Rain Drops

How much time and effort would you put into photographing a raindrop?

It rained this morning. The weather reports call for overcast skies all day. It may rain again.

While standing at the sliding door to the patio, I noticed raindrops on the ornamental allium.I quickly attached my MCEX-16 macro extension tube, XF27mmF2.8 R WR lens, and one of my Godox TT350 flashes. But that was the easy part. Macro photography requires patience, still hands, and the focal point's perfect positioning. The flash helped keep the shutter speeds above 160 second while keeping ISO as low as possible. Setting up the gear took five minutes. Getting these two usable frames took nearly thirty minutes.

How much time and effort would you put into photographing a raindrop?

rain drop on allium leaf
4 May, 2022 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF27mmF2.8 R WR + MCEX-16

New Classic EZ400 35mm Black and White Film

Released in 2021 by the New Classic Film project, EZ400 is a panchromatic black and white negative 35mm film that delivers what some describe as "retro yet sharp images".

Released in 2021 by the New Classic Film project, EZ400 is a panchromatic black and white negative 35mm film that delivers what some describe as "retro yet sharp images".

When you rate it at box speed, EZ400 will give you contrast images with plenty of detail in the highlights and lightly subdued shadows. Suitable for all light conditions, EZ400 is versatile and capable.

There was a certain amount of buzz when the EZ 400 film stock was released. I fell for the hype, managing to order a few rolls at Meseroll, a bicycle shop. That seems weird to me. Meseroll was selling EZ400 in a pack of five 36 exposure rolls. I have exposed just this one roll so far.

Each 35mm film cassette is packaged in a durable recycled kraft paper container. I don’t know why kraft is spelt with a "k", but I think it's cool. The EZ400 containers are recyclable. The film cassettes have no DX coding, and this is a non-issue on cameras such as my Minolta XD-11 and X-700, where I can set the ISO manually, but it will be an issue for cameras that depend on DX coding.

I exposed the first roll at box speed at Palmer Square and around my neighbourhood. I sent the cassette off for Boutique Film Lab to develop. Here are some frames scanned with an Epson V600 with my scanning workflow. All film frames were exposed at box speed. The results are okay, nothing spectacular. But EZ 400 is low-price and an excellent alternative black and white film to put in my Minolta. I have four more rolls of EZ400. Maybe it will grow on me.

Name New Classic Film EZ400 400
Type Black and White (negative)
Native ISO 400
Format 35mm
Process Black and White
Lab Boutique Film Labs
Scanner Epson Perfection V600
Software SilverFast 9 SE and Negative Lab Pro
13 February, 2022 | Minolta XD-11 | MD ROKKOR-X 50mm F1.7
13 February, 2022 | Minolta XD-11 | MD ROKKOR-X 50mm F1.7
13 February, 2022 | Minolta XD-11 | MD ROKKOR-X 50mm F1.7
13 February, 2022 | Minolta XD-11 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2
13 February, 2022 | Minolta XD-11 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2
13 February, 2022 | Minolta XD-11 | MD ROKKOR-X 50mm F1.7
Belle Mara
13 February, 2022 | Minolta XD-11 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2
Revival Barber Shop
13 February, 2022 | Minolta XD-11 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2
The Falafel House
13 February, 2022 | Minolta XD-11 | MD ROKKOR-X 45mm F2

Spring Hike in Sourland Mountain Preserve

A few weeks ago, Bhavna and I enjoyed hiking in the nearby Sourland Mountain Preserve. We've hiked the preserve many times, but this was our first since the start of the new year. We've hiked the preserve with kids and our nephews, and I have hiked with a local photography group and with "photo friends". I love being among the trees and photographing the ephemeral perennial wildflowers native to the region. There are multiple trails inside the preserve.

I photographed a few wildflowers using my Fujinon MCEX-16 macro extension tube, but my technique was poor and rushed. With macro photography, I set my aperture between f/9 and f/16 to maximise the depth of field. If the camera is set to auto-ISO and auto-exposure, the low light under the trees forces the camera to choose a high ISO and low shutter speed to get a bright enough photograph. That makes handheld exposure very challenging. I want a Platypod ultra base plate and a ball head, or use an LED ring flash around the lens.

17 April, 2022 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF27mmF2.8 R WR
17 April, 2022 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF27mmF2.8 R WR
17 April, 2022 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF27mmF2.8 R WR
17 April, 2022 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF27mmF2.8 R WR + Fujinon MCEX-16
17 April, 2022 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF27mmF2.8 R WR with
17 April, 2022 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF27mmF2.8 R WR + Fujinon MCEX-16