Bill Smith's Photography

  It was a great photo walk and the destination, the Mill St. Beer Hall was a reward for a good photowalk.  Camera: Nikkormat FTn, Nikkor Pre Ai lenses.  Film: Kentmere 400, Ilfotec HC 1+31. 

I had to drop my car off for service at Oakville Volkswagan recently, and like everything else with Covid 19, things were different, no courtesy shuttle for starters, and public transit was running on a reduced schedule. I said screw it and walked home, clocking in at around 10 km. Yeah, I got my steps in that day.  I also wanted to photograph on my way home, and wanted to travel light. I took one look at my pair of Minolta X-700's grabbed one with the 50 F1.7 lens on, packed the Minolta MD 28 F2.8 and the sleeper 75-150 F4 zoom. It was the perfect kit for a long walk. No way I'm packing something heavy like a Minolta XE-7, Nikon F2 or Canon F-1. I really didn't take a bad photo all the way along my route. I have several thoughts on the X-700, they always seem to find me, as in I've never had to pay for one. They are the quintessential 1980s consumer camera that both a non photographer and an experienced amateur photographer pick up and take great pictures.  In fact if ...

 I have not been hiking all that much this year, thank you crappy Summer weather and a tender left knee. I've been out a few times this fall and I guess this is my "Fall Colours" hike. I like Limehouse Conservation Area, it has a lot of photography opportunities. I want to squeeze one more hike in before the snow flies, whether or not I will will all depend on the weather. Also, I got my first generation Canon F-1 back from a CLA, I wanted to get rid of the shutter bounce at higher speeds, by and large it's gone. This camera was Canon's response to the Nikon F and early F2, it is a system camera and built like a tank, I wanted to try it out, normally I would roll with something lighter like an Olympus OM-1 or OM-2n if I'm on the trail. The F-1 is a fun camera to use, price wise they are all over the place depending on condition, and the seller. Canon F-1, FD 50 f1.4 and 28 F2 SSC lenses. Film: Kodak Portra 400.

I honestly wanted to show you more of Port Stanley, but there was a problem. I picked up a Nikon FM with a perfect Nikkor 50 f2 Ai lens at the London Vintage Camera Show the day before . The camera looked perfect, sounded perfect but I didn't crack the back open to see that the shutter was capping up to 1/125 and from 1/250 of a second the front shutter curtain was't opening at all. Copal shutters are bomb proof until they are not. I did my research and found out, what happens to me does happen on occasion, nothing a trip to the camera repair tech can't fix. Once repaired, the Nikon FM will get a lot of use this Summer. That said, my Nikon F2S was working great and you got some beautiful black and white shots to look at. The colour will have to wait until Summer. Camera: Nikon F2S, Nikkor S.C. 50 f1.4 lens mostly. Film: Kentmere 100, Rodinal 1+50