Two steps forwards, one sideways.
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2025 1:28 am
Well, this time I managed to remember to take the focussing aid, made easier by the fact that there is a) room in the bag, and b) the focussing screen on the MPP is waaay brighter than the one on the old 9x12cm Zeca. The downside is that the MPP weighs a wee bit more than the Zeca.
I headed north from the city towards the Remutaka range to have a wander round the various forest parks and hills to see what I could find. I followed a track up to a waterfall and lookout, but while very pleasant, they weren't photo-worthy. But the flat area at the start of the walking track was looking more like it, with the light striking across the non-native gum trees. I had in mind a panoramic framing, approximating the XPan format. So, I pulled a DDS with some Efke 25 from the bag and setup the camera. This time, the bright focussing screen and magnifier made life much easier. I was quite pleased with the result:
Efke 25, 510-Pyro 1+100 for 18' (in Paterson Orbital):
After that, I headed up the hill, giving the car a good workout up the steep and twisty Remutaka Hill road. Being such a nice calm day, I thought I'd climb up to the trig station for the views. The camera and tripod seemed somewhat heavier.... Anyway, once up the top there was the reward of some fantastic views, including some of the remaining snow on the neighbouring range.
These two shots taken looking west, one with an orange filter, one filterless, shot on Adox CHS100 developed in Rodinal 1+25 for 6' in the Orbital:
The orange filter version could do with more shadow detail, the filterless one could do with some better sky contrast. I might have to play around in Affinity and see if I can do some sort of exposure merge.
Here's the MPP on the tripod pointing south, the photo looking over to Wairarapa in the east:
I headed north from the city towards the Remutaka range to have a wander round the various forest parks and hills to see what I could find. I followed a track up to a waterfall and lookout, but while very pleasant, they weren't photo-worthy. But the flat area at the start of the walking track was looking more like it, with the light striking across the non-native gum trees. I had in mind a panoramic framing, approximating the XPan format. So, I pulled a DDS with some Efke 25 from the bag and setup the camera. This time, the bright focussing screen and magnifier made life much easier. I was quite pleased with the result:
Efke 25, 510-Pyro 1+100 for 18' (in Paterson Orbital):
- Out of Place Gums
After that, I headed up the hill, giving the car a good workout up the steep and twisty Remutaka Hill road. Being such a nice calm day, I thought I'd climb up to the trig station for the views. The camera and tripod seemed somewhat heavier.... Anyway, once up the top there was the reward of some fantastic views, including some of the remaining snow on the neighbouring range.
These two shots taken looking west, one with an orange filter, one filterless, shot on Adox CHS100 developed in Rodinal 1+25 for 6' in the Orbital:
- With orange filter & lens hood
- Unfiltered (no lens hood)
The orange filter version could do with more shadow detail, the filterless one could do with some better sky contrast. I might have to play around in Affinity and see if I can do some sort of exposure merge.
Here's the MPP on the tripod pointing south, the photo looking over to Wairarapa in the east:
- MPP pointing south, looking to the east.