Film... lots of film!

some slow speed films

Last week I received a package in the mail containing some new (to me) films that I ordered. Three of them were Rollei-branded films, Ortho 25 Plus, RPX 25, Retro 80 S; Catlabs X Film 80, and Bergger Pancro 400.  I have previously reported on the Bergger film.  On top of that, I have an order of the Ilford Ortho Plus 80 coming to me.  All of these are b&w films, and I am totally amazed at the number of film stocks now on sale.  Even accounting for the re-branding of films by Kosmo, etc., it's obvious that we have more b&w film stocks available now than I can remember in the past 20 years.  The Darkroom has put up a handy guide to films that should be useful to the typical person shooting film.  The chart there shows 46 films, and those are all ones that The Darkroom can process.  It's obviously missing the Kodak Vision films (ECN-2 process), the odd emulsions that require special developers, and many of the b&w films that the Film Photography Project has brought to market.  So, when anyone asks "Can you still buy film?"  You can tell that person that there are over 50 different films available now.

We don't have the plethora of  positive color films that existed 20 years ago, and that can easily be explained by the fact that pro shooters accounted for the majority of E-6 and Kodachrome sales that were quickly taken over by the digital onslaught.  For the publishing industry, digital was a real boon, as the workflow no longer involved the darkroom as being the intermediate step.  For the art photographer, it was a more personal choice.  However, the mere fact that Kodak released Ektachrome once again last year is a good sign that a major gap was being filled. 

As far as C-41 films, there are enough choices out there to make most people happy.  While I shoot color film, it still represents a minority of my film usage.  I do use digital for a majority of my color work -- and my Nikon Df is one hell of a camera.   My first choice is b&w film, for a lot of reasons.  I like the moods that I can get with different films, I like being able to experiment with using low-ISO films and odd emulsions, and I like the way b&w film shows the world that I photograph.  In addition, film grain - the lack of, as well as the presence of, can really add another dimension to an image.  I think back to some early shots that I did with Kodak's high speed recording film - it had grain like nothing else, and I wish that I had used it in the right situations to make that grainy stuff work as an asset to the image.  On the other end of the grain scale, Ilford Pan-F and Kodak Tmax 100 are really excellent films.   To me, the allure of so many different films is that a film stock becomes part of my creative process. 

One other thing to note, is that I am working on a zine devoted to monochrome shooting.  I'll say more about it as I get closer to a final product, but I hope to have it ready by January 2020.  The first issue will focus on low-ISO films. 

As these November days move into December days, I am very happy that I moved to western North Carolina.  We have far more sunny days than cloudy ones this time of year, and those low sun angles represent more opportunities for shooting b&w film!

The Fujica STX-1 SLR

 Of all the different cameras that I have handled over the years, I confess that I have not shot with many SLR cameras made by Fuji Photo Film.  In 2007, I briefly shot with a  Fujica ST 801, which is an M42-mount SLR with some nice features. That camera was part of an estate sale that was eventually sold, and I put one roll of film through it.  Last fall, I was going through donations of cameras for the Film Photography Project, and opened a box with a Fujica STX-1 camera and two lenses. We could not get the camera to work, so I brought it home to see if I could get it working.  I opened the bottom plate and saw that a cam was not engaging. I slipped it back into place, and now the camera works just fine!  That gave me the opportunity to shoot with the camera for a bit before it goes back into the FPP School Donation Program.

Evolution of the Fuji SLRs
Fuji Photo Film started producing SLR cameras in 1962 with their Fujicarex leaf-shutter SLR, which was followed by the Fujicarex II in 1963.  They were innovative, with the controls for the exposure and focus made via thumbwheels on the back plate.  The cameras had other quirks, and like most leaf-shutter SLRs from the 1960s, they were limited in lenses, shutter speed, and were left behind by the focal-plane shutter SLRs.  Today, they are somewhat rare, and probably rarely work well.

In the days when many SLR camera manufacturers that were not Nikon, Canon, Topcon, Miranda, Minolta, or Olympus, the M42 mount (or Praktica screw mount, or Pentax Screw Mount, or just M42) was the “other” mount.  Fuji came out with their series of ST models which used the M42 mount.  The ST701 appeared in 1971, followed by the ST 801 in 1973.  The ST 901 appeared in 1974, and featured Aperture-Priority exposure.  The ST 605 appeared in 1976, and the ST 705 came out in 1977. All of these models have cloth horizontal shutters, are well-made, and use match-needle metering visible in the finder.  The exception is the ST 801, which was the first SLR to use diodes in the finder instead of a match-needle and scale.   The Fujica AZ-1 was their last M42-mount camera, which featured Aperture-Priority, TTL auto-exposure, and was the first SLR to be sold with a zoom lens (43-75mm) as the kit lens. 

Nearing the end of the 70s, the demand for more features such as full-aperture metering and easier lens mounting,  led to the abandonment by Fuji of the M42 mount and the adoption of a new mount, the Fuji X-mount (not to be confused with the x-mount of the current Fuji digital mirrorless cameras).  Fuji introduced their new system with the STX-1 in 1979.  There were a limited number of x-mount lenses available, and the STX-1 came with a 55mm f/2.2 X-Fujinon lens.  The odd thing is that the shutter speeds go from B, to ½- 1/700th sec.  Again, a cloth focal plane shutter.  Match-needle metering, visible in the viewfinder.  There is a depth of field preview button above the self-timer arm.  The camera is fully manual, and the flash sync speed is 1/60th sec.  There is a locking collar around the shutter release, preventing inadvertent releases.  The camera has a clean design – I would say that while it is not a “spectacular” SLR, it does what it does well.  The meter is engaged when you press halfway-down on the shutter, and the match needle is easy to see on the right side of the viewfinder.  On the left side of the viewfinder you can see the shutter speeds.  I like the meter markings, which are handy in adjusting the exposure.  As a full-manual camera, it is pretty much perfect.  The film advance lever is well-designed and comfortable to use.   The camera requires 2 S-76  or SR-44 cells to power the meter. The only oddball thing is that the tripod socket is not centered on the camera, and is to the left.   The camera was received with the 55mm f2.2 lens and a 28mm f/2.8 Fujinon-x lens.

Clean design and controls

Through the viewfinder

The X-mount continued with the AX series, which started with the AX-1 in 1980, followed by the AX-3 and AX-5.  These cameras all have more automation and features than the STX-1. The STX-2  was introduced in 1985, and the AX-5 Multi-Program appeared in 1985, and they were the last of the 35mm SLRs made with the Fuji X-mount.  The STX-2 was sold as the Fuji STX-2, and not Fujica.

Fuji Photo Film Co. has produced some amazing cameras over the years, especially in the medium format area.  While first and foremost a film producer, they did produce some very fine lenses and cameras.  I can understand why they stopped producing 35mm SLRs in the mid-1980s.  The market was dominated by Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Minolta and Olympus.  While the Fujica SLRs were reliable, sturdy, and certainly had the typical features that one needed, I suspect that Fuji felt they could produce  cameras where there was less competition – and so we had some excellent medium format cameras and lenses.  In using the STX-1, I found the camera to handle very well, but certainly not much different than any other compact SLRs from the early 1980s.   The 1/700th sec shutter speed is odd, and that was   rectified by the STX-2 with a max shutter speed of 1/1000 sec.  Had Fuji adopted the Copal Square vertical shutter rather than the horizontal cloth shutter, they might have had a longer run with 35mm, but by the mid-1980s, it was pretty much Nikon, Pentax, Canon, or Minolta for people looking to buy a 35mm SLR as a system camera.

You could do far worse than the Fujica 35mm SLRs.  If you are looking for an inexpensive manual 35mm SLR, the ST 801 or the STX-1 are certainly worthwhile purchases.  The X-mount lenses were only produced for about 6 years, so there are fewer of them out there.   The advantage of the ST 801 might be the plethora of M42-mount lenses that are available.   One review makes the case for the ST 801 as the best M-42 mount SLR available. I have to agree, based upon what I have seen over the years.

You should be able to find an STX-1 on ebay for less than $50.

Here are a few samples taken with the STX-1 on Ultrafine Xtreme 400 film.

A few more examples from Kodak T400 CN film (expired) (added 06/27/19).  

Fujica DL-20 - Pocketful of 35mm Fujifun

Back in January, I picked up a used Fujica DL-20 point and shoot that had been languishing in the local camera shop.  Fuji cameras have been known to have excellent optics, and the little 35mm camera intrigued me as to its abilities.  It had been sitting in Huron Camera's bargain bin for quite a while, and I finally bit.

pop-up flash

As you can see in the first photo, the lens cover is also a viewfinder cover. It rotates to the left, revealing the lens and  allowing use of the camera.   It uses 2 AA batteries to power the auto-winder and pop-up flash.  Film is easy to load- simply release the back catch, and the back opens up from the bottom, and you simply slide the roll of film and leader into place.  Shut the back and the film loads to frame 1.  There are only two manually-set ISO settings - 100 and 400.  Not the best selection, but this isn't a camera for the picky.  The two film speeds are also ones most likely to be found at the drugstore back in 1983, when the camera was released.    There is a pop-up flash that is manually set.  The focus is zone, with icons for portrait, group, and landscape.  The default is group, which is also the flash setting. The shutter button is large and easily found, and next to it there is also a recessed connector for a standard remote release cable, as well as a tripod socket on the bottom of the camera.  This is a pretty basic, yet functional and sturdy camera.  It can fit easily into a big pocket.

top deck of camera

The camera specifications are:
38mm focal length, f/4 Fujinon lens
1/100 sec shutter speed at ISO 100
1/300 sec shutter speed at ISO 400.
dimensions - 121 x 72 x 55 mm; 300 g
Anticipating today's trends, the camera was available in black, white, and red! It has clean lines,  a brightline viewfinder, and a raised grip on the right side, providing good ergonomics for the user. Okay, enough of that, how did the camera perform?    First of all, the roll of film I tested it with was fresh Kodak Tri-X, not a C-41 film.  Here are a few photos from that roll, ranging from a snowstorm in January, to a bit of snow in mid-March.

Snowstorm in Dexter, second shot on the roll.

Jiffy in Chelsea

March reflection

not yet picnic time

cactus club

monstera leaves

The optics appear to be quite sharp. It's not a bad camera, and surely a sturdy camera to keep handy for any adventure!   Two things I recommend you do -- make sure that the zone focus is set properly before shooting, and make sure that you don't inadvertently change the ISO setting.  Other than that, the camera is quite easy to use.  Like many Fuji cameras from a few decades ago, they seem to be uncommon here in the US.  

A Japanese Import...Sort Of

Back in May, my daughter and her partner were in Japan for a 3-week class, and I hoped that they would bring back some film from Japan for me. I didn't think that they would bring back a camera, though in this case, it was a Fuji one-time use (OTU) camera. The strange thing is that even though most of the packaging was in Japanese, the wrapper stated that the camera was assembled in the USA!

package front

package back

Opening up the wrapper revealed a petite camera with a little face.

camera front

camera back

It's a point and shoot, so the instructions don't really matter. I cannot imagine a 1940s box camera with instructions printed all over it for the user, so it's obvious people have become stupider in regards to handling mechanical things.

A few months ago I posted about the Agfa LeBox camera, a simple OTU camera without a flash. This Fuji camera is much sleeker and has a flash, plus a wider-angle lens. I carried the camera with me to the Toledo Botanic garden at the end of August, and finished off the roll in and around Ann Arbor. It's so light that it can sit in a shirt pocket without even realizing it's there. So, here are some sample photos. The film was developed at Walgreen's and I scanned the negatives on my Epson 4180 Photo scanner.






One from Dick Alexander's farm...



So, overall, the photos were pretty acceptable. The technology that can make these cheap plastic lenses perform so well within the limitations of the camera is impressive. The glass lenses on cheap box cameras from the 1950s and 60s were pretty awful, in most cases. These little cameras produce pretty decent images - a 4x6 print is usually the goal here - so long as they are used under the proper range of conditions (that's probably what the instructions were for).

So ends the trip for the camera that was assembled in the USA with film made in Japan, shipped back to Japan, packaged, sold, and then returned to the US! Thanks to Jorie and Stephanie for bring it back with them.