ONE-ROLL REVIEW - Kosmo Foto Mono

One of the recent developments in the film world has been the sale of  "boutique" films, such as the JCH Pan.  Another brand, Kosmo Foto, has released a B&W film called Kosmo Foto Mono, an ISO 100 film.  I recently received a roll of this film, and had the opportunity to try it out.  First of all, you should know that only a few factories are actually producing film, and some of them have been very happy to repackage film for sale under a different name.  Lomography doesn't make their own film, but rebrands film made by Kodak, Fuji, etc.  In the case of Kosmo Foto, it's the Foma company in the Czech republic.  The film is Fomapan 100, and in the case of Kosmo Foto, it is the coolest film box I have seen. 

I shot the roll of film in my Nikon N2020 (see previous review of the camera) while on a trip in Michigan's Upper Peninsula in late March. I processed it at home in XTOL (straight) for 6 minutes. 

I don't recall previously shooting any Fomapan 100 (unless it was an Arista brand), but I am pleased with the results that I got. Nice tones, good shadow detail, and the highlights are good.  I was also pleased to see that the film lies PERFECTLY FLAT in the scanner holder. No curling or cupping.  Right away, I am a fan.

I will post a few photos below to show my results.  Crisp is how I would describe the images. All were scanned on my Epson V700 scanner.

At this point, you may wonder why I just didn't order Fomapan 100 and shoot it. I like the idea of these branded films -- whether it's Japan Camera Hunter Street Pan, Kosmo Foto Mono, or Lomography's Lady Grey, etc.  It gets people buying the film, and more film sales keep the plants churning out product.  More product, more choices, more film. Sure, you can just go buy the Fomapan 100 for less than $5/36 exp. roll from Freestyle and get the same results as buying the Kosmo Foto Mono.  However, by purchasing the Kosmo Foto film, you are helping out an enthusiast, too.  The point is, Stephen Dowling, the Kosmo Foto man himself, really likes the Fomapan 100 emulsion -- so much so, that is why he went to all the trouble to create the packaging and rebranding.  There will be lots of people that never would have tried the Fomapan 100, but are willing to buy into the buzz about the Kosmo Foto film.  It's all good. 

Other reviews of the Kosmo Foto Mono
Down the Road by Jim Grey
Emulsive Review
Classic Camera Revival

A Marquette Trip... Trip 35, that is.

You can tell that I really enjoy using my Olympus Trip 35, since I have blogged about it so many times.   The camera, for all its simplicity of use, never fails to produce images that I like.  It remains one of my favorite cameras, and is perfect for quick shots when you want very little between you and the subject.  So long as you have your zone focus set, the camera does the rest.  After shooting many rolls of film with it, I think ISO 200 film works out the best in most situations.   Eastman 5222 for b&w, and lately, Kodak Profoto 200 color film.

Last week I finally got down to working on my backlog of C-41 rolls.  Some of them dated from the middle of 2017.  My Unicolor C-41 kit from the Film Photography project store had been freshly prepared, and my new Sous Vide stick pod immersion heater (I will feature this in my next post) kept all the temps at precisely 102 degrees F, making development go much more smoothly with less use of water.  One of the rolls was from my trip to Marquette, MI in late June of 2017, shot with my Trip 35.  I had forgotten about taking that camera, and the delayed joy of seeing the images was a real treat.

Downtown Marquette is a great place to shop

Walking around with the Trip 35 on a hot sunny day in Marquette was a perfect combination.  The camera handled the situations well, of course aided by the great latitude of the film. The one thing about the Trip 35 is that it has two shutter speeds - 1/30th and 1/200th sec.  So long as you don't get too far out of the camera's "comfort zone" you will have great results. I see the Trip 35 as one of those cameras that become a trusted tool the more you use it.

Look carefully.  Marquette in the distance, and my daughter rock-hunting on the
beach in the foreground.

Marquette's classic Post Office

Alley Cat

I often find the backsides of buildings far more interesting.

Peeking through the alley

A lot of sandstone was used in building 

Art in a public space

Just a beauty of a day

Getzs is the place to shop if you want to blow your budget

More backsides

More backsides

unexpected giraffe

A visit here is a great way to relax and have a good brew.

The film was developed at home in my Unicolor C-41 kit, and the film scanned in my Epson V700 scanner.  Minor adjustments were made in the images. 

Back from Marquette, MI

My wife and I took a short vacation in the Upper Peninsula to visit our daughters, and while we were only there for 4 days, I made a point to get out and do some photography.  Normally, I would paack a few bags -- one with a Nikon DSLR and  bags with some film cameras. This time, I only brought film cameras and my iPhone SE.  Some of my shots on film were made after I did a version on my iPhone to see how it would look in b&w, for instance.  Aside from that, the camera phone is a creative tool, and I enjoyed seeing what I could get with it.  My arsenal was 2 Nikon FMs, Pentax 6x7, Leica M2, Olympus Trip 35, Ondu 6x9 pinhole camera, and my Canon AW-1.  The Ondu got to shoot Reany Falls, and I look forward to seeing how those negatives come out. The weather had its moments, as Sunday morning was cool and wet, with some fog.  It felt more like September than June, but that's why I love the UP.  The weather can change quickly, and it is rarely dull along Lake Superior.  On the other hand, I saw a most glorious sunrise while out walking on Friday morning. The Iron Ore Heritage Trail that runs from Harvey through Marquette is right along the lake shore, and offers a fantastic view.

sunrise!

While at Black Rocks in the fog and mist, I shot two rolls with my Pentax 6x7.  It will be interesting to see how they come out.  Here are some iPhone shots while I was out on the rocks.    It is a very special place to photograph.  I always enjoy going there, and the many moods of Lake Superior cast a different aspect each time.

Walker Evans, Wright Morris and Lee Friedlander share a cabin

Well, not really.  However, while we were staying at the tiny cabin along the AuTrain River in late August, I spent about 40 minutes doing some shooting inside the cabin. It was morning, Adrienne was still asleep, and I was feeling a bit  creative.  I got out my Nikon F3HP with a 50mm lens, tripod,  and did some shots of the interior.  I finished scanning in the Kentmere 100 negatives, and as I edited them, it occurred to me that there were elements I had seen before, made by other, earlier photographers that for whatever motivations, did the same thing at some point.  So, here are some images that I made, and you can decide who would have shot what, had they been there.

A week along the AuTrain

6-8 foot waves in AuTrain Bay

Reany Creek after the rains.

I am back from a week-long stay in AuTrain, MI.  If you are unaware of where that is, it's sort of in the middle of the Upper Peninsula, about 30 miles E of Marquette.  The AuTrain River empties into Lake Superior in AuTrain Bay, and I have photographed that particular spot numerous times over the years.  Changing lake levels keep the channel into Lake Superior in an unpredictable state.  When we arrived on the 20th, fierce storms had produced huge waves all along the coast, and by the evening of the 22, the lake had calmed.  We visited my daughter and daughter-in-law in Marquette, and were treated to some awesome scenes along Reany Creek, which empties into the dead River.  I shot lots of waterfalls through the week, and did a little macro work, and some street shooting in Marquette.  It was a great break from work, and quite relaxing to stay in a small cabin, being able to make meals, etc., and not in a motel.  Adrienne and I had a nice dinner in the Brownstone Inn along M-28, just a couple of miles from AuTrain.  Now that we are back, I have some film to develop. My most used film was Kentmere 100, but as you can see, I had quite a bit of variety.

I also shot quite a bit of digital with my trusty Nikon D200 and a bag of lenses. The camera phone  of course, was a good way to document our travel, if only to put a few things up on Instagram.
One of the things in the Upper Peninsula is that cell phone service isn't always good.   Keeping a charger cable in the car is a good idea to keep your phone from running down if it is searching for a signal much of the day.

One of my favorite places to shoot under various types of weather is Black Rocks on Presque Isle.  This time, it was an overcast day with some light rain, which really made for some good photography this time around.

Black Rocks

lots of sky along Lake Superior!

a much calmer lake a few days after the storm

Great Lakes beaches are hard to beat.

I did a little macro, too.  A male Polistes dominulus. The 60mm micro-Nikkor is a gem of a lens.

I have only been home a little over 24 hours and I miss the UP already.  I love the skies, the weather changes, the shoreline, the rocks, the people, and the smell of the woods.  I have been going there for over 30 years, and each time I come back, I have new memories and an anticipation of another trip. When I process my many rolls of film, I'll show some new work from AuTrain Bay.

Marquette Never Disappoints Me

Four pines, Presque Isle

I was away for a few days in Marquette, Michigan, where my daughter and daughter-in-law live.  It was a short visit, but still I managed to come away with some nice images that I am happy with.  Although I am not a native Michigander, I have lived here since 1981.  I grew up in the Adirondack region of New York, so the Upper Peninsula is very home-like to me, except that Lake Superior and Lake Michigan- Lake Huron surround much of the UP.  Also, much of the UP is pretty flat, and the old, granitic hills in the UP cannot compare with the Adirondacks.  However, it's the combined effect of the Great Lakes and the land that make the UP something wonderful, and Marquette sits at the edge of Lake Superior.  Presque Isle Park is a gem, offering fantastic views of the lake and the surrounding hills.   I never get tired of driving out to the park and doing photography.  No two days are alike.  I feel empowered by the beauty of nature there, alive, and invigorated, and yet, the grandeur can make me feel insignificant.    The drive back home to Ann Arbor is always somewhat melancholy, as I immediately miss being there.  I have been going to Marquette County  since the early 1980s, and the place has a hold on my heart.   Maybe one of these days Adrienne and I will move there and make it our home.  It's sure hard to say no.

the view from Marquette Mountain

morning clouds and waves at Presque Isle

The Mark and Marc trip to Photostock 2013...and beyond.

Bill Schwab has been hosting an annual gathering of film photographers in Northern Michigan near Harbor Springs for the past 7 years or so.  The gathering, Photostock ( a photographic Woodstock of sorts), originally took place in the woods at Bill's site SE of Cross Village. It became necessary to move most of the events to the Birchwood Inn N of Harbor Springs as the event became more multifaceted and the crowds grew. This year, part of the event was a christening of Bill's newly-built workshop building that was launched with funding from Kickstarter.  About 70 people showed up throughout the 3-day affair and like any annual event, it becomes a time to renew acquaintances and make new friends.
Getting ready to make the trip, I assembled my photographic gear...a few cameras (not shown are the additional lenses, tripods, etc., that also went).

My good friend Marc Akemann and I drove up to attend Photostock 2013 last Thursday, and along the way did what photographers do -- eat and shoot photos.  We drove up M-52 to Owosso aand then went W until we hit US-127 and took that to I-75 and then to Mackinaw City where we stayed for the thee nights of Photostock, as we did not make our plans early enough to get a room at the Birchwood Inn.   However, it all worked out pretty well, and we had a great time seeing everyone and talking about photography.  It's always a very good-natured crowd, and I always come away with having learned something new, and new contacts.

Marc and I did some night shooting, too, as we were able to get some images of the Mackinac Bridge at night in the fog.  Morning fog was pretty good, too, but the coffee quickly took care of that :). Oh, and the fog over the water was nice, as well.

Mighty Mac at Night

Mighty Mac in fog.
I shot extensively with my N90s abd N2000 cameras, my Rolleiflex, the Debonair, and my Olympus Pen E-PL1 (which accounts for most of the digital images here).  I have 19 rolls of film to process, so these digi shots will have to suffice for now.  Having said that, the CCTV lens on my Olympus Pen really gave me a look that I like, especially at Fayette State Park.  I am posting a few shots of our Photostock trip here, but it's easier to go to the set on Flickr for all of them.

 Checking out Jamie Young's amazing prints from his panoramic cameras.  They really are quite spectacular. Jamie gave an engrossing presentation on the history of panoramic photography Friday night at the Birchwood Inn.

Marc (L) and Mark (R) at Wilderness State Park.  I was amazed to find that my cheap smartphone had a self-timer for the camera.  We spent a lot of time in Emmet County, and then went across the bridge to the UP for the second part of our trip.  I think that we put over 1,000 miles on the vehicle for this trip.

One highlight was seeing my daughter and her partner Stephanie in Marquette.  A visit there isn't complete without a few photographs from Presque Isle, and I know Marc really enjoyed being there at sunset.  I could shoot there every week and come away with something different each time.

The Black Rocks at Presque Isle are especially worthy of a few hours (days?) of a photographer's time.  Maybe that would be a good destination for a photo workshop in the future.










Snail Shell Harbor and the iron foundry at Fayette State Park.


Just a few of the fine photographers at Photostock.