A few years ago when I started shooting film I decided to digitize the negatives using a light box and an old 2011 Canon EOS Rebel T3i. This digitizing process worked great for 35mm and was decent for 120. But, once I began shooting a 4x5 view camera, I needed a different way to digitize the larger negatives. I found an old Epson Perfection V700 for a reasonable price and was ready to begin scanning negatives.
Scanned negatives still need to be inverted and color corrected. I assumed that since the V700 was designed with negative scanning it mind the stock scanning software would be more than adequate. I quickly found my assumption to be incorrect. Not only were the drivers lacking functionality, the color conversions were wildly off. This sent me on a journey to find the least costly way to scan my film negatives with a decent amount of quality.
I did not set out to compare the functionality or design of the various scanning softwares. My main concern was whether or not they could simply invert a color film negative properly. If they could not convert colors correctly then a nice interface would matter little. Fortunately, none of them have nice user interfaces, they are all horrendous in their own way.
Modern cameras have evolved towards a uniform set of ergonomics. If you are looking for a new, high-end, mass-market camera, there’s a good chance the one you get will be covered in black plastic, have a hand grip on the right side, and place the majority of controls within the reach of your right thumb and forefinger. And there is nothing wrong with this uniformity, these cameras are like this because the layout works. Vintage film cameras, on the other hand, are what evolved into this form, so they come in a larger variety of shapes, sizes, and layouts. The layout of film cameras is also influenced by the type of film and the functionality that was available when the camera was produced. Film cameras simply have more diversity with regards to form and function.
Since I dropped back into the world of film photography and my eyes were opened to the number of choices available, I have been searching for the kit that works for me. I tried a lot of cameras. After an obligatory TLR phase, I briefly thought that mid-century rangefinders would be the camera for me. I eventually realized that I was looking for two different cameras. When I go out with the intention to take photos, I like a medium format camera with a large aperture manual focus lens. When I just go out, I like a small, capable point-and-shoot; I’m looking for an alternative to the fine-in-their-own-right iPhone cameras.
As time moves forward preferences change and get refined. This is how my camera choices have evolved over the past year.
This roll of Fuji Super HQ 200 is probably the best roll of expired film I have ever shot. I really love how the photos turned out. The grain is amazing and the colors have a contrasty, vintage look that is not skewed too far towards one color. The 2000 Canon EOS ELAN 7e (and the FPP C-41) paired nicely with the Super HQ 200.
The film was shot at ISO 80, as per my rules of thumbs for shooting expired film.
Just twelve photos taken with the Hasselblad 503cx on Kodak Vericolor III which expired in 1990. The images were metered according to the rules of thumbs for shooting expired film.
A few photos taken with the Hasselblad 503cx on Kodak Ektar which expired in 1991. The photos are not great, but the film turned out better than I imagined it would. The images were mostly shot metering for ISO 8, or +1⅔ stops of exposure compensation from box speed. This was done according to the rules of thumbs for shooting expired film.
In graduate school I took a software engineering class which was essentially a colloquium. The professor would select relevant topics, provide suggested reading materials, and then the class would meet to discuss. Through the semester long class a broad range of software engineering topics were discussed, but one topic has come back to mind many times through my professional career.
As I remember it, we discussed the conservation of organizational momentum. However, I cannot find any material which references this topic. The fourth of Lehman’s laws covers the conservation of organizational stability, which is semantically similar yet conceptually different. Perhaps through discussion our class conceived of the conservation of organizational momentum, or perhaps I am simply misremembering. Regardless of how I came to think of this subject, it is a topic which I have considered on more than one occasion, and it is a topic which deserves further consideration.
Some more photos taken with a Hasselblad 503cx on a roll of Kodak Vericolor 400 which expired in 1990. These are some of the best results I have gotten from expired Vericolor 400. The images were shot metering for ISO 25, or +4 stop of exposure compensation from box speed. This was done according to the rules of thumbs for shooting expired film.
Just some mediocre photos taken with the Hasselblad 503cx on Kodak Plus-X Pan which expired in 1999. The images were shot metering for ISO 64, or +1 stop of exposure compensation from box speed. This was done according to the rules of thumbs for shooting expired film.
