Unfamiliar mono challenge picture sharing thread

[ChrisR]

This thread is for pictures from your experiments with unfamiliar ISO 400 monochrome film, as proposed in the "Different mono" thread (I thought unfamiliar makes a bit more sense...) at http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=449071.

I suggest we identify cameras etc if we want, but not the film, at least at the start. Then we could make some comments (on the other thread?) about what we like, with "innocent eyes"... and then do a reveal here. Or something like that!

 

[ChrisR]

Well I'd better have a go with film A. This IS for learning about the film rather than the quality of the shots, right?

[EDIT: spoiler removed] It is the C 41 mono fillum from that big American company! (Kodak BW400CN)

1) Swans on a greatly expanded Abbey Fields lake...

2) Badly flooded ford

3) Kenilworth Castle Mere rises again

4) Children paddling on the other side of the ford

These taken with a Pentax MX wearing a Vivitar 28mm lens bought here (first outing... a bit of flare in other shots). You've seen some of this before with another camera/film, but it was pretty hard to avoid taking more as the floods got deeper!

I wasn't hugely impressed with this film, but I'm not sure why. I might try to include some 100% crops (from the scans, obviously) to show up some grain, later on.

 

[ChrisR]

OK here's film B...

[EDIT: spoiler removed] This fillum is a C 41 offering from the big Japanese company. (Fuji Neopan 400 CN or whatever it's called)

1) Kenilworth Castle again (sorry, but it's a good "subject" and only a couple of hundred yards away). Not the Vivitar 28mm f/2.8 lens as I first thought, but the Pentax-M 135mm! Surprisingly low contrast and soft, even after a bit of a boost in Aperture Levels!

2) Castle the same day, a few minutes later, this time with the Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 lens (as are the rest). Huge difference in contrast, no Levels boost needed!

3) Frost (on red leaves)

4) Frost on gatepost

5) Departing walker, ice, castle

6) Remnants of floods in Abbey Fields

I liked the later ones of these a lot better; I'm surprised the 135mm is so soft, may have to do a lens comparison test. All taken with the Pentax MX.

 

[RaglanSurf]

I liked the later ones of these a lot better; I'm susprised the 135mm is so soft, may have to do a ens comparison test. All taken with the Pentax MX.

It's whole can of worms, it's really hard to compare films on different cameras/lenses.

Anyway here's my first roll of film

Spoiler

F U J I N E O P A N

Taken on a Yashica 124G, processed in Rodinal and scanned on a Nikon Coolscan 9000, untouched as you can see from all the marks and dust apart from cropping out the film edges and a exposure adjustment.

[/url]
Yashica 124G 9 by Raglansurf, on Flickr[/IMG]

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Yashica 124G 10 by Raglansurf, on Flickr[/IMG]

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Yashica 124G 2 by Raglansurf, on Flickr[/IMG]

On the whole I'm not that impressed with this film but I don't use a lot of 400 speed film anyway so it's not easy to judge.

I've got a roll of 35mm 400 from another manufacturer that I've not used before so I'll try and get that shot and processed if I get a chance.

 

[wickerman]

Only the second time I have used this film so I think it counts for the challange.
I have posted photos from the same set on the "show us yer film shots" thread. Here is one more:


macro016 by wickerman6, on Flickr

Taken on a Bronica Etrsi, 100mm macro and bellows.

 

[steveo_mcg]

Ok here is mine, I'm not entirely happy with the grain on this but it is quite cheap. Plus I've not shot much 400 b+w so my frame of reference is fairly underexposed...

Film is

Spoiler

Kentmere 400

developed in D74 (Rollei RHS)

My mate having done his second cyclocross race. This one I think has been sharpened to death by Flickr, it doesn't look so bad in lr.

400Nov12009 by steveo_mcg, on Flickr


An old bike chained to the railings of a church

400Nov12034 by steveo_mcg, on Flickr

There were at least two stops between the foreground in the shade and "The Hub" highlighted in the back ground.

400Nov12008 by steveo_mcg, on Flickr


I thought this would be a good challenge for it.
Some commuters waiting for their evening bus home shot at about 1800 not much sun kicking around at that time of night up here

400Nov12030 by steveo_mcg, on Flickr

 

[kenm]

Third pic, recognise the Tron and good to see they have taken the scaffolding off since I was last there. But where to you take it from? Cowgate? Nice pic btw.

 

[steveo_mcg]

Cheers, yeah Cowgate, just a fraction up Candlemaker row you can see the traffic island in the bottom of the frame. I couldn't find an angle to get rid of it.

 

[kenm]

And that is Greyfriars Kirk in the forground? Knowing the place from walking around you wouldn't think you would see the Tron from there in that direction. The streets are very bendy but google maps make sense of it all. Were you on top of a bus?

 

[Jao]

Still haven't bought a neg scanner so this is a scan of a print, quality isn't great. It continues my obsession with cycle shots

Shot with my Nikon F3HP and 35mm f2

The Way Ahead!

 

[Jao]

Steve, a very nice set of shots, I particularly like the second one

 

[steveo_mcg]

And that is Greyfriars Kirk in the forground? Knowing the place from walking around you wouldn't think you would see the Tron from there in that direction. The streets are very bendy but google maps make sense of it all. Were you on top of a bus?

Doh, you know what, its not the Tron at all! Its The Hub at the top of the High Street.

Steve, a very nice set of shots, I particularly like the second one

Cheers, another random bike snapper I see, nice shot. Those are some shiny mudguards

 

[MindofMel]

Nikon fm2n and 50mm f1.4 AIS: Film after the pics..

Spolier - Kentmere 400 @ 200. Stand Dev in rodinal.

 

[steveo_mcg]

Nice set. They're not nearly so grainy as mine though I did shoot and dev them at 400, just surprised at the difference.

 

[steveo_mcg]

Just remembered about this, film is

Spoiler

FomaPan 400

stand developed in Rodinal 1+100 for an hour. Again doesn't look that grainy in lightroom and the grain that is there isn't quite so obtrusive overall I'm not unhappy with it.


Foma400Jan13007 by steveo_mcg, on Flickr

 

[steveo_mcg]

One more, I thought i'd revisit the

Spoiler

Kentmere 400

since I made an error shooting and processing it but its not any better shot at the recommended 320 and done for the printed times. This is a little unsharp because I didn't want to sharpen and apply noise reduction to change the image overly... and I may have missed the focus (slightly)


Ketmere400Jan13038 by steveo_mcg, on Flickr

 

[ChrisR]

[EDIT: spoiler removed] Well here's two more; the first is a film I had some hopes for, although it was outdated (and CHEAP Ilford delta 400). When I got the scans back I was SO disappointed! Not lovable at all; it was a real struggle to find two shots you might like!

1) This tree has featured before elsewhere. This shot doesn't really give the feel of the day, but you can _just_ see the frost!

2) A few days later, frost to flood, this lad messing about on his bike at the ford. If his feet aren't cold right now they will be soon!

(BTW it's Town Entertainment to hang about by the ford during floods to watch the cars go through, hoping that one will get stuck! Simple minds, these midlanders)

 

[ChrisR]

[EDIT: spoiler removed] In stark contrast, when I looked at these scans, they really sang for me (Fuji Neopan 400). I had trouble whittling this down to a reasonable number!

1) Day of the Duck Race. I'm getting the Evil from the bloke on the left!

2) Warwick Castle, taken when I attempted the travelling folder challenge. Unlike the latter, this is in focus!

3) The floods behind Kenilworth Castle came back, not quite as severe as the first time. Of the various shots, I liked this one best because of the weed sticking up...

4) Not sure this deserves a place, same day further out on the "Millenium Way". I liked the groups of shapes here...

All taken with the Pentax MX. If I could stop using it I'd send it off for a CLA to get rid of the vewfinder gunk and check the rest out, but I'm pretty much addicted!

This is a film I'll definitely be buying again...

 

[ChrisR]

And perhaps the last two films of the batch of unfamiliar 400 ISO mono emulsions I bought when this started.

The first is Tri-X [EDIT: spoiler removed]

1) Used this for my week 2 of the film 52, for Season

2) This is the last shot from this roll; the next shot was a few minutes later, same wood, on a different emulsion...

The next and last film is Tmax400

3) First shot on the next film, same wood...

4) And another one from that spell of cold weather: ducks making the best of it.

I liked both these films, but the first one was great at the atmospheric shots.

I'll be going through and getting rid of my spoilers shortly...