Minolta Konica

In some parallel universe Minolta may have absorbed Konica (and surely it would have been better for the camera company to swallow the film company), but as we know in this world it was all about office copiers and the film and the camera businesses fell by the wayside only for Sony to continue the ongoing digital SLR (Alpha mount) camera business.

But that’s a long way from here. And a diversion. Here’s an old Minolta 110 Zoom, fitted with new batteries and outdated Konica Centuria 200 110 film (process before 10/2004).

< Oxford High (Street)

This is the full 110 negative area; strangely pre-exposed framing of the negative area, which is quite tiny.

I took some shots around town, trying to figure out exposure compensation. The camera only has overides of whole F-stops or EVs, from –2 to +2; the ISO of the film is calculated according to the presence or absence of a plastic tab (100 or 400 ISO) and the film itself is rated at 200 ISO, and it has the 100 ISO tab. So that’s –1 on the meter, right? And then +1 for age? Colour negative film has some latitude, fortunately, but when it is old it’s more prone to defects, scratches and so on.

Some results though:

 

 

1 Oxford busker | 2 Swallowfield church, Berks | 3 Rhoda, Swallowfield, Berks | 4 Black Friars, Oxford

Negatives scanned directly from Epson V500 glass, held down by anti-reflective glass

Old Church, Arborfield, Berkshire

Ruins known as Old Church. Taken with a Dynax 9xi and 28-80mm zoom on Fujicolor C200 film

More MD/MA pictures

Sony A100 | Tamron 90 mm SP macro f/2.5 | MD/MA adapter

Metered in A mode with +1 EV exposure adjustment; further adjustments in LR3b

^ Headstone, Swallowfied, Berks

^ Headstone detail, Swallowfield, Berks

^ Daffodils, Swallowfied, Berks

Winter in Berkshire

Scenes from the recent snowfall, near Reading

Against the sun | Dynax 7 | Pro 800 Z

Exposure data: 2009.12.18 @ 13:48 | 1/640s f/13 28mm/4 | P mode/14 segment

 

The office, Lane End House | Dynax 7 | Pro 800 Z

 

Tree and nest box | Dynax 7 | Pro 800 Z

Exposure data: 2009.12.18 @ 13:53 | 1/1600s f/5.6 50mm/5 | A mode/14 segment

 

Silver birch | Dynax 7 | Pro 800 Z

Exposure data: 2009.12.18 @ 13:54 | 1/500s f/11 50mm/5 | P mode/14 segment

High Dynamic option on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1 -ZR1

There’s a new (to Panasonic) ‘High Dynamic’ option on the ZX1 camera, and here are a couple of scenes from my favourite churchyard in Berkshire that illustrate what happens:

Off

 

On

Pros: shadow detail is enhanced (see the church wall in the background and to some extent in the hedge behind the gate on the left

Cons: the gate pillars look a bit anaemic with the dark contrast of the flint watered down somewhat

 

Side by side

This shot is against the sun rather than with the sun behind me, and the High Dynamic option seems to rob the scene of its contrast, washing out the highlights.