Last updated: 14 January 2012

I'm an amateur photographer. I like shooting landscapes, architecture, etc. I'm working on getting better at portraiture.

I shoot on a combination of equipment from digital to small and medium format film. I get that film is "on its way out" but I'm a sucker for classiness of it. I hope to develop a roll of film for the first time by the end of the month.

SLR Cameras and Lenses

• Canon EOS ELAN 7e
  • S/N: 4606769
  • Thoughts: I haven't tested this camera yet. I look forward to trying out the "eye control" feature -- I've read some pretty positive reviews.
• Canon EF Mount Lenses:
  • Canon Zoom EF 28-90mm 1:4-5.6 (S/N: 4404494)

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• Canon T50
  • S/N: 1117473
  • Thoughts: I haven't tested this camera yet so I'm not sure if it works. I got it for free with the Minolta.
• Canon FD Mount Lenses:
  • Canon FD 50mm 1:1.8 (S/N: 6019297)

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• Mamiya 1000 DTL
  • S/N: 432007
  • Thoughts: I've only run a few rolls through this camera so far but my overall impression is great. I love the body style and the TTL analog light meter is a really pleasant change. The focus assist elements in the viewfinder are pretty good, though I like the one in the Minolta just a bit more. I've had a blast shooting with this camera. I only have one lens for it but it's really good for general use. I also need to clean out the viewfinder — there's a lot of crud in there.
• 42mm Screw (M42) Lenses:
  • Auto Cosmogon 58mm 1:2 (S/N: 000135)

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• Minolta XG-1
  • S/N: 7351485
  • Thoughts: I'm still in my first few rolls with this body. I like the body style and the focus assist ground into the pentaprism. I've misloaded the film twice and missed a few shots because of it; it just doesn't catch onto the winding spool as easily as I expect. TTL metering is a bit disappointing because it only works in "automatic" mode (aperture priority). Nevertheless there are a lot of great lenses to be had for cheap and I've had a lot of fun with it so far.
  • The viewfinder is shaded to emphasize the focusing area, which is great in high light situations but terrible in low light.
• Minolta XG-1(n)
  • (Non-functional)
  • S/N: 3307380
• Minolta Lenses:
  • Minolta MD 50mm 1:1.7 (S/N: 9219870)
  • Minolta MC 135mm 1:2.8 (S/N: 8114749)
  • Minolta MD Zoom 70-210mm 1:4 (S/N: 1032774)
  • Albinar ADG 28mm 1:2.8 Macro (S/N: 84211056)
  • Rokunar Auto Teleconverter 2x

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• Nikon D40 body
  • S/N: 3471771
  • Thoughts: My first good camera, I've been completely satisfied with the D40. It lacks a few features of the higher-end DSLRs but nothing that I can't live without. I do miss the in-body AF drive motor and exposure bracketing. The sensor is large enough for most uses, when it comes time to upgrade I won't go with less than 30MP. I've dropped it one onto concrete and there was no apparent functional damage.
• Nikon N75 body
  • S/N: 2301376
  • Thoughts: I love the N75. I can share some lenses with the D40 and it has most of the features I love from the D40. It's a little weird that the film unspools up front and shoots in reverse order but it's not a bad thing. I've dropped it on the concrete once and, in spite of some cosmetic damage, it continues to work great.
• Nikon F-mount Lenses:
  • Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G ED DX (Kit lens) (S/N: US6770685)
  • Nikon AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm 1:4-5.6G ED DX (S/N: 2683695) w/ HB-34 hood
  • Nikon AF Nikkor 35-80mm 1:4-5.6D (two of these, neither seems to have a serial number, one has a non-functional manual aperture ring)
  • Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8D (S/N: 968071)
  • Nikon Zoom-Nikkor 35-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 (S/N: 1935183)
  • Meade Nikon T-Adapter and ring (Part 1, Part 2)

TLR Cameras

• Argus Seventy-five
  • Including optional flash
  • Thoughts: I haven't run any film through this one yet. I like the ground glass viewfinder but I'm not expecting great results from such a simple design.

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• Kodak Reflex II
  • Kodak Anastar 80mm 1:3.5 TLR
  • S/N: 68922
  • Thoughts: I haven't run any film through this one yet. I like the ground glass viewfinder.

Other Cameras

• Moskva-5
  • Folding style Momeht-24C 105mm lens, S/N: 054410
  • S/N: 5746020
  • Thoughts: I really like the film format and the feel of using a folding camera. The rangefinder is terribly small, though, and I'm not accustomed to the absense of TTL metering, so I do find it difficult to use. The optical focus assist window is so small that I haven't been able to use it, so I do a best-guess of the range and set the focus using the distance measurements on the lens. I also need to get a tripod adapter for this, as it uses a larger-than-normal mounting lug, although it's certainly cool that it has a second one for shooting in the portrait orientation.

Accessories

• Nikon SB-600 Speedlight (S/N: 2756589)
• Nikon SC-28 Offshoe Coiled Cord (Amazon)
• Nikon ML-L3 Remote (Amazon)
• Meike flash diffuser for SB-600 (Amazon)
• Minolta Auto 132X Speedlight (S/N: 11025235)
• Canon 244T Speedlite
• 52mm Threaded Filters:
  • Kodak 80A Light Balancing Filter (cooling)
  • Digital Pro 760nm IR Pass Filter (Amazon)
  • Generic 10X Macro Lens
  • Numerous UV filters, one on almost every lens
• 58mm Threaded Filters:
  • Sunpak Circular Polarizer
  • Sunpak Diffusion
  • Sunpak Neutral Density 4x
  • B+W Neutral Density 1000x (10 stop) (Amazon)
• Peak Loupe (15x) (Amazon) - Helpful, but I still need a light table.
• Epson Perfection V600 Photo Scanner - Excellent scanner that handles film as well as prints. The Epson software that comes with it is a bit buggy at times but it gets the job done.
• Lowepro Fastpack 200 (Amazon) - This has served me very well for years, the construction is solid and the camera compartment is fairly reconfigurable. Quality construction has held up to a good amount of abuse at my hands.
• Adorama Slinger Filter Wallet "A-6" (Amazon) - It's convenient for carrying filters around but I've stopped using it. I've found that I don't generally need to change my filter configuration in the field.
• Generic continuous umbrella light stand (Amazon) - This was really cheap and it was obvious why when I got it. It does serve its purpose but not without some modifications to the stand to repair manufacturing defect.

The Full Monty

Left to right, front to back: Nikon N75, Nikon D40, Minolta XG-1, Minolta XG-1(n), Mimaya 1000 DTL, Argus Seventy-five, Canon T50, Kodak Reflex II, Moskva-5

Software

I primarily use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 for photo management and post processing. Digital photos go straight from my camera into Lightroom. Film gets scanned through the Epson TWAIN drivers directly into GIMP. Within GIMP I crop and rotate individual frames and save as 100% quality JPEGs. Those JPEGs are then run through PhotoME to add IPTC metadata, then imported into Lightroom.

I generate panoramas using Hugin. I export the individual images from Lightroom as full sized JPEGs, run them through Hugin, saving the resulting image as a JPEG which I then import back into Lightroom.

Film

I quite like shooting film, as might be made obvious by all the film cameras I own.

Film stock:

• Fuji Velvia RVP 50 - My favorite film for architecture and landscape shots
• Kodak BW400CN - Smooth B+W negative film, developed with the more common C-41 process. Prints generally end up with some slight tint, depending on the processing.
• Kodak EIR - ISO200 color infrared film, discontinued recently and so is hard to find. I have two rolls of 120 in storage.
• Kodak HD4 - ISO400 color film, very smooth grain. Great for general use.
• Kodak Tri-X 400 - B+W negative film
• Ilford Delta 3200 - B+W film, high speed, very grainy

I get all of my E-6 and most of my C-41 processing done at Epperson Photo and Video in Oklahoma City, as well as the majority of my prints. I will occasionally do some C-41 processing and print-making at CVS or Walgreens.

Comparison Chart

To Do

I'd like to do more work with panoramas. The software makes it pretty easy so I don't see any reason not to.

I'm planning on getting more into portraiture. It's an easy way to make money and it doesn't seem all that difficult.

Wish list:

• Large format film camera
• IR-modified Nikon DSLR
• Home darkroom, including an enlarger
• Fuji Provia 100F
• Canon BP-300 battery pack and vertical grip for Canon EOS ELAN 7e
• Several color filters for use in black&white film work