Tevere, the river that divides Rome in two, is one of my favourite places. No matter how much chaos there is in the ‘high places’: walking along the banks of the river puts you in another dimension, where time has no meaning and the pace slows down.
Anchored boats stand still, in stark contrast to the fast-moving streets, crowded with cars, bicycles, pedestrians and tourists who have returned in droves once the pandemic is over.
This is obviously a mirror image, but it looks as if it has been projected onto a digital screen.
And here is what was mirrored:.
There are a lot of boats along the Tevere, and although they all look the same, they are not. On closer inspection, each one has a special feature that makes it unique.
So, if you are in Rome for a few days, you should definitely spend a few hours on the banks. There are plenty of interesting things to photograph and no ‘selfie locusts’ devastating the land.
At least not yet.
And now, the tech-talk.
Few things in the world are as subjective as opinions about lenses. That said, I really like the Cosina… sorry, Voigtländer Nokton 35/1.4. And when I say I like it, I mean it in absolute terms and not, as is often the case when such lenses are compared to their Leica equivalents, because despite their very low cost, they are just ‘good enough’. For me, the pictures are just as good with an analogue camera as they are with a digital one.
I digitised the film with my DSLR scanning rig (a Pentax K-1 mark II and a Pentax FA 100/2.8 macro), post-processed the DNGs with Darktable’s Negadoctor and finished the job with Pixelmator Pro.
A few pictures are underxposed and a bit murky, howver, despite its age, the expired roll of Portra delivered decent quality results and preserved the distinctive character of this particular film.
Now that I have switched back to a dedicated scanner (the Nikon LS4000), I have to say that the colour reproduction on the latter is better than on the DSLR.
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Tony Warren on 5 frames with a Voigtländer Bessa R2, a Nokton 35/1,4 and a roll of an expired Kodak Portra 160
Comment posted: 20/06/2024
Comment posted: 20/06/2024
Jay Dann Walker on 5 frames with a Voigtländer Bessa R2, a Nokton 35/1,4 and a roll of an expired Kodak Portra 160
Comment posted: 21/06/2024
I've never used a Bessa R2. In fact I don't think I ever even seen one. But I find it amazing how much is looks like my Contax G1. It could (almost) be a clone of the Contax. Or the Conax a clone of the Bessa. The G1 dates to 1994. How old is the Bessa? Curious.
As for the lens, the Voigtlander 35/1.4 could also be a clone (again, almost) of my Planar 35/2.0. Both lenses were made by Cosina. Of the pair, I would say the Voigtlander probably outranks the Zeiss by - what? Two-thirds of a stop.
Hair splitting done with, Andrea yours are truly beautiful images made with the Bessa. I see a certain 'creamy' look I recognize from my Planar 35 and the 28 Biogon 28/2.8 which lives on my G1.
As for your text, well, to me it is nothing short of poetic. Well done! Many (too many) years ago, I spent an enchanting half day exploring the Tevere, not with the Contax - my one and only visit to Rome predated the 2-3 years the G1 was manufactured - but with a Nikkormat and, again by coincidence, a Nikon 35/2.0. I can no longer find the negatives I made with this combo. I hope I still have them as at my age now I will most likely never return to Italy again. A lifetime is so short for all the travel one should really do. So my loss entirely.
Many thanks for the happy memories of a long ago visit. Also the interesting information on a (to me) entirely new camera.
Best, DANN
Comment posted: 21/06/2024
Dan Castelli on 5 frames with a Voigtländer Bessa R2, a Nokton 35/1,4 and a roll of an expired Kodak Portra 160
Comment posted: 21/06/2024
I had the 35mm f/1.4 Nokton lens. One day, just shooting, the innards of the lens turned to mush. The aperture ring loosened up & wobbled, I was unable to focus, etc. Still under warranty, it was sent to Japan for repair. I didn't get the lens back for eight months. When I used it after the repair, it was soft (a misaligned element). After another lengthy repair, I got it back and sold it at a loss. It's been replaced with the Ultron 35mm f/20 lens. Any manufacturer can let a bad lens slip under the radar, I just happen to get one.
Comment posted: 21/06/2024