first pics from my 645N

Gooshin · 10-21-2009, 11:30 AM

are mostly snapshots and i dont like them

i also dont like Kodak 400TX, in fact i dont like any Kodak b/w film

i'm going to try Ektar 100 next...

but my first overall impressions are mixed, rather bulky compared to a 35mm camera, also i have to resort to a flatbed scanner for these as a dedicated MF film scanner is out of my budget for now..

75mm F2.8 @ 1/10th iso400

75mm F4.0 @ 1/1000 ISO400

75mm F4.0 @ 1/500 (or something) ISO400

75mm F2.8 @1/350 ISO 400

Nesster · 10-21-2009, 11:41 AM

Damn it, that newfangled 645N contraption works!

I HATE 400TX, the damn thing is a dust magnet and furthermore scans with strange color variations... and did I mention how it curls? And bows? The traditional Kodak film (pan-x, tri-x) is much better.

Gooshin · 10-21-2009, 11:59 AM

the film advance scared the shit out of me when i took the first shot.

Nesster · 10-21-2009, 12:15 PM

Yes, this is definitely a camera you want to take to some quiet place... and the thing has some torque, maybe it's not really doing this, but I feel my 645 is trying to twist itself out of my hands when the advance does its thing.

Have you faced this one yet: you load up the film... and not quite sure if you should hit the shutter to advance it to #1? Or does the N do that automatically, like a motorized 35mm cam?

Gooshin · 10-21-2009, 12:17 PM

havent loaded new film into it yet.

it will come it will come

i'm still planning on buying my own chemicals.. that will come too...

i keep trying to convince my friend to sell "our" Nikon 5000, his Epson V700, add another 5 bills, and purcahse the Nikon 9000!!!

Nesster · 10-21-2009, 12:23 PM

you can always sell your car or house to get a Hassy scanner...

BTW, I saw some guy today in Union Square, he had a 6x7 with the wood handle around his neck. It didn't seem that much worse than a 645.

Gooshin · 10-21-2009, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by Nesster

you can always sell your car or house to get a Hassy scanner...

BTW, I saw some guy today in Union Square, he had a 6x7 with the wood handle around his neck. It didn't seem that much worse than a 645.

hard to be a ninja though with that sort of thing..

bc_the_path · 10-21-2009, 12:41 PM

Gooshin,
I think you should separate the quality of/on the film from that of the scanner. The film you mention is made for a conventional darkroom printing. And, the flatbed scanners are -as far as I know- usually not the best tools to extract information from films.
My frustrations during the early phase of shooting with a 645N was mainly due to scanning issues.
I still like the camera, though I find little opportunity to use it routinely.

I suggest (to myself, as well!) that, if we are going to scan the film and print the digital data, we need a workflow just for this. (Which may mean using C41 films even for monochrome work).
If, on the other hand, we will be using a conventional darkroom, the workflow (not the camera!) should be different.
I guess the film you tried can be a source for excellent photos in a conventional darkroom, even while the scanned images look rather flat.

I also happen to use a Kiev88CM medium format camera and the necessity to wind the film manually (a rather tricky thing) reminds me of the sweet, spontaneous, musical, "auto" movement of the film in the 645N.

tuco · 10-21-2009, 09:49 PM

Originally Posted by Gooshin

i also dont like Kodak 400TX, in fact i dont like any Kodak b/w film

Shall I give you some links to some great 320TXP, 125PX and TMX shots? It is not the film. Any problems using them stands behind the camera.

Try adjusting your pictures so your whites are "white" in the graphics editor. It will improve your results.
.

yurihuta · 10-22-2009, 10:48 AM

You still have to depress the shutter release on the 645N to get it to advance to the first frame (as least on my two bodies this is the case).

Originally Posted by Nesster

Have you faced this one yet: you load up the film... and not quite sure if you should hit the shutter to advance it to #1? Or does the N do that automatically, like a motorized 35mm cam?

yurihuta · 10-22-2009, 10:55 AM

Hey folks,
Take a look around for a used Nikon Coolscan LS 8000 ED. I have purchased a couple in the last two years for well under $1000 USD. They are out there. There was one this past week on photo.net for $800 USD - and I purchsed one just over half of that in great condition.