Bill Smith's Photography

 Snow didn't really arrive until Boxing Day, most of December looked like extended November, I haven't shot much medium format since I moved to Toronto from Oakville two years ago, and I haven't shot with a Rolleicord for a long while. I forgot how nice Scheider glass is, speaking of which, I got a 2.8 C Rolleiflex with the Schneider Xenotar lens at the spring Toronto Camera Club fundraising sale for an amazing price.  As of writing I'm waiting for some Bay III accesories before I head out and run a test roll through it. In the mean time, we have my Rolleicord Vb results. I used Ilford HP5 becuase the light was pretty low in the sky and sunset was late afternoon.  I plan to shoot more 120 this year, the results are too nice.  Camera: Rolleicord Vb, 75 F3.5 Schneider Xenar Lens.  Film: Ilford HP5 400, Ilfotec HC 1+31. 

  I need to get my hands on some more Bergger Pancro 400 both in 35mm and 120 but supplies in North  America have dried up and France I think is still in lock down. I will have to ration what I have left and I picked up a brick of Rollei RPX 400 in 120 and I'll be shooting that more often.  As usual we got our mid April cold snap in Southern Ontario along with a dusting of snow. This happens every year, and every year people are continually surprised, I took these photos on the two days before the snow hit, and by Friday we retunred to early-mid May weather in April, I'll take it.  Camera: Rolleicord Vb, 75 f3.5 Schneider Xenar lens.  Film: Bergger Pancro 400, HC110 B. 

 Seeing your neighbourhood in a different crop helps you see things differently. I'm still loving the Catlabs X Film 80 goodness.  Camera: Rolleicord Vb, 75 f3.5 Schneider Xenar Lens.   Film: Catlabs X Film 80 HC110 B. 

 I don't shoot medium format in the winter much, I had an expereince with my Mamiya C220f where the 80 F2.8 lens crapped out on me in the cold and needed servicing. Actually the lens really did need servicing. Since winter weather receded sooner than later, I pulled out my Rolleicord Vb for a good workout and loaded it with Catlabs X Film 80, their tribute to Kodak Panatomic X black and white film that got discontinued ages ago with Tmax 100 being its replacement.  The big knock against Catlabs X Film 80 is it was finished and spooled by Shanghai Film in China, which has at best a very mixed reputation for quality control (work with me, I'm being polite, they might get their act together and surprise us all). I pre soak the film in water for five minutes or so prior to developing to get the antihalation layer off and any other crud that wound up on the film. I process in HC110 dillution B and I love the results. I prefer X Film 80 for a hybrid process, as in develop, scan, pos...

Fujifilm Pro 400H isn't my go to colour negative film, hasn't been for a long time. My friend Nancy recently gifted me an expired roll and I shot it on a Sunday morning walk to downtown Oakville for a coffee. It's odd looking at this colour palette which is very Fujifilm, nice to revisit but I prefer Kodak Portra 400 and Kodak Ektar 100 for medium format colour film. Camera: Rolleicord Vb, 75 f3.5 Schneider Xenar lens. Film: Fujifilm Pro 400H.