Now it’s the right time to process other analogue photos. This time from the Russian rangefinder camera Fed4 loaded with black and white film Ilford PAN 400… It’s my second roll of film in that camera. This time it ended almost a success, vast majority of photos were correctly exposured, there were almost no wasted shots. Of course a few photos are just to dark, but it was mostly because of the bad lightning conditions, it was too dark, and I’m not experienced enough to set the correct timings on the camera. What’s more light meter build in that camera is just not usable in that conditions. Then you should just guess the settings. Now I will know that :)
A few photos taken by this camera are really great. If settings are correct the film shows that’s the blacks and contrast is great. The photos taken by this camera are really plastic, and a little bit softy. it’s not perfect if you would like to freeze some details on the photos. But the results from this camera are really interesting. For example check the first photo of Ania and Agata taken on the platform of U-bahn in Berlin (1st photo).
On the second you can see the station Eberswalder Straße itself – view on the platform. Next shows you the station from the outside. You can compare that photo with the one taken with the Canon AE-1. The results are completely different, of course the conditions and settings also probably were different.
Fed4, Ania i Agata. Checking the timetable.
Fed4, Eberswalder Straße – the platform.
Fed4, Eberswalder Straße Bahnhoff – view from the outside
Next photos were taken on the 1st of January, during traditional New Years Day walk :). First one shows the famous Brandenburg Gate taken with optimistic settings read from the build-in light meter assuming enough of light for that settings. As you can see you cannot believe those indicators, especially in low-light conditions. On the next photo you can see better exposured Gate… I probably took small alterations to the readings. Also bigger amount of light (Gate lights, smaller distance) was really helpful.
Next one shows photo of the modern roof in Berlin – at the Potsdamer Platz, and another was my way of documenting the time… freezing the moment of 1.01.2011 displayed in one of the trams of Berlin.
Fed4, Brandenburg Gate on 1.01.2011 evening…
Fed4, Brandenburg Gate – better settings.
<%ColorBox(1/20110501_Fed4_IlfordPan400_04.jpg|Fed4, Modern roof in Berlin - at the Potsdamer Platzfade)%>
Fed4, Ilford PAN 400
Gdańsk Wrzeszcz railway station. Long-range trains platform during winter. Second photo taken for the test purposes in the train, really nice exposure, nice blacks… what a pity that others are not like that…
Gdańsk Wrzeszcz long-range trains platform.
Bike in the IC train…
Short trip around Młociny area. If i remember it right it was Sunday afternoon and I wanted to take cameras and find some nice place for photos. As you can see below I couldn’t find any interesting subject :) On the next 3 photos you can see in order: the Młociny Metro station building (final stop of the metro line), main entrance to the Warsaw Steel Mill (Huta Warszawa) and once again the buildings of the Młociny Hub in the distance…
Fed4, Młociny Metro Station Building
Fed4, Entrance to the Warsaw Steel Mill
Fed4, Młociny Hub in the distance
The next event when I took the Fed4 with me was the visit at the Warsaw Airport. Of course I knew that this place is special and cameras are not welcomed there… however I had to try to take some shots… I’ve managed only two before the airport guard came to me and kindly asked to not to take photos here. Probably in the past during the communism times I would end up with the fully opened camera and exposured film floating in the air, so the changes are visible :)
Below are two shots from the airport cropped to the 1:1 square. These photos really look better in the box, especially that probably something wrong with the shutter curtains which are made from rubberized fabric. Or maybe it’s the matter of proper setting of the shutter speed dial. Maybe I will try it next time, however for now I’m having fun with mine new toy Yashica Electro 35.
Fed4, Man waiting for someone with a rose.
Fed4, Reflections of the waiting persons…
Gdynia Orłowo, fisherman’s cutters visible from the restaurant. If you come here very early you can count on the fresh fish straight from the fisherman.
Fed4, Gdynia Orłowo.
The next photos are from the Sunday walk in Gdańsk… what you can see is some random shots during that trip. We were passing by new unfinished then Stadium – PGE Arena Gdańsk where the matches of the Football European Championships 2012 will be played.
Next photo is quite interesting – it’s the shot of the old photographer’s window in New Port… nowadays it’s difficult to see a picture like this. Next one is also from the New Port district – you can see the laundry drying outside, on the lines which are between the trees and the balconies. Great idea and working solution which seldom can be found elsewhere.
Last photos were just to finish the roll… I took them while we were walking on the path were old rails were to New Port Station. It’s the view at the Westerplatte from the New Port District.
Fed4, PGE Arena Gdańsk. Letnica. Gdańsk.
Fed4, Photographer’s window. Nowy Port, Gdańsk.
Fed4, Laundry in New Port.
Fed4, Westerplatte from the New Port district.