My "Best" SolarCan

I had given up on the SolarCan after two less that great experiences.  When I contacted them I was told that some of the early versions had defective pinholes.  They sent me one replacement SolarCan.  I haven't deployed it yet.  But after this results, I will give it a try when the Equinox rolls around.

So this is my "Best" Result.  It captured both Solstices from my back yard.  I had basically left it there for 18 months and given up.  But the recent Hail storms tore it off the fence.  So I brought it in to see what I had:

Below the Raw image without inversion or contrast adjustments:

I have one more SolarCan in my mother in laws backyard to take down.  I'll compare the two and decide where to place my last SolarCan.

Cameras, Lenses, Film and Contrast

Three views of the same place, two cameras and two films:

First the Fuji GW690III with Kodak T-MAX 400 (no contrast filter):

The lens for this camera is known for it's higher contrast.......especially in the rocks, but not so much for the sky. No filter used.


Now the Mamiya-7 with Ilford SFX-200:

The dark sky is a tell tales characteristic of IR-sensitive films like SFX-200.  Using a 695 IR filter to allow some visible light through..........


And a second Mamiya-7 with Kodak T-MAX 400:

Much less contrast in the rocks than the Fuji GW690III; less darkening of the sky than SFX-200; using a dark red filter.

My Lomo Purple First Roll Report

Hmmmmm......Not sure what I was expecting.  But I have 3 very different results depending on the sun light.

First shooting into a bright sky:

Next with the sun at ~90 degrees to the left:

And getting a lot of Blue with an overcast Sky:

New Camera Family Members....

When people find out that you are a film camera user.  They assume that you also collect film cameras.  Or at least that's been my recent experience as three very different cameras have recently passed into my hands...........

The first one is the Minox Spy Camera with accessories:

Not sure why the Sony rear lens body cap is in the picture.  But since I forgot to add a ruler, it does give you a sense of scale.

Given to me by a friend who thought that I'd be able to figure out how to make it work.  For such a small camera it does have a lot of features to set.  He gave up when the film disappeared, but you can get it now, and I have a brand new roll ready to go.  But it also came with and expired roll that I'm going to shoot also.


The Second new family member comes from a neighbor that is moving.  She'd gone digital a while ago and the Fujica ST 705 has been packed away for a while.  Still has film in it, which I will finish.  Also came with an exposed but undeveloped roll.  I told my Neighbor that I would deal with getting it all developed and send them prints.

The Fujica shown here with a 35-200 zoom lens and 55 mm normal lens.  There are some other lens accessories tht we will explore later.  Along with the Fujica was a Canon Sure Shot, also with a partially exposed roll of film.

Oy vey!  I'm going to be very very busy, as I've also acquired another Minolta XD-11 that I am testing and have a recently serviced one that I am testing too.  More about these when the film comes back.

So am I becoming a Camera Collector?

Hail Garden Carnage Report

I've been reporting on our garden harvests.......Last night we were hit by pea to golf ball sized hail.  Unlike last year no major damage to the house. 

First the Poppies: The White Prickly Poppies are blooming now;  the Red Flanders Poppies are just about done.  Some broken branches though.

Next the Tomatoes:  some damage, but they will recover.

A few broken branches, but mostly lost leaves.

The Collard greens were largely OK.  This one leaf shows the worst damage.

My larger Daturas are starting to bloom.  Luckily not too many open blossoms yesterday.  

The buds were OK.  Smaller plants in the back yard will recover.

Hopefully my Poblano Pepper (below) will recover.......

Garden Harvest Continues.....Collard Greens

My second harvest from the Garden features Collard greens.  A veggie that I dearly love but had never tried to grow before.  My Father's garden always had them.......a staple item.

I've also had 2 more salads since my first salad posting and have many more salads yet to harvest.  

Wonderful growing your own food!

Zoomed In with a Flag: Happy 4th of July!!

I used to post Flags on all National Patriotic Holidays.  I've fallen away a bit.  But heading back with some subtlety:

Zoomed In Here Too!

I've posted a lot of Zoomed In features on my other Blog Here.  But Now one for this blog too!