Hump Day Blues - Fujifilm Brings Sad News

I just read the sad news on Phoblographer that the Fuji GF670, one of the last remaining medium format film cameras that you could buy new, has been discontinued.

Fujifilm GF670

Image Source: http://www.thephoblographer.com/2014/08/25/fujifilm-gf670-folding-rangefinder-now-discontinued/#.U_3JHBy9KSP

 

The GF670 is the only new medium format folder that I know about. I was sorely drawn to purchasing one about a year ago, but made myself content with my old Agfa Record III instead. Very different animals, the GF670 sports a coupled rangefinder, electronic shutter, and modern optics, as compared to the Agfa's uncoupled rangefinder, manual shutter (perhaps a plus), and Solinar lens.

 

(Click Here) to read the post on Phoblographer.

 

(Click Here) to read about my Agfa Record III in a post from my "Skeletons From The Closet" series. If you search "Agfa Record" at the search window at the top of this blog, you'll find several of my posts, including those showing results from this awesome old camera.

 

As for the GF670, well, it's just the march of time and technology. We must accept it gracefully and move on. I'm happy to know that I have several wonderful medium format folders in my collection. Enough to interest me for the years I have left to shoot them!

 

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Huey Copter Pilot Portrait - Agfa Record III Medium Format Folder, FPP Walking Workshop

Mr. Don Nelson, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III, Kodak Tri-X Film

This is Don Nelson, who flew this exact Huey copter in Vietnam in 1968, including having to put it down in a rice paddy in an emergency. Mr. Nelson was part of the military event going on in Findlay on the day of the Film Photography Project (FPP) Walking Workshop, and had just that day given his 40-something daughter her first ride in the copter. I shot this with my Agfa Record III medium format (6x9 on 120 film) folding camera, on the Tri-X that came in my FPP goodie bag for the event!

Great memories all the way around! Thanks FPP, for a great event!

 

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Preparing to Travel to the Film Photography Project (FPP) Walking Workshop!

Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F

 

I've had a crazy busy week, between too many simultaneous efforts at work, and my wife being out of town. I don't know how you single parents do it. Hats off to you.

 

Anyway, my daughter and I are headed out to Columbus, Ohio, tomorrow (5/17/2014, remember my delay in posting). She'll visit with family on Saturday, while I drive up to Findlay to take part in the FPP Walking Workshop. I'm really looking forward to it.

 

Here's what I've packed in camera gear: Nikon F (plain prism and waist level finder), Nikon F2, Nikkor 28mm f3.5, 50mm f1.4, and 135mm f3.5 pre-AI lenses, Agfa Record III 6x9 medium format folding camera, Leica CL and Rokkor 40mm f2 lens. Mini flash (Nikon SB30), light meter. Seems like an awful lot for one day of workshop, but what the heck. It's a film camera workshop, after all.

 

I'll be in Findlay by 10AM on Saturday, and will spend the night, heading back to Columbus very early Sunday morning to spend some time with my Mom, my 94 year old grandfather, and lots of other family. Sunday night, we'll be back on the plane headed to Dulles.

 

I hope to have plenty of nice film images to share in a week or two! I'm carrying my prepaid mailer for The Darkroom, so I can send my film off for processing directly from Ohio, avoiding one trip through airport security.

 

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"Why I Killed Street Photography" - Great Post by A.D. DeMesa on Eric Kim's Blog

 

I Guess This Is Street?, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III, 6x9 Folding Medium Format Camera

 

 

I read a very interesting introspective post by A.G. DeMesa, a Manila-based photographer, who wrote a guest piece on Eric Kim's street photography blog.

 

Basically, A.G. is talking about breaking free of restrictions, any restrictions, imposed by trying to shoot in a particular style or genre. He has a significant body of work (10,000 images) to look back on, which helped him decide to "Kill" street photography. DeMesa refers back to historic photographers (Meyerowitz, Frank, Moriyama and others) and how they each pursued something new, different from the accepted styles of their times. Now he's doing the same.

 

I particularly like this quote:

 

"That was it. All of them had one thing in common: It was about seeing something. No dogma, no photographic gods, no one true photography. That is what I’m going to do."

 

Yes. Now if only I could decide what it is that I'm seeing, and communicate it.

 

(Click Here) to read DeMesa's post on Eric Kim's blog.

 

I've been considering taking a 1-on-1 skype or Google+ street workshop with Eric Kim. I just need to find a time when I know I'll be able to get out and shoot.

 

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What is it About Buildings Being Destroyed and Old Cameras?

 

Demolition, Washington, DC, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III

 

The picture above is a repost. I've reposted it for a reason, which is to discuss why these types of scenes are interesting. I suppose when a building is being torn down, you get a view inside that would be impossible in any other way. Even though I'm sure the building was emptied before the wrecking ball came in, it feels like I can simultaneously look into ten or more peoples' homes. I've never recognized myself as this type of voyeur, but must admit it's intriguing. Intriguing to the point, in fact, that I immediately pulled the car over out of DC traffic when I saw it. I even had to move a couple of times to avoid the construction guys yelling at me for parking. But, I had to get the shot.

 

And for some reason, I found the scene to be exactly what I wanted to shoot with my SFTC camera for August, the Agfa Record III. Now, I doubt if there's really any meaningful connection between this particular type of scene and vintage film cameras. But, here's another similar combination to look at:

 

(Click Here) to see Matthijs van Ed van der Pals' shots of a demolition site, made with a Rolleicord IV. Same medium format film as the Agfa Record, but the similarities rapidly fall off from there, with the Record being a folding camera, the Rolleicord a twin lens reflex (TLR).

 

 

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Skeletons From The Closet - August's Agfa Record III - Buddhist Temple

My SFTC camera for August made a huge impression on me. The Agfa Record III with Solinar is a super capable camera.

 

(Click Here) to read about the camera.

 

Producing big ol' 6x9 negatives, the image quality is spectacular, in my opinion. Here are some shots from a recent trip to my local Buddhist temple, all on Kodak Portra 400 color negative film.

 

Altar Flowers, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III with 105mm f4.5 Solinar Lens

 

Tree Deck and Altar, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III with 105mm f4.5 Solinar Lens

 

I wish I had lined up Buddha's face in the reflection on the rail. That would have been difficult but interesting.

 

Bell, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III with 105mm f4.5 Solinar Lens

 

Smile!, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III with 105mm f4.5 Solinar Lens

 

This old camera is amazing. I recently found myself looking long and hard at the modern Fujifilm GF670, a folding 6x7 medium format camera. While I was looking, the Record III showed up in my life, thanks to a package from my Mom. With its uncoupled rangefinder built-in, and accessory shoe to hold my Voigtlander CV Meter II, the Record III is very convenient to use; I don't have to carry around a separate meter and/or rangefinder in my pocket. And, unlike the GF670, the Record III doesn't need a battery to operate.

 

So, the Record III is a perfect high quality medium format camera for carrying on travel. In fact, it went with me to Maui recently. The film is off for processing at The Darkroom now, so you'll see those pics soon as well.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Skeletons From The Closet Results - August's Agfa Record III Folding 6x9 Camera

This month's camera is a real treat.

 

(Click Here) to read about the Agfa Record III with 105mm f4.5 Solinar lens.

 

So far, this CLA'd beauty has allowed me to resist purchase of a Fujifilm GF670. The only drawback in comparison is that the Agfa does not have the coupled rangefinder of the Fuji, or the integral exposure meter. The Agfa does have a fine uncoupled meter, and an accessory shoe to mount my Voigtlander Meter II, which works perfectly. I am VERY pleased with the image results from the Agfa. On the plus side, the Agfa does not rely on a battery; the Fuji can't even take a picture without one.

 

So, here are some black and white results from the Agfa Record III. The first was a pure coincidence. While I was driving to the National Cathedral in DC, I saw this old building being torn down. After being run off by the construction guy saying "No Parking!," I finally found a spot long enough to get out and get the shot. Handheld, no less.

Tearing It Down, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III, Kodak Tmax 400 Film

 

The remaining shots were all made at the National Cathedral.

 

Cathedral Gardens, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III, Kodak Tmax 400 Film

 

Inside the Cathedral, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III, Kodak Tmax 400 Film

 

The shot above took about 1 second exposure, and was on a tripod.

 

And now for my favorite shot from the roll:

 

Concentric Arches, by Reed A. George

Agfa Record III, Kodak Tmax 400 Film

I just love the symmetry, range of tones, and sharpness of this image. This is one capable camera and lens.

 

All of these shots were processed by my favorite film processor, The Darkroom (thedarkroom.com).

 

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Results From August's Agfa Record III (Skeletons From The Closet) and a New Critique Group, PhotoWorks!

I got invited to a great photo group, known as PhotoWorks. They meet monthly at the Glen Echo Park, just outside Washington, DC.

 

(Click Here) to learn more about this very welcoming group. In addition to critiques (one of which I attended), they offer gallery space, an incredible darkroom facility, and more.

 

I decided to bring along a set of five prints, three from a recent roll of film shot in my SFTC camera for August, the Agfa Record III 6x9 folding medium format camera. The two square format images are from my Minolta Autocord, May's SFTC camera. (Click Here) to read about the Autocord.

 

These were shot at a recent world war II reenactment event.

 

All of my images were well-received, and I had to push a little to get some critical feedback. I'll mention it under each shot.

 

While everyone liked this shot, the light is a little flat. The out of focus people in the background are somewhat distracting.

 

These guys may be too happy to be real soldiers.

 

There was a suggestion to crop this picture, leaving only the guys on the right (in bright light in). This was instructive to me, because the facial expression on the guy furthest left is the important part to me. Unfortunately, he's not in great light. What I see as most important really isn't emphasized in the shot. It was also mentioned that this image doesn't fit with the others.

 

I had to admit that I cropped out an air conditioner unit on the right of this image.

 

This is Mike. I emailed him this shot, and he really enjoyed it, saying he's always disliked pictures of himself. This one changed his mind. This shot was very well-received. The framed picture in the back is Mike's wife back home in the states (reenactor in character).

 

Here are a couple of shots from the critique session, just to give you a feel for the setting. These were shot on my Leica M9 with Voigtlander 28mm f1.9 lens.

 

 

This is a very experienced group, and I stand to learn a lot from them. I will certainly be back.

 

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August's Skeletons From The Closet Camera - The Agfa Record III 6X9 Folder

My camera for this month is a real prize. My Mom found it in an antique store. Here it is:

 

Agfa Record III 6X9 Camera with Solinar 105mm f4.5 Lens

 

This camera is really nice. Made from 1952-1955, the Record III has an uncoupled rangefinder, and importantly, an accessory shoe. This is important to me because I like to use my Voigtlander VC Meter II, which mounts in the shoe. The Agfa Record III was available with an Apotar or Solinar lens; mine has the higher end Solinar. It has a maximum shutter speed of 1/500 second, relatively fast for this type of camera.

 

(Click Here) to read more about the Record III.

 

The uncoupled rangefinder allows you to use a split image in the finder to judge distance, which you read off of the dial on the top of the camera, and then make the same setting on the focus ring of the lens.

 

When I received the camera, the lens looked pristine, but the shutter was sticky, and the rangefinder was completely stuck. I shipped it off to Jurgen Kreckel (Certo6) for repair. Jurgen very quickly gave it a complete service, including a brand new bellows. He does excellent work, and specializes in folding cameras.

 

(Click Here) to go to Jurgen's website.

 

I've shot a couple of test rolls already. Be ready to be impressed by this camera in the coming days.

 

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