Post by cooltouch on Jun 4, 2015 9:51:43 GMT -5
Hey all. I just found out about this forum from a friend over at mflenses.com, a forum that more or less specializes in the use of manual focus lenses. It looks like, after looking at some of the forum areas here, there are definitely some I'll be checking out.
Me, I've pretty much always been interested in photography, but I didn't buy my first 35mm until 1982. The camera was a Canon AE-1 and I quickly became hooked. The next year I bought an A-1, reasoning that the more automation there was, the better my photos would be. But strangely enough, sort of the opposite began to occur. I felt I was missing out on something. Then, after reading a review on the vintage Canon FTb in Modern Photography magazine, I realized what I needed to do. Within the month, I'd acquired a very clean FTb and it was at that point where my education in photography began. I loved that old camera. A year later, I acquired my first original F-1, and that sealed the deal for me. That old F-1 had been rode hard and put up wet, as the expression goes. It was plain ugly to look at. But everything worked perfectly and I began to use it with gusto and also to delve into the large amount of accessories that had been produced for the F-1. In pretty short order I acquired the monster-sized Motor Drive MF, which doubled the size and weight of that old SLR, and which gave the old F-1 a blistering 3 fps frame rate. It was slow, but I loved the ergonomics of it.
I became an outdoor photographer and spent most of my spare time out and about, taking in many of the scenics to be found in Southern California and surrounding areas. There was so much to see -- and photograph. Somewhere along the way, I started showing up at auto races and gradually developed into a pretty good motorsports photographer. One thing led to another and I began to freelance at it. I didn't make a lot of money freelancing, but I got into a lot of races for free, or at least with a pass, and the money I made at least offset the cost of much of my equipment. This interest for speed soon bled over into airshows and I would go to every one that was within reasonable driving distance from my home. I haven't been to a race in years, but I still try to make the airshows.
These days, I'm shooting a Sony NEX 7 as my primary digital camera, and I'm usually using manual focus lenses with it. I have a decent collection of Nikon glass, a large collection of Canon FD glass, and a fairly complete selection of Tamron optics. But I'm still an active film photographer. I have two medium format outfits (Pentax 67 and Bronica ETRSi) and a rather large collection of 35mm SLRs, mostly Canon, Nikon, and Pentax. Because it's getting harder and harder to find labs that process film anymore, and because developing costs are increasing, I've taken up developing my own color films, in addition to B&W, which I've been developing myself since the 80s. To me, it isn't difficult developing color film, whether E-6 or C-41, with my setup, which allows me to keep close control of developing temperatures. And it's saving me a bundle, without having to sacrifice a bit of quality.
Okay, I've blathered on enough. See y'all on the boards.
Me, I've pretty much always been interested in photography, but I didn't buy my first 35mm until 1982. The camera was a Canon AE-1 and I quickly became hooked. The next year I bought an A-1, reasoning that the more automation there was, the better my photos would be. But strangely enough, sort of the opposite began to occur. I felt I was missing out on something. Then, after reading a review on the vintage Canon FTb in Modern Photography magazine, I realized what I needed to do. Within the month, I'd acquired a very clean FTb and it was at that point where my education in photography began. I loved that old camera. A year later, I acquired my first original F-1, and that sealed the deal for me. That old F-1 had been rode hard and put up wet, as the expression goes. It was plain ugly to look at. But everything worked perfectly and I began to use it with gusto and also to delve into the large amount of accessories that had been produced for the F-1. In pretty short order I acquired the monster-sized Motor Drive MF, which doubled the size and weight of that old SLR, and which gave the old F-1 a blistering 3 fps frame rate. It was slow, but I loved the ergonomics of it.
I became an outdoor photographer and spent most of my spare time out and about, taking in many of the scenics to be found in Southern California and surrounding areas. There was so much to see -- and photograph. Somewhere along the way, I started showing up at auto races and gradually developed into a pretty good motorsports photographer. One thing led to another and I began to freelance at it. I didn't make a lot of money freelancing, but I got into a lot of races for free, or at least with a pass, and the money I made at least offset the cost of much of my equipment. This interest for speed soon bled over into airshows and I would go to every one that was within reasonable driving distance from my home. I haven't been to a race in years, but I still try to make the airshows.
These days, I'm shooting a Sony NEX 7 as my primary digital camera, and I'm usually using manual focus lenses with it. I have a decent collection of Nikon glass, a large collection of Canon FD glass, and a fairly complete selection of Tamron optics. But I'm still an active film photographer. I have two medium format outfits (Pentax 67 and Bronica ETRSi) and a rather large collection of 35mm SLRs, mostly Canon, Nikon, and Pentax. Because it's getting harder and harder to find labs that process film anymore, and because developing costs are increasing, I've taken up developing my own color films, in addition to B&W, which I've been developing myself since the 80s. To me, it isn't difficult developing color film, whether E-6 or C-41, with my setup, which allows me to keep close control of developing temperatures. And it's saving me a bundle, without having to sacrifice a bit of quality.
Okay, I've blathered on enough. See y'all on the boards.
