Long Live My Queen :)

My wife recently surprised me with a box from FedEx and asked me to open it, what added a little joy is that she took the label so I won't know the sender. I opened it and I saw a box from DHW Fototechnik, man I thought it was a Rolleiflex FX and brand new...to my surprise, it was Rolleiflex FX-N with our wedding date on the back plate.

Funny thing happened few days before the Rolleiflex FX-N reach our home. I bough a Rolleiflex 2.8f (I was about to buy the GX but went to the 2.8f instead) and when my wife saw it, she asked why I bought it now!! I explained it was a great price and I couldn't passed and she told me if I waited to next week. Now I know why, but I have now one classic and one brand new.

Enough with the words and see this close focusing beauty :)

Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm F1.5

This lens is unique classic in its rendering especially wide open. This lens has a pronounced focus shift if the lens is optimised for F2.8 (most C Sonnar are optimised for F2.8). However, Zeiss can optimise it for wide open if you send the lens to them. I followed a technique that I read in the luminous landscape's review of the lens, the trick was to lean a little bit forward when you shoot a subject in close distance wide open and it worked great for me. It's not blinding sharp lens but for portrait photography which this lens was designed for it is good enough.

The lens imperfection makes it unique and rewarding once you know how to deal with its limitation.



Here are some images.


Wide open

F4 or so where it sharpen up quite nicely

Provia 400X Pushed

Recently Fuji discontinued Provia 400X Slide film :(. I started this film few years ago and wasn't impressed by it. This summer, I used it a lot and enjoyed what it can deliver especially skin tone and the Yellow is just wonderful. This film was and still expensive to buy, I was fortunate enough to buy 8-10 years supply :) in 35mm and 120 format and store them in a freezer.

Anyway, this summer I tried to push it one and two stops and it handled it well. grain is there but manageable. I didn't try to push it to 3200 as I'm a bit hesitant to go for it but probably will try at one time.

Here are images of Provia 400X @ ISO 800 with Fuji Klasse S:
   

Here are images @ ISO 1600 also with Fuji Klasse S

AgfaPhot CT Precisa 100 (Cheap Slide Film) :)

Many knows Agfa CT Precisa 100, I didn't know till last year and got addicted to it fast. Many claim it was made by Kodak (When Kodak use to make Slide film:( ) and now it's Made by FujiFilm from Provia 100F Master roll. Anyway, at it current price it seems a no brainer if you can have E-6 films developed locally or at home using some of the E-6 chemicals kit available (Mainly Tetenal). This film reduce my consumption of Kodak C-41 (Ektar and Portra) as I can get by using ISO 100 during the day here in Saudi Arabia.

I buy mine from Germany from MacoDirect or when a friend is visiting Germany for whatever reason from DM Drug store. It's priced as or cheaper than Ektar and other professional C-41 and mostly cheaper than FujiFilm C-41.

The beauty of this film is that it has mostly natural grey balance and fine grain. It looks great projected too :)

Here is an ongoing thread about it in the Rangefinder forum

AGFAPHOTO CT 100 PRECISA

Here are few images

Unfortunately, it's only available in 35mm Film size and not 120 medium format :(