Nikon F80 & Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 ED VR on Fujifilm Acros II. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°
Taken 15 August 2026.
Down at the canal
Tag: cameras
A new view of pylons (and other things)
A few weeks ago I bought another new (to me) lens – a Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 ED VR. It was bought as a walkabout lens to use with my Nikon F80, and also the Nikon D810 DSLR that I bought to scan negatives, but which I will probably do some actual photography with as well. I believe that the lens was the kit lens for Nikon’s pro line of DSLRs and, from the reviews I read, appeared to be well regarded and sharp.
Othe than the Reto Ultrawide and Slim camera I have, it’s the widest focal length lens I own, and it’s surprising the ammount of difference between 24mm and 28mm (the widest focal length I otherwise have at my disposal), and I’ve made use of this wider angle on a good few occasions now. It does distort noticeably at the wide end though, and not in a way that’s easily rectified (on film shots, at least), but with a bit or perseverance it can be done well enough for my needs.
It’s also not a small lens and is a little unbalanced on my F80, which is quite small for an SLR, but I can put up with this due to the convenience it brings. The 24-120mm focal length is plenty good enough for most of my needs (I can bring along the 70-200mm lens if I need more reach), and it is sharp – far more so than the Tamron 28-300mm I had for a while.
It’s also a VR lens which makes it even more useful thanks to the F80’s ability to make use of the image stabilisation. It means I’m able to handhold it at pretty slow shutter speeds and still avoid camera shake.
I’ve shot a few rolls of film using it so far, and the ones I’ve developed and scanned all look good, so I’m pretty happy with it.
And what better subject for a new lens than some pylons. 😀
Nikon F80 & Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 ED VR on Fomapan 400 (shot at 200asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°
Taken 28 July 2026.
A walk in the country
The black and white pictures I’ve been sharing over the past week were from a walk I took near Carlton-in-Lindrick, a village in Nottinghamshire not too far from where I live. It’s a place I’ve visited for a walk and some photography three times now. The first was in 2025 on a day where the ground was waterlogged and muddy, which made for a less than pleasant walk (especially when it began to rain), but still produced some nice pictures. On that occasion I’d planned on a longer walk that took in the countryside to the west and east of the village, but I only managed the western side due to the conditions.
The third visit took place in mid-June, and was when I took the shots I’ve posted this past week. That walk took me to the east of the village, out past Hodsock Priory, and was a nice hike spoiled only by the fact that my film was underexposed, spoiling many of the pictures as a result.
So here today are the results from my second visit (I know, I’m posting these out of order, a fact that niggles me somewhat). This was almost a mirror of my first hike, with me walking much (but not all) of the same route, only in reverse and, thankfully, in far more pleasant conditions, passing through a mix of farmland and woodland, before finishing at the church close to where I’d parked my car.
I only shot with my Yashica Mat 124G, and here are the pictures that I saw fit to upload (the full roll except for a slightly boring picture of some crops – imaging the first picture but without the interest of the footpath). I shot a roll of Ektar, a film that normally gives me pleasing colours straight out of the scan, but on this occasion I really had to faff around with it to get the colours looking correct (and I’m still doubtful that they are). Further tweaking may resolve things, but I haven’t had the time or inclination to do so. Yet, at least.
But, apart from the slight concerns about the colours, I do like most of the pictures I got.
Yashica Mat 124G & Kodak Portra 160 & Kodak Ektar. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Taken on 2 May 2026
Pebbles
This feels like a seaside picture, but it was actually just a layer of pebbles laid down on a farm track a long way from the sea.
Nikon F80, Nikkor 70-200mm f/4 ED VR & Fomapan 400. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9 mins @ 20°.
Taken on 31 May 2026
Final guardian
There was something vaguely ominous about this scene, I though. Almost as though the tree was waiting to grab anyone passing beneath its branches.
Nikon F80, Nikkor 70-200mm f/4 ED VR & Fomapan 400. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9 mins @ 20°.
Taken on 31 May 2026
Barley fields and summer trees
Nikon F80, Nikkor 70-200mm f/4 ED VR & Fomapan 400. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9 mins @ 20°.
Taken on 31 May 2026
Country lane(s)
Three country lanes (well, the first two pictures are the same lane) photographed during the same walk. I’m still a little miffed that I lost a lot of the shots from this roll. There are a few that I really would have liked to have seen turn out properly, both pictures of horses as it happens. Still, I guess should be thankful for the pictures that were salvageable.
Nikon F80, Nikkor 70-200mm f/4 ED VR & Fomapan 400. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9 mins @ 20°.
Taken on 31 May 2026
Poppy
Nikon F80, Nikkor 70-200mm f/4 ED VR & Fomapan 400. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9 mins @ 20°.
Taken on 31 May 2026
Barley
At least I *think* it’s barley. I’m never quite sure which is which and have to look it up, but these have awns – the thin bristles poking out of them – so I believe barley is correct.
One thing that wasn’t correct was my exposure of this roll of film. I think I’d changed the metering setting on the camera and the resultant negs were extremely thin, with a sizable number ruined as a result (losing a few pictures I think would have been pretty nice). Luckily I was able to rescue some of them and I’ll post them in the coming days.
Nikon F80, Nikkor 70-200mm f/4 ED VR & Fomapan 400. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9 mins @ 20°.
Taken on 31 May 2026
Screwy
Nikon F80, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 OS HSM Macro & Fomapan 400. Rodinal 1+25 5.5mins @ 20°.
Taken on 20 June 2026
