There are times when you think you know where this is heading; the comfort of being in familiar territory. That’s where I thought I was going too, but before I knew it, I was off down a rabbit hole and into a new world.
Back in the day – 1980s & 90s – I was up to my ears in film photography. By day as a pro scientific photographer I was shooting bones & stones in an archaeology laboratory on an Olympus OM-1, usually Ilford FP4 but occasionally Pan F. Out of hours, a nature/landscape/travel photographer, shooting kilometres of Kodachrome 64 on a Pentax MX and ME-Super. Around 2000 I stopped shooting film, and aside from family snaps on a phone & compact digital, no real photography at all until late 2016.
A couple of second hand Micro Four Thirds cameras later, adapting old classic lenses, the inevitable happened. Someone kindly gifted me a Pentax Spotmatic to go with my clutch of Russian M42 lenses. A thrift shop rescue for a Minolta SRT101, and a home for my Minolta MD lenses. Shot a few films. First revelation; my eyesight ain’t what it used to be in 1990, and these ground glass SLR screens are (now) very hard to focus on. Focus nailed, occasionally. Lots of squinting.
Rabbit hole time.
A friend kindly gave me a Zorki 4 rangefinder – “… have you tried one of these?“.
In all my film photography meanderings I had never used a rangefinder – old technology, surely! Wow. Not only can I see stuff in the Zorki’s bright viewfinder, it has dioptric adjustment so stuff is in focus while composing, and that obvious yellow patch makes precise focusing a cinch.
I hadn’t shot colour negative film since I was a kid with a Kodak Instamatic. Seemed like the perfect pairing with the novel rangefinder.
So here goes – Zorki 4 rangefinder camera, Jupiter-8 50mm f/2 lens, Porta 400 film. I pushed the Porta 1-2 stops most of the time, but with standard processing. All images taken about 15 minutes down the road from home (Guildford and Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia).
I’m sold. The Zorki 4 is probably the only 35mm film camera I’ll use from here on in. Otherwise I shoot 6×6 120 film on a Pentacon Six TL. My Micro Four Thirds digital mirrorless camera continues to render classically with Russian lenses.
The image of my Zorki 4 was taken with a Google Pixel 2 mobile phone camera, using the portrait algorithm.
I blog infrequently at mikrokosmfotos.art – and I post often on Instagram @MikrokosmFotos
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Dale Rogers on 5 Frames with Kodak Portra 400 on a Zorki 4. Or: Down a Rabbit Hole – By Lawrie Conole
Comment posted: 22/09/2019
Comment posted: 22/09/2019
loris on 5 Frames with Kodak Portra 400 on a Zorki 4. Or: Down a Rabbit Hole – By Lawrie Conole
Comment posted: 22/09/2019
un Saluto di ♥️ e tanti Auguri !!
............. ciao............. ..
Comment posted: 22/09/2019
Andrew on 5 Frames with Kodak Portra 400 on a Zorki 4. Or: Down a Rabbit Hole – By Lawrie Conole
Comment posted: 22/09/2019
Comment posted: 22/09/2019
Bernhard on 5 Frames with Kodak Portra 400 on a Zorki 4. Or: Down a Rabbit Hole – By Lawrie Conole
Comment posted: 22/09/2019
Regards Bernhard
https://deramateurphotograph.de/
Comment posted: 22/09/2019
Anna on 5 Frames with Kodak Portra 400 on a Zorki 4. Or: Down a Rabbit Hole – By Lawrie Conole
Comment posted: 22/09/2019
Comment posted: 22/09/2019
Dan Castelli on 5 Frames with Kodak Portra 400 on a Zorki 4. Or: Down a Rabbit Hole – By Lawrie Conole
Comment posted: 22/09/2019
Nice pics. Beautiful countryside.
I ‘rescued’ a 30 year old Leica M2 20 years ago from a second-hand junk shop. Cost me a few $$$ to get it out of the camera ICU, but it was worth it...I carry it everywhere I go. I know how you feel.
Comment posted: 22/09/2019
Matthias on 5 Frames with Kodak Portra 400 on a Zorki 4. Or: Down a Rabbit Hole – By Lawrie Conole
Comment posted: 22/09/2019
I also like your b/w gear shot of the Zorki, but also a bit frightening what these algorithms on the smartphones can do
Comment posted: 22/09/2019
Eric Rose on 5 Frames with Kodak Portra 400 on a Zorki 4. Or: Down a Rabbit Hole – By Lawrie Conole
Comment posted: 23/09/2019
Comment posted: 23/09/2019
Comment posted: 23/09/2019
Thomas Sheppard on 5 Frames with Kodak Portra 400 on a Zorki 4. Or: Down a Rabbit Hole – By Lawrie Conole
Comment posted: 23/09/2019
We have friends in Castlemaine and house sat for them a little while back. Absolutely loved the area.
Your images are splendid, and a credit to the photographer as well as the lens and camera.
Comment posted: 23/09/2019
Mihnea Stoian on 5 Frames with Kodak Portra 400 on a Zorki 4. Or: Down a Rabbit Hole – By Lawrie Conole
Comment posted: 23/09/2019