The Pentax UC-1. If you see one, buy it.

I thought I'd seen all of the compact 35mm cameras made, until I picked up this Pentax UC-1.  I didn't know Pentax  made a camera so small, with such elegance and such a sharp wide-angle lens.  I suppose UC-1 means "Ultra Compact 1." but I could be wrong.  Maybe it means "Utterly Cute" or maybe it stands for "Use Continuously."  I was eager to put a test roll of film through this little beauty, also known as the Espio Mini outside of North America. 

The UC-1 is a clam-shell front camera, much like the Olympus Stylus Epic.  It's really a surprise to me that Pentax produced the UC-1, as it is so different than the typical Pentax P&S cameras that I have seen.  While it compares well with the Olympus Stylus Epic, it's really an even better camera in my opinion.

Strong Points of the UC-1

1. Compact size and ergonomics - at only 4.2 x 2.3 x 1.4 inches,  and 6 ounces, this camera is truly ultra-compact.  It fits easily in the hand and the controls are easy to see and engage.
2. Wide-ish lens - the 32 mm f/3.5 lens is deadly sharp.  Certainly wider than a 35 - 38mm seen on many compacts.
3. ISO Range - DX coded 35 mm cassettes from 25- 3200.  Non-DX cassettes are assigned an ISO of 25.
4. Focus Range - 1 foot to infinity!
5. Panoramic Mask Function - not for everyone, but nice in a wide-angle camera.
6. Power - 1 CR123A 3v cell. 
7. Shutter Speeds - Programmed AE electric shutter with speed approx. l/400sec. -2 sec, Bulb: l/2 sec.- 5 min., Electromagnetic release  The Infrared remote is an option, but with it you can easily shoot in B mode on a tripod for long exposures.  Up to 5 minutes means you could easily use this camera for night skies.  
8. Flash Control - Built-in auto flash with red-eye reduction mode, Automatic flash emission in low luminance or a backlight situation, Flash-ON:Daylight-Synchro/Slow-Shutter-Speed Synchro (up to 2 sec.), Flash-OFF:Flash override, Bulb Synchro: l/2 sec.- 5 min.
9. Auto film loading, winding, and rewinding at end of roll.

Lots of control and information

Weak Points

1. The LCD on mine is only partly operational.
2. The chrome finish is attractive, but it does wear off.  
3. Not a common model, which means prices on eBay are quite high -- over $100 for working cameras, higher for mint, and don't forget to search under Espio Mini! That's a debatable weak point if you are a seller.

Results

Back in December I loaded a roll of Fuji Superia 200 in the camera  and went downtown to shoot the roll.  I forgot about the roll, and it sat with others until a batch went to The Darkroom for developing. 

I have to say that I am impressed with the results.  This is certainly a camera that could be easily carried in a pocket and taken out in a moment's notice to shoot with.  Right now, the camera is packed away for my move to NC, but I will certainly be using it more in the future.  The sharp lens, excellent exposure control, compactness and ergonomics make this camera a real treasure. If UC-1, buy it!

Minolta Hi-Matic AF2 - Review

It’s interesting how one changes an opinion about a camera over time.  What was once considered a modest point and shoot camera that was neither full-featured nor extremely compact, now is a desirable camera that has a good lens, and is possibly a “sleeper” in terms of being a street photography camera.  Such is the case with the Minolta Hi-Matic AF2!  I had one of these cameras come my way over 20 years ago, and did not think much of it.  It certainly was not as good as my SLR, and I wanted a camera that would allow me to have CONTROL over what I was doing.  Point and Shoot was not what I was looking for at the time. 

Now, it’s 2018, and cameras like the Minolta Hi-Matic AF2 are in demand by people that want a camera that fits the street photography ethos - not threatening, no flash unless you really need it, and relatively quiet.  A good lens is a bonus.  No DX coding, so that you can use weird films, and your home-rolled stuff.  The ability to use a filter, and a not-quite-wide but not-really-normal lens that gives you a bit wider view.  No motor drive to make noise.  Easy to hold in the hand.
That pretty much describes the Minolta Hi-Matic AF2. 

This Minolta AF2 came my way as a “not quite working” donation to the FPP's school donation project.   Any cameras that we send to the schools have to be fully operational, anything otherwise becomes a problem for someone learning photography.  For those of us experienced folks, we can find work-arounds, but that doesn’t mean that a 7th-grader can do so.  After some fiddling with this camera, I decided to bring it home and see what I could do with it.  It turns out that the camera works fine, except -- the pop-up flash is dead.  Maybe it’s nothing more than a corroded wire somewhere, but I am not going to tear the camera open to find out.  The 2 AA batteries power the camera just fine, and all other functions work. It just cannot be used in flash mode, so most indoor or evening photography is out.

clean layout on top

in case you forget how it works

Camera Specifications

Release date - 1981
Original price - suggested retail was $248 according to May 1981 Popular Photography.
Shutter Speeds - ⅛ to 1/430 second, auto-programmed by the camera with the appropriate aperture according to the ISO setting.
Aperture - f/2.8 - f/17
Flash sync speed - 1/40 sec
Lens - 38mm f/2.8 - 4 elements in 3 groups, filter ring diameter is 46mm
Exposure - determined by a CdS sensor next to the lens, with range of EV 6 to EV 17
ISO range - 25-400
Focus - Auto-focus, 1 meter to infinity, parallax-correction in viewfinder, red LED in viewfinder to indicate focus.  Pre-set AF by pressing shutter button halfway.
Power - 2 AA cells
Self-timer and tripod socket included
Size - 2 ⅛ x 3 x 5 1/16 inches, weight 14 ounces with batteries.

Impressions and Results

Overall, fairly average specifications, and nothing that stands out as unique.  It’s not too dissimilar in specifications from the Canon AF 35M (1979)  or the Nikon L35 AF (1983) that came out before and after the AF2.  However, one thing that I find attractive about the camera is the lever-wind film advance, and not a motorized drive that eats up batteries, let alone the noise that they make.   The camera is certainly not compact, but it isn’t fiddly, either.  The AF is based on infrared, meaning that it may have a problem properly focusing on really bright objects in a scene.  Since the AF is center-based, you’ll need to pre-focus if your subjects are off to one side if the background is at infinity.  Easily done if you press the shutter button halfway and you see the red LED indicating focus.  Then, recompose and press the shutter all the way.

After I was sure that the camera was pretty much working, I loaded a roll of Ultrafine Xtreme 400 to give it the test.  I walked around town for an hour and shot the roll.  The next day I processed the film in Rodinal at 1:25 for 7.5 minutes.  The negatives were scanned on my Epson V700 Photo scanner.

Overall, I am happy with the results.  There were a few times that I felt the camera was having difficulty achieving proper focus, which may have had something to do with the bright sun that was at a low angle in the December sky.  The camera is certainly easy to use, and while the flash did not work, it was not a hindrance shooting in the day.  Of course, with ISO 400 film, you can shoot indoors at 1/8 sec at f/2.8, so have a tripod handy. I have put a roll of color film in it, and will see how that does in the near future.

Prices
How much?  Although the 1981 list price was nearly $250, I am pretty sure the camera sold well below that, especially after the revised AF2-M version came out in 1982 with a motorized film advance, which brought it more in line with Canon and then Nikon's AF point and shoots.  Today, prices are all over the place.  I'll bet you can find one in a thrift store for less than $10, but on eBay, prices seem to be climbing over $50 for one that is tested and working perfectly.

Ultrafine Xtreme 400 - A best buy in bulk film

I have been a customer of Ultrafine Online for well over 15 years.  I'm a frugal person, and I appreciate saving money on my film expenditures, so long as the film is providing me with reliably consistent results.  Ultrafine, also known as Photo Warehouse (which is how their print catalogs are labeled), has been an excellent source for all types of films and photographic papers.  I recently spooled up some cassettes from a bulk roll of their Ultrafine Xtreme 400 b&w film, and realized that while I have reviewed some of their oddball film offerings, I have not reviewed what I feel is one of the greatest buys in conventional b&w films - Ultrafine Xtreme 400!

From the Photo Warehouse site:
"Xtreme 400 is a high speed, medium contrast film allowing for exceptional utilization in action and sports photography and also an outstanding selection for general purpose photography. With a standard rating of ISO 400, it provides negatives exhibiting incredible sharpness and yet retains a fine grain under a myriad of lighting conditions. Xtreme 400 was designed to react vigorously to push processing and film speeds up to EI 1600/33 are easily achievable with X-tol type developers, maintaining nice shadow detail and perfectly scaled mid-tones, while still maintaining grain structure."

The film has a very good representation in the Massive Development Chart, meaning it's likely that you will find your choice of developer for this film.

Now I have only shot this film at the box speed, and in a recent trip to Oregon, I shot a few rolls in my Yashica FX-7 and Olympus Trip 35.

A few examples  from the Trip 35 developed in D-76 1:1 for 14 minutes-

Portland Art Museum

Cannon Beach

downtown Portland

downtown Portland

From the Yashica FX-7, all from downtown Portland, developed in Rodinal 1:25 for 7.5 minutes:

More Portland images from the FX-7, but developed in D76 1:1 for 14 minutes:

I am really pleased with the results thus far.  My only complaint is that the bulk roll did not come on a core, and I don't know if that will be a problem or not.  I like the fine grain, and the above images required very little tweaking in the scans.  Another nice feature - the film lies absolutely flat in the scanner film holder.  There is no cupping or curling.  Another nice feature -- a roll of 100 feet is $35 US.  Ultrafine Xtreme 400 is an excellent 400 ISO film that can be pushed to 1600 (which I need to try) at this price is quite amazing.  If you don't want to roll your own, you can also buy it in 12, 24, and 36 exposure rolls at about half the price of a roll of Tri-X.   I'll try processing my next roll in the FPP Super Monobath and see how it goes.  I'm not going to guess who supplies the film stock.  The rebate has Ultrafine Xtreme 400 printed on it.  I'm happy with it, and it doesn't really matter who originally made it -- Photo Warehouse has been selling it for a few years, and it's a great film to shoot with.  

UPDATE - 06/25/2018

I demonstrated the FPP Super Monobath at Photostock 2018 on 06/23.  I shot a couple of rolls in less than an hour with my Nikon F3HP in Harbor Springs. It happened to be a rainy day and the Farmer's Market was taking place in town.  I used one of the rolls in my demo and it came out great.  The standard 3.5 minutes at 74F.  Here are a few scans of the negatives:

Book Review: Between Gravity and What Cheer, Iowa Photographs.

I have long been a fan of traveling around and photographing small towns, and I recently received a new book to review from the University of Iowa Press - Between Gravity and What Cheer. Iowa Photographs by Barry Phipps.  If the title sounds a bit odd, it's because those are the names of small towns in Iowa.   The author relocated to Iowa City from Chicago in 2012, and it's safe to say that the places are quite different.  However, the author began taking day trips across his new state, and in the process, documented the places he visited, in all of the 99 counties of Iowa.  This isn't a travelogue, nor is it an attempt to put the best face on the places he visited.  Barry Phipps' keen eye and choice of using color photographs (for the most part) has resulted in a beautiful and delightful collection of photographs that bring some aspect of each place into our view.  At times, I see echoes of Walker Evans, William Christenberry, Stephen Shore, and William Eggleston. This of course, is unavoidable, and is a compliment to the photographer. Barry Phipps doesn't present the often declining towns in a condescending way, but finds the beauty, the humor, or the strength of the places he visited. Along the way, he also photographed some of the people he met, and the portraits definitely add another dimension to the the richness of the images.  The compositions are excellent and colors are vibrant.  My only quibble is the use of monochrome images on pages 72 and 99 in an otherwise all-color presentation. 

In preparing a book such as this, one obviously has to make the decision "what photo do I use?" If one were simply photographing post offices, town halls, or such, it would be easier.  However, to pick an image (and to make an image!) to represent some facet of a town or county without it becoming repetitive or cliché takes a good eye, serendipity, and the ability to see beyond the obvious.  Small towns in the mid-west are generally not what they were 100 or even 50 years ago.  As large factory farms have replaced the family farm, passenger trains eliminated, local business decimated, and small manufacturing companies lost, many small towns have had a hard time.  It would be unfair to always show the worst, when every place has some interesting aspect, and I think the photographer has done an excellent job in balancing such aspects in his travels.  A photograph may well make you ask questions or make you want to visit.  As a photographer of small-town post offices, I really enjoyed the image of the Gravity post office.  Anyone that has visited a lot of small towns will find resonance with this book, and perhaps it will inspire you to explore your own state or county, and to find something that makes each place memorable.

The author states "The rivers and lines that form the boundary of this state are arbitrary. Nothing changes much in terms of culture or scenery as these lines are crossed, at least not at first. I try to find what is unique to each place. Iowa has all of the things that are in these photographs and not in these photographs, in these moments, these conditions."  I think that is a great statement, and Barry Phipps has provided us with colorful and engaging vignettes of Iowa. Definitely a recommended photography book, and it's all the more appreciated that he shot it on film.

The book Between Gravity and What Cheer. Iowa Photographs is 112 pages, 9x9 inches, and is in soft cover at $29.95.  ISBN 978-1-60938-579-8. Published May 1, 2018 by the University of Iowa Press, Iowa City, IA.

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.