This is a dumping post of all the pictures I took on film in Winter 2024/2025 that are not part of a dedicated post like the Vienna subway pictures. The pictures are roughly chronological, starting with December 2024.
First up, pictures I took with my newly acquired Minolta Autocord. Whenever I am testing a new camera, I like to use Kodak Gold 200 and wait for a sunny day. The viewing glass of my particular copy was a bit hazy, so I ordered a new one from Rick Oleson.
Another newly acquired medium-format camera, the Fujica GW690, again tested firstly with a roll of Kodak Gold 200, still in late December just after Christmas when the weather was very pleasant for a few days.
Same camera, same period of time, different film: Kodak TMax 400. I really wanted to put the resolution, detail and tonality of 6×9 to the test, and I must say I am very pleased I bought this camera.
Next, another medium format camera that I firstly tested with Kodak Gold 200, the Fujica GS645S. Admittedly, these pictures were taken in late autumn (as you can see in the trees), but I still wanted to add them here.
Another medium format TLR I wanted to give a second chance is the Meopta Flexaret V. In a previous post, I had the suspicion that something with this camera is off, as I wasn’t able to get sharp images with it. Also this time around, I was unable to get really sharp images on Kodak Tri-X 400. I had given up on this camera, only to learn later that the viewing glass and taking glass are out of sync, but the taking glass is razor sharp if focused correctly.
For Christmas, I received a roll of Ilford XP2 Super 400 that had previously been exposed once with nature motives. The challenge was to find interesting compositions without knowing what was on each of the previously exposed frames. When loading the film into my Minolta X-700 with an MD35-70mm/f3.5 attached, I obviously was unable to match the frames exactly, which is why each picture is sort of triple exposed. Anyway, here are the results, some are quite interesting.
In an impulse purchase, I had to have the Kodak Retina 1b. This is just such a beautiful camera! Half of the things are not working, there is no rangefinder, no mirror, no exposure meter, all manual and mechanical. Such a rewarding experience to shoot this camera. The pictures below are taken on Ilford Delta 3200 (exposed at 1600).
One film I have long wanted to try is the motion picture film Kodak Eastman Double-X. There is just something exciting about shooting the same film the likes of Christopher Nolan are shooting for movies like Oppenheimer. The film has some nostalgic, cinematic quality to it. This was shot on the Minolta X-700 using an MD Rokkor 35-70mm/f3.5, but I will certainly be shooting this film again in the future!
The Vienna subway pictures were shot on Ilford Delta 3200 (exposed at 1600). To try and compare two film stocks, I took similar pictures on Kodak T-Max P3200 (also exposed at 1600). I used a different lens, my MD Rokkor 35-70mm/f3.5, and different camera, my Minolta X-700. Not sure I have a clear favourite – the T-Max seems to have finer grain and maybe a smoother tonality, but the Ilford Delta has a raw look to it. Maybe for fine art I would prefer the T-Max, but considering the Ilford Delta is roughly half the price and available in 120, I will be shooting it more often.
As mentioned before, the Vienna subway pictures were shot on Ilford Delta 3200 (exposed at 1600). After 1.5 rolls I was done with the subway, so the rest of the roll (where I changed from the MD 24mm/f2.8 to an MC 50mm/f1.7) was shot the next week in sunlight.
