4x5 Images from the Boneyard

Here's some 4x5 images from Big Talbot. I definitely learned a lot from these and the 35mm ones. These aren't the best photos - despite some nice clouds and good locations the light just wasn't quite right. That's the trouble with driving 2.5 hours to a location - to get the BEST light of the day, I need to leave at 4am to get there at 6:30 or so. It was also rough dodging tourists, being a holiday weekend.

Anyway, here are some of the better photos. All were taken on either T-Max 100, developed in Rodinal, or T-Max 400, developed in Pyrocat HD.

47mm:

90mm, 47mm:

 
210mm, 150mm:

90mm:

St. Marks NWR Part 4

Yes, I went back yet again. St. Marks is proving to be a fertile ground for photography.

I focused again on 4x5 images. They were shot with the Schneider 47mm f/5.6 XL, Nikkor 90mm f/8, Schneider Symmar-S 210mm f/5.6, or Nikkor-M 300mm f/9:

 

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge - Part 2

And now for part two. These are the 4x5 images I took at St. Marks. Most were done with the Nikkor 90mm f/8. For the wildlife images I used my Nikkor 720mm f/16 telephoto (my first time using it successfully!). I also used my Nikkor 450mm f/9 and Schnieder 210mm f/5.6 for a couple:

More E6, and a direct comparison of 4x5 Provia with D800E (updated)

There were some lovely Japanese Magnolias blooming in my yard so I clipped off a couple today and took it to the VSU lighting studio to experiment with the lighting equipment and shoot a couple sheets of E6. Flower photos are cliche I know but they still make pretty subjects and are fun to shoot, so whatever.

First, here is the Provia 100f 4x5 sheet, shot with a 210mm Symmar-S, slightly cropped on the sides:

And here is the D800E shot with a 55mm Micro:

Now here is a 100% crop of the 4x5 image, with the D800E file up-rezzed to match the size:

Now, the D800E here is at a disadvantage. For one, I shot this at f/16 so diffraction was dulling the finest details (of course, the Provia shot was at f/22, but the large sheet of film mitigates that). Also, upsizing the D800E file also puts it at a disadvantage, but I think it is fairer than downsizing the 4x5 shot.

I think despite the odds stacked against it, the D800E has ever so slightly more fine detail (see the striations in what I think are the "anther"), but the Provia seems sharper due to the grain. So which is better? Matter of taste I suppose. I should have shot a sheet of Velvia 50 for the super-saturated color, as that film would impart more of a "look" than the middle-of-the-road Provia.

That being said, the Provia did show some characteristics, and not necessarily good. The cup and water were noticeably blue before I did some selective color correction. I've noticed before that Provia gets very blue in the shadows. The natural color balance of digital makes it so easy to work with. Truly, color film is not easy to get perfect colors with, but if you are printing digitally anyway it hardly matters.

Update:

Thought I'd post the b&w version I took, with T-Max 100 film developed in Rodinal:

For those wondering...this shot isn't really any higher resolution than the Provia. It is slightly grainier. I can attribute that to the Rodinal. If I used T-Max RS developer it might actually be a bit more detailed, sharper, and lower grain than the Provia.

I won't make any qualitative statements about the ultimate resolution of film, but considering these photos, and how the D800E was at a disadvantage, I would have to say that 4x5 film, or at least a good chrome, is not really any better in simple resolution than the digital - when scanned with a consumer scanner. I'm using a Microtek M1, and the scans are certainly good, but nothing compared to a drum scan. That is something to consider when shooting film - the cost of a really good scan if you want to print something digitally very large.

Golden Isles 2012 Vacation Part 1

Meagan and I spent 3 days on the "Golden Coast" before heading to Mississippi to spend Christmas with my family. I was able to shoot a lot of film. I've just about finished up my b&w developing, with a several rolls and sheets of color film left to do.

Here's a variety of 4x5 shots first. Here is two views of the lighthouse on St. Simon's Island, both using the Nikkor 120mm f/8 lens:

This is right behind the lighthouse. Taken with the 47mm XL:

Now here is a shot from the Christ Church cemetery, with the 210mm f/5.6 Symmar-S:

The next day we went to Jekyll Island. Here is a shot of the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, and a cottage right down the road from it. Both with the 120mm lens again:

We also did a lot of exploring and I shot several rolls with my Yashicamat. Here's some shots from a variety of places, all either on Pan F+ or T-Max 100:

 Finally, these last few are from Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island. The panorama was made with three different shots:

  

That's all for now.

STRICKLAND MILL Documentary Project - Part 2

Very busy tonight but still so much work to do! I've made three trips to the mill now, the last being early this morning. I am about to go develop film but first here is the results from the last trip, taken with either my Schneider 47mm, Nikkor 90mm, Nikkor 120mm, or Schneider 210mm. I will try to get more photos up by the end of the week.

And here's a couple of digital shots: