The Moskva 5 is a big Soviet made camera, which follows forms and performance of the most renowned folding Zeiss Super Ikonta. Snap 6×9 cm frames and 6×6 through a special removable mask. For the technical specifications of the camera back to the previous test readers: here and here. This time, taking advantage of a typical winter day, I wanted to use it in its native format, for large negatives (if any) to print.
For several months now I have started to frequently use the Ilford Delta films, and also the Ilford Ilfotech DD-X as a developer. I always got good results exposing the Delta @ box speed, but also, for example, “pushing” the 400 to 800 ISO, as you can see in this post. Given these results, I wanted to go even further and so, I loaded my Olympus OM 10 with a roll of Delta 400 and set the meter on the 1600 Iso value.
Today has been the World Pinhole Day. A day dedicated to the simplest forms of photography: stenopeic (Aka:pinhole) photography. Just a light-proof container, a tiny hole (such as that made by a needle) and the sensitive material (film, paper, liquid photographic emulsion etc.) and we can experience an image that materializes. Despite not having much time and not being able to find the most significant places, I also wanted to pay my humble tribute to this fascinating and ancient technique.
Generally (and you can see it all in this blog) I prefer to shoot with film in black and white. Both from the point of view of personal expression and because I believe that is easier and cheaper to self-develop b/w instead of color. Occasionally, however, (you may have noticed this too) I like to take some color photos. I do not have so much experience in this regard, having only used the Kodak Ultramax 400 35mm and a couple of Fujifilm (Pro 400H and Reala 100) in medium format.
Leica R-E & Vario Elmar 35-70mm – XP2 Labdeveloped
As loyal readers already know, at the beginning of December I faced (after almost 15 years) traveling exclusively using film cameras only. In this post I showed the equipment that I planned to use. Furthermore, I also had an Olympus OM10 with three Zuiko lenses (28, 50 and 135mm) as a backup just in case. Once in Munich (Bayern), I bought a nice Olympus OM2n, accompanied by a Zuiko 35-70mm f/3.5-4,5 and a Tokina RMC 24mm f/2.8. The films I used were Ilford XP2 Super 400, Kodak T-Max 400 and Ilford Delta 3200. In total, I took 8 rolls of 36 frames. A ridiculous number of shots when compared with those obtained in a half-day with any digital camera. But this is precisely the reason that led me back to the film, so I am absolutely delighted to have chosen this path.
But… you said to take a film tour in Bayern… and we don’t see photos?
No hurry: film photography is slow and needs the right times. So, just wait… 😀
Olympus OM 10 – Tokina RMC 24mm f/2,8 – Kodak Tmax 400
Who knows why, for some reason, every time I used a Leica, was never mine? The first time, an M7 with Summicron 35mm, I was entrusted by the magazine which I collaborate with (Fotografia Reflex), the second time, a D-Lux 6 (Digital), directly from the Leica factory itself. You can see some of the results on the Leica official blog. This time, I had the opportunity to test one R5 with the Vario-Elmar zoom 35-70mm f/3.5, thanks to a friend who had just bought it. Basically, I’m doing the beta-tester for him! Sooner or later … I’ll have to decide to get one of my own … 😉
Yellow Filter Used
Okay, I will confess: I did it again! I went again against the rules and developed once more the Adox CMS 20 film with a conventional developer (Ars Imago-Fd) instead of the dedicated one. The reasons which lead to this are widely mentioned in this post, which describes the results of my first test with this combination. As reported in the conclusions, I had promised myself to make a new test exposing for a lower speed than the nominal 20 Iso, in order to have more open shadows and to evaluate the yield of the intermediate grey tones and highlights using these new parameters. Thanks to the cooperation of Ars-Imago, I had the chance to try some other film rolls.
Unlike the previous post, where the protagonist was the small folding Zeiss Nettar 515, this time the scene is entirely dedicated to a flagship camera: the Russian Moskva 5. An impressive one, both in weight and size. Compared to Nettar though, the features are of a different level. It was a camera dedicated to professionals and advanced amateurs. Given the period (1955-1960), contained almost everything that the technology could be made available to photographers.
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