Bill Smith's Photography

The Nikon F is one of those iconic cameras that even at 60 years old is still going strong as a camera design. I have a couple of bodies with the desirable eye level prism, I shot with a three lens set up, the  classic Nikkor H 28 f3.5, S 50 f1.4 and 105 f2.5 lenses, all three are 1960s vintage and have single coated front elements. I also wanted to shoot some Kodak Ektar 100, it delivered.  I was using a hand held Sekonic L398a meter as the Nikon F I was using had the eyelevel prism, about as old school as you can get. I enjoyed it. Camera: Nikon F, Nikkor S 50f 1.4 lens, Nikkor H 28 f3.5 lens. Film: Kodak Ektar 100

I'm going to be sad once my source of Agfacolor Portrait 160 dries up. Camera: Rolleicord Vb, 75 f3.5 Schneider Xenar lens. Film: Agfacolor Portrait 160, expired 18 years ago and stored cryogenically.

I don't shoot expired film much but Agfacolor Portrait 160, freezer stored of course and exposed at 80  ISO looks amazing. Shooting through Schneider glass on my Rolleicord Vb is a perfect combination. Camera: Rolleicord Vb, 75 f3.5 Schneider Xenar lens. Film: Expired 18 years ago and freezer stored Agfacolor Portrait 160

What I found when I processed my first roll from last week in HC 110 Dilution B, the end results need a bit of bumping up in Adobe Lightroom after scanning. Granted Toronto had soggy cement coloured skies for most of it. I switched developers and I found ID-11(Ilford's D76) at a 1+1 dilution gave me contrasty negatives with more detail. Moral of the story HC110 is great for sunny days but if you were shooting on an overcast day, roll with D76 or ID-11 if you want a little more pop in your negatives. Camera: Rolleicord Vb, 75 f3.5 Schneider Xenar Lens. Film: Ilford HP5 400, ID-11 1+1

I was at my brother's last week house and turtle sitting. The house itself felt off, empty, Rufus had a great life and passed on at age 14 which is George Burns years for a black lab. The weather was classic super late winter in Toronto, namely cold for two days, rain, then snow flurries and then sunshine. This winter has been bleak and it shows in the negatives. Ilford HP5 and HC110 B are great for sunny days, cloudy days you are going to need a developer that builds some contrast like ID-11, which is Ilford's D76, I'll post on Friday a roll I shot in Leslieville on Friday. Also note, I'm posting all my medium format photos first, and then 35mm so the order will be out of whack. Camera: Rolleicord Vb. 75 F3.5 Schneider Xenar lens. Film: Ilford HP5 400, HC110 B.

Funny what you find on your desk, in this case, an unprocessed roll of Fuji Neopan Acros 100, I love this film, I was sad when it got discontinued over a year ago. I was surprised it was from late last Summer in the Beaches. In hindsight, I should have pushed Ilford HP5 or Kodak Tri-X, I can't remember if I had a roll with me or not, the light wasn't that Neopan Acros friendly (low cloud ceiling and threatening rain). This roll was from what became the Midweek Photowalk Group from Toronto Photowalks. We had fun even if the light sucked (shoulda pushed the film like crazy). The other thing, it buys me time to process the film I shot last week in the Beaches, enjoy this throwback in the meantime. Camera: Rolleiflex Automat, 75 f3.5 Schneider Xenar lens. Film: Fuji Neopan Acros 100, HC110 E.

Fuji Velvia isn't my go to film, in this case Velvia 100 is a super saturated slide film that's great for nature and landscapes. Don't ever use this for portraiture or any photography involving humans, the skin tones will be really off. Considering how grey this winter has been seeing some bright green is a nice antidote. This and the previous post was from an Oakville Camera Club outing hike into Belfountain Conservation Area through the Trimble Side Trail. Early-mid June is a great time for hike, only in hindsight I was an all you can eat buffet for the local mosquito population. These days bug and tick repellent is mandatory because of deer ticks. I have some Velvia 100F in the fridge I should shoot this spring through my Nikon 3HP or F4. Camera: Nikkormat FTn, Nikkor S 50 f1.4 lens, Nikkor H 28 f3.5 lens. Film: Fujifilm Velvia 100

Going back further in my archives, I'm amazed how I got the exposure right with my Nikkormat FTn's meter. Camera: Nikkormat FTn, Pre Ai lenses. Film: Fuji Velvia 100