Blue Jay

I use the term ‘bird feeding’ because when I think of traditional ‘birding’ and ‘bird photography’ I think of birding enthusiasts dressed up in camouflage and hiding in bushes for hours on end. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! Never say never, but that’s just not for me at this point in my life. Why not have the birds come to me in the comfort of my own home  instead?

Chances are if you don’t live in a skyscraper you can easily set up a feeder near a window and shoot through the glass. If I can do it, you can do it. As a matter of fact I was able to capture this photo of a Blue Jay the very day after I put up my feeder.

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Canon’s Spring Rebates started this weekend and last until April 3rd, 2010. Here’s the breakdown.

Canon 7D body and kits:
7D Body only – $100 instant savings
7D Body with 28-135mm IS – $100 instant savings
7D Body with 18-135mm IS – $100 instant savings
7D Body and 70-300mm IS USM – $200 instant savings
7D Body with 28-135mm IS and 70-300mm IS USM  – $200 instant savings
7D Body with 18-135mm IS and 70-300mm IS USM- $200 instant savings

Lenses only: (Note, if purchased WITH a Canon 5D MKii, these instant rebates double!)
200mm f/2L IS USM – $500 instant savings ($1,000 with Canon 5DMKii)
85mm f/1.2L II USM – $130 instant savings ($260 with Canon 5DMKii)
16-35mm f/2.8L II USM – $100 instant savings ($200 with Canon 5DMKii)
50mm f/1.2L USM – $100 instant savings ($200 with Canon 5DMKii)
TS-E 45mm f/2.8 – $80 instant savings ($160 with Canon 5DMKii)
24-70mm f/2.8L USM – $80 instant savings ($160 with Canon 5DMKii)
100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM – $65 instant savings ($130 with Canon 5DMKii)
15mm f/2.8 Fisheye – $45 instant savings ($90 with Canon 5DMKii)
135mm f/2.8 (Softfocus) – $35 instant savings ($70 with Canon 5DMKii)
100mm f/2 USM – $30 instant savings ($60 with Canon 5DMKii)

Speedlites:
580EX II – $25 instant savings ($50 with Canon 5DMKii)
430EX II – $15 instant savings ($30 with Canon 5DMKii)

RolleiCord (CC: Camerafiend)

My most recent camera purchase was an early model Stereo Realist from 1951. For my birthday though, I wound up with something much more current. I figure three years newer is enough. My latest camera is a Rolleicord IV from 1954. I’ve wanted a beautiful Medium Format camera for a bit to use in the studio and in nature.

What is medium format? Without getting too technical, medium format takes a 6×6cm sized negative. It’s much larger than those taken by a normal 35mm. Now there are many flavors of cameras that can take smaller or larger sized images on the medium format film but 6×6 is certainly the standard.

The camera was purchased off Craigslist for $200. This marks my second Craigslist purchase with good success. The photographer selling it was actually running a roll through it as I knocked on his door. You’ve got to love that sort of dedication and he was thrilled when I told him that it would be used and well cared for. I wouldn’t want such a beautiful camera collecting dust either! He was selling it to make some extra cash and he was offloading some less-used gear. As I left he asked if I had any film for it, when I said no he gave me two rolls of Kodak Panatomic-X film, rated at 32 ISO and expired way back in 1986. I thanked him and was on my way.

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Sans-Reel

It seems that in the developing world everyone is always interested in something new. Just like there are countless plug-ins for Photoshop, there are countless things you can do to Analog (Film) Photography to adjust the outcome of the image. Different films, developers, developing techniques to name a few..

There are even some people who damage the delicate emulsion on film on purpose. Why? Because scratched, burned, boiled, cracked and decomposed film can really give some amazingly artistic effects.

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Dropbox

Dropbox is an online storage service that finally does it right. Once again wary of yet another online storage service I signed up for their free 2GB storage account to check them out.

The sign-up is simple enough and they give you a program to download to your computer. This program synchronizes a folder on your hard drive with Dropbox. When the program starts up it makes sure your Dropbox folder is synchronized. Since you can install Dropbox on many computers, this is a great way to make sure you have the latest version of a file at all times!

Lets say you’re on a computer without the program installed.. Maybe a hotel or friend’s computer. Your Dropbox can be accessed by web and you can upload and download with ease. There is also a public feature and you can select files to share with friends and family.

The folks at Dropbox are kind enough to offer free accounts with 2GB of storage and paid accounts with higher sizes. Sure, 2GB isn’t much space any more (I have more space in my cellphone) but I certainly have about a gig of files that I want to have access to at all times and I admit that sometimes I forget to grab my Flash Drive when I leave the house. This service for me may prove very valuable, all my important files will be with me anywhere there’s an Internet connection.

Security.. Their website says that all servers are encrypted and even employees of Dropbox are not able to access files and directories. Sounds good to me.

Overall, the service appears to be solid and stable. For me, I would never use over 2GB so I can’t justify paying Dropbox for a 50 or 100GB account. Sorry guys, I just don’t have that much stuff I need with me at all times. Security looks rock solid and well, I think it’s much more secure than a Flash Drive. Are your files password protected or encrypted on your Flash Drive? What happens if you lose it? There you go.. If you have files that you need to have with you at all times and most of the computers you use are Internet connected (which ones aren’t anymore?) check out Dropbox.

Link: Dropbox.com/GetDropbox.com

This weekend I was able to take my Beseler 67SC for a spin and create the first enlargement I’ve made in a long time. My first in this century, that’s for sure.

It’s not perfect, it’s quite overexposed. I didn’t use an easel or a grain focuser but I think I like it.

Enlargement

Exposure time was five seconds, way too long so I already know I need to invest in some ND filters to drop the light down enough to get proper exposure time to between 10-15 seconds. Lens was a 50mm 3.5 set at f/8. Paper is a 5×7 sheet of Ilford Pearl #3 RC. Developed in Kodak Dektol, since the print was so overexposed development time was mere seconds.

How’s the print you might ask? Even overexposed, the tones blow me away. Of course the process is fun too. The smell of an 8×10 tray of stop bath out in the open, the safelight casting a red glow over everything, the glow in the dark dial on my darkroom timer. The best part? Placing your exposed sheet of paper into the developer. Completely blank and watching it come to life right before your eyes.

Even if you have no interest at all in film or the whole wet-process, at least experience it once. Find a friend or take a class on working in the darkroom. Get an appreciation for what we had to do before digital. And if you don’t end up appreciating the process, you at least get to feel like one of those old time detectives working in the red-lit darkroom. So, there ya go.

My first roll of C-41 developed this century.

Two nights ago I developed my first roll of C-41 (Color Film) in years. If you would have told me that I would be back in the darkroom developing C-41 when I made the switch to (nearly) pure digital I would have laughed. I still shoot and process black and white for giggles and love how cheap and great for modifications the film is. I do still shoot slides for our local photography contests and for the thrill of seeing my images projected on a big screen.  Slides (E-6) get sent out for professional developing, however that may be the next processing kit I may purchase.

Its funny though, I don’t remember C-41 developing being this easy. How easy? Well, if you already develop black and white, have a thermometer and somewhat accurate timer (a watch with a second hand will work fine) – you can develop C-41. Guaranteed. There are too many articles on the internet today that scare people out of developing themselves – don’t believe it!

To compare, lets go over black and white developing first in case we have some readers that may be interested in the process but have yet to start..

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Minolta-16 (Captain Kodak CC)

Have you ever shot a roll of film only to forget about it? Then you find the roll, forgot what is on it and debate if you want to get it developed or not? One man’s trash may very well be another man’s treasure. Would you pay to develop a roll of your own film that you’ve forgotten about? How about a roll abandoned in a camera?

Two weeks ago I purchased a Minolta-16 Sub Miniature camera on a popular auction site. I was looking for a different style camera altogether and ran into this gem. It had one bid at a few bucks so I upped it by a dollar or two. A day later I receive an e-mail stating that I won it. I researched a few specifications of the camera, found out that finding a camera with a film canister inside was rare, looked at a few replacement options, hand-loading and since I was leaving for my ABQ trip in a day I promptly forgot about it.

I was back home on Wednesday and finally opened the camera. Low and behold, there was a film canister inside. With a quick peek I realized there was also film inside of the canister. This really fueled my curiosity, what could be on the roll? Long story short, I load the film on the reel, put it in the new tank and develop in Rodinal 1:50 for 13 minutes.

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Belkin Mini Surge & USB Charger

Yesterday I received my review unit of the Belkin Mini Surge protector with USB Charger. I was pretty excited to open the packaging, as you may already know I’m a sucker for travel sized goodies.

The unit looks nice and is well designed.. Except for an aspect or two that are very important to me. We’ll get to that shortly. In the meantime here are the features of the device. A 360-degree rotating plug with 4 locking positions, a three outlet surge which provides complete surge protection through all outlets. The unit offers compact, lightweight, efficient design and in addition to two USB charging ports, a  mini-USB cable to charge virtually any USB device—including BlackBerry® and Motorola® RAZR phones. Product and $75,000 equipment protection warranties.

Looks like Belkin has a clear winner here and the price isn’t bad. At under $20 it’s protection that won’t break the bank. The product will be great on the road where power outlets are at a premium. Ever stay at a hotel fully expecting to top off your batteries only to find the bare minimum of outlets. The Belkin will certainly help with that. And the USB Charging ports? You can’t beat that.

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Arundel Camera Club

I wanted to take advantage of the extra traffic from the Mobbies to invite anyone and everyone to a great local camera club.

The Arundel Camera Club meets at Severna Park High School in Severna Park, MD every Wednesday night at 7:30pm while school is in session.

All skill levels welcome, we have speakers, field trips and contests. Check out the schedule on the website and stop by one evening to say hello. You’ll meet plenty of friendly people to talk photography with!

One tip on visiting, unless you want a long walk – when parking at the high school be sure to park in the parking lot to the right of the school. Follow that back until you can’t go any further. Park in the large lot and come in the side door. Look for the posters directing you to the classroom.

Badly overcooked HDR photographers are usually banished to the hallway for punishment, please do not talk to them. (Just kidding)

http://www.arundelcameraclub.org/