In summer 2017 we chartered a boat, a 24m long tjalk, to sail the IJsselmeer and Markermeer for a week. The Vrouw Dina — that’s the boat’s name — was commanded by two skippers — Simi and Daniel — and we acted as their amateurish part time crew.
I choose my old Yashica T5 to come with me … loaded with Agfa Vista 200. Reasons for choosing the Yashica T5 were that it’s waterproof — to a certain degree, that it’s small — it fits in a pocket and that it’s fully automatic — perfect if you have not much time to fiddle around with settings Sure, I had my workhorse — guess what — with me, but this time there was no use for it, as the Yasihica T5 did a very good job and the rest was shot with an iPhone. All images from the film can be found here.
We started from Enkhuizen, getting a first briefing on-board the boat. After loading our luggage, we started our first tour to Hoorn. The small town, founded in 716, was name-giving for one of the most famous locations on earth — Cape Horn. Willem Schouten, who circled it in 1616, named the southernmost part of the Americas after its birthplace.
During Holland’s Golden Age between 1602 and 1799, when it became a glorious seafarer and trade empire, Hoorn was an important home base of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), one of the first multinational corporations, issuing bonds and shares of stock to the general public.
On we go from Hoorn to Monnikendam.
… and further we go from Monnikendam to Marken … and further on to Medemblik.
On our way to Lemmer …
… and back to Enkhuizen.
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Just leaving for a trip to Crete. Having the good old Olympus OM-2n with its H.Zuiko Auto‑W 2.8/24mm lens with me. The OM-2n has recently been for a CLA at the OM-Labor in Frankfurt, Germany. The 24mm lens has a nice reputation and I’m keen to see how this combo fits. The camera will be loaded with Agfa Vista 200 color film.
Besides that, I’m carrying with me my workhorse — the Olympus OM‑D E‑M1 with its marvellous M.Zuiko 2.8/12–40mm lens and — as a lightweight addition, the Ricoh GRII.
When I’m back from the trip I’ll have a short report in my tiny blog and put some images on my flickr page.
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This time a beautiful Contax G1 found its way to me, accompanied by three legendary Zeiss lenses. All parts are in good shape, so let’s see what comes out when the first film is pushed through.
On the one side, the Contax G‑System (i.e. the G1 and even more its sibling the G2) is said to be the world’s most advanced 35mm rangefinder camera system. On the other side its said that beside all its merits, it has its rough edges too. More on that later ;)
Here are the three stellar lenses I meant, starting with the Carl Zeiss Biogon 2.8/28mm …
… the Carl Zeiss Planar 2.0/45mm …
… and the Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8/90mm.
All three are rated as superb from a wide range of reviewers on the web — all far more experienced photographers than I will ever be ;)
But now, film is loaded and on we go — an Agfa Vista 200 will do the job.
The Contax G1 body has been reviewed on several web-locations — just check my website to name some — so there is no need to repeat. There are some points which are widely criticized — things like a hyper sensitive shutter button, a small viewfinder, too slow maximum shutter speed and an unreliable autofocus — so I’ll have an eye on these.
The first lens I’ll try is the Carl Zeiss Planar 2.0/45mm, which is said to be one of the best lenses of all times.
Puh, … film is done and in the lab. In the meantime I can talk about how it went, shooting this combo.
To me, this camera is a little gem. It fits in the hand like it was made for … me. Reminds me somehow on its SLR sibling — the 159MM. All dials and switches and buttons are simply where they should be. As I was shooting in aperture priority mode with autofocus, the only thing to adjust was the aperture.
First point, the maximum shutter speed of 1/2000s was never an issue.
Shooting ISO 200 film there is plenty of room for adjustments for playing with depth of field. Using film with ISO 100 or ISO 400 or even ISO 800 makes it easy to work when the environment makes it necessary. I do not know how some claim this 1/2000s to be an issue — too slow and not fast enough. During their time, 1/2000s was not that bad, when most SLR and Rangefinder offered 1/1000s — and yes I know there were SLR offering 1/4000s already … at least some.
Maybe coming from modern DSLR or Mirrorless Cameras (I really like this term as it describes an object with its missing feature) with their maximum shutter speed of 1/4000s or 1/8000s or even electronic shutter with 1/32000s is somehow challenging for those old cameras, but really .… it’s nice having it, but who need this?
Second point, the hyper sensible shutter button.
When ‘half-pressed’, it triggers autofocus and autoexposure measurement. To call this ‘half-pressed’ is somewhat funny as you do not really need to ‘press’. I compare it more with the shutter button of my Minolta X‑700, where a slight touch triggers the measurement. That’s it.
You get used to it the more you use it. Is this not the same with all things you learn? Learning to ride a bicycle is tricky in the beginning, but once you got it, it’s pretty easy for the rest of your life as you know how to keep the balance.
Third point, the autofocus.
I can remember my Yashica T5 which too has a central autofocus field only. Not having the intended object in this focus field gives a missed focus … lesson learned.
Same for my Canon AF35MKII. Central autofocus field and if you miss your intended object it resulted in a missed focus … lesson learned. Easiest to be seen when shooting two people, framing that both are placed well and pointing the central focus field in the middle between them. Wow … get’s the background sharp and in focus then.
And yes, if you place vertical lines in this focus field it helps a lot. So there’s nothing special with it. Learn it and then do it — it’s like riding a bicycle. That the passive autofocus is not that good in really low light does not bear a big surprise. No contrast, no autofocus. If you keep this in mind, autofocus works like always — and it’s fast enough.
If you come from the digital age with your DSLR and Mirrorless Camera carrying trillions of focus points spread over the whole sensor and working with artificial intelligence like algorithms to auto detect everything … yes, then you perhaps might get a little bit lost with a single central focus field.
I learned, that many professional photographers often deactivate their autodetect everything autofocus and use the central focus field only. Guess why?
Fourth point, a small viewfinder … can we please skip this and go to the next point.
Indeed it’s small — the smallest I’ve ever seen, besides some very old cameras like my Zeiss Ikon Ercona II. Once you know how to best look through it (i.e. position your eye), you see all things necessary. The info panel on the bottom, the central autofocus field and the full frame (pun intended). Nothing more is needed to frame and focus.
Shure, if the viewfinder would be like on a Minolta Dynax 9 this would be fantastic (more on that in a later post). But finally it shows what it should and its successor made it better with a larger viewfinder — on the G2.
Next point … my conclusion:
If you can find one — get one and enjoy it.
Point one, two, three and four show to me that you do not need to worry using this camera. Those were the most criticized topics and none is a show stopper. The opposite is the case — this camera fells into hand as it was made for and it’s handling is so easy.
Besides all that technical stuff, this camera is a real beauty — as beautiful as a camera can be. To me, this is a wonderful piece of technology and worth being used to take pictures without any doubt.
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So long … and thanks for all the fish.
P.S. Just to mention, the full film can be found on flickr in colour and in black and white.
As promised in the first part of this Canon A‑1 attempt, I have finished the first roll of film — it’s again an Agfa Vista 200 — and it’s back from the lab, so it’s time to show some images.
A couple of images were made during a hike in the Lerautal — a valley with a small creek — the Lerau. The path followed first the hill up to the old castle ruin of Leuchtenberg (built in the 10th/11th century … and sorry, no pics here … maybe next time) and went then down into the valley of the Lerau. This valley is mainly covered by forest and the Lerau is meandering through it.
This time, I post-processed the colour images slightly with ColorFX by applying some kind of de-saturation magic — the Agfa Vista is normally showing more vivid colours. They can be found here. As I’m always seeing sceneries also in black and white, a b&w version can be found here.
Using the Canon A‑1 more often, some of the quirks I mentioned in my earlier post do no longer bother. Still, the combo is quite heavy and still the multi-function wheel is something one needs to get used to. Technically, the Canon A‑1 worked flawless with its 1.4/50mm S.S.C. lens and so one can more focus on the important part — seeing sceneries.
One thing, comparing to let’s say a Contax 139 Quartz, a Contax 159 MM or even the Olympus OM-4Ti is, that the film advance works … not so smooth. This is somehow disappointing with a premium model, but it may simply be caused by aging. So let’s not overrate it here. I simply find it astonishing how different the tactile feedback of this mechanism feels with different cameras, where it is always the same technical process behind.
My conclusion: It was interesting shooting my old dream camera, but … I’m sure that I will not use this camera frequently. It’s definitely no bad camera — under no circumstances, but it does not thrill me as much as I thought it will, decades ago.
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After having back the Olympus OM-4Ti from repair, I took it on a short trip to Frankfurt. Equipped with a Zuiko Auto‑T 2.8/100mm and loaded with an Agfa Vista 200, I was keen to see, if the problem has been cured at the OM-Doktor in Hamburg.
… and here the right lens.
We had two full days — one in Frankfurt and the other in Mainz — and besides the Olympus OM-4Ti, an iPhone 6s and the highly respected Ricoh GRII were on board. Olympus OM-4Ti was used in Frankfurt, the Ricoh GRII was used in Mainz.
First of all, why did I use the OM-4Ti only in Frankfurt but not in Mainz … it’s because the lens appeared to have a slightly bent aperture pin, which prohibited the OM-4Ti’s aperture simulator to work at the end of the first day. So sad! In the meantime I have repaired this (thanks to a phone call with the OM-Doktor), but on the second day in Mainz I’d better switched to my Ricoh GRII.
Second, my impression on the OM-4Ti is twofold.
On the one side I’m massively impressed.
it worked flawless after repaired by the OM-Doktor in Hamburg
the technical specifications of the camera are superb
the size and weight are pretty stunning — one of the smallest and most lightweight (professional) SLR bodies
it simply rugged
the viewfinder is large, bright and clear
and so on …
On the other side, I do not really get warm with this body (taking into consideration also the OM-2sp I used during my trip to South-Tirol, which shares the same body and very similar control layout). Unfortunately I cannot name the reason for — it’s somehow a feeling only. Compared to a Contax 139 or even more a Contax 159, it simply does not feel like it fits in the hand.
Flaws … maybe some.
It has no on/off switch, which always makes it possible to release the shutter accidentally when cocked. A second one, it’s meter cannot be switched off. It shuts off after some seconds automatically (15s if I remember right), but when touching the shutter button (even by accident), it starts again — which might drain the battery. You have to switch the aperture to “B” or the emergency manual “1/60”, this deactivates all electronics, just to be sure when placing it in the bag. However this also makes it not a quick startup camera out of the bag.
I think I will have to use it a little bit longer, as the whole world praises the OM-line and so it must be me.
The Ricoh GRII is a whole different story.
I use it more frequently as my everyday camera and so I get used to it more and more. Besides the fact that I felt immediately familiar with it from the first day, it impresses me every time I use it. I’ll I add some pictures from the Ricoh GRII in my Frankfurt trip album on Flickr.
Here too, a colour version and a b&w version exist.
This time I also tried some street shots using the snap-focus, where the AF gets prefocused on a defined distance. This avoids having to focus when hitting the shutter button and you can hold the camera with one hand on arm length without looking on the monitor. Totally unobtrusive. All pictures were crappy and … I have still to practice that way of shooting.
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After dressing this beauty in new clothes, I was keen to see a first film in this 40 years old camera. So I mounted a Carl Zeiss Planar 1.7/50mm, loaded an Agfa Vista 200 and … enjoyed a photo walk;)
OK, this is not the 1.7/50mm lens attached ;)
… this is the right one ;)
Again we choose Flossenbürg as our destination and this time it was a 3 hour hike. We started at the old castle — dated from around 1200 AD. From the castle tower you have a fantastic view in the surrounding landscape.
From there we headed downwards over Hammerbühl, Altenhammer and Gaismühle to the Small Gaisweiher and the Large Gaisweiher. After having lunch, we hiked back uphill to the end of our tour. All images from the trip can be seen here in the original Agfa Vista colours … and here in a black&white version.
A very good review of this camera done by James Tocchio can be found on Casual Photophile, so there’s no need to repeat the obvious.
To me, this beautiful little camera is a pleasure to use … with a single weak point. The meter is not activated by half-pressing the shutter release button like on many other cameras, but by a separate button located on the camera front. While having your index finger on the shutter release button, you can have your middle finger laying on this button. You need to get used to it, but it works.
What I also learned was, that in the viewfinder, not only the shutter speed is displayed, but also the aperture value should be visible … not in this camera. Seems as if something is broken. After contacting Peter Robinson from contax139.co.uk he assured me that this is repairable, sending also repair information — very good information indeed. As this means to disassemble the body to fix a broken wire, I think it’s better having this job done by an expert ;)
My conclusion: This beautiful little Contax 139 Quartz is so easy to use and its a pleasure to shoot with.
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On we go with a Canon A‑1, a Canon FD 1.4/50mm S.S.C. lens attached and an Agfa Vista 200 loaded.
The next days hopefully will bring a little bit sunshine as it would make so much more fun. My first impression while playing around with the A‑1 … solid … very solid. Somehow it reminds me on the Pentax LX. As already mentioned here, the A‑1 was my dream camera in the 80th, when I finally ended up with a Minolta X‑700. The A‑1 was simply too expensive.
The usual reviews are numerous out there … a wonderful one is here at Casual Photophile, so there’s no need to repeat all that. As a top-of-the-line model, it offers so many features, knobs and knurles, more than I’ll ever need and so I miss the simplicity of a user interface. Last time I shot a Contax 139 Quartz and … this is so simple in all it’s usability. I know that the Canon A‑1 has a lot more gimmicks inside, so no need to worry.
Compared to the Contax 139 Quartz, where all things go so smooth, the A‑1 is more … crude.
What I found strange, was the aperture setting during Aperture Priority Mode, where it would be easy setting the aperture on the lens … no, here you need to use a knurl on the front with the right hand, which is also used to set time value in Shutter Priority Mode. Another one … when grabbing the body with the left hand, you always press the stop-down lever which is quite annoying. More of those quirks can be read here on Jittery Pixel, who has listed all of them.
As soon as the film is through and back from the lab, I’ll post some images on my Flickr-Page.
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Hiking in South-Tirol for a week in May should bring some beautiful days with perfect light and tons of amazing sceneries … so far was the plan. What came out was a quite cold and rainy week in the Dolomites, which led to the decision using the OM-2sp not in the mountains, but during the city trips.
Using the newer Olympus OM‑D E‑M1 was fine, as it got quite wet during the hikes. As the OM‑D E‑M1 is perfectly sealed, this workhorse had not a single issue during the rainy days.
As mentioned in my previous post, the reason why an OM-2sp accompanied me on my hiking trip to South-Tirol was, that the intended OM-4Ti did not fire any more (… but that has been repaired in the meantime and it will be tested soon).
Here is the correct lens …
I shot a roll of Agfa Vista 200 and the film is currently in the lab … I’ll add a link to my flickr page as soon as I put these pictures online.
During the city trips, the OM-2sp worked flawless in Aperture Priority Mode. The lens with its 35mm focal lenght made it easy to focus — I mainly used zone focussing. What I found was, that the shutter sound was quite loud/harsh — at least compared to a Contax 139 Quartz I shot some weeks before.
We made a first day trip to Bruneck Castle in the Puster Valley, where the legendary Reinhold Messner has installed one of his six Messner Mountain Museums — the RIPA. A second day trip led us to Juval Castle — where the Messner family lives during July and August — and to FIRMIAN, the Sigmundskron Castle near Bozen — two further Messner Mountain Museums. As a special highlight during our visit of Juval Castle was, that Reinhold Messner crossed our way while we walked over the court. This man is one of the 100 most known people on this planet.
STARTUPDATE Film is now back from the lab and it’s … somehow strange.
There are pictures and there are blanks in between. I have good pictures at 4, 5, 9, 10 11, 12 13, 18, 20, 21, 23, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 36.
No. 6 and 8 are … something, but no real picture and the rest is simply blank (black, i.e. the negative is transparent) where it seems as if the film has not been exposed. So 18 from 36 pictures are fine — not so bad. Nevertheless somehow disappointing, as the camera looks like new.
I’ll have to push a roll of film through it under controlled conditions. ENDUPDATE
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Well, this time I planned taking the Olympus OM-4Ti with me in on a hiking trip to South-Tirol — besides my workhorse, the Olympus OM‑D E‑M1. Planned it and prepared it and … while testing if finally everything works fine … the OM-4Ti refused to fire.
Olympus OM-4Ti with G.Zuiko Auto‑S 1.4/50mm (yep, not the correct lens)
Olympus G.Zuiko Auto‑W 2.8/35mm
Batteries changed, reading the manual, searching the web … nothing worked and I finally had to accept that this beautiful wunderwerk will not go with me.
So here I can close this short post, as this combo will not be in the focus this time. I searched on the web for a repair shop in Germany and found the legendary OM-Doktor in Hamburg. Long story short … parcel is on it’s way to repair this camera.
What to do now?
Grabbing another OM out of the camera case — this time an OM‑2 spot/program. But this is another story.
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