Nikon FM2 first roll out

[abhishekdg]

Was super excited to have received a Nikon FM2 for just 50$ in a garage sale. Took it out to try out a few shots.. The beauty of using an all mechanical camera is like a dream.
I now plan to use it for everyday work. As for the photos, here goes a few from the Ilford HP5 scan:-

1. I liked something in the first one which i cannot explain.. There's a lot of lines and geometry going through..

__3_0083 by abhishekdg, on Flickr

2. Sunday Sunbath:-

__6_0086 by abhishekdg, on Flickr

3. Love by the Lakeside:-

_14_0070 by abhishekdg, on Flickr

Your feedback is most appreciated....

 

[Derrel]

Nikon FM-2...a wonderful mechanically-timed 35mm manual focusing Nikon body! Simple, reliable, elegant design. I bought one once from an elederly lady, then when I moved I bagged it up with some dessicant and stuck it inside a couple Ziplock baggies...and stuck it in a moving box...where it sat for around 15 YEARS, untouched!!!! I THOUGHT somebody had stolen it!!! When I bought the doggone thing, President Bush was in office, and the US was involved in a war in Kuwait...when I found it, it was 2005, and we had already gone thought Bush the Elder, then two terms of Bill Clinton, then a full term of term of Bush the 2nd Rate...I took it out of the bags, put in some batteries, and she fired right up!

I like your Sunday Sunbath shot the most...classic "Black and White" work! The first shot is also interesting, although I cannot say why,exactly...it just is...

 

[abhishekdg]

Thank you Darrel for the replies.. Well the camera is so toughly built that fear it may kill someone if I hit with it ..Beautiful titanium shutter . What can I say? I look and feel of the camera,the simplicity makes me pick it up everytime above the nikon D90.
However, it seems like it tends to overexpose a bit as all my photos have been underexposed by 1 stop or 2.
Even i do seem to like the first one a lot..Don't know why .Its just the intersection of lines, some shadows , the picture frame all make an interesting picture in my eyes.

 

[Tuffythepug]

Be careful you'll get hooked on b/w photography with a full-on manual camera. I think #1 works best for the following reasons: it has a strong feeling of shape and structure with all those rectangular shapes and parallel lines. Good tones with strong blacks and brilliant whites.
The one dark horizontal line kind of separates the photo in half vertically and that's a little distracting but overall a very nice composition. I'd like to see more of your stuff.

 

[abhishekdg]

Thank you Tuffythepug for your replies..
I am really loving the black and white photography that too with the manual camera. I never like it so much earlier with my nikon D90 but now I have bought 3 more rolls of Ilford HP5 to try out new stuffs.
However, could you guys suggest me if thats the best film for B&W photography ? I am so much new to it and went ahead with what National Camera Exchange had..
Also its a little bit costly but I think I will end up buying a scanner if at all I do sell away all my digital stuffs.

Here are some more from the FM2 :-

1. Lakeside Marriages -


Lakeside marraiges by abhishekdg, on Flickr

2. Portrait of a driver-


_19_0075 by abhishekdg, on Flickr

 

[Tuffythepug]

Ilford has long been considered a very good black and white film. But it wouldn't hurt to try a couple of rolls of Kodak Tri-X which used to be my standard b/w film It has a bit of a different feel and the grain pattern is slightly different but it's consistently a great black and white film. You can buy just about anything that is currently being made at Freestyle Photographic Supplies in San Clemente, Calif. You can purchase on-line through their website. You can also purchase pre-paid mailers for developing your film

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Along with Tri-X, give XP2 a shot. It scans much much better than real B&W films.

 

[abhishekdg]

Thanks guys for the info.. Well I really like the look of Ilford HP5 but the developing and scanning fee is like killing me.. Can you guys suggest whether I can get the ilford HP5 scanned at local Walgreens / Target and then scanned at a professional store? Or do I have to use a C-41 film for that? A cheaper route will be great but its hard to give up on the looks of the scans from HP5..

 

[Derrel]

HP5, Tri-X...both very good films.

Another B&W film that I have shot and liked quite a bit has been Kodaks 400 BW CN, which is a C-41 process "chromogenic" type film, which uses dye layers, and is developed in standard C-41 "AKA color print" chemistry, right in with the color negative films at regular minilabs! You SHOULD be able to find a lab that can give you quick, affordable machine-scanned images on a disc, along with the developed negatives...search around...SOMEPLACE in the Twin Cities, or in New York, I am SURE you can find a place that will develop your film and give you "decent" scans at a fair price. With the price of time and gasoline being what it is today, United States Postal Service rates for sending out film are pretty danged affordable.

Kodak BW400CN 135-36 Black & White Film 1629617 B&H Photo

 

[Fred Berg]

I like your photos very much. I agree that the restaurant shot is interesting and I also think the one with the tram is particularly good.

If your looking for suggestions, you might like to give T-Max from Kodak a try. It has a good dynamic range and is very fine corn, so you can crop and blow up large without losing much, if any, detail. To keep costs down a bit until you get a decent scanner you could try Kodak BW400CN, which is a C-41 B&W film that produces very good results.

Edit: I see Derrel has also recommended BW400CN whilst I was typing.

 

[abhishekdg]

Thanks Derrel.. I got 2 films of Ilford HP5 developed+ scanned in 1 cd (48 frames) all together for 53$ including taxes from a professional lab. Is this quite high? I felt it was and hence asking the same...

Hi Fred, thanks for liking the pictures. Will surely give 400CN a try.But will a C-41 film have teh same grain froma real B&W film. And what about the dynamic range of the C-41 films.. Sorry these are too novice questions but just wanna know

 

[Rick58]

Good stuff. Contrasty, nice tones, interesting subject matter. Art Museum quality? Obviously not, but it's what I enjoy viewing. Sometimes it has to be more then strictly technique and I enjoyed viewing these as much (or more) as most on here lately.
BTW, Welcome to the wonderful world of B&W

 

[CouncilmanDoug]

HP5, Tri-X...both very good films.

Another B&W film that I have shot and liked quite a bit has been Kodaks 400 BW CN, which is a C-41 process "chromogenic" type film, which uses dye layers, and is developed in standard C-41 "AKA color print" chemistry, right in with the color negative films at regular minilabs! You SHOULD be able to find a lab that can give you quick, affordable machine-scanned images on a disc, along with the developed negatives...search around...SOMEPLACE in the Twin Cities, or in New York, I am SURE you can find a place that will develop your film and give you "decent" scans at a fair price. With the price of time and gasoline being what it is today, United States Postal Service rates for sending out film are pretty danged affordable.

Kodak BW400CN 135-36 Black & White Film 1629617 B&H Photo

I just shot 2 rolls of that kodak, the only problem is the negative scans have a slight green tint to them because they scan them as color. this thread has some shots with that film if you wanna check it out http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/black-white-gallery/296180-some-film-summer.html

 

[Tuffythepug]

Thanks Derrel.. I got 2 films of Ilford HP5 developed+ scanned in 1 cd (48 frames) all together for 53$ including taxes from a professional lab. Is this quite high? I felt it was and hence asking the same...

Hi Fred, thanks for liking the pictures. Will surely give 400CN a try.But will a C-41 film have teh same grain froma real B&W film. And what about the dynamic range of the C-41 films.. Sorry these are too novice questions but just wanna know

The price for the same service at Freestyle is 13.99 per roll of 24 exposures. So the cost would have been $27.98 for 48 exposures.

 

[abhishekdg]

Thanks a lot Rick,Councilman and Tuffythepug. Well I would now consider the Kodak BW400CN and it seems that Freestyle is quite cheap so its logical to give them a try..Lets try it out and see...
Thanks to everyone who has liked this novice pictures