Somebody stop me!

Holy hell! Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse my camera buying obsession has gone up a notch. It started about a week ago when I was out taking photos with my Bronica. I noticed that it wasn't as lightweight and portable as I would like. I bought the Bronica specifically because it was smaller than the Mamiya RZ67. I'm now thinking that I want something smaller and less conspicuous for street photo. I'm seriously considering buying a rangefinder camera. I've been researching rangefinders for the last few days. The choices are absolutely staggering. Rangefinder cameras seem to be a whole different world. The world of medium format SLRs was quite straightforward. There are only a few manufacturers and the cameras from different manufacturers are all fairly similar. The world of rangefinders is completely different. Not only is the technology different, it uses different terminology. There are manufacturers that I'm not familiar with, like Leica and Voigtlander. This is going to be fun!

I guess my first decision is whether to go 35mm or medium format. I like the compactness of the 35mm, but I also like large 6x7 negatives. The Voigtlander Bessa R3M/R4M seems like it might be a good choice. They're affordable and compact. I'm intrigued by the 1:1 viewfinder on the R3M, but I like to do most of my shooting in wide angle, so the R4M might be a better choice for me. In 6x7 there's the Mamiya 7ii and several Fuji cameras, but they're very expensive.

Why am I looking for a rangefinder when my project really doesn't need one? Because I'm finding that I really enjoy film photography, and I want to explore as many different aspects of film photography as I can. The rangefinder is not for the project. I'm looking for a rangefinder for it's own sake.

Bronica GS-1 Update

I've had my Bronica GS-1 for almost a month now, and I must say, I love this camera. I originally bought it for my project, and I wasn't really expecting to add too many accessories for it. I have since added a speed grip, a 6x4.5 back, an extra insert for my 6x7 back, an AE prism finder, and a shutter release cable. I've also bought a Domke F-2 bag, a Vivitar flash and synch cables, though I'll use those accessories on both the Bronica and my Canon 5d.

The Bronica is a much simpler camera than the Canon. Although it has all manual controls, the Bronica is easier to use than the Canon. However, since it is an all manual camera, you can't simply point and shoot a Bronica.

Here's my impression of the Bronica after one month:

1. It's very affordable. Prices for a used Bronica are very good compared to other medium format cameras.
   
2. The lens is very sharp, the controls are simple and easy to use.
3. It's very compact in size. Even with the speed grip and AE prism finder, the camera weighs about as much as a 1 series Canon dSLR. In other words, it's about as heavy as a 35mm dSLR, although a very heavy one. It's noticably smaller than a Mamiya RZ.
   
4. With a speed grip and prism finder it becomes very portable and usable for street photo.
5. There are very few lenses available, only about six, and they're all fixed focal length. There are no zoom lenses available for this camera.
   

Overall I'm very happy with this camera.

Adventures in film

I've been shooting with Fuji Neopan 400 for the last two weeks, and I've been getting some very strange results. The first week I shot one roll at 400 ASA and processed it in D-76, 1+1 for 9.5 minutes, the number listed in the massive dev chart. The negative turned out with less contrast than I was expecting. When I went to print the film I had to expose the paper for 60 seconds! Even then the photo still wasn't very contrasty. The following week I shot two more rolls at 400, but this time I developed them for 11 minutes. This time the negative turned out more contrasty than I was expecting. Also, the paper only required 6 seconds. Holy hell! There are a number of reasons that I can think of why this happened:

1. the developer I used for week 1 came from a half empty bottle, while the developer from the second week was from a full bottle, therefore less oxidation.
2. I agitated a lot more on the first week than the second.
3. I was using pearl RC paper for the first week and matt FB paper for the second week.

I think I have to work on being consistent.

Working in the Darkroom

I went to the darkroom on Sunday and did some prints. They turned out really well. But I'm still kinda new at this. For all I know they could be lousy and I just don't know any better. But I like the way the prints turned out. I also got my first supply of film from the darkroom. I ordered 30 rolls of Fuji Neopan 400. I chose the neopan because a) I like the look; b) I can get it cheap. I still haven't shot any of the neopan yet.

I had booked five hours in the darkroom, but I only spent four. I quit after four hours because my feet were starting to hurt. That was the longest I've ever spent in a darkroom in one session. Back in high school we only got to spend an hour at a time in the darkroom. After spending four hours in the darkroom I can see why pros are turning to digital. Working in a darkroom as a hobby can be relaxing. Working in a darkroom as a job would be a pain the in ass. I would hate to work in a darkroom if I were under any kind of deadline.