Steel City Snapper photography
35mm, medium format and large format film photography (with the odd bit of digital every now and then…)
Spring is pretty much upon us and soon that lovely low winter sunshine will have retreated for another year, its effect only available to the early-birds and night-owl’s amongst us as we get further into summer. So here’s a photo of springtime early-morning sunshine bathing an appropriately named pub.
Minolta SRT 101b, Rokkor 50mm f/1.7 & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 27 February 2020
He looks hungover and is also literally so. 🙂
Minolta SRT 101b, Rokkor 50mm f/1.7 & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 27 February 2020
A few weeks ago I bought another new (to me) camera – I really need to try and stop doing this! Anyway’ the camera in question is a Minolta SRT 101b SLR and came with a Rokkor 50mm f/1.7 lens attached. The light seals looked a little shabby, so I replaced them, but the camera is otherwise in excellent condition. The camera uses the old mercury cells, so I’ve fitted it with a Wein cell to allow the meter to function correctly.
It’s very much in the traditional 1970s SLR mold – silver body with black leatherette. It’s considerably heavier and bulkier than my Olympius OM-1, which is a similar camera in terms of features.
I popped in a roll of Delta 400 to test the camera and went for a walk around the flea market in Chesterfield when I had a day off recently. The camera handled the lighting with aplomb, giving good metering whether under the shadows of the stalls, or when in bright sunlight and, now that I’ve confirmed it’s working ok (everything seems fine, although the mirror occasionally sticks up after the shutter fires – although it drops back on the film advance action), I’ll take it out again when I get chance.
Both of today’s photos were taking in the same covered arcade on teh edge of the town centre.
Minolta SRT 101b, Rokkor 50mm f/1.7 & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 27 February 2020
I think, when I took this picture, I’d intended for there to be some seperation between the two figures. However, as I was using the waist-level finder on the camera when I took this (hey, it’s still a novelty, ok? 🙂 ) I didn’t quite manage it. Nonetheless I quite like the way that it looks like their faces are touching in the shot. The light was gorgeous too – gotta make the most of a sunny day in the wintertime!
Canon Sure Shot Ace & Ilford Delta 400.
Taken on 8 February 2020
I’m pretty happy with the way this photo turned out. I noticed the shaft of sunlight in the underpass and decided to wait for a figure to pass through it. I used the Sure Shot Ace’s waist-level finder so I’m very pleased that I managed to time it so the figures are illuminated by the sunshine, but their heads are in shade and framed against the sunlit wall at the far end.
Canon Sure Shot Ace & Ilford Delta 400.
Taken on 8 February 2020
Eek! I almost forgot to post something today – for some reason I thought I’d uploaded something earlier. I’m clearly losing it! Still, I caught it in the nick of time.
Here’s a photo I took because I liked the way the sun cast shadows of the writing on the windows all across the furniture in the store.
Canon Sure Shot Ace & Ilford Delta 400.
Taken on 8 February 2020
This is a photo I’d forgotten I’d taken until I scanned the negatives. I think it was the sunlit buildings reflected in the glass that attracted me and I completely missed the stain on the ledge at the time. I’m not sure why, but I don’t think the photo would work half as well without the stain.
Canon Sure Shot Ace & Ilford Delta 400.
Taken on 8 February 2020
Another couple of photographs from the Sure Shot Ace – the top and bottom of a block of flats close to the city centre.
I started scanning this roll yesterday and, after a couple of strips, I was a little disappointed – a lot of the images looked distinctly soft. While the camera is otherwise basic, the remote trigger and – especially – the waist-level finder are useful and unusual features for a camera of this type, so for it to have a poor lens would be a disappointment.
However, to my pleasure, after scanning another couple of strips the results from those frames are much sharper. I’m thinking that the earlier results were down to user error or my overloading the AF system by shooting into the light (the camera flares badly if this is done, at least from the few shots I took in this way).
I don’t think it’s quite as sharp as the other Sure Shot models I’ve used, but it’s not bad and I will certainly be using it again.
Canon Sure Shot Ace & Ilford Delta 400.
Taken on 8 February 2020
A street shot from the first roll I’ve put through the Canon Sure Shot Ace that I picked up recently. It’s a curious camera – a very basic point and shoot, but with the addition of a waist-level finder AND a detachable shutter remote. I may do a review at some point when I’ve figured it out a bit.
Canon Sure Shot Ace & Ilford Delta 400.
Taken on 8 February 2020
Stood right beside the twisty oak woodland that I featured yesterday stands Wellington’s Monument. This stone cross features the dedication: “Wellington, Born 1769, Died 1852. Erected 1866 by E.M. Wrench, late 34th Reg’ment” and commemorates Wellington’s victory at the Battle of Waterloo. The cross is visible atop the hillside from the A621 Sheffield Road which passes to the east at the bottom of the valley. Across the valley on Birchen Edge stands another monument, this one dedicated to Admiral Lord Nelson.
Olympus OM-1, F.Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 | Zuiko 28mm f/3.g & Ilford Delta 400.
Taken on 4 January 2020
Steel City Snapper photography 