manila camera style - a conversation about cameras

A full frame camera for only $5?!?!

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:14:00 +0800

You better believe it! US$10, buy one, get one free makes it $5 apiece.

Of course, it’s a film camera (they are full frame too.). And according to the video, digital is all hassles, right?

BTW, consider this as an advance teaser for our upcoming contest! ;-)

Me, before I switched to Ilford film....

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 06:30:00 +0800

Apropos to yesterday:

They say this is what happened when I was born:

Happy Birthday, J!

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 21:59:00 +0800

Quick shout out to Manila Camera Style’s very own, J! Happy Birthday, mate!

Hope you spent the day shooting.

PS: I know, I know. I was looking for a film Leica but this was all I found.

Thanks, R!

Hey - chocolate and film are the same thing:

My Favorite Camera!

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 10:05:56 +0800

I’m often asked two questions:

1. “How many cameras do you own?”; and

2. “Which one is your favorite?”

And my honest answers to those questions are:

1. “I don’t know.”; and

2. “My Leica Minilux.”

To which the reply is usually:

1. “Yeah, whatever.”; and

2. “Yeah, whatever!?!”

Let’s dwell on the second question and topic of this post: The Minilux.

Despite it’s obvious shortcomings (especially compared to my second favorite camera – my Leica M7), The Minilux has had a special place in my heart (and drybox).

I’ve often mentioned that one way I like to “disappear” in a crowd when I take photos is to appear like I have no idea what I’m doing. The M7 offers some stealth in this manner, because to the casual observer it looks like I’m some dude fiddling with my grandfather’s old camera, but the Minilux takes that to an even higher level – it makes it look like I have no idea about photography at all!

I mean, for one, take a look at it:

It’s a metal (okay, titanium) box. It’s so ascetic in design it almost seems like it wasn’t even designed at all.

Then you realize that there’s only one place that this camera wants you to pay attention to when you use it, and that’s this:

Aperture priority and scale focusing. Add a hyperfocal distance calc, and that’s all you really need for street shooting, right?

But what is a camera without a good lens? And in the Minlux, IMHO, the 40mm Summarit really shines.

First, a word about the 40mm focal length,and that word would be: alanganin. And I mean that with the greatest of compliments.

40 is not quite as wide as a 35, and not quite as intimate as a 50. You could say it’s a compromise of both angles of view, but unlike very few other compromises, this one works. Lean forward and you get a 50, lean backwards, and you get a 35. I call it neck zooming. I’ll save the intricacies of this for another post on another day.

Now back to the Summarit:

One thing that really distinguishes Leica lenses from others is that it has such a smooth tonal graduation. To some this may look like a lack of contrast, but I assure you that this is not that at all. It’s this smooth tone that allows detail – real detail – to shine by allowing light to do what it does best: let us see.

So instead of giving us a saturated look, the Summarit presents something a little more natural, a little more human.

And a little less computer-y.

Sure, I can do the same thing (or maybe even better) by slapping a 40mm Summicron on a Leica M (or even better, a CL), and get the same thing – but there’s just something about the simple elegance of the Minlux that charms me over and over again with it’s point-and-shoot simplicity.

In the final analysis, you can say that it’s a point and shoot camera with a nice semi-wide semi-normal lens slapped on it, which describes a lot of other cameras (think of a Yashica or a Contax). You can say that it’s probably a Japanese camera that Leica stuck a little red circle on. You can say that it’s not as fast as a Leica M, not as tough as a Nikon F, not as classic as an Olympus FA, or not as high tech as a Canon 1…

…but in the end, when I open up my camera cabinet and reach for something, this one gets tossed in the daily bag more often than all the rest.

“>

Long live the Leica Minilux!

(Epilogue: Just to add – if it’s good enough for Mssr. Cartier-Bresson, it’s good enough for me!)

Artist Talk: The Snapshot as Fundamental Photography by Johann Espiritu

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:44:42 +0800

August 28, 2010, Saturday, 3pm

Photography is linked to two of its primary characteristics: (i) its intimate relationship with the moment in time it was taken; and (ii) the camera’s capacity to perfectly describe what is in front of it. Simply, what makes photography so interesting is that it has, more than any other medium, the capacity to be candid.

This talk is about harnessing the power of candidness - from the rise of amateur photography to the use of the “snapshot aesthetic” in modern fine art photography.

Duration: 2-3 hours.

This event is free of charge. RSVP call 816-0044 or email manage@silverlensphoto.com

For inquiries, contact Silverlens Gallery at 2/F YMC Bldg. II, 2320 Pasong Tamo Ext., Makati, 816-0044, 0917-5874011, or manage@silverlensphoto.com. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday 10am–7pm and Saturdays 1–6pm. www.silverlensphoto.com / slab.silverlensphoto.com.

Beauty Beyond Words! A Braun Super Paxette, Sent In!

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:25:01 +0800

Some things you just have to stare at and admire. Works of art, steel bicycles, Anna Kournikova, and classic cameras. Here is one worth oggling:

With 45mm, 85mm and 135mm lenses:

This one takes my breath away (with Enna 135mm lens and Steinheil viewfinder):

And in case you’re wondering: “Does it come with a flash?” The answer is: “Why, certainly. An equally cool-looking one!”

This work of art was sent in by Christopher from Oxford, England. In his words:

My grandfather gave it to me a few months ago after he realised I was getting into photography. He bought it from dixons in 1950 something and told me all about how he drove through central London to collect it. As the managing director of some businesses in Abadan he took the camera all over the middle east and took all kinds of photos from the ground and from the air as a small aircraft pilot.
Since getting the camera I have found lots of original accessories on the web and have enjoyed using the camera and learning a lot about photography in the process.

As you guys know, this post wouldn’t be complete without photos taken with the Super Paxette, so feast your eyes on this:

Thanks, Chris, for this wonderful submission!

Apropos to our previous post, Joaquin just sent in the sound of...

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:24:00 +0800

Apropos to our previous post, Joaquin just sent in the sound of Olga to Zorki. Turn up those speakers and hit “play”!

Joaquin's Cameras - Part V

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:52:00 +0800

After sending us his Dynax 5, Hi-Matic GF, Yashica GTN, and T70, Joaquin strikes again with an awesome Zorki 4:

In his words:

After a long wait, I will finally be sending in the Zorki 4.
This rangefinder is my first full manual camera. After some research, I found my Zorki to be the Zorki 4 type 4C (Without strap lugs). It’s got the best sounding shutter from the cameras I’ve used. Not the most quiet, but it has the most full sound.
A muffled thump seems to be the best way to describe it! For me, the best thing about this camera is that screw mount lenses are affordable and easy to find.

Nice catch, Joaquin. Maybe if you can record the sound, we can add it to this post as an update later on!

Finally, some snaps:

So Joaquin, in relation to our previous post, which one of your cameras is your favorite? :-)

Which of your cameras is your favorite?

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:42:00 +0800

Just a quick survey for our readers…

Photo source: www.zazzle.com

J: You might be surprised which one mine is. I’ll prepare a post for it. How about you, R?

R: I’m also preparing a post for mine! :P Hey wait, the bad-ass M7 isn’t your favorite?!

J: Nope… Not the M7. Post coming soon… :-)

Some answers we’ve gotten so far:

selloutboy47: “out of the 9 I have, my favourite is my FED 5V rangefinder :) It’s my street shooter and I have mastered every thing about that RF :D”

quinstamatic: “Hmmmm… Zorki 4! Or soon to be… Leica MP ? Soon enough…”

grafiktease: “Currently, I like my Kiev 4A the most.”

dosgarcia: “i used to have a pen FT. it was my favorite. now, i use praktica nova b.”

tsanbuen: “I find myself using my Olympus XA the most.”

superduperton: “It’s the Minox 35 EL for me!”

kamenriderika : “its my toycam Gakken Flex TLR”

Analog Photoshopping! :-)

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:19:04 +0800

Check out this photo found on flickr on powerpig’s photostream.:

At first glance, this looks like another Photoshop job right? Check out the video below and see how it was really done.

The only cutting and pasting here was done with some fishing string and little Darth! :-)

Another Leica M6 sent in!

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:16:49 +0800

As in sent in all the way from, Natchitoches, Louisiana USA!

MCS’s new friend Sonny says:

My new to me 1986 Wetzlar Leica M6. When I got it, it had a recent cla, by Sherry Krauter who added a M2 wind lever, made the viewfinder show only the 28, 35, 50, 90mm framelines. The body has Griptac skin.

The lens is a Summicron C 40mm milled to show 35mm frame lines (DAG). I added the aftermarket hood from a Hong Kong dealer and painted it with wrinkle finish. The thread is slightly different, but I just screw it in enough to be secure.

I had an M6 for many years, but sold it to go digital a few years ago. I shoot mainly with an M8, and an Olympus EP-1, but sometimes I want to see all of what my lenses show, so I decided to buy this nice M6.

I enjoy Manilacamerastyle, keep it up!

Thanks, Sonny. MCS enjoys receiving contributions from all over the world! Sonny adds:

Here are four samples from the M6 camera. I’ve included a couple of shots from my old 21mm Super Angulon, because it was one of the reasons I bought the M6, since my M8 of course doesn’t show the whole frame.

We now have one mini lab left in our town, and they don’t take great care with the films, (some of my negatives have scratches) not to mention that their CD scans are very low resolution. So I suppose I’m going to have to start mailing film away for processing, or maybe process them myself.

I have my reels and tanks and a changing bag, so that may be the route I take. I think I may even have my old darkroom timer!

Samples with the Summicron C 40mm:

…and with the Super Angulon 21mm :

Zoiks! A Zorki-6!

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:25:16 +0800

Marty sends in his Zorki-6!

Says he:

I reskinned a Zorki-6 in pigskin out of sheer boredom. Methinks it kinda worked out!
And yet I still can’t take a decent image :). Oh well…

I say: Not bad, my friend! And great job on the reskinning! Thanks for sending this in!

See you all on Wednesday!

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0800

Evil Postcards and Other Beautiful Stories by Johann Espiritu

August 4, 2010, Wednesday 6-9pm

Johann Espiritu puts on his photographer hat again after two years with Evil Postcards and Other Beautiful Stories. A lawyer by profession, Espiritu takes a break to pay “homage to the experience of beauty”. Inspired by the line “Evil be thou my good” in Milton’s Paradise Lost, Espiritu captures everyday objects to delve into, and perhaps challenge the universal experience of beauty.

His work is like browsing through an off-tangent family album. There is still that sense of capturing a moment, the snapshot memory, and the souvenir postcard of an unforgettable trip. But the lens is on the experience rather than the person experiencing it. The colors are vivid yet basic in the natural light, and the images devoid of action. In the stillness, Espiritu brings to light the hush of the moment that just was. Beauty resides in the viewer more so than in the object he is looking at.

Evil Postcards and Other Beautiful Stories is Espiritu’s experience of beauty, taking in the calm, and collecting the many moments that make life more interesting. The show is his album of evil postcards and other beautiful stories.

Related Gallery Event:

The Snapshot as Fundamental Photography: A Lecture by Johann Espiritu

August 28, Saturday, 3pm

Silverlens Gallery

What makes photography so interesting is that it has, more than any other medium, the capacity to be candid. This lecture is about harnessing the power of candidness - from the rise of amateur photography to the use of the “snapshot aesthetic” in modern fine art photography.

For more information, call 8160044 or email manage@silverlensphoto.com

Words: Bea Davila, Image: Johann Espiritu, Kumbayah, 2009

Kat's Kodak Retina IIc

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 06:29:37 +0800

Today we feature our loyal reader Kat’s Kodak Retina IIc, originally released in 1954. This kick-ass camera has a 50/2.8 Schneider Retina-Xenon lens attached to it.

There’s really something cool about folding cameras.

Kat says:

I got this from a friend who had every bit of GAS as I am experiencing right now. :) The friend decided to let me adopt this baby so I could take care of it and take it out for a spin.

And now presenting photos from Kat’s “taking it out for a spin” in Taal Lake:

Fatherhood and Photography go together like developer and fixer.

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:58:21 +0800

Perhaps a little late for Father’s Day, we got this submission from MCS’ loyal Joseph - a great story about a dad, a camera, and getting the right exposure…

The rest of the story is in Joseph’s words.

First, let’s start with the camera:

My dad’s camera was acquired in Tokyo in 1963 while he was on a concert tour of Asia. He and my mom were expecting their first brat - me! The camera originally came with a tripod, self timer and light meter. Apparently the ‘little brat’ destroyed the light meter which eventually got lost.. He taught me the basics of photography on this camera with the aid of a ‘Sunny 16’ guide found in film boxes.

Young family… must have been the holidays in ‘63, taken by my dad and his camera/Ektachrome

I think my dad was just appointed dean of the University of Santo Tomas, Conservatory of Music in this picture when this picture was taken.

Playing with the (n)ever ready case.

Based on the pictures from our family archives, my dad’s Yashica Penta J was used mainly to document our growing family. A distinguished pianist colleague and avid photographer helped him acquire the camera in Tokyo. My dad is a violinist, music professor and conductor and I followed his footsteps. He is already 83 years old but still drives to UST every Monday and Wednesday to teach. The rest of his free time is typically spent driving my mom to go food shopping, visit Manila seedling bank because she loves gardening, attend concerts, play with his grand kids and after all of that, still manages to squeeze in a few violin students at home. There is never an idle moment in his life.

If his pictures give the impression that he was a serious photo hobbyist, that’s only because he applied the same discipline he developed as a musician to the camera as well as to other facets of life. He was and always will be a perfectionist! But beneath that facade was really a simple and dedicated family man with no vices. As we were growing up his main outlet to relax was playing with us and if necessary, cleaning and doing minor tune-up to his car. During the summer or on extended holidays, he loved driving the family in our ‘59 Austin Cambridge to visit old churches and view historic homes in provinces surrounding Manila. Life was simpler and gas was cheap. On hindsight very spontaneous, let’s see where the wheel takes us…as he would say. Due to his modest income, he only shot one roll of Ektachrome in his life. Much of the pictures taken by his Yashica were shot in B&W film until color film processing became more affordable. By the mid 70s, he became the conductor of the Philippine Youth Orchestra and I was competent enough to join as a violinist. On one of our tours I suggested we take his camera but could not find the light meter. He claimed that I played with it and ruined it when I was much younger. Since film boxes from that era always included a “Sunny 16” chart, the light meter wasn’t absolutely necessary. He taught me the basic rules of exposure by using the chart, how the lens aperture affects depth of field, focusing and framing. The other day I asked him if I really ruined the light meter because I never recall seeing it as a child, he denied ever saying that….ha ha ha.

An awesome story and some even better photographs. If this post didn’t warm your heart the way it did mine, then yours is color blue and the size of a walnut!

Thank you Joseph for sharing this. Please give your dad a standing ovation from MCS for all his accomplishments! Hats off to you, sir!

The In-Camera Photo Rating System

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:34:21 +0800

Just like a Magic Mic, this concept lets you know what your “aesthetic score” is, right after the shot. Check it out:

According to the website of Andrew Kupresanin:

Unlike a conventional camera Nadia has no display of the photographs to be taken, but rather gives the judgment of aesthetic quality to the machine, displaying only a current rating as feedback about when and what to snap.
Within pop culture and society artificial intelligence has been a topic that is approached with hope, fear, cynicism, curiousity and caution. However many intelligent devices have already been effortlessly absorbed into our culture and everyday lives.
Currently under development, we will soon see devices and systems that have the ability to think creatively and infer beauty. As this novel technology improves and works its way into consumer devices, what effect will it have on individual preference and our creative process? Will new objects and possibilities arise?
Camera utilises the first publicly available aesthetics inference engine, ACQUINE
Realised in the Digitale Klasse under Joachim Sauter and Jussi Ängeslevä at the University of the Arts Berlin, Germany.

Here’s a video:

Nadia from Andrew Kupresanin on Vimeo.

Now only if it would automatically delete the photo if it fell below a certain score… :-)

Analog-Digital / Digital-Analog - My Version

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 07:53:00 +0800

After Joseph sent in his digital-analog camera, I’ve been curious to try one out.

The opportunity came when a delayed flight left me shopping around the HK airport, where I noticed a nice-looking Panasonic GF-1 in a ever-ready-type case. I played with it in the store, and liked what I saw. I did get on my flight without buying it.

back in Manila, I emailed HK Voigtlander guy Joseph Yao, who said a lot of great things about the GF-1. He called it the “digital successor to the Leica CL”. Whoa! Big shoes to fill! He said this was because the GF-1 can be purchased with two choices of primes - a Panny 20/1.7 and a Leica 45/2.8. He said that was surprisingly similar to the CL’s choice of Summicron 40mm and 90mm (because of the 2x crop factor). Intriguing!

He also added that the size was pretty close too, and with an optional finder (optical or digital) it could feel “analog” in your hands.

Here’s an early “leaked” spy photo of the GF1 with the “Leica CL” lenses:

I swear, if Panasonic marketed it as the Digital CL (or something like that), they would have sold more of this little thing. Needless to say, I was sold even without it. It wasn’t long before I had this:

As you can see, I got the leather half-case, a Domke gripper strap (I love these and have them on my Leica RFs), the optional EVF, and some black tape for the “stealth” look. (BTW - speaking about stealth, I’ve actually had other GF1 owners ask me what camera it is. I guess it works!)

Aside from the above 20/1.7, I also scored this:

Armed with the Voigtlander micro 4/3 to Leica-M adapter, I quickly tried this:

Slapping on the VM Nokton 35/1.2 gives me a 70mm/1.2 equivalent. Add the very usable 1600 ISO of the GF-1 (yes, it is usable especially for black and white prints), and you’ve got a nice low-light portrait lens.

Here’s another view:

BTW, in case you want to see a smaller lens, here it is with the Zeiss Biogon 28:

I’m happy to say that hte GF-1 works well with manual focus lenses. You just have to fiddle with its settings to make it work the way you want it (and set it to “shoot without a lens”). Manual focusing allows you to zoom a portion of the frame while focusing to get precise focus. It’s not quite RF-smooth, but I didn’t expect it to be. It’s still works better than manual focus on a matte focus screen SLR, IMHO.

Oh, just in case you’re interested here are some photos…

With the Nokton 1.2:

Here’s a couple with the Panny 20/1.7 (which I think is an excellent lens, BTW):

Hey R - didn’t you get a GF-1 too? And don’t hold back on that Epson RDS! :-) Let’s see ‘em!

Like a Leica? Love the Likea!

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:34:00 +0800

Want a Likea for US$19.95? Now you can get one!

This Likea MPH is a pinhole camera made from cardboard. Twenty bucks gets you the kit, which you have to assemble yourself. Oh, and you’ll have to make the pinhole part yourself out of a soda can.

I guess this is the ultimate test of “It’s not the camera, it’s the photographer”….

Check out the store here. I love the way it’s made to look like the Leica website. Hahaha!

Oh, they deliver WORLDWIDE. Break out those credit cards!

New Scanner Day!

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:24:00 +0800

A couple of months ago, my CanoScan 8800F conked out. I took it to Canon, and for some strange reason, it worked perfectly well doing everything, EXCEPT scan black-and-white film. In one word for me: dealbreaker!

So Canon gave me two choices: replace the 8800F, or wait for the new 9000F to come out, and get that instead.

Glad to say that I waited. Waited long, but waited. Then look what came in today:

The CanoScan 9000F is a much more refined version of the 8800F. Not only does it scan faster, more silently, and have a better software interface - but it just looks and feels like a better product.

In the end, it’s all about the scans - right? My biggest criteria on judging scanners has got to be how well it captures film grain.

I never cared for ultra-smooth images. Grain is what gives photos soul - none of this noise-free stuff for me, baby!

So with grain correction off, I made my first scan:

Not bad! The full-res file shows Kodak Tri-X grain in it’s full beautifully rough glory.

So I made a few more scans:

The 9000F handled grain and tonal range really well - and I was really pleased with the smooth range it captured.

I didn’t realize that I missed scanning negatives. There’s something therapeutic about moving an image from a negative to your screen, and the process in between (handling negatives with white gloves, slowly putting it in the film mounts, calibrating the scanner) - right? Someone say “yes”!

I’ll be making a few more scans over the next couple of days to test the new scanner out some more. As of day one, however, I can say I am quite happy!

I’ll post a few more scans soon. All of the above are from the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, which was held in March of this year.

BTW, all of these photos from a Leica M7 + Summicron 35 ASPH, which you can view here.

Rap's Cameras - Part III

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:18:00 +0800

We come to the conclusion to Rap’s camera entries.

An Olympus OM-1! We’ve featured the Oly OM-1 here and here in the past.

Rap says:

The OM-1 is a tiny gem of a camera and the Zuiko lenses are an amazing lot! The meter from this camera has been repaired but I usually rely on the Gossen Luna for incident readings. This camera is really compact and feels more like a rangefinder on the hand, the shutter speed dial needs some getting used to. I’m looking for Zuiko portrait lenses so if you hear of some let me know :).

Can any of our readers help Rap find Zuiko portait lenses? Shout out!

And finally, Rap’s photos:

Thanks Rap!