Nikon F2 first film developed.

Got my first roll of film back from the developers in London yesterday. It’s a roll of Ilford HP5 PLUS pushed to 800 ISO from 400. The camera seems mostly to be fine. The pics are exposed well (except for the ones where I forgot to adjust the camera when changing filters). Unfortunately there are a couple of issues.
1. The mirror damper is disintegrating and the bits are getting on to the shutter and then on to the film.
2. The DP 1 finder is not reading the apertures correctly from the lens. This doesn’t seem to impact on the exposure but it’s annoying having to look at the lens all the time to check. I don’t know if it’s the lens or the head that’s out.

I am taking it back today to get looked at. They can fix it or refund me. We’ll see what happens.

Meanwhile here’s the highlights from the first film I have shot in over 10 years:

Please allow me to introduce my camera: A 1972 Nikon FT Photomic.

After getting my films back I decided to buy a camera. My favorite camera was the Nikon F3. I’ve enjoyed a couple of those over the years. But this time I wanted something that was pure manual. No frills and no electronics (except in the light meter). This left me looking at either an Olympus OM1n, a Nikon FM/FM2 or something similar. I trotted down to my local camera shop for a look at what they might have. It’s a small town where I live so I wasn’t expecting much, but the Camera Shop in Hythe is pretty good. They had a customer’s camera in the back that was for sale, but they were not sure if it was working properly. The camera was a Nikon F2 Photomic with a DP-1 meter head, a 50mm F1.4 lens and a motordrive. £250 asking price. They let me have it for £200.

Here’s a pic of it on the bag I keep it in:

Nikon F2 Photomic

I bought the strap on eBay a few days ago as it didn’t have one when I bought it. The lens cap I found rummaging about in a drawer in a camera shop in Folkestone

I’m looking forward to getting my pics back from London this week. I hope that the camera has exposed them correctly.

This is a collection of tools from a Tuscan villa where we stayed. This is taken on APS film in a Canon IXUS

A scene taken on the Italian Island of Elba (I think). More of that APS film

Taken outside the villa in Tuscany. I remember looking for vipers before crouching down to take this. Nikon F4. I can’t remember what film stock. Kodakolor Gold, I think

 

A shot from the hip taken in Canterbury, Kent. Something has happened to the film making it look like it’s been creased up and then flattened. This is probably due to it’s age but might be down to bad processing. Kodak T-Max 400, Nikon F3, Nikkor 50mm F1.2

Old film developed. How it started.

It all started with a few rolls of undeveloped film that I have had in a cupboard for over 10 years.

I stopped using film when I bought a Digital Nikon D90 and sold my Nikon F3 and Nikon F4 film cameras. For a few years now I have had a growing yearning for something analogue. I bought a Leica M8 as it is the most basic film-like camera I could find with a decent resolution. Manual focus. I love the M8 but it is somehow too precious and doesn’t have the romance or smell of film. I love sniffing the inside of a film canister.

So, I sent the films off to Snappy Snaps in Ashford, Kent to get developed and printed. They also stuck them on a CD for me which means I can post a few on here.

I think it’s a Ford Orion. I have no idea where it was taken. The film is Kodak T-Max 400

From the same roll this is a photograph of the now closed Fruit and Veg Shop in Folkestone