Kiev 60 Macrophotography

In my last post I talked alittle about using the Holga macro lenses. I also tested my Kiev 60's macro credentials at the same time. The camera I bought came with two extension tubes (40mm and 20mm) and so I decided to see what this Soviet bruiser would make of some delicate flowers.

The results are below.

This was taken with Ektachrome EPP 100, xpro'd. The photos which followed were all taken with a negative film, Fuji Reala. What surprised me is the fact that the cross processed Ektachrome gave some quite subdued colours, where as the Reala gave some really wild colours. The photos were all taken in my kitchen on a white table with a largely white background so where the turquoise back ground came from is a mystery to me. Anyway I do like the results .
The images were taken using the 40mm extension tube only and I mounted the Kiev on a manfrotto tripod with a three way head. The light was natural, and I waited for a bright sunny morning when the sunlight comes into our kitchen. I didn't use a cable release, mainly because my capitalist cables don't fit this relic of Brezhnev's USSR.

Overall I like the images and I like the bokeh. The focusing is OK and the inbuilt light metre means the exposure is right.

Do I prefer it to the Holga as a macro camera? The answer is yes and no. The Holga is not an ideal camera for macrophotography to say the least - you can't frame the image because the view finder is no good and similarly the focusing depends on how well you guess the distance form the subject to the lens (unless you stick a ruler to the holga).

With the Kiev you can do this and let's face it Communist Russia built better glass lenses than Communist China built plastic lenses so the image quality is better.

But...I actually prefer to use the Holga in some ways. One of the Holga's greatest qualities in my opinion is it's simplicity. If I want to take a photo with the Holga, all I need to is pop on the macro lens, hold the camera at the correct distance and press the shutter.

I find having to carry a tripod and head very cumbersome and the Kiev 60 weighs as much as a T72 so framing a subject properly can be awkward. Maybe I'm too impatient but I like the Holga's easy operation.

The results from the Holga are good and I don't mind the fact that the focus is slightly off or the framing might be abit wonky - the images have an abstract feeling that I think compliments the form and colour of the flowers. I don't need pin sharp details and focusing that's accurate to the nearest nanometre - I' not trying to sell my shots to National Geographic (though I'd be quite happy to if they asked).

Would I use my Kiev plus extension tubes again? Yes - the Holga's biggest limitation is it's fixed shutter speed and aperture and I don't yet own any lights so in that respect the Kiev should give more consistent results. I've got to get some more expired Reala though. That was my last roll and I do like that turquoise.

Click on macrophotography to see the full gallery. Feel free to follow me, like me, swap links or send me money, food or clothing (male only) if you like this post. Nostrovia!

Holga Macrophotography

A few years back I got quite into macrophotography and bought some extension tubes for my Nikon F3, a ringflash etc., etc. As you can see from the link, some of the results weren't too bad. When I bought my digital SLR, I dabbled with that though the results were never too good - mainly because I need a proper flash or light unit.

Then Holga brought out their macro lenses and the thought of lo fi macrophotography was too good to resist. If ever there was an oxymoron then lo fi macrophotography is it especially when using the Holga!

Macrophotography, which is supposed to be about precise focusing, good lighting and using technology to capture minute details seems a million miles from the plastic camera with no controls other than (most important of all) the photographer's eye.

The holga macro lenses come in sets of two lenses with a focal distance of 30 and 60mm. Simply make sure the lens is set to infinity (the mountain), pop your macro lens on top of the Holga lens, point the camera at the nearest insect and voila, fine art meets a bee's bottom!

You obviously can't use the viewer to compose or focus the shot so what do you do? A ruler is useful here as you do need to be fairly precise in the focal distance. Some photographers have attached sticks with the correct focal distance to their holgas which seems to work well, I tend to use a tape measure. Once you have the distance simply hold the lens in front of the subject and shoot.

I have to admit that after abit of pracise I tend to revert to the "squint and guess" method of measuring distance so some of my shots were a little out of focus - but this actually made some of the images I captured. An example is below:

Another out of focus image that I quite like is this snowdrop. Shot with Ilford Delta 3200, pushed to 25000, I managed to get the stem in focus whilst the flower itself is blurred. No matter - for me the photo has a delicate quality that would be lost with a sharp focus.

Finally, here is a shot that came out alright. All these shots were taken in natural light and so this last one could probably have benefited from some flash - my next task is to tape my Tamron ring flash onto my Holga to see how that works.



Click on macrophotography to see the full gallery which also includes some macro work with my Kiev 60. My next post will be about the results taken with my Kiev 60.

In the meantime leave a comment, link to me, "like it" on facebook, send me money or whatever

Pictures of Budapest

These three pictures of Budapest during a visit in Easter. I took my Holga and Demekin Superheadz (I've yet to develop that film).

You can see the full gallery by clicking on Pictures of Budapest.

In the meantime here's a taste of the full gallery:

Trains, Planes & Automobiles

Haven't been posting much recently, but not because I haven't been photographing or travelling...in fact I've just spent two and a half days trudging overland from Lisbon.

I am now an expert in every single train, bus and plane route between Lisbon and Broxbourne - which will come in handy the next time the world ends.

No, the truth is that I have been busy shooting, buying new cameras (a Kodak 44a, Coronet Ambassador, a Hawkeye Ace Deluxe and a No. 0 Brownie - all cheap off e-bay), testing my Holga macro lenses, playing around with my Kiev 60. Also took a load of rolls following an Easter visit to Budapest.

I am currently scanning the results and will post the results shortly.

The Superheadz Demekin Fisheye Camera

My wife gave me a Superheadz Demekin fisheye camera last Christmas as a novelty present.

I've written a full review of the camera here but I'll summarise here as follows:

The camera is small, light, with a very wide angle lens and is very simple to use. you can see from the examples show that the image quality is as good as you'd expect from a 110 film camera. Which actually is not too bad - it reminds me of the super 8 films my grandmother would take of my sisters and I when we were little children scampering about. The 110 film has the same vibrant colours and impressionist feel as Super 8 film.

This is a great camera for whipping out and taking a surreptitious photograph - you don't have to aim it and it's so small most people won't notice. That being said I was caught ought by a Moroccan street vendor in Marrakesh who harangued me saying that I was a very bad person for taking photographs without permission and obviously Jewish (!?). He looked confused when I told him I was a Roman Catholic.

110 film is rare these days though eBay seems to have regular supplies and there are labs that can process the format so the Superheadz Demekin is not impractical.

I don't normally push products but on this occasion I will - this camera is alot of fun and is small enough to fit in your pocket when you go travelling. The pictures are vibrant and reasonably sharp. The Superheadz Demekin would make a great gift to a friend or relative or for yourself.

You can buy the cameras on Amazon as you can see below:

Vincent Price promotes the Nishika N8000

This is probably the best promotional video ever produced. Getting the great Vincent Price to sell the virtues of the Nishika 3D camera was an act of genius.

If this doesn't make you buy the Nishika N8000 nothing will.

Facebook URGENT CALL!!!!!!!!!!!!

My brother in law told me that Social Media Marketing was THE thing last night and that I needed a facebook profile and a twitter account. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be marketing but I've just set up my first face book account.

I obviously don't want to look like billy no mates so this is an urgent call to whoever it is who actually reads this blog to become my friend on facebook.....I know there's one of you out there so stop sending me hate mail and be my friend on facebook instead!!!

You can find me on facebook/wanderingholga (I think?) my username is wanderingholga anyway.

In the meantime here's another photo from Morocco. I'm not normally a big fan of double exposures but this (accidental) shot was taken in the Jardin Marjorelle in Marrakesh.


So please help launch my cyber social life into the 21st century and be my friend on facebook....

PS does anybody know how to my posts on my blog appear on my facebook wall?