Really cool adaptation! However, my limited experiences with V lenses shifted on a Flexbody were not all that positive - I ran out of image circle almost all the time.
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Fun with Medium Format FILM Images!
- Thread starter dave.gt
- Start date
lookbook
Well-known member
... especially at wide angle!
I liked to use the Flexbody for landscapes and with tilt - with Linhof later, many things were easier ...
FloatingLens
Well-known member
Agreed. Much more flexibility. But shifting is rather slow using the FlexBody.
P. Chong
Well-known member
earlier this year, I visited the historic site of Malacca in Malaysia. I took a photograph of this gentleman, who runs a very old goldsmith shop in the middle of town. Very dark shop. Hand held with Mamiya RB67 ProSD with Santa 1000 film, exposed at ISO 1000, processed at box speed with Ilford ID-11 for 15mins. Scanned with GFX 50S II with 18mm extension on a Lomography DigitaLiza. BTW, the Santa 1000 film has an extremely thin acetate base, making it quite difficult to load into my Patterson reel.
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Exciting to see a Santa film in the real world. I just ordered 30 rolls of their Santa 100 color negative film and am quite curious about the results. I discovered them recently when I checked current color film prices since I'm running out of 135-36 film. Fuji's price increase is incredible (sky high), as is the availability (none).
P. Chong
Well-known member
I wouldn’t buy another roll of Santa though. The scratches made during loading into the reel is apparent, though it increases the nostalgia factor. And it’s not that cheap either, at least not here in Singapore. I would rather shoot Shanghai GP3, though that’s an ISO 100 film. I have processed a roll of 35mm Santa which I have lying around somewhere, that’s even more difficult to reel as the film is longer, and has more opportunity to snag somewhere along the guide grooves of the Patterson reel.
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I NEVER again load a slightly wet Paterson reel. That condition is simply no-no. Now I have enough reels so I can always pick a completely dry one. My experince with thin sheet film is with the MOD54 and there minimum or no agitation should be done, othervise the sheets may get loose and stick to tank wall.
Good luck !
During Covid I thought I would try E-6 but the Shelf life of opened bottles is ridiculously short, and also the reuse of mixed solutions (without machine replenishment) is limited. So I concluded I will not do E-6. However, I will attempt C-41 with Compard Digibase solutions, because their divided stock components are several, all with extremely good shelf life. Then I learned in my prevoius runs with C-41 that I should be able to use mixed solution for about two months. Great or better than E-6.
BTW I have stocked up on Digibase C-41 when it was available and here is some tips for reuse of used solutions https://www.maco-photo.de/files/images/C41_InstructionManual.pdf
I plan to save all mixed solutions for 6 months (except color developer) and the stabilizer is probably good for a year. That way of using/mixing is possible because I bought 1 liter bottles of most stocks. I will mix the color developer fresh every two months.
I plan to save all mixed solutions for 6 months (except color developer) and the stabilizer is probably good for a year. That way of using/mixing is possible because I bought 1 liter bottles of most stocks. I will mix the color developer fresh every two months.
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I decided for myself that while it's possible to develop E6 at home, the chemicals are too poisonous for home use. At least to my taste. Of course there are lots of people who develop color at home, but I won't be one of those. Also to follow the rigid timings and maintain temperature was not that relaxing 
Well, a good lab usually does everything adequately. I will bring my slide films to the shop, but if I get successful with C-41 that could be suited for me. The thingy is that I have to bring the films to the lab, workdays before 17 and wait and also fetch the films. With home dev I can work on weekends, and get results immediately. My lab has E-6 on tuesdays and thursdays only, and no 1 hour service on C-41, so a few days waiting minimum. The real deal-breaker or enabler is the shelf life of chemicals.I decided for myself that while it's possible to develop E6 at home, the chemicals are too poisonous for home use. At least to my taste. Of course there are lots of people who develop color at home, but I won't be one of those. Also to follow the rigid timings and maintain temperature was not that relaxing
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dave.gt
Well-known member
Pro tip: A steel Hewes reel solves the wet plastic reel problem.
But I am afraid that problems with flimsy thin film backing could be worse ?Pro tip: A steel Hewes reel solves the wet plastic reel problem.
Lab-Box ? I have not tried that, could be a disaster.
P. Chong
Well-known member
That's why I decided not to do Santa anymore. Plus the film is made in Russia, and with the ongoing war in Ukraine, I guess avoiding it is probably best. I understand the makers have stopped the film and clearing stock while making some donations to the Ukraine war cause.
dave.gt
Well-known member
Flimsy film…hmmm. I have many B/W films I enjoy and there has never been a problem with using steel Hewes reels. (Do avoid any other steel reel though. And, if buying a used one be sure it is in like new shape with no evidence of damage from being dropped)
The Santa film is new to me, and sounds like a rebrand of something else so I can’t speak to that… but I have never had a problem with any other thin films in the past. Scanning, though, is personal. I spent all of 2022 matching my favorite B/W films with developers while calibrating individual exposure indexes, and I am delighted with each pairing.
That is why I now stick with my favorite films and developers … and the price is inconsequential in a way because I now prefer B/W film images over any digital image and I shoot/develop an average of 25 rolls of film annually. Not a huge amount but it is all I have time for (considering my 24/7/365 full time responsibilities).
Film is of course much more expensive, but now I prefer it. My monthly budget for film snd chemicals average $50-$75USD/month. Not bad even for my limited resources. Personal preference for B/W film includes the experience of shooting film gear, processing, changing film types for different looks, the craft involved, scanning, and final processing, etc. It is a different world entirely that somehow is much more enjoyable these days than 20 years ago.
I will look into the Santa film just for my own education.
Film IS magic ! And getting things done by yourself is really an achivement, other than popping a memorycard. I am lucky to have bought film in the early 2000 and also a photoclubs stock, when they decided to go all digital . But I always get the question 'have you gone digital yet' in my nature photography club .....
. But I always get the question 'have you gone digital yet' in my nature photography club .....