New and eager, but unsure

philc · Jan 29, 2017

I have decided to go back to the good old days i remember of boxes of photos creating a need for photo albums etc. Rather then carry on with endless photos on laptops and phones.

Because of this i have purchased a canon av-1 (cheap, offers me some control to learn but has an element of semi-automatic about it), coming with a canon 50mm 1:1.8 lense. On top of this i was advised by a colleague of mine who does digital photography that if possible is should get some other bits and peices.

So also in the post are: a cheap (very) miranda 28mm 1:2.8 lens, uv filters, skylight filters and polariser filters (all relatively cheap). Ive also got a few films to test: ilford super xps 400, ilford delta 100, fujifilm supra x-tra, fujicolour c200.

Is there anything you guys would offer with regards to advice on equipment, film, general advice?

Very new to this but im eager to learn.

Alan Gales · Jan 29, 2017

Three of the best things you can buy are a quality tripod, a lens hood and a polarizing filter. They really improved my photography with my first 35mm camera, a Canon AV-1.

Learn to use that polarizer. They do more than darken skies and filter out unwanted reflections in glass or water. Notice the vegetation pictures in the following link.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polarizing_filter_(photography)

Have fun!

bvy · Jan 29, 2017

Welcome to APUG. Delta 100 and the consumer color print films from Fuji (Fujicolor and Superia) are good enough films to start with. Ilford XP2 Super is a black and white film that you or a lab develop in color (C-41) chemistry. It's considered a niche film. I use it and like it, but it's not for everyone.

philc · Jan 29, 2017

Cheers guys.

Ive had the polarising filter explained by my mate at work and will have a good go.

The ilford xp2 i got to have a go at black and white without having to send it off for development.

My idea for the initial "phase" of my film education is to burn through a few fils to see what i like, but also to document what settings i have for each frame, try a few different things on the same subject and review the results then go from there.

Ive tried to do as much research as possible and get decentish stuff so im not investing too much at this early stage. Luckily with this stuff that it wont just lose its value unless i break it or there is a sudden global shortage of 35mm film.

My photography will mostly be impromptu pictures with my little girl etc so nothing fancy, but ill get them all printed and scanned so i have a decent stock i can start making albums from and still be able to back everything up on a computer.

Dan Fromm · Jan 29, 2017

Miranda lens? Is it in Canon mount?

philc · Jan 29, 2017

Dan Fromm said:
Miranda lens? Is it in Canon mount?

Yep, its on a canon fd mount

BMbikerider · Jan 29, 2017

Dan Fromm said:
Miranda lens? Is it in Canon mount?

Miranda lenses were marketed in the 80's in a variety of mounts, but I think they had more affinity to the old Vivitar (or whoever made them) than the original Miranda company

BMbikerider · Jan 29, 2017

philc said:
Cheers guys.
The ilford xp2 i got to have a go at black and white without having to send it off for development.
.

Are you aware that XP2 must be developed in C41 colour developer for best results. I believe that XP2 can be developed and fixed in normal B&W chemicals, but that would still leave the masking layer to be removed by the C41 bleach.

philc · Jan 29, 2017

BMbikerider said:
Are you aware that XP2 must be developed in C41 colour developer for best results. I believe that XP2 can be developed and fixed in normal B&W chemicals, but that would still leave the masking layer to be removed by the C41 bleach.

Yep, so my understanding was that it can be developed by any developer, drug store uk equivalent places.

The delta roll i got was to try out and have to send it to somewhere who specialises in b&w film.

Edit: apologies, just seen you're up in durham. So the xp2 was so it can be turned around at asda while i do my shopping etc.

tedr1 · Jan 29, 2017

At the beginning it helps to have three lenses, one wide one medium and one long. You seem to have the wide and the medium already, look for something around 100mm for portrait work, f2.8 or if you can afford it f2. My attitude to lenses is they are investments, I almost always buy the better quality used lenses in excellent condition because they hold their value and can be resold, and while I have them they are a pleasure to use.

philc · Jan 29, 2017

tedr1 said:
At the beginning it helps to have three lenses, one wide one medium and one long. You seem to have the wide and the medium already, look for something around 100mm for portrait work, f2.8 or if you can afford it f2. My attitude to lenses is they are investments, I almost always buy the better quality used lenses in excellent condition because they hold their value and can be resold, and while I have them they are a pleasure to use.

Thanks for the tips, one thing though.

When you say portraits what do you mean? In my mind i think itll be very rare for me to sit someone down and take a bespoke picture of their face. I may have the wrong idea about portraits though, is it refering to any photo that has a large amount of "face"?

Cheers

tedr1 · Jan 29, 2017

Some subjects are best approached up close with the camera and lens physically close to the subject, this works with all focal length lenses. People are different. Some people are comfortable with a camera close to them but many are not and the use of a longer lens allows the camera to remain a little further way. This is true for formal and informal people pictures.

philc · Jan 29, 2017

Cheers mate.

My use for it all will be as i would use a digital point and shoot. Just taking it with me on days out and holidays etc. I will definately keep my eyes open for a 100mm lens in the future!

Wallendo · Jan 29, 2017

My advice is to shoot what you have and then see what you're missing.

Do you need a tripod? How often would you use it? Try shooting with what you have and if you find there are shots you can't take or suffer from motion blur, then you need a tripod, if not, spend your money on something else.
Do you need a telephoto lens? Use what you have and think about how often you needed a longer lens. If it is often, then you need a telephoto lens, otherwise you would be fine without it.
If you're not happy with image sharpness, upgrade your lens.
If you need more camera control, upgrade your camera.

Different photographers have different equipment needs. Because of what I enjoy shooting with my camera, I get by with multiple items than others find indispensable and vice-versa.

philc · Jan 29, 2017

Thats it exactly. At the moment i dont feel like i need a tripod or telephoto so havnt even looked.

Because of what i think ill be doing with the camera im going to have a good go with what ive got then ill review my needs and go from there. I feel like i have a decent set of "basic" kit at the moment so i can upgrade as i go, much like i have done with my other hobbies etc. Much to the displeasure of my wife as i keep spending money haha

Paul Howell · Jan 29, 2017

BMbikerider said:
Miranda lenses were marketed in the 80's in a variety of mounts, but I think they had more affinity to the old Vivitar (or whoever made them) than the original Miranda company

AIC who owned Miranda and Soligar closed in 1977. the name was purchased and used for Cosina lens [or was it Chinon?] and cameras.

Chan Tran · Jan 30, 2017

Thank you for using film.

philc · Jan 30, 2017

it appears that my lens has the dreaded canon fd sticky aperture syndrome. managed to unstick it with a few gentle taps. hopefully now its being used it will be ok.

i may have a look inside and try to take it apart to get some of the oil off but ill see how my first roll comes out.

cb1 · Jan 30, 2017

Chan Tran said:
Thank you for using film.

this +100
also, get yourself a yellow or orange filter for the B/W films. They help with contrast and skin tone.

AgX · Jan 30, 2017

philc said:
it appears that my lens has the dreaded canon fd sticky aperture syndrome.

Sticky aperture blades is a common problem with lenses. Not all lenses yield easy access to the aperture, and best would be access to both sides.
But you started with a mount for which there are many good and cheap lenses.

4season · Jan 30, 2017

Advise? Yes, if all of the lenses, filters and other accessories start to seem more fiddly than fun, leave them at home! Just because you can accessorize doesn't necessarily mean that you should: The most important thing is simply to have fun.

Alan Gales · Jan 30, 2017

philc said:
Thanks for the tips, one thing though.

When you say portraits what do you mean? In my mind i think itll be very rare for me to sit someone down and take a bespoke picture of their face. I may have the wrong idea about portraits though, is it refering to any photo that has a large amount of "face"?

Cheers

On a 35mm camera a "portrait" lens is usually considered to be roughly an 85mm to 135mm lens. Portraits can be shot with any lens. I used to shoot my daughter as a child playing with my 180mm. It allowed me to be far enough away to get candids. Lots of portraits are shot with normal lenses such as a 50mm. For head and shoulder shots or head shots you will be very physically close to your subject with a normal lens which can produce distortion like big noses.

So if shooting head or head and shoulder shots, which portrait lens is best? It depends upon the amount of compression you want. The longer the lens, the more compression. What looks good to you?

http://www.bokehblog.com/public/Charts/portrait-lens-chart-12mm-400mm-2048.jpg

blockend · Jan 31, 2017

philc said:
Is there anything you guys would offer with regards to advice on equipment, film, general advice?

Very new to this but im eager to learn.

I'd stick with the 50mm unless you feel yourself compromised by the focal length. The AV-1 is a good camera, a kind of point and shoot SLR, I have two of them! In the UK we have access to Poundland film (Agfa Vista aka Fujicolor 200) and Asda's in store C41 processing - shooting colour film doesn't come any cheaper. For black and white some people are happy to shoot XP2 long term, it's convenient and high quality but not cheap, but if you fall in love with B&W photography you'll probably process your own traditional film at home. All that is for the future, right now you have everything you need to make great photos.

cooltouch · Jan 31, 2017

Good advice. I'd just like to add one thing, and it has to do with polarizers. The way they work, they polarize light located at 90 degrees from the light source. An easy way to determine the area most affected by a polarizer is to open one's hand and make an "L" shape with it, where the thumb is pointed outward. Now,, point your thumb at the light source, typically the sun. Your fingers are now pointing at the area where maximum polarization will occur. You can sweep your hand back and forth in an arc, with your thumb still pointed at the sun, to determine where the best effect would occur.

Before I learned this rule, some of my slides would come back with half the sky a very deep saturated blue and half a pale blue. Of course, the slides were a write-off, and I knew the polarizer was causing this, but I didn't know why. Once I learned the rule, my slides of the sky when a polarizer was used were much better.

philc · Feb 5, 2017

Got the first films developed yesterday. Most of the colour film was testing settings out so only a few good shots there. The black and white was much better.

Ill try and upload a few of them (taken from my phone camera of the printed film) the colour film seems a bit yellow/orange as it was shot inside so must be the lighting i imagine?

New and eager, but unsure

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