Your thoughts on Nikkor 50/1.8 AI-S Japanese pancake version

Sierra Club said:
The original APX has a very unique look to it (especially the grain which seems to add detail and crispiness to the image) which I think your photos resemble very closely and that's one of the things I really like about them. Other factors being really good eye for composition and perfect exposure.

It seems that even at MFD this version of the 50 is really sharp.
Do you remember what apperture did you use for the portrait?
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I definitely agree about the crispness of Ultrafine eXtreme 400. Before trying this film, I shot through a bulk roll of ORWO N74+. By comparison, not only did ORWO N74+ have more grain, the grain seemed in my opinion to muddy some details. But that's another topic altogether...

I'm not sure if the portrait was exactly at MFD, but you can definitely get in tight with this lens. Don't remember the exact aperture either, but probably either f/2.8 or f/4, taking advantage of the Nikon FM2n's higher shutter speeds in summer evening light.
 
That's really good resolution. I take it that it was a non-Nikon close-focus lens?

I have another question.
For non-trichrome black & white shooting, are you using any color (yellow, orange, red) filters at all?
 
Sierra Club said:
That's really good resolution. I take it that it was a non-Nikon close-focus lens?

I have another question.
For non-trichrome black & white shooting, are you using any color (yellow, orange, red) filters at all?
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It's a Hoya close-up lens, part of a set (+4, +2, and +1) that I bought used from another photo forum. Pretty good value for $11, including shipping. :D As for normal everyday shooting, I only use a UV filter, no other contrast filters.
 
Not sure which I envy you more - your photography skills or the weather in San Fran Bay Area :D

Beautiful photos, as usual!
#254-05042 looks to me like it was made with a medium format camera.
 
Sierra Club said:
Not sure which I envy you more - your photography skills or the weather in San Fran Bay Area :D

Beautiful photos, as usual!
#254-05042 looks to me like it was made with a medium format camera.
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Thank you, Sierra Club, that's much too kind. I'm not sure about my skills, but the weather here is very nice. ;)
 
Dourbalistar, what holder are you using to keep the negatives parallel to the film plane? I've tried 3 or 4 different ones and I always get either Newton rings from glass contact or parts of the digitized negative come out slightly out of focus due to curliness. Yours seem to get perfect sharpness across the entire frame. Do you use the standard BEEON 35mm holders for digitizing?
 
Sierra Club said:
Dourbalistar, what holder are you using to keep the negatives parallel to the film plane? I've tried 3 or 4 different ones and I always get either Newton rings from glass contact or parts of the digitized negative come out slightly out of focus due to curliness. Yours seem to get perfect sharpness across the entire frame. Do you use the standard BEEON 35mm holders for digitizing?
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Yes, I'm just using the BEOON's 1:1 mask for 35mm, which does a pretty good job of keeping the film flat. I lay the negatives right on my LED panel and so far haven't had issues with Newton rings. It also helps that Ultrafine eXtreme 400 dries really flat. I remember 400TX in 135 being a bit more tricky to get completely flat for digitizing.

One handy thing about the mask is that it reverses white. Since I'm using an APS-C camera, it doesn't fill the full frame. So I just crop down to include a little bit of the mask, and voila, simple white border for my photos. :D
 
It's amazing how versatile a nifty fifty can be!
Awesome photos, sir! Keep 'em coming - seeing sunny Bay Area makes the really dreadful weather we currently have in Potatoland bit more bearable :)
 
Sierra Club said:
It's amazing how versatile a nifty fifty can be!
Awesome photos, sir! Keep 'em coming - seeing sunny Bay Area makes the really dreadful weather we currently have in Potatoland bit more bearable :)
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Thank you, Sierra Club! Some of these were taken earlier this summer, including some in the Sierra Nevada mountains (perhaps your namesake?). Usually not too much to complain about here weather wise, but 2020 has not been a kind year. After our summer backpacking trip, we came down from the mountain to a crushing heatwave, followed by a freak lightning event that triggered historic wildfires. :( This weekend, we might finally get our first rain here in more than six months.
 
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