Flickr: heritagefutures' Photostream

Stop—Look for Trains

S-Class Diesel S300 ('Matthew Flinders') in the livery of the CF Railway (Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia Loco.) and a G-class loco (in logo-less former SCT livery) working a north-bound El Zorro grain train in tandem.

Seen near Table Top, just north of Albury, NSW, Australia

The front loco is the lead unit of the S-Class diesels...she entered service on 21 August 1957.

Film test of a cleaned Widelux F7, loaded with cheap Ferrania Imaging Color FG Plus 400 film.
Shot at f/11 1/250th sec.

Had done a light clean on the Widelux, but unfortunately slight banding is still present, even though only at 1/250th. This will require another, deeper clean and more exercising of the turret. I am determined to get this camera in ship-shape so that I can run it in tandem to the Widelux F6B, each loaded with a different film.

The shot was quite tricky actually, as the train was rumbling down the line at least 70-80km/h...travelling on the Hume Highway I overtook the train and looked for a farm road crossing where I could pull off the highway and get the shot ready. Just got out of the car and to the crossing when the train caught up with me... it was hard to judge when to release the shutter as the train was running into the image while the lens turret would be turning (to the right). A fraction of a second later would have been ideal as I wanted the train a tad bigger, but am quite pleased with the outcome. There was no second chance as the road and the train tracks diverged some 100m down the road. Next time I'd shoot a second shot as the cars are going past...

The fact that the STOP sign bends into the picture is not the effect of lens distortion (there is none of that with the swing-lens of the Widelux)...the sign IS crooked!

Uploaded on Feb 1, 2012 | Map

17 comments

The colour purple

Cenotaph, Martin Place, Sydney NSW Australia

From the Archives.—Selective colour of this image

Uploaded on Jan 31, 2012 | Map

2 comments

An Old War Horse

Nikon FA with Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 AI

Shutter: Honeycombed Titanium; speeds B, 1-1/4000s with 1/250s mechanical backup.

A recent acquisition at the markets ...it came with a Zoom Nikkor 35-135mm f/3.5~4.5 (AI, Macro, 1983–1989), an extra focussing screen (Type B2), all booklets and papers, a number of filters (including a circular pol filter for the 24mm and a close-up lens with step-down ring for the Zoom), and a Metz 45 CT-5 flash. It's a well-used camera, the body has 'brassing' at the usual places (near film advance, top of prism and bottom edges) and the 24mm has paint wear on the metal focussing ring.

The Nikon FA is a 35mm manual focus SLR camera introduced by Nippon Kogaku K. K. in 1983 and produced until 1987 (discontinued in 1989). The body has the sn #5334348. As the FA serial numbers reputedly started with 5000001, the body would date to the middle or later part of the production period. The warranty form is not filled out, so does not give a date. The paperwork also included an invoice for a CLA of the 24mm, dated to 1991.

The Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 AI is a wide angle lens (84°) with nine elements in seven groups, with a seven-bladed diaphragm, f/2.8 to f/22; min focus 0.3m. While the 28mm with the Nikon F-mount was introduced in about 1963, the lens shown above is an updated version, released in 1975 (and superceded in 1977 by the AI-s version).

Uploaded on Jan 29, 2012 | Map

1 note / 20 comments

Blue Sky Tension

Seen at Charles Sturt University, Thurgoona, NSW, Australia

From the Archives (July 18, 2010)

Uploaded on Jan 27, 2012

1 note / 11 comments

Soviet A-39 Aerial Camera (1964)

ex Soviet A-39 Aerial Camera

The A-39 is a "daylight photoreconnaissance and bombing-damage recording camera" (sn# 64T242) and was fitted with a heated Uran-27 lens,100mm f/2.5 (sn# 641581). It was made by KOMZ (Kazanskii Optiko-Mekhanicheskii Zavod) which manufactured most Soviet Aerial Camera equipment.

The resulting negatives were 70 x 80 mm, with the camera having a 1.9m magazine of 80mm film.

Based on the serial numbers of body and lens, this unit was made in 1964.

The camera is powered by 27V DC. Both camera and magazine have a grey hammer metal finish.

Uploaded on Jan 18, 2012

14 comments