Postmodernity

Postmodernity

May 2007, Cologne.

Ilford Pan-F Plus 50

Pan F-Plus 50 is definitely a tricky film to use especially in a shutter priority fixed lens rangefinder. The results I’ve got from the one roll I’ve shot so far have been less than satisfactory. The film is too contrasty for street or general photography and of course needs lots of light and stable hands. And you need to be very good with your technique to get good results with the film. Still, when exposed properly it shows very very little grain and produces really nice tones as seen in the above photo. And that special tonality does add drama producing photos full of atmosphere and mood. For now though, until I improve my technique, I’ll stick to Fuji Neopan 400. Neopan is more forgiving exposure wise, has very fine grain even though its a fast film and produces just the right amount of contrast imo making it a very versatile film to use.

Where Do I Go From Here?

Where Do I Go From Here?

April 2007, Stuttgart.

Fuji Neopan 400

If yesterday’s shot was taken by Minolta’s excellent compact rangefinder, the HiMatic 7sII, today’s shot was taken by Canon’s similar full-featured rangefinder, the Canonet QL17 GIII (I often wonder who comes up with such imaginative camera names!). The Canonet is bigger and heavier than the Minolta but sports a much brighter and clearer viewfinder than the latter and even offers automatic parallex correction, something found only on more expensive rangefinders! It’s 40mm lens is as fast as the one on the Minolta (f/1.7) but according to the many user reports I’ve read online it falls short on contrast and sharpness when compared to the one on the latter. Read more about the Canonet here. All in all I’m very happy with my two rangefinders as they are great fun to use and will keep me going until I can afford a Leica 🙂