 at 160 EI and the Civil War Park on Plus-x at 250 EI; all developed in the same tank with Diafine.

Check out my gallery and let me know what you think. I was pleasantly surprised.

Brian

 

[Rodinal Addict]

Nice photos, r! The yellow filter really brings out the clouds. Beleive it or not, I use the same setup: a FED 3b, J12 lens and a yellow filter for almost everything outdoors. I like the b variation because it has a winding lever, not a knob. Sometime try a red filter on clouds, it makes the blue sky parts go almost black.
Just where IS Petersburg. VA. Is it anywhere near old Williamsburg?


Robin

 

[reagan]

Yeah, ditto on the clouds comment. They look made to order. All around, a nice group of photos -- certainly not the "vacation shots" I usually get.

And by the way, since we're posting in the FSU corner of RFF, I've just got to comment ........ aren't you just kind of amazed sometimes at the nice quality of photos these so-called "copies" will crank out? I mean, hey, I'm still learning the mechanics of using them so far and haven't really gotten down to "techniques" of taking good pictures yet; still using the very cheapest film I can get so I don't cry when I trash several rolls just playing around and my expertise doesn't even rank in the "tourist" category. But even at that, I still once in awhile see a glimpse in some of my own shots (and lots of "glimpses" in shots like your's and other's) that is evidence of just a pretty decent quality picture taking tool. I guess your vacation shots just reminded me of that because I think you've got some pretty nice shots there.

The thing is, I suppose the reason I use the word "amazed" is that I stop and think about the fact that some, if not most, of these little units are aquired for maybe a little of nothing investment! Really now, bang-for-the-buck, they're pretty hard to beat for the sheer enjoyment of taking pictures. It's just my worth-little opinion, but I truly believe I could spend 10+ times as much on "higher quality" equipment and, despite all their little quirks, not enjoy it one bit more than I do the FSUs I've got now. And from the looks of your shots, you're having a pretty good time too!

Okay, end of sermon, off the soapbox, sorry for the rambling ...... guess that'll teach you to ask, "Whadda ya think?"

😉​

 

[nomade]

Great pics, i loved the cannon pic and the clouds in the background...

So it's the yellow filter magic?? 😀

Well i still have to learn a lot of stuff, i think i'm goin to learn around here from u guys..

 

[r-brian]

Thanks all.

Rodinal Addict: Petersburg is 30 min. south of Richmond, 60 minutes west of Williamsburg. Petersburg has the distinction of being the American city under seige the longest. The Union forces lay seige to the city for about 9 months before they broke through at the site of the Pamplin Park. One week later Lee surrendered at Appomattox.

I was kinda stuck with using only the yellow filter, a nice little 40.5mm Zeiss. My Series VI holder would not fit on the J-12 because of the slightly recessed filter threads.

CVBLZ4: I can remember a supposedly true story I heard when I first got into photography. A guy walks into a camera store with some great photographs and an old Brownie camera. Shows the photos to the clerk and ask if a better camera will take better photos. The clerk looks at the photos and responds, No, but it will make it easier for you... It's not the equipment, it's the person using the equipment.

I was really surprised to see how sharp the negatives are. This is the first time I've tried Diafine, normally I use Rodinal. I definitely will be using more Diafine.

Nomade: Thanks. I rarely shoot B&W without at least a yellow filter. Yellow will increase the contrast in most pictures by darkening the shadows just a little. Light in shadows tend to be on the blue end of the spectrum.

Brian

 

[r-brian]

Having just looked at my photos on my monitor here at work, a Dell LCD flat panel, they look washed out compared to what they looked like at home on my standard Dell monitor. I "printed" darker than what I'm seeing here at work.

Brian

 

[nomade]

I realized that, thanks a lot for the info..