-RobW-'s photostream  

Comments / critiques welcome! I'll just ignore them if I disagree ;o)

Pictures marked as "unretouched" are straight off the camera, or just cropped/rotated. Everything else has been corrected / manipulated in Photoshop in some way. I started off on Flickr trying to post as many unretouched shots as possible, just to learn the basics of photography. I'm now happy enough with my technique to be back using Photoshop to finish them off, although I am very much continuing to learn them both in parallell!

Everything shot in RAW now, developed in Capture One LE. Development in Capture One generally not indicated as "retouching".

Current toys (basically, I'm a gadget freak masquerading as a photographer):

Sony Alpha 700 DSLR
Kit lens (18 - 70mm) - now gone with my A100 to my wife :o)
Tele (Sigma 70 - 300mm APO DG Macro)
Prime (Minolta 50mm f/1.7)
Wide (Sigma 10 - 20mm APO DG EX)
Prime (Sigma 30mm f/1.4)
Zoom (Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8)

Flash (Sigma 500DG Super) - been dropped a couple of times and no longer that reliable so I don't use it as much.

I have got into film now as well; still send it all off to the lab, but I am loving the results. Basically got into a) because the old classic cameras look so much better than modern ones :o) and b) it really does have an unreproducible feel.

I have tried to go for very retro cameras in order to keep a lo-fi feel on my film shots, coupled with minimal retouching on the results, e.g. leaving scanning dust / fluff in shot. I am using the Alpha for clean crisp modern shots. This plan failed slightly recently as the Canonet started jamming and I am using SLRs at the moment.


Film kit:

Canon Canonet - original model, it is prone to jamming at the moment though so is hibernating in a drawer until I get it serviced.

Fujica Half - looks stunning, has beautiful build quality, simplicity personified, cool diptych effect of the half frame setup. What's not to love?

Pentax ME Super - what all SLRs should be. Solid, simple, and with a shutter click / mirror slap that sounds like a door being slammed. Using it in place of the Canonet, although it doesn't have quite the same retro feel. I have a few lenses for it but am using the 50mm exclusively.

Praktica MTL5 - I got this on a whim as it was cheap and I'd just lost the bidding on an OM2. I don't really like it that much, it's huge and the press and hold light meter and weird front shutter release are awkward. On the plus side, the viewfinder is fantastic and it sounds like a Russian-built tank firing shells at capitalists when you take a picture. It's also built like a Russian tank. I bet East German students took out most of the Berlin Wall by swinging MTL5s at it. And then took pictures of the rubble.

Olympus OM2 - Have Zuiko 50mm, 135mm and 28mm lenses for it; the 135mm in particular is stunning. The best SLR I've ever used, even given the annoying light meter switch I keep forgetting to turn off and the less than reliable shutter. Fantastic camera.

Kodak Box Brownie 620 - I got this to have a simple camera I could mess around with and generally modify, but I like the photos so much I didn't have the heart. Maybe I'll buy another one.

Polaroid SuperColor CL - Fantastic Plastic Polaroid that looks like a ZX Spectrum. Lots of fun until I run out of film.

Fuji Instax 100 - Don't use a huge amount as the Instax film is just too good; doesn't have the 70s charm of the Polaroid. And somehow, the square format works better.

Zeiss Ikon Nettar - I wanted to start playing with medium format without spending a huge amount, so got this off eBay. It's a beautiful camera and takes fantastic shots, but shortly after I got it I acquired the Rolleiflex, which is my new baby.

Rolleiflex New Standard - My father in law had this sitting in the attic and said I could use it until such time as he decided he wanted it back. It is a stunning camera in every way, but I'm still finding good photos a bit hit and miss. Practice!

Bencini Koroll 24S - Little Italian 120 camera I have not used yet.