Hello from Oklahoma

Eye-level

Banned
Hello all my name is Jeff. I've been looking for a good Nikon forum for some time and have decided to join nikonites. I am mainly a film shooter and prefer mechanical cameras with no meters. I know I am a glutton for pain it seems but really I am all about the challenge. I've been shooting for about two years and am just now getting to the point where I can make decent pictures fairly consistently. I shoot with a F2 with DE 1 finder (I have another F2 with Photomic) and an old brassed up rugged FE. My selection of lenses is rather limited for the time being but I am going to upgrade in the near future. I have a 28/3.5, a Series E 50/1.8, and a 135/2.8 Q. I am looking to relegate these lenses to my FE kit and aquire a 85 and a 105 for the F2's. I also have an EM but I don't use that one...I have the case for it and a flash and would like to get the Series E lenses and motordrive to complete the kit. I like photographing people, animals, and cars mainly. I have some other gear that is quite good - a Contaflex Super kit and an Ansco Anscoset rangefinder both rigs being in excellent condition and they can hold their own for sure. Someday I would really like to own a D700 but I am still building my F2 kit for the time being. I have posted some of my Nikon made pictures in the gallery.

At any rate I look forward to learning more about Nikon photography and making some new internet friends. Thank you to the folks who make this forum happen!
 

KWJams

Senior Member
Welcome,

Some great shots in your gallery. :cool: Looking forward to seeing more.

I am a recent convert to the DSLR world after my old Minolta froze up on me last summer. Frustration over finding a store that still sells film and where to get it developed other than a box store pushed me over the edge.
 

Eye-level

Banned
Thanks Ken!

I too someday will convert to mainly digital when one of two things happen or maybe even both...1) When Nikon releases a micro 4/3 camera (imagine a 45 Nikkor on micro 4/3s making an effective 90mm focal length) or 2) I can afford a D700 or D3 or other full frame DSLR...I know it is possible but I can't really fathom my F2 freezing up on me! :) My Ansco Anscoset is nothing other than a Minolta Uniomat with an American badge...my how things have changed! My biggest frustration with film is probably that is is sort of challenging to find a drugstore that has an employee or two that knows how to scan negatives...lol

There are two things that make the photography hobby very interesting to me...one is the suspense generated by waiting to see what that 36 exposure roll of film I just shot is going to produce and more importantly the challenge of determining the right shutter speed and the right f stop and focusing properly...it seems that the more rolls I shoot the more important these things become. When I do get the chance to shoot digital or try out my friend's DSLR I find myself setting it to manual and trying to figure out how I can pick the shutter speed and the exposure value. Photography to me isn't about film vs digital or electric vs mechanical or metering vs auto vs sunny 16 or this gear vs that gear...it is all about the sometimes very elusive feat of pushing the button and making a good picture!
 

robinchun

Senior Member
Thanks Ken!

I too someday will convert to mainly digital when one of two things happen or maybe even both...1) When Nikon releases a micro 4/3 camera (imagine a 45 Nikkor on micro 4/3s making an effective 90mm focal length) or 2) I can afford a D700 or D3 or other full frame DSLR...I know it is possible but I can't really fathom my F2 freezing up on me! :) My Ansco Anscoset is nothing other than a Minolta Uniomat with an American badge...my how things have changed! My biggest frustration with film is probably that is is sort of challenging to find a drugstore that has an employee or two that knows how to scan negatives...lol

There are two things that make the photography hobby very interesting to me...one is the suspense generated by waiting to see what that 36 exposure roll of film I just shot is going to produce and more importantly the challenge of determining the right shutter speed and the right f stop and focusing properly...it seems that the more rolls I shoot the more important these things become. When I do get the chance to shoot digital or try out my friend's DSLR I find myself setting it to manual and trying to figure out how I can pick the shutter speed and the exposure value. Photography to me isn't about film vs digital or electric vs mechanical or metering vs auto vs sunny 16 or this gear vs that gear...it is all about the sometimes very elusive feat of pushing the button and making a good picture!

I've recently been going to a local 'camera club' and one of the guys said to me when welcoming me "we are not camera snobs here..its all about the image"..the moral being therefore if your happy getting your image via film great! others get it by digital..one mans meat is another mans poison..imo

Robin
 

ohkphoto

Snow White
I've recently been going to a local 'camera club' and one of the guys said to me when welcoming me "we are not camera snobs here..its all about the image"..the moral being therefore if your happy getting your image via film great! others get it by digital..one mans meat is another mans poison..imo
Very well-said, Robin! I so agree!

Welcome to the forum, Jeff! You will find a lot of friends here, and we have a good time. I still have my film cameras . . . refuse to let them go. Invested in a pretty good scanner so that I could do my own instead of relying on walmart crap.

You have some very nice shots in your gallery. I'm looking forward to your participation!
 

Eye-level

Banned
Thank you folks! :)

I wish there was a local camera club in my neck of the woods I think there is but I haven't been able to connect with them yet. If I had my druthers I would have a big kit full of different kinds of poison! LOL

Since I am virtually film only (I do have some P&S cameras that I use frequently but none are Nikons) I don't make as many pictures as I wish I could. A scanner is going to be one of next major purchases I believe and I have been thinking about B&W self processing for some time now. To have full frame digital Nikon to go along with my mechanical film Nikons would round my kit out most excellently. A handful of lenses and filters all of them able to be used with any of my bodies would make for incredible diversity. As some great photographer once said it ain't the camera it is the photographer...with a kit like I describe one could probably spend a lifetime trying to get just a few great photos.

Again thanks for the kind welcome...

Here are a few of what I consider "keepers" from my last roll of film...memorial day...need to get a brick of some good stuff...this is drugstore Kodak 400 shot through a FE with 135/2.8 lens...

MrBernard.jpg


Mike.jpg


Peggy.jpg
 

Eye-level

Banned
Thank you Helene I'm getting there...can't wait to get a 85 or 105 someday... :)

The first shot I think works very well because the rocks and the 91 year old man seem to go together...ancient!!! LOL

The 2nd and 3rd are of a husband and wife, the wife being the daughter of the old fellow. The 135/2.8 can blow out some backgrounds if you open it up wide but you lose the details really fast...it works best as a far range full body portrait lens. The second pic has some crazy distracting bokeh going but yet the face is pretty sharp...still an alright photo though I guess. In the third pic I think it suffers from the Kodak 400 grain a bit...well unless grain is your thing I guess...
 

Eye-level

Banned
I have a mighty Nikon Arsenal (there is another F2 and another EM and a couple more lenses and accessories not included in this pic) and although I am not digital yet I do have an Electronic Rig...LOL

Arsenal.jpg


ElectronicRig.jpg
 
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