Polaroid/Fujifilm FP100C Instant Negatives from the Mamiya Universal Press Camera

I'm still having fun with my Mamiya Universal Press (MUP) camera. Today, I used it to shoot some portraits of my daughter on her birthday using Fujifilm FP100C instant film. Note that pack film is larger than the 6x9 image that the MUP lenses are designed for, hence the vignetting in the corners.

Scanned Instant Print, 14th Birthday, by Reed A. George

MUP, Fujifilm FP100C Film, f5.6, 1/125 sec.

 

 

I was so pleased with some of the images that I decided to figure out how to recover the negatives from the film backing, which you usually throw away.

 

(Click Here) to see a video from the Film Photography Podcast describing how to recover a negative from Fujifilm FP100C instant pack film. Beware that the process uses bleach. Wear gloves and keep a fan on while you work.

 

It was actually pretty easy to do, and the results are quite impressive. Here's a scan of the same negative that was used to make the print above:

 

Scanned Instant Negative, 14th Birthday, by Reed A. George

MUP, Fujifilm FP100C Film, f5.6, 1/125 sec.

 

I think I could have done a better job scanning this negative. The highlights are too high, and the colors are washed out compared to the print.

 

Here is a more impressive comparison, showing the scanned print (left) and negative (right) at 100% magnification.

 

100% Crops (Print on Left, Negative on Right)

 

As you can see, the negative has a lot more detail and sharpness, and grain. Pretty interesting. I could make a 5x7 print from the negative just fine.

 

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Spring Really Coming? And Some Thoughts on Cheap Cameras.

Previous Spring, by Reed A. George

Polaroid 103, Fuji FP100C Instant Film

 

I was talking with a couple of friends today about favorite and not-favorite photographers, what I like about cameras and photography and why, and the like, today.

 

It was an interesting discussion, starting off with the fact that neither of them is fond of Gary Winogrand's work; I find it fascinating. Then, we moved on to cameras. Now, you probably know that I love fine cameras. But, I also love cheap ones. This brought me to the realization that some of the images that stick in my mind were made with the cheaper, less precision-made cameras. This image is a good example of that. I can still remember the smell of spring in the air, and the fact that my allergies had started up. It almost makes my eyes itch to look at this picture. But, it also reminds me that spring is right around the corner.

 

Would this image win any popularity contests? Almost certainly not. But, it works for me.

 

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Instant Photography Today

Winter 2014 (kind of looks like Winter 2015), by Reed A. George

Polaroid 103, Fuji FP3000B Pack Film

 

I'm still having some fun with instant photography. This was one area I'd stayed out of for several years, but am now in, and really enjoying it. My entry was the Polaroid 103 that my parents sent to me. I converted it to use AAA batteries, found Fuji pack film, and started shooting. Lots of fun.

 

Then, I went to the Film Photography Project's Walking Workshop last spring, where I was introduced to the new Fujifilm Instax Neo Mini. I now have one, along with the wireless Instax printer. These are fun, but they're really just party toys. The images are nice, but quite small.

 

Next, my friend Dennis Gallus sold (nearly gave) me his Mamiya Universal Press (MUP) outfit. I added a pack film back, and now I have a very capable, high quality instant imaging system, complete with full manual control and interchangeable lenses. Awesome.

 

And now, I've picked up a higher grade Polaroid (the Model 250), complete with several hard-to-find accessories, including the portrait kit, closeup kit, remote release, and timer. That camera is on its way to Seattle for a shutter replacement. What makes the 250 higher quality than my 103? All metal body, Zeiss finder, tripod mount, some exposure control. All pretty nice.

 

I was reading about the current state of instant photography. It's not all good. The worst news is that the venerable Fujifilm FP3000B is discontinued. Still available at this point at twice its normal price or more, but no longer being manufactured. That leaves only FP100C, which is great color film, but no B&W option. The Impossible Project is a great development, making new instant films with a reconditioned Polaroid factory, but the prices are high, and the offering incomplete. $3 per shot is an awful lot. I find myself hoping that they'll make pack film in the future, but I'm not looking forward to the cost.

 

(Click Here) to read a review of the state of instant photography on polaroidland.net.

 

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Found Another Mamiya Universal User - and Review

Image Source: http://snapitseeit.com/camera-review-mamiya-universal/

 

A few months back, my medium format shooting capability was significantly expanded when my friend Dennis Gallus sold me his lovely Mamiya Universal Press (MUP) camera kit.

 

I've been searching for other users of the MUP online, and well, there aren't very many of us left. I recently found this review of using the MUP with instant film on one of my favorite new sites, Snap It | See It.

(Click Here) to read the review, which also remarks on using the MUP with flash, something I have yet to try.

 

I've been distracted from the MUP recently, with several other new-to-me cameras. I've simply got to get more hours in the week(end)s to shoot the MUP.

 

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How A Shot Develops - Mamiya Universal Press (MUP) at the World War II Memorial

I had a couple of hours free this morning, so I packed up my MUP and drove into Washington, DC, to the World War II memorial. Planning to capture some people out in the fall color, I spent a little time doing that, and then walked over to the memorial itself. I saw a nice composition in my mind, with the columns and wreaths of the memorial (one for each state) tapering off into the background, and nice contrasty light separating them from the foreground. A steady parade of people, including veterans, mostly in wheelchairs, was coming up the walkway.

 

I set up the MUP on a tripod, changed the film back to my Polaroid back, which was loaded with Fuji FP100C color pack film, and started shooting. I shot a total of six images. They're shown in the contact scan below, and are in order from left-to-right, top-to-bottom.

"Contact Scan," by Reed A. George

 

You may notice the wider perspective in the first shot. It was made with the Mamiya 50mm lens, which is very wide on the MUP, especially with the oversized image of the pack film. Notice the vignetting in the corners, which is normal, since the MUP is designed for 6x9 image size and the pack film is larger than that. After the first shot, I changed lenses to the 100mm f3.5 "normal" lens for the MUP.

 

I was shooting at about 1/250 sec and f16 throughout the series.

 

I also slowly moved my tripod to the left as the series developed.

 

In the beginning, the veterans that were being escorted up the walkway were just too far away. I wasn't trying to make portraits of them, but wanted to capture some detail of them in the context of the memorial.

 

I consider the final two images to be pretty good, but the last one (bottom right in the contact scan) goes furthest in telling a little story of our remaining World War II veterans and the memorial that reminds us all of what they gave for their country.

 

Here it is, scanned at higher resolution:

Final Shot, by Reed A. George

 

Remember that these instant films are not really designed to be enlarged, so the image you see on your screen is probably much larger than intended by the engineers at Fujifilm. I think the color came out very nice, and there's enough detail to see what's going on here.

 

I've become very interested in how a decent photograph develops through the shooting process. This interest was sparked by starting to read the excellent book Contact Sheets by Magnum press. I highly recommend this book. Be sure to read the introduction, as it discusses a lot of aspects of contact sheets, like the fact that many photographers, including Henri Cartier Bresson, were not in favor of sharing them with viewers.

 

If you decide you want this book, please buy your copy by clicking on the Amazon link below. You'll get a great book for the same price as going directly to Amazon, and help support my blog in the process!

 

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RoidWeek #2, 2014 - This Week!

I just found out about this. RoidWeek, which is a celebration of instant photography, starts today and goes through Friday. The event welcomes any instant film shots, but not digital facsimiles of them. They don't have to be Polaroid.

 

I read about it on Snap It | See It. (Click Here) to see the post. Inside, you'll find a link to the flickr page where you can submit images.

 

Importantly, images need to be taken this week, and the "week" is only five days, this Monday through Friday.

 

I'm going to have to load up my Polaroid (or Polaroid back for my MUP) and get some weekday shots to post.

 

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