Out taking pictures last weekend with a 40 year old Nikkormat

[Bill Smith]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3247/2608626018_b1d5b9b2ae_o.jpg
Shot with a Nikkormat Ftn with a Nikkor H 28/3.5 lens with Life Brand 400 ISO C-41 film.

I went up last sunday to a stretch of countryside an hour northwest of Toronto called the Forks of the Credit River. I took this shot on the West Credit river. I got the effect with an 8x ND filter which cuts the amount of light coming through the lens therefore slowing the speed down signifigantly. I have a big pile of photos in black and white on my flickr account. http://flickr.com/photos/funwithcameras.

[Ltltony]

Wow, great shot.

[Sabledog]

That's a great solid camera! I had one for several years, truly built like a tank!

[1969Fatboy]

I hope you dont mind that I just set as my background screen do you? absolutely stunning!!!

[thirdeye]

Man that is an awesome picture...40 years old you say...amazing!!!!

[TENroaches]

I have a big pile of photos in black and white on my flickr account.

Who doesn't? :wink:

Okay okay, all kidding aside, I do like the look of the water there, that's really cool. Especially with how still everything else is.

[Haiku]

Thanks for posting your picture. I had a look at your flikr account and I must say, while your colour work is just great, your black and white is even better. Nothing quite like Fomapan in ID-11 is there? Unless it's Tri-X in Xtol.

Your shots of Toronto have a timeless look about them, and I now want to get my mechanical Canon, my tripod, a bag full of HP5+ and get over to the Credit River.

BTW: your photo "Stand by Me" is gorgeous - even on a computer monitor.

[Bill Smith]

Thankyou all for the compliments on the photo.

Forks of the Credit is a very pretty part of the world outside of Toronto at any time of year. My only complaint, I got eaten alive my the local mosquito population, I was an all you can eat buffet that came to them.

Question for Ontario, which Canon do you have? I started out with an AE-1 but switched to Nikon Nation when I inherited my dad's Nikon F with eyelevel prism.

[Haiku]

Thankyou all for the compliments on the photo.

Forks of the Credit is a very pretty part of the world outside of Toronto at any time of year. My only complaint, I got eaten alive my the local mosquito population, I was an all you can eat buffet that came to them.

Question for Ontario, which Canon do you have? I started out with an AE-1 but switched to Nikon Nation when I inherited my dad's Nikon F with eyelevel prism.


I've an AE-1 and the later Program model. So strictly speaking they're not completely mechanical, but I've never managed to figure out a reason why I would use them in anything but manual mode. If I had a Nikon F, I suspect my Canons would sit on a shelf and gather dust. That's a great camera.

[soapbuddy]

Great shot!
It looks very peaceful.

[Bill Smith]

I've an AE-1 and the later Program model. So strictly speaking they're not completely mechanical, but I've never managed to figure out a reason why I would use them in anything but manual mode. If I had a Nikon F, I suspect my Canons would sit on a shelf and gather dust. That's a great camera.

AE-1's and the later programs were big cameras for Canon hitting the amateur and advanced amateur while the pros had the F-1 to play with. Considering that the FD mount is an orphan when Canon went to EOS, the older "manual" Canons are nice camera to get into for film photography without killing the pocketbook. I do miss my AE-1 from time to time and debated about getting a kit with a 28 50 and a telephoto lens for fun but I have enough lens systems already:tongue_sm.

[Haiku]

AE-1's and the later programs were big cameras for Canon hitting the amateur and advanced amateur while the pros had the F-1 to play with. Considering that the FD mount is an orphan when Canon went to EOS, the older "manual" Canons are nice camera to get into for film photography without killing the pocketbook. I do miss my AE-1 from time to time and debated about getting a kit with a 28 50 and a telephoto lens for fun but I have enough lens systems already:tongue_sm.

No question, FD mount cameras lenses and accessories can be had for a song. I picked up an f4 100 mm macro in like new condition along with an extender for about $60. Here's a picture taken with a (no name) 135 f 2.8 on a bellows. The 135 cost me $30 NOS and the bellows was $25. My entire outfit: two bodies, two 50 mm lenses (a 1.8 and a 1.4) the no-name 135, the f4 100 macro plus lots of filters, a Canon 2X teleconverter, the bellows and a $200 tripod cost me something like $500 or $600 in total. The flower here is about the size of one's thumbnail.

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=12769

[Bill Smith]

Sweet macro shot.

Here is another shot with the Nikkormat Ftn with the Nikkor H 50/2 lens
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/2608626130_12863cdf7c_o.jpg

[Austin]

My Kodak Instamatic is no match. :biggrin:

Very nice photo.

[soapbuddy]

Wow! Those pics are so nice, clear and sharp!

[Haiku]

Sweet macro shot.

Here is another shot with the Nikkormat Ftn with the Nikkor H 50/2 lens
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/2608626130_12863cdf7c_o.jpg

Thanks. I had fun creating the image and I've like it ever since.

Nothing quite like a camera like an Ftn is there? Isn't that the model with a totally mechanical metal focal plane shutter?

Amazing what one can do with an f2 50 mm lens. I assume the Nikkor focuses at 500 mm, ie about 18 inches?

[Haiku]

Wow! Those pics are so nice, clear and sharp!

Take a look at Bill's flikr account, you're in for a treat. Be prepared to spend a few hours!

[soapbuddy]

Take a look at Bill's flikr account, you're in for a treat. Be prepared to spend a few hours!

You are so right!
Those B&W shots remind me when I was little, my dad would process B&W film in our bathroom.

[Bill Smith]

Thanks. I had fun creating the image and I've like it ever since.

Nothing quite like a camera like an Ftn is there? Isn't that the model with a totally mechanical metal focal plane shutter?

Amazing what one can do with an f2 50 mm lens. I assume the Nikkor focuses at 500 mm, ie about 18 inches?

Ontario,

Again thanks. I love my Nikkormat with the metal vertical copal shutter. I have used the camera at -18c in the winter with no problems. The Nikkor 50/2 lens I was using is a Pre auto indexing or AI lens, pretty much the ancestor to the later AI(s) 50/1.8. Someone discovered the 50/2's and later 50/1.8's were pretty good with close focus and sharper than the faster 50/1.4 (still a really nice lens).

I had not used my Nikkormat for a while and I used it as my backup loaded with colour film (drugstore special and some Velvia 100) to my F2 Photomic with black and white. I love what I got out of my Nikkormat with the drugstore special brand film (Life Brand from Shoppers Drugmart).

I process and print my black and white in a traditional darkroom format and farm out the colour work though at some point I might have to do that too as decent colour labs are getting harder to find with everyone running to pixels. Film photography is pretty much like shaving with hard soap and a vintage safety razor.

I'm printing tomorrow night and I might throw up a black and white print or two over the weekend.

[Haiku]

Ontario,

Again thanks. I love my Nikkormat with the metal vertical copal shutter. I have used the camera at -18c in the winter with no problems. The Nikkor 50/2 lens I was using is a Pre auto indexing or AI lens, pretty much the ancestor to the later AI(s) 50/1.8. Someone discovered the 50/2's and later 50/1.8's were pretty good with close focus and sharper than the faster 50/1.4 (still a really nice lens).

I had not used my Nikkormat for a while and I used it as my backup loaded with colour film (drugstore special and some Velvia 100) to my F2 Photomic with black and white. I love what I got out of my Nikkormat with the drugstore special brand film (Life Brand from Shoppers Drugmart).

I process and print my black and white in a traditional darkroom format and farm out the colour work though at some point I might have to do that too as decent colour labs are getting harder to find with everyone running to pixels. Film photography is pretty much like shaving with hard soap and a vintage safety razor.

I'm printing tomorrow night and I might throw up a black and white print or two over the weekend.

I look forward to seeing any B+W you post. I thoroughly enjoy doing darkroom work, but can rarely manage to get into a darkroom to do any printing.

With respect to colour prints, I've had really good results from a very very little shop on Elm Street near the corner of Yonge called Elpro.

They can print 4x6 (and I think at least one size up as well) with the rebate of the film showing. In other words, they print full frame colour so that you can see exactly what's on the negative. I don't know anyone else who does that. And they don't charge extra for same day service. In by 10 and out by 3 at no extra charge.

[Bill Smith]

I know Elpro as well as Aden and 8 Elm towards University. I like the idea of full negative with rebate. I have only purchased darkroom chemicals from them in the past.