Mirror Lock-up Cock-up

Ahead of getting my prints and negs back I was having a more thorough read through of the Mamiya manual (thanks to www.orphancameras.com a great site for older camera manuals).

Shows I should have done so the 1st time as I’ve spotted something I’ve been doing wrong, darn it!

I’ve been using the mirror lock-up, to minimise both shake on the tripod and the impact of ‘mirror slap’ recoil when handheld, using AE (aperture priority). However the manual says you should only use aperture lock and mirror lock-up to prevent an incorrect exposure.

Now I have visions of loads of extremely dark exposures instead of nicely balanced pictures. Bah!

Oh well, all part of the learning I guess, albeit quite expensive (film, developing) and frustrating.

To be processed

A day and overnight in Cleethorpes finally gives me some proper opportunities to put the Mamiya through it’s paces. Whilst not exactly testing it, it has given me chance to use it under a range of conditions; contrasty lighting, long exposures (low light and forced by the use of a ND4 filter), tripod mounted, handheld, etc.

I’ve now got 3 rolls of exposed 120 to have processed, two b&w and one colour. Sounds more than it is – with only 15 frames on the 120 you get through it quite quickly.

I also finished off the last of my Kodak BW400 in the Canon, partly for comparison but also so I have some decent quality images for printing up if the Mamiya proves to be harder to use than it seems. Mind you, the digital pictures I took for insurance/comparison are a little boring so I may be disappointed anyway. However, that will be my fault rather than it being any lack of technical ability with the equipment.

Hope to send the film off to Peak to process. This is partly due to recent experience with a big name national franchise who managed to damage my negatives (chemical spills and scratches). Peak don’t use rollers in the processing and use water to fix the negs, so I shouldn’t suffer from either problem again! However, I do have to send the films away and it will take some time for me to get my negs and prints back.

So – it will be wait and see!

First Impressions

So, my 1st chance to get to grips with the Mamiya 645E. And I’m impressed so far, although I’ve yet to see any output from it.

Mamiya 654E

 

 

The camera model was introduced in 2000 and has only recently been discontinued. It was intentionally aimed at the serious amateur to professional moving from 35mm to medium format. The body is (relatively) light and small and is, I believe, the only medium format camera available that has aperture priority as well as fully manual. The camera is manual focus only.

The camera is quite a lot different from a SLR (film or digital). It is more box-like and in common with most medium format camera it is made up of components that can be changed to suit personal preference and shooting requirements. My purchase was a complete setup including 80mm lens and I bought an additional 45mm wider lens for landscape.

The camera is beautifully designed to take account of the needs of the photographer. Everything is within easy reach and use, no ploughing through multiple menus or combinations of buttons, dials, etc.

The camera features:

Shutter dial – allowing you to set the desired exposure or to set aperture priority. This engages a pin locking into a hook on the lens so that the camera sets the correct exposure based upon the aperture selected and the metering. Aperture priority cannot be accidentally set/undone as the dial has a push button in order to activate this setting.

Mirror lock-up – a simple flick switch locks the mirror up or releases it back down. This is very helpful as the recoil on the mirror is quite something and mirror lock is recommended when using the camera on a tripod. I also used it when hand-holding to minimise the impact of shake from the mirror slap. Obviously, you can’t see the scene through the viewfinder once the mirror is up so composition needs to be finalised first.

Exposure compensation – a side dial with a push button to adjust the exposure by up to ± 2 in ⅓ increments.

Multiple exposure – the ability to expose the same area of film several times (for special effects). Simply use the flick switch to allow the camera to shoot without winding on the film.

ISO settings from 25-800

The camera has a removable film loader (mine is for 120 film and additional loaders can be bought including 220) that is a little awkward the 1st time but actually quite simple to load. The film cartridge is placed into the upper chamber, the film and paper leading strip fed around and through onto the empty tube in the lower chamber. The film then runs through as it advances and coils around this tube in the lower chamber. The upper chamber tube is then replaced in the lower chamber when the new film is loaded.

In use the camera is obviously a different shape and has no grip. The shutter release is on the front at the lower right hand side and has a flick switch to lock/unlock. Metering is electronic with under and over exposure warnings. A 6v battery operates both the metering and the focal-plane shutter.

Obviously I have yet to see anything from the camera but it wasn’t as complicated to set up and use as I expected. A moment’s panic when the shutter locked open proved to be a dead battery and a replacement immediately resolved the problem.

Setting aperture is as straightforward as on any SLR/DSLR and the AE mode also simple to use although it is a 2-step process: set A mode on the Shutter dial and set the lens to A from M (not related to the autofocus/manual focus you would expect to see on 35mm lenses).

The viewfinder utilises a rangefinder splitscreen focusing arrangement but I learned to photograph using this kind of viewfinder so I found it actually far easier than manual focus on a standard 35mm or digital camera. Basically, the centre of the viewfinder is a circle split in two. Using the focusing ring on the lens you bring the two halves of the circle together to focus the scene. 

The camera allows for interchangeable viewfinders (e.g. waist-high for studio photographers), can use a suitable cable shutter release, hot-shoe flash and two sizes of tripod mount. Unlike some medium format cameras it doesn’t allow you to use other backs (Polaroid, digital, etc.) but I felt it unlikely I would want to move to a digital back given the cost of these (around £20,000).

The camera is built for professional use and is therefore pretty robust. It isn’t weather and damp-proof though and care is needed around the battery housing especially (although this is on the underside and would be protected when mounted on a tripod anyway).

The viewfinder is bright even when stopped as far down as possible. I was struck by how much more detailed the viewfinder appeared than in comparison to the 35mm camera I used to take the same composition (for a comparison shot). Only the processed prints will tell me if there is a real difference in output quality of course.

All in all, I’m very happy with my purchase. Bought second-hand online (in near perfect condition) and complete is was the same price as the Canon G9 I was considering buying as a replacement for my compact camera. In the end, I decided that I was more likely to be aiming for professional quality and print size than convenience. I think I’ll be happy I made the right decision.

Oh, and in the photo above you can see the front around the lens looks a little funny? That’s the rubber hood that folds back around the lens when not in use. I find this very annoying though I’m persevering with it at the moment.

Where to go, when it is always raining?

Another weekend close at hand, half of it already taken up with other commitments. So, I really want to get out and make the most of what daytime time I do have. Except, it seems to rarely do anything other than rain.

So, where can I go shoot landscape where the weather can’t totally spoil and that I won’t drown getting to and from (not having that photographers friend, the car)?

I’m fed up not getting out!

A New Arrival Expected

Venturing into ‘grown-up’ territory now, with the purchase of a medium format camera.

As noted earlier I have been benefiting from the excellent and expert guidance of OBP, and I’ve now taken the plunge and expect to shortly be the proud owner of a Mamiya 645E, plus 80mm (standard) and 45mm (wide) lenses.

The camera is apparently designed as an entry-point for 35mm SLR users into medium format and is lightweight, has excellent metering and can use Aperture Priority.

I’m really looking forward to getting out with it to do some landscapes and perhaps some images for my exhibition. Look out for ‘proud parent’ shots of the new camera (sad I know)!

I’m on the train!

Blogging on the move again. I’m very concious of neither being a good flickr contact or indeed contributor!

Having taken several hundred images on London I have yet to process all but one. And that one probably doesn’t count as it was a film negative that someone else scanned for me and all I had to do as tweak it in Photoshop.

The truth is I am so dammed tired. Work is full on and there is no guarantee I will even be in a job come the New Year.

At the same time options for my ‘alternative’ career have never looked better.

I need more time, more sleep and some radical inspiration. So what’s new!?

Looking at formats

Having talked to OBP for some time about why we might want to go medium format (rather than just 35mm film) he’s been looking at cameras for me.

Although I think he would like a more advanced camera, he will have medium format available to him when his old TLR (given to him by a relative who use it to photograph Hong Kong in the 1950’s) comes back from being repaired. I don’t have that option though.

I have to be honest but I didn’t even realise that there were such things as medium and large format photography. I rarely see anyone using a camera that doesn’t look other than either a relatively modern film camera or digital compact or SLR.

This despite working in an area with fine art photographers and being responsible for signing off purchases for their Hasselblads, etc. I just presumed they were superior 35mm or digital cameras!

Anyway, OBP’s research on my behalf threw up some interesting questions about what’s important to me in terms of the camera I use.

Having been converted back to the joy of film, I was happy about a more advanced film camera. I am also more aware of print quality issues now because of the impending exhibition. I was reticent though about having to go fully manual and perhaps not having the kinds of light metering available that I’ve grown used to on the digital cameras and the recent 2nd hand 35mm.

The discussion centrered on; ease of use (handheld v need for a tripod), including size and weight, auto focus, interchangeable lenses, aperture priority options, in camera metering, price and a general conversation about the real benefits I might expect from this as opposed to 35mm or indeed my digital SLR.

Having spent some time in galleries and looking at prints for sale in London recently I would say I can see a definite quality benefit for medium format. Pictures are sharper, crisper, seeming to have greater depth. That’s the case at either an A5-equivalent size print or at A3+.

So, OBP dispaired of finding something that met all the constraints. He told me I was expecting too much. But, then yesterday, he thinks he’s found the ideal camera. Perfect for hand-held being designed as a way to help SLR users transition to medium format, has almost all the characteristics I wanted, and doesn’t cost a fortune.

I’m asking some questions of the seller (a photography company in Scotland dealing online) but I may be the proud owner of it yet!

Back to Work…

Monday morning came around all too quickly, as it tends to do of course. I didn’t even recognise the alarm when it went off at the horribly early time of 5:50am.

Off to work for a fun-packed week of… well the usual I guess.

Onken kindly did me some quality scans of some of my b&w negatives, to prove that they were sharp. Good ol’ Snappy Snaps had produced prints that were very ’soft’ and low contrast. Onken was able to show me that it was the quality of the print rather than the negatives.

Irritatingly, Snappy Snaps had also managed to scratch a number of the negatives as well as drip chemicals on at least one portrait I’d taken. And they are supposedly so highly recommended.

Could have been worse – Onken got coloured lines down some of his colour negs.

Of course what’s really frustrating is that your negative is really the only copy of the image, so it’s like finding your camera memory card has been corrupted before you copied the files off. Actually, it’s worse, as you pay for the privilege of them developing the negatives in the 1st place.

Think I’ll stick to Jessop’s from now on – half the price, a free roll of film and better quality! Either that or I might start developing b&w at home.