Pentax Espio 120mi – #Paignton #Devon

I recently went down to Paignton in South Devon to see me my old mate Garry – we had a splendid day drinking at a Beer Festival and managed to take some decent photographs of Paignton Pier with an old Pentax Espio 120mi. This is point-and-shoot, mid-range, 35mm film camera. The Espio is an autofocus unit with automatic exposure settings and a built in flash unit.

One of the most useful applications available on this model is ‘backlight compensation’ setting, which enables you to take a photograph using natural light in the background and flash in the foreground, giving an even tone across the image. Panorama mode is included in this little package which gives a different aspect ratio from most other cameras.

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Olympus Trip 35, another film camera I was searching for

My rummaging around in junk shops sometimes reaps great rewards. On my recent hunting expedition I found an Olympus Trip 35, another film camera I was searching for.

The Trip 35 is a 35mm compact camera, manufactured by Olympus. It was introduced in 1967 and discontinued, after a lengthy production run, in 1984. This camera makes use of a selenium photocell to select the shutter speeds and aperture let novices use the camera as a “point & shoot”, unfortunately this does not work on mine.

The Trip name was a reference to its intended market – people who wanted a compact, functional camera for holidays. During the 1970s it was the subject of an advertising campaign that featured popular British photographer David Bailey. Over ten million units were sold.

Olympus Trip 35. (2012, August 16). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09:03, October 20, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Olympus_Trip_35&oldid=507702469

Pentax Spotmatic

Image above taken with a Pentax Spotmatic 35mm Camera – August 2012.

Here is another photograph taken with vintage Pentax camera I purchased of ebay on the 15th July 2012. The Pentax Spotmatic takes M42 screw-thread lenses and was introduced by Asahi in 1964, it was the first SLR … Continue reading ?

The photograph: After Lunch by 35mm_photographs on Flickr

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Tubes of Oil Paint cost a lot

I cant believe how much oil paints cost – I’m going to have to charge for my paintings by the square inch (or centimeter) from now on.

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The photograph above was taken with a Pentax K1000 35mm film camera in the studio of West Buckland School in the 150 building – September 2012. Tubes of oil paint, a photo by 35mm_photographs on Flickr.

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Agfacolor HDC 200

Fly Spider Nasturtium, a photo by 35mm_photographs on Flickr.

Via Flickr:

Taken using a Pentax P30 35mm camera using ‘old stock’ (March 2000) Agfacolor HDC 200. July 2012.

The Pentax P30 is an SLR and uses manual focus lenses with the K-mount bayonet fitting. I shot a roll of film on an old Pentax P30. The results were not as satisfying as those taken with the Pentax SP500. … Continue reading

Agfacolor was the name of a series of color film products made by Agfa of Germany. The first Agfacolor, introduced in 1932, was a film-based version of their Agfa-Farbenplatte (Agfa color plate) a “screen plate” product similar to the French Autochrome.

After World War II, the Agfacolor brand was applied to several varieties of color negative film for still photography.

HDC plus 200 was a fine general-purpose film, with decent colour saturation, fine grain and sharp.

Agfacolor. (2012, May 13). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:32, July 21, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Agfacolor&oldid=492411945

Ilford HP5 Plus 35mm film

The image above was taken with a Pentax SP1000 (June 2012) using 35mm black and white Ilford HP5 Plus film.

HP film is a cubic-grain black-and-white film from Ilford Photo. It originated as Hypersensitive Panchromatic plates in 1931. Since then it has developed (pun?) with a number of versions appearing over the years, with HP5 plus (HP5+ for short) being the latest. The main competitor of Ilford HP5 Plus was Kodak Tri-X 400.

The beauty of this film is its grainy quality and because of this it is my film of choice. HP5 was slighty more coarse in comparision to the defuncted Kodak film.

In 1960 the 200 ASA emulsion was relabelled to 400 ASA with no change to the product. The 200 ASA speed included an exposure safety margin, but with improvements in light meters this was deemed unnecessary. The speed was revised up to 400 ASA.

Breakfast on the Orient Express – ruined in the darkroom

This gallery contains 2 photos.

As I  have previously mentioned, I haven’t used a 35mm camera for years. I took my old, trusty Pentax K1000 with me to Venice on the Orient Express and took some black and white shots of the train…. The images … Continue reading →

Images taken with a Pentax SP1000 35mm film camera

These images taken of Woolacombe were done using  a Pentax SP1000 35mm camera. This camera was my father’s, who bought it from new in the 1970s. All Pentax Spotmatics (SP) use the M42 screw-thread lens mount. The lenses are focused at maximum aperture to give a bright viewfinder image for focusing, then a switch at the side stops the lens down and switches on the metering to enable the exposure to be set prior to shutter release.

I’m really getting into lens flare which is usually caused by a very bright light source, either affecting the image or shining into the lens, which produces a haze. I also like the slightly over cooked vintage feel of these images, scratches, dust, and fibre strands -35mm film is far more fun than digital.

The image above was taken in Ilfracombe – June 2012

Testing the Pentax SP500

Taking photographs with a film camera again reminded me of the simple pleasures I had messing about with making images in a darkroom – it is a shame I have become so uninspired.

There is something a bit odd now about not wanting my photographs instantly. The anticipation of  developing them or collecting hard copies from a processing store is now exciting. The instant gratification of a digital image is somehow disappointing. Which is bizarre because 30 years ago I dreamed of instant quality.

This gallery contains 2 photos.

I loaded the Pentax SP500 camera I got off eBay yesterday with a colour film (200 asa) and took a few shots in and around my home, experimenting with different lenses. The clearest shots were achieved with the original Takumar 1:2/55mm … Continue reading →

The film is loaded and I have begun clicking away…

When the first Pentax Spotmatic was introduced to the public at the 1960 PHOTOKINA, photographic fair, in Cologne, Germany, it attracted the instant and close attention of photographers and photographic engineers alike.

The model range included the original Spotmatic, Spotmatic II and IIa, Spotmatic F, plus the SP500 and SP1000. There was also the Pentax SL, which was identical to the Spotmatic except that it did not have the built-in light meter

I have just bought and received via eBay a Pentax SP500 camera. I put a new battery into it and the internal light meter worked straight away. Unlike the Pentax K1000 you need to switch the light meter on using a sliding switch on the front of the body.

Pentax cameras of this era came with fantastic standard multi coated lenses. The one I purchased came with an original Takumar 1:2/55mm lens, a great lens that is flexible and precise.

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• Photograph self portrait 1974 This was taken with a 35mm Pentax SLR in 1974 and manipulated in the darkroom in Stourbridge College of Art and Design. This reminds me of the simple pleasures I had messing about with making images – it is a … Continue reading →

Pentax K1000 – darkroom failure

This gallery contains 4 photos.

I haven’t used a 35mm camera for years. I recently decided to take my old Pentax K1000 with me to Venice. I took some great black and white shots from our hotel window, looking out over the Grand Canal towards … Continue reading →

The Pentax K1000 (originally marked the Asahi Pentax K1000) is an interchangeable lens, 35 mm film, single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, manufactured by Asahi Optical Co., Ltd. from 1976 to 1997, originally in Japan. It uses a horizontal travel, rubberized silk cloth focal plane shutter with a speed range of 1/1000 second to 1 second, along with Bulb and a flash X-sync of 1/60 second. It is 91.4 millimetres tall, 143 mm wide, and 48 mm deep, and weighs 620 grams. The body was finished in black leather with chrome trim only, although early production Pentax K1000 SE bodies had brown leather with chrome trim.

English: Pentax K1000 SE – Public domain. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Self Portrait 1974 – Photograph

This was taken with a 35mm Pentax SLR in 1974 and manipulated in the darkroom in Stourbridge College of Art and Design. This reminds me of the simple pleasures I had messing about with making images – it is a shame I have become cynical.

There are millions of ‘Art’ viewpoints; some take a position of extreme difficulty or resistance. This position questions everything and is unforgiving. The principal is that artists should look beyond the superficiality of life and expose the core. They should also look at the superficiality of Art and culture and rip and tear at the flesh of its own conception, rejecting Metaphor, Romanticism etc. etc. By implementing such self imposed draconian measures you may be left with a purity of ideas but that leaves little to create or live for.

QUALIFICATIONS:
Postgraduate Certificate from Wolverhampton University  in Painting
BA(hons) degree from Exeter College of Art and Design in Printmaking

EDUCATION:
2004-2006 Bristol University
2002-2003 Wolverhampton University
1976–1979 Exeter College of Art & Design
1974-1976 Stourbridge College of Art & Design

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Beauty and the Beast

£51.12

Media: Painting and Screen Print on canvas, signed and dated 2011.

Size: 400mm x 400mm

Buy here…