Long Weekend in the East End

I really like shooting in this neighbourhood, and I got really lucky with a PCC streetcar on its way to the Harbourfront LRT route.

Camera: Nikon FM, Nikkor Ai 50 f2 lens.
Film: Efke 100, HC110 B.

Gerrard St. East

I haven't wandered through Chinatown East in a long time, Canada Day weekend I went out with a few friends from the Toronto Film Photography Community and did a route along Gerrard St. East to Carlaw and then went south to Queen St. and walked west to Broadview for lunch. It was a bright day so I shot some Efke 100, two rolls worth and while it's not the first choice for street/urban photography in 2017 but it works great on a bright Summer's day.


Camera: Nikon FM, Nikkor Ai 50 f2 lens.
Film: Efke 100, HC110 B.

Nikon FM, A roll of Tri-X and the City

Remember that Nikon FM I picked up at the London Camera Show? I got it back from its overhaul at Camera Repair Canada to fix a shutter problem. I have also been getting re-acquainted with Kodak Tri-X 400, one of the great black and white films. Processing with Xtol 1+1, this film sings. The camera is performing better than new and the meter is spot on.

Camera: Nikon FM, Nikkor Ai 50 f2 lens, Ai 105 f2.5 and Ais 28 f2.8 lens.
Film: Kodak Tri-X 400, Vtol 1+1.

Walking Harbourfront One Saturday Two weeks Ago

We have had a truly awful spring this year, with pretty much the same forecast since mid-May 40-60% chance of showers and thunderstorms. I joked with one professional colleague that suffering seasonal afflicted disorder mid-June, just wasn't cool.

Mother nature cooperated the first weekend of Summer and my shoot in Harbourfront was stunning. I'm still blown away at what I got from my Spotmatic II and Lomography and Kodak Ultramax 400 (pretty much the same film). I know it's in the photographer's eye but having really nice lenses doesn't hurt either.

I have a lot of respect for Pentax Spotmatics, they were simple, durable SLRs, million were made, the lenses were on par with the big boys, if not better in construction and optics. I could geek out but there are pages of search results on Google going into detail. I suggest starting at Photoethnography  and go from there.


Camera: Asahi Pentax Spotmatic II, Super Multi Coated Takumar 50 f1.4 lens, 28 f3.5 lens.

Downtown Toronto on a Saturday Afternoon

I made a promise to myself to shoot more with my Spotmatics this year and so far I'm keeping to it. Considering I'm shooting on a 46 year old camera, I'm blown away at what I get from the lenses. Pentax knew how to make really nice glass on par with Leica. Most of the time I shoot black and white film through my Spotties and kicks and giggles I ran colour film in for a change.

Now the 50 f1.4 lens in both the Super and Super Multi Coated Takumar lenses had slightly radioactive rare earth lens elements which meant they went yellow over time. That's the way life goes, great for black and white, not so much for colour. I gave my lens the UV treatment which counteracts this process but even then I still get a warm cast, that could also be the film too, Lomography 400 is made by Kodak Alaris so, yeah, I don't mind it.

Camera: Asahi Pentax Spotmatic II, Super Multi Coated Takumar 50 f1.4 and Super Takumar 24 f3.5 lens.
Film: Lomography 400 C-41.

Yorkville on Film

Camera: Canon FTbn, FD 50 f1.4 and 28 f2 SSC lenes
Film: Ilford HP5 400, HC110 B.