Dilemma

Alphie behind the screen door, stalking birds.

Over the years, I have owned more than a few cameras, though I was never a collector. Whenever a new camera sparked my interest, the old model was sold and the money put toward the new camera. Most often, the improvements were significant, and the old camera was quickly forgotten. However, recently I have gone on a buying spree, and I have collected too many cameras that I rarely use.

I am minimising my minimal legacy film camera collection. But I have a dilemma; shall I keep my X-700 or the XD-11 I bought on eBay last night? When the XD-11 arrives, I will have several film cameras; Pentax Spotmatic II, Pentax ES II, Pentax P3, Pentax P3n, Dad's Canon EOS Rebel 2000, Minolta X-700 and the Minolta XD-11. I think that's too many and I have already decided to sell the three older Pentax cameras - Spotmatic II, ESII and P3 - and keep the P3n but sell the Canon EOS Rebel 2000. It's the least desirable of the cameras.

But I enjoyed shooting the X-700 so much that I want to keep it. But I expect that I'll enjoy using the XD-11 as much as the X-700. I'm uncertain how to justify keeping both once the more capable XD-11 arrives. I want to keep them both, but I don't need three film cameras.

I’m not sure I’ve figured out my used camera spending sweet spot. I know that some of my purchases this year have left me feeling “anxious”. In retrospect, my Pentax Spotmatic II (US$80) and ES II (US$158) purchases seem ill-considered. I have used both cameras only a few times, with weight and ease of use being detractors.

I’ve had real joy using my Minolta X-700. Found on Facebook Marketplace and sold by the original owner who was excited to find out that we lived just minutes apart and hiked the same nature trials, I paid US$70 for the body, two lenses, a camera bag, and two Minolta flash units. I feel quite pleased with this purchase, and I use this camera often.

This month I bought a Pentax P3n ($35) and a Minolta XD-11 ($245). I’m already regretting both purchases; the P3n because I’m concerned I won’t use the camera as much, and the XD-11 feels like an indulgence. I’m hoping the XD-11 is even more fun to use than the X-700 but if it isn’t I’m prepared to shoot a few rolls and resell it. And I’ll probably shoot a few rolls in the P3n and sell that too.

I guess I know that I’ve fallen in love with the X-700, but we’re not yet exclusive, and I’m dating other cameras, looking for the one.

Submitted for the 100DaysToOffload project.

Fujifilm Film Simulation Challenge Roll 4: Ilford HP5 Plus

During my sophomore year at Drew University, I took a winter semester course on photography with access to a fully stocked darkroom. As a student, the only thing I needed was a camera, film, and 8x10 photographic paper. I shot colour reversal, but thinking back to that time, I was enamoured with B& W film, shooting mostly Kodak T-MAX.

I recently purchased a roll of ADOX Scala 160, which is the reversal process film alternative to the discontinued AGFA SCALA. Once I shoot the roll of film, it would be interesting to compare to Ritchie's Agfa Scala Film Simulation Recipe. I wish I had done a better job of keeping my negatives. They are lost somewhere during one of my many moves. After selling her home in Florida, my mom is visiting while she decides what's next, and she shipped me a large box full of prints and film negatives she found. We are going through the box, and I occasionally have found a gem or two. Somewhere in that box is a set of film negatives that I may have captured during my photography course. Maybe.

This blog entry is my fourth instalment for the Ritchie Roesch's Fujifilm inspired Film Simulation Challenge. For this challenge, I chose Ritchie's Ilford HP5 Plus recipe for X-Trans III sensors and went for an early morning walk around downtown Princeton. I shot RAW + JPEG. I've never used the actual Ilford HP5 Plus film (or ACROS), but I do like some of the SOOC JPEG images which I've posted below. Some processed some of the RAW and achieved results that I preferred over the SOOC JPEG version. But the challenge is all about film simulation recipes and SOOC JPEGs, so I've included the best of the roll of 36. Many of the SOOC images have been cropped and edited for perspective correction only. Despite my best efforts with the built-in level of the Fujifilm X-T2 I tend to tilt.

I drove into Princeton with the intention of getting some early morning images and then stopping in at Rojo's Coffee for a latte and muffin for breakfast. Rojo's opens at 8 AM on the weekend so I had about 45 minutes to walk around. Perhaps because it was a cold winter morning or because it was very early morning, the area around Palmer Square was mostly free of vehicles and people. I parked on Palmer Square West and walked around to Palmer Square Sout toward Nassau Street and toward Witherspoon, then down Witherspoon toward Hulfish Street, before circling back toward Palmer Square East.

None of the restaurants and stores on Palmer Square was open at this hour but there were a few people on Nassau Street. I found myself drawn to the facades of the stores and restaurants and the way the early morning light looked on some of the buildings. There is a lot of shadows. Once I completed the square and arrived back at my car, I looked at the time and realised that it would be another fifteen minutes before Rojo's would be open. I was cold and hungry. I left Palmer Square and drove back to Skillman to pick up breakfast at Bagel Barn.


Other entries in this challenge series.

Palmer Square, Princeton, Street
22 February, 2020 | Palmer Square , Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 400
Man, Truck, Street, Buildings
22 February, 2020 | Palmer Square South, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 1000
Men, People, Street, Store Front
22 February, 2020 | Ann Taylor, Palmer Square, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 1000
Parking Meter
22 February, 2020 | Coins, Credit Cards and Phone Apps. Palmer Square, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 4000
Store Facade, Building
22 February, 2020 | Palmer Square Kiosk, Palmer Square, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 640
Street Sigh, Street Lights, Witherspoon Street, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | Witherspoon Street, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 200
Store Facade, Restaurant, Lahierre Restaurant, Witherspoon Street, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | Lahierre Restaurant, Witherspoon Street, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 800
Store Facade, Hamilton Jewelers, Witherspoon Street, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | Hamilton Jewelers, Witherspoon Street, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 1600
Store Front, Agricola Eatery, Witherspoon St, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | Agricola Eatery, Witherspoon St, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 4000
Store Facade, Jules Thin Crust, Witherspoon St, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | Jules Thin Crust, Witherspoon St, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 800
Store Facade, Alchemist & Barrister, Witherspoon St, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | Flags on Alchemist & Barrister, Witherspoon St, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 200
Store Facade, Alchemist & Barrister, Witherspoon St, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | Princeton University Flag on Alchemist & Barrister, Witherspoon St, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 200
Store Facade, Alchemist & Barrister, Witherspoon St, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | Princeton University Flag on Alchemist & Barrister, Witherspoon St, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 200
Store Facade, Purinsu Ramen, Witherspoon St, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | Purinsu Ramen, Witherspoon St, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 2500
Store Front, Corner of Witherspoon Street and Spring Street, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | Corner of Witherspoon Street and Spring Street, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 320
Store Facade, LAN Ramen, Hullfish Street, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | LAN Ramen, Hullfish Street, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 640
Book, Store Window
22 February, 2020 | Goodnight Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 800
Store Facade, Halo Fete, Hulfish St, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | Halo Fete, Hulfish St, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 1000
Store Window, Jazams, Palmer Square East, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | Jazams, Palmer Square East, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 3200
Back Alley, Palmer Square East, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | Back Alley, Palmer Square East, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 2000
Door, Nassau Inn, Palmer Square, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | Nassau Inn, Palmer Square, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 1000
Chimney, Nassau Inn, Palmer Square, Princeton
22 February, 2020 | Nassau Inn, Palmer Square, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 200
22 February, 2020 | Palmer Square, Princeton, New Jersey | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 640
Store Front, Man Walking, Palmer Square West, Princeton, New Jersey
22 February, 2020 | Palmer Square West, Princeton, New Jersey | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 640

One photograph, five monochrome interpretations in Fujifilm X Raw Studio

Comparing ACROS, ACROS+G Filter, ACROS+R Filter, ACROS+Y Filter Fuji Film Simulations to Ilford HP5 Plus and Tri-X Push Film Simulation Recipes. Just because.

All of the images were created in Fujifilm X Raw Studio and my Fujifilm X-T2 using film simulation recipes.

Aug 30, 2019, ACROS Film Simulation — FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Aug 30, 2019, ACROS+G Filter Film Simulation — FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Aug 30, 2019, ACROS+R Filter Film Simulation — FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Aug 30, 2019, ACROS+Y Filter Film Simulation — FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Aug 30, 2019, Ritchie Roesch's Tri-x Push Process Film Simulation Recipe — FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Aug 30, 2019, Ritchie Roesch's Illford HP5 Plus Film Simulation Recipe — FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR