Olympus OM-2 - Rollei Superpan 200

 I haven't used my OM-2 MD for a while, so I decided it was time to change that and loaded a roll of Rollei Superpan 200 into it and went for a wander to see what I could find. Using a 200 iso film in January can be a little daunting and I asked the Photography Gods to help a guy out and give me a little sunshine to play with. Thankfully they listened and blessed me with a beautiful sunny day in mid January. It was a two part walk as I had shot a roll of Santacolor 100 with my OM10 before I switched to my OM-2 MD and Rollei Superpan 200.

I decided to explore contrast as the shadows lengthened in the afternoon winter sunshine. I fitted an orange filter to my Zuiko 50mm f/1.8, set my OM-2 MD to aperture priority and made my way back into Wigan town centre from Wigan North Western Railway Station. The low winter sunshine on this fine afternoon was creating shadows as it kissed the buildings on either side of Wallgate. I was enjoying my walk, but was starting to feel tired and, after shooting half my roll of Rollei Superpan 200, I decided to head for home and shoot the remainder of my film another day.

That day was the very next day and I made my way to Mesnes Park to polish off the second half of my roll of Rollei Superpan. It seemed that the Park had terrible light on one side and interesting light near the old Mill. I made my way to the Mill and had a nostalgic feeling as it was once the construction and engineering campus of Wigan & Leigh College.

It's a sad sight now as the current owners are content to let the Mill fall down, only interested in the value of the land upon which it stands. I took half a dozen or so photos of the Mill from near and far and bracketed a couple to experiment with depth of field before moving on. I captured a few photos of the bandstand, the Pavilion and the duck pond to finish off my film and I popped my OM-2 back in my bag, ready to come home.

I developed my film a few days later in Kodak HC-110 1+31 dilution B for 6 minutes at 20 celcius and soon had it hanging to dry in my bathroom. I digitised it with my Nikon D700, Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5 macro lens, Valoi 35mm film holder, Pixl-Latr and A5 size led light source. I processed the RAW files with Affinity Photo 2.

The difference in light on both days was perfectly portrayed in my photos. My shots around the town centre on a sunny afternoon are full of contrast and using an orange filter was the right choice for Rollei Superpan in the conditions we had that day. My photos in the park could have done without the orange filter as there wasn't enough light to shoot with it, but soft lad here left it on and didn't realise until I was almost done for the day. D'Oh! That nostalgic feeling I experienced at the Mill blinded me to into not paying proper attention and I made a silly mistake, one that I really shouldn't be making now I have a few years experience behind me.

It wasn't a total bust as I did get some useable shots, including one of the carved bench dedicated to William Higham who served in the RAF during WW2. Mr Higham passed away a few years ago and his service is remembered by family and friends with this beautifully carved bench that depicts a Wellington Bomber in flight. We owe Mr Higham and his generation a huge debt of gratitude that we may never be able to repay. It's nice to be able to sit for a moment, think of them and say "Thank you for your service."

I really enjoyed using my Olympus OM-2 MD with Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 lens again. It's been a while since I last took it out and it's not going to be long before it comes out again. A couple of years ago it was never out of my bag and my other cameras weren't getting used as often because of it. It may be a 50 year old camera, but Olympus got it right back in the mid 70's and it still does the business today. I still need to work on remembering stuff, but we knew that last year and it will probably be the same next year too.

Here's a few of my favourite photos from my roll of Rollei Superpan 200 shot with my OM-2 MD. I have placed them and more in an album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.

Rollei Superpan 200 - Olympus OM-2 MD 

Five Years

Five years ago, on Wednesday the 22nd January 2020, I posted my debut blog and a lot has happened in that time. I have grown as a photographer and learned from my friends in the photography community the skills I have come to rely upon as I share my film photography with the world. I have met and engaged with people I have come to trust and count as friends and frankly, it's made me a better person too.

As my long term readers will know, when I came back to film in 2017 it was to help me to recover from a stroke. My Doctor agreed that it would be good exercise for the old grey matter, the repetitive nature of photography definitely counted as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and I haven't looked back. A few people thought I wouldn't keep it up, with some agreement from myself as I am notorious for losing interest in things, yet here we are. I'm still clicking that shutter and enjoying every moment of it.

As with every aspect of life, my photography has had its share of ups and downs over the years. Cameras have failed, I have fixed a couple of rolls before developing and missed focus a lot. I have been thoroughly disillusioned at times, mostly due to dumb mistakes I have made, but the good times have far outweighed the bad.

I have sold a photo, become a contributor to a series of photo 'zines and published a book just for my wife. I have contributed articles to casualphotophile.com and won a camera from PetaPixel.com that has made me learn to slow down and appreciate the process. I also inspired my grandchildren to give photography a try and I'm looking forward to seeing how they fare in the coming years, they are showing their talent is not being wasted. Above all else I have had fun, which is why we have hobbies in the first place.

I am also at a crossroads with my photography and it's mostly to do with gear. I have collected a lot of stuff and need to slim down and get better organised. I have things that I am just not using. Things I bought on my journey into photography, which were a good idea at the time, that only had a short life in my regular rotation. It's time to move them on and let someone else enjoy them. In the new year I will be sorting through my gear and compiling a list of things to sell.

There's a few things I am going to continue in the coming years. I have enjoyed being a part of the Frugal Film Project over the last few years and that will continue in 2025. It makes me get out to take photos and it's a lot of fun, even when I don't get it right. Baldy the Baldax taught me a lot in 2024, especially about the basic principles of photography. KISS theory works, folks. "Keep It Simple Stupid!" is a mantra we could all use a little more.

I am also going to keep contributing to the Zines produced in honour of John Whitmore to raise money for Asthma + Lung UK. I have enjoyed being a part of the Photo Zine Collective, we have only just got started and are growing as we go along. Our aim is to promote not just our 'Zines, but those of our fellow photographers too. We aren't a bunch of grumpy old men with cameras, we have several women amongst our number and I would like more women to become involved. There are a lot of great women out there enjoying their photography and not getting the recognition they deserve for it. I will post links below.

I also plan on producing a 'Zine this year. It's been in the planning stages for quite some time, but crippling angst has not been my best pal when it comes to getting things done. That changes this year. I know it will always be with me, but I can win a battle or two along the way like I did when I attended the Mersey Meet Photo Walk. I know it's going to be a tough battle ahead, but the end result will see my photography being out there in print!

That brings me to this goal that I have set for myself. I plan on finally getting my education in darkroom printing started. I have the gear, just not the room until I de-clutter and move stuff on to pastures new. I do this in the hope that I can sell a few prints and hopefully brighten someones wall. I also know I am nowhere near the level of the likes of Ansel Adams. I am not cheeky enough to charge hundreds for a print, but we all start somewhere.

That's my five year review and plans for the years ahead as I continue my journey into photography. It's good to see how far I have come and if the next five years is as enjoyable as the last five years, I will be a happy man. Here's a few of my favourite photos taken over the last five years. As for the next five years, I will be placing my photos on my Flickr account and if you fancy taking a look at what I have achieved thus far, you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.

Photozine Collective
Jim Graves Flickr

Frugal Film Project 2025 - January

My involvement with the Frugal Film Project continues in 2025 and last week I freely admitted 2024 was a slog at times. I know now that doing both 35mm and medium format in the same year was a bold choice, particularly for a chap who has health issues, and it almost made me give it up and take a year off. However, Baldy the Baldax gave me the confidence I needed to go around again with another German made folding camera, a Kodak Retina 1a 35mm film camera.

I bought my Kodak Retina 1a in early 2024 as a part of a bundle on ebay for £29. I was looking for a viewfinder for my Zeiss Ikon Maximar and the Kodak Retina 1a was a part of the bundle. After testing the camera with a couple of rolls of film I was delighted with how it performed and decided that it was the camera I would use for the Frugal Film Project in 2025. There's a more in-depth review of the camera you can read using the link below.

Also being used this year is my Watameter rangefinder and Gossen Trisix light meter that will both help me get comfy with my Kodak Retina 1a. My Watameter cost £12 and my Gossen Trisix was a gift from Owen back in 2017, you can pick them up for around £10-15. Add that up and my total spend is well within the $75 budget.

Using black and white film again is a no brainer and I'm using a film I haven't seen before, Ilford FP4 type 517 cine film. Yes, Ilford once manufactured cinema film based on it's very popular FP4. It expired a long time ago, but was stored in a refrigerated unit and, looking at other photos shot on FP4 type 517, time has been kind to it. It's also the cheapest film you can buy and is available from Analogue Cameras via the link below. 

I headed into town on January 2nd to take advantage of the first sunshine of 2025. We had rain of biblical proportions overnight on new year's eve and new year's day, then the sky cleared and it froze overnight. This made my walk a fair bit more challenging, although the bright sunshine soon melted what it touched, the shaded areas were a tad sketchy. 

I set my Gossen Trisix to meter for 100 iso and photographed my usual favourite compositions, I want to compare them with photos I have shot with the more up to date FP4+. I would find out after processing it, but for now I was enjoying my walk and, despite the cold, it didn't take me long to finish my roll of film and I headed home for a well earned cuppa. 

I developed my film a few days later in HC110 1+31 dilution B for 14 1/2 minutes at 20 celcius and soon had it hanging to dry in my bathroom. I digitised it with my Nikon D700, Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5 macro lens, Valoi 35mm film holder, Pixl-Latr and A5 sized led light pad. I processed the RAW files with Affinity Photo 2.

When I was hanging my film to dry I saw immediately that the development was pretty much bang on. Thank you to Analogue Cameras and friends for their diligence in finding the best developing times for this film in a range of popular developers. I thought 14 1/2 minutes was a bit long in HC110 dilution B, but no, It's perfect. Nice one, chaps!

I continued my habit of setting the zone focus so infinity was at f/11 which gave me good depth of field. My photos were mostly shot a 1/50th second at f/11 or f/8 depending on my meter reading and I am very happy with how they turned out considering I made a mistake with my metering. I should have used a faster shutter speed, 1/100th would have been better, and I was saved by the dynamic range of this film. Given my inexperience with this film I will take that as a win and work on improving my skills as the year progresses.

I didn't go for any close up shots with this first roll, that will come later in the project. The Schneider Kreuznach 50mm f/2.8 Retina-Xenar lens is great for allowing me to stand back and get the big picture without getting much distortion. It's a happy snappers dream that I intend to make the most of in the future. Overall I am impressed with my Kodak Retina 1a paired with Ilford FP4 type 517 cine film. I have asked the Photography Gods to give me decent light and no mishaps this year. I'm hopeful they will reward me for my perseverance in 2024.  

Here's a few of my favourite photos from my January roll of Ilford FP4 Type 517 cine film taken using my Kodak Retina 1a for the Frugal Film Project 2025. I had a lot of fun with this first roll of the year and enjoyed the steep learning curve that came with it. You can view them and more in full resolution on my Frugal Film Project 2025 album on Flickr that you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.

Kodak Retina 1a
Ilford FP4 type 517 - Analogue Cameras
Frugal Film Project 2025 - January 

Frugal Film Project 2024 - December - 35mm

 What a contrast of emotions my 35mm contribution to the Frugal Film Project 2024 has been. I started the year with an Olympus OM101, complete with two proprietary lenses, that was given to me by a dear friend and it soon went south when the camera failed in February. Fortunately my friend had given me not one, but two of them and I was able to continue the year.

However, the longer the year went on, the less inspired I became and to be fair it wasn't entirely the fault of the camera. I began to struggle to get two rolls of film in two different formats shot within the deadline each month. I had truly bitten off more than I could chew and found that my limit isn't what I thought it was.

Now we come to the last roll of the year and I'm glad I stuck it out as there were a few times I was tempted to abandon this format and stick to medium format and dear Baldy the Baldax. With this in mind I loaded my last roll of Kentmere 400 into my Olympus OM101 and headed out on a foggy morning after Christmas to see what I could find and finish my commitment to the project.

The veil of fog on December 27th 2024 was my reward from the Photography Gods for not giving up. We all have cameras we just didn't gel with, often for the daftest of reasons and the OM101 is mine. It has fought me and thrilled me every step of the way and I will remember the Frugal Film Project 2024 for many years to come. My first body failed, then my zoom lens decided to play up and I almost lost the will to keep going, but, as with Baldy the Baldax, I persevered and I'm glad I did.

The photos I shot on the foggy day were compositions I had shot many, many times, but the difference was the fog and I hoped Kentmere 400 would render it as well as Ilford HP5. I had switched to my OM101 after finishing my film in Baldy so apologies if there's any similar ones, but I couldn't ignore fog like that. I photographed the trees, power lines and pylons from different angles as I headed on the second half of my walk.

The fog just didn't go away all day and I am grateful for that. It changes everything from a bland same old kind of day into one of mystique, moodiness and a hint of drama. By the time I arrived at my favourite tree I had enough frames left to grab a couple of shots and my film was done. It was with some relief of a project completed that I rewound my film, put my OM101 back in my bag and headed home for a well earned cup of tea.

I developed my roll of Kentmere 400 35mm black and white film in Kodak HC110 1+31 dilution B for 6 minutes at 20 celcius and soon had it hanging to dry in my bathroom. Once dry I digitised it with my Nikon D700, Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5 macro lens, Valoi 35mm film holder, Pixl-Latr and A5 sized LED light pad. I processed the RAW files with Affinity Photo 2.

When you use a camera for a year you get to know the easy way to use it very quickly. That was certainly the case with my OM101. I used it as a glorified point and shoot for a lot of the time and the weather in 2024 was a factor in that decision. It started off dark, wet, cold, dull and gloomy and more or less carried on that way for the year.

It wasn't always gloomy, there were days when the sun came out to play and I got some bangers. It gave me the confidence I needed to keep going when I began to struggle with it. Given the weather we had around Christmas I am rather pleased with my final roll of Kentmere 400 for the Frugal Film Project 2024.

The important thing is I finished the year and have gained a lot of insight into the way the camera manufacturing businesses was going when auto focus appeared. Digital shooters might appreciate the focus wheel as it is similar to back button focus, but for anyone wearing glasses and is left eye dominant, it's a pain. I set my lenses to infinity and basically left it there all year.

I reckon Olympus probably should have paid Minolta to licence their auto-focus system and spent their time on other things to make this camera better than it is. It's not a bad camera, but the manual adapter and focus wheel on the back seemed like afterthoughts rather than a genuine attempt at taking their camera in a different direction. I always saw the manual adapter on the OM10 as an afterthought, a mistake, and they did it again with the OM101.

The lenses and built in light meter are up to the high standard we came to appreciate from Olympus, but the lack of manual focus on the lens itself or any way of knowing what settings the camera used in Program or Aperture Priority modes were errors in my humble opinion. I can't fine tune my focus or exposure settings as easily as I can with my OM-1, the benchmark for all subsequent Olympus SLR cameras.

Would I use it again? Probably, but not for a while. It can sit on my shelf for a while and we shall see if I start to reach for it when choosing a camera to use. I often reach for my Olympus cameras, so you never know when I could give it another go. Whichever way it goes I must say thank you to my most excellent chum, "Wellies" for giving the gear to me and a chance to sink my teeth into the system. 

For 2025 I am going around again with just one camera and one film, my Kodak Retina 1a and Ilford FP4 Type 517 cine film in 35mm. This is a film stock I hadn't encountered before, Ilford stopped making it years ago. Analogue Cameras managed to get hold of a large quantity of it and res-pooled it into 35mm cassettes for us film photographers to enjoy. I am excited as I know this camera works well, has a great lens and I can't wait to get started on learning to get the best from this version of Ilford FP4.

Here's a few favourite photos from my December roll of Kentmere 400, 35mm black and white film shot for the Frugal Film Project 2024. On the day it was a right old "pea soup" kind of fog and I love the ethereal mood it gave to my photos. It brought a different vibe to favourite compositions and locations I have explored many times, but never on a foggy day. As always I have placed them and more in my Frugal Film Project 2024 35mm album on Flickr that you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.

Frugal Film Project 2024 - December - 35mm
Analogue Cameras.co.uk - Ilford FP4 Type 517

Frugal Film Project 2024 - December - 120

 December came by quick! At least it feels that way at the moment, it's been a strange year for my participation in the Frugal Film Project 2024. A year of ups and downs with a few worries along the way, but one thing is certain, Balda made exceedingly good cameras! There's been times when I thought dear old Baldy the Baldax would have to retire, but perseverance and gentle persuasion worked it's magic and I have a huge amount of respect for the people who made it all those decades ago.

The German camera industry in Dresden during the early part of the 20th century cannot be underestimated for the quality of the cameras they made and their ability to adapt to the challenges that came their way. When times were hard, Balda came up with a small format camera that people could afford. A camera that gave photographers more frames for their money and maybe invented the "half frame" camera too. The Balda Baldax 4.5x6.

I have thoroughly enjoyed using Baldy the Baldax for the last 18 months and I wanted my final roll of Ilford HP5 for the year to have some suitable drama in my photos. The Photography Gods smiled upon me and threw down a veil of fog on December 27th 2024. I didn't need any encouragement and I had a feeling I would get both my medium format and 35mm film done and dusted for the year. I started with Baldy and loaded a roll of Ilford HP5+ 400 120 medium format film and headed off out.

I have very little experience at film photography in fog and honestly can't remember the last roll of film I shot in such conditions as I was blessed with on this walk. I chose the farm roads again and took a slow wander, taking in many of the same compositions as I had through the years. This time the fog was a game changer and I used my Gossen Trisix selenium light meter to help get my shots exposed as best I could.

Shots along the farm road were accompanied by shots of trees and the pylons with their power lines melting quickly into the mist. Visibility was not far, perhaps less than 100 feet at times, but it made the photos into something special. At least, that's what I hoped for. I wanted ethereal photos to round off the year and bring down the curtain on my Frugal Film Project medium format effort for 2024. The fog, I hoped, would be that curtain.

I got to my halfway point which coincided with my final frames and I was able to relax, knowing I had been on quite an adventure with Baldy the Baldax over the last 18 months. I wasn't sad to have finished the medium format side of the project as I know for sure I will be using Baldy again soon. I carefully folded Baldy up and put it safely in my bag, knowing I had given it my best.

I developed my roll of Ilford HP5+ 400  120 medium format black and white film in Kodak HC110, 1+31 dilution B for 5 minutes at 20 celcius and soon had it hanging to dry in my bathroom. Once dry I digitised it with my Nikon D700, Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5 macro lens, Valoi medium format film holder, Pixl-Latr and A5 sized LED light pad. I processed the RAW files with Affinity Photo 2.

Let me just say the fog made all the difference to my photos in December. Ethereal was the word of the day as I used the conditions to my advantage and really gave Baldy the Baldax and my brain a great workout. The difference between the cottage in the summer sunshine and the cottage in the winter fog is quite profound. I could take many thousands more photos in the sunshine and have the same photo every time, but in the fog? I have to grab that opportunity when I can as it's not very often those conditions occur here.

I also got a humdinger of an unintentional multiple exposure when I managed to forget if I had advanced the film after the previous shot. I thought I had, but I hadn't and the result is a total fluke that I don't mind admitting to. The rest were given a little more thought and again I managed to shoot a full roll with no light leaks. That's three months running and I will keep doing the same routine of making sure all the spring steel parts are in the right spot before I load a film. It seems to be doing the trick.

I have thoroughly enjoyed using my Balda Baldax 4.5x6 medium format folding camera for the Frugal Film Project 2024. It has been a bit touch and go at times, but perseverance paid off. It has taught me a lot about my skills at traditional film photography and also the skills of the people at the Balda factory during the 1930's who made my beautiful little folding camera. I am tempted to load a roll of film into Baldy and keep it in my pocket on the off chance I spot something that would make a great photograph. It seems like a good idea to me.

Here's a few of my favourite photos from my last roll of Ilford HP5+ 400 120 medium format black and white film shot for the Frugal Film Project 2024. As always I have placed them and more in my Frugal Film Project 2024 120 medium format album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them because I seriously enjoyed capturing them.

Frugal Film Project 2024 - December - 120