It was apparent fairly quickly when I started looking in to the whereabouts of these places that colour might not be the way to go. I'm a firm believer of the wise words : colour is good for colour but everything else is black and white.Especially in this pleasant isle, the overpowering colour of landscape expanse is green, some brown, and a lot more green again. If you are looking for that then no problem but with this series, mono was the only option.
I was using mainly Ilford FP4 at the time I started this in 2008, which is a fairly slow ISO 100 - 125 film with smooth greys and also relatively fine grain. I moved more to Fuji Acros later which is the same speed but when scanning has a clarity that is, in my humble opinion, second to none. I now shoot predominantly Fuji films especially the Acros / Neopan black and white negative stock.
At the beginning I had a Mamiya RB67 which I used exclusively with the 50mm Sekor C lens. Unbelievably sharp optics and a great camera to handle. Coupled with my trusty Minolta light meter and rudimentary Zone technique, I believe the Mamiya is as good a medium format camera you could get to grips with and use.
I was using mainly Ilford FP4 at the time I started this in 2008, which is a fairly slow ISO 100 - 125 film with smooth greys and also relatively fine grain. I moved more to Fuji Acros later which is the same speed but when scanning has a clarity that is, in my humble opinion, second to none. I now shoot predominantly Fuji films especially the Acros / Neopan black and white negative stock.
At the beginning I had a Mamiya RB67 which I used exclusively with the 50mm Sekor C lens. Unbelievably sharp optics and a great camera to handle. Coupled with my trusty Minolta light meter and rudimentary Zone technique, I believe the Mamiya is as good a medium format camera you could get to grips with and use.
However during the series I came across an auction held by the London Metropolitan Police Forensics Department for a number of Pentax 67 bodies, lenses and other assorted bits.
I picked up a couple of the 67s and a good assortment of lenses - my favourites being the 45mm, 55mm and 90mm.
This camera is superb - possible to handhold yet with a neg size perfect for serious scan and enlargement. Looking like a colossal SLR my hands are already ergonomically trained to hold and search out its simple controls. With the TTL exposure meter on top, it is also possible to use without a separate light meter although I'd always recommend taking your time with this like all medium / large format cameras.
Street candid grabbing, while possible, is not the primary remit of these beautiful behemoths.
I picked up a couple of the 67s and a good assortment of lenses - my favourites being the 45mm, 55mm and 90mm.
This camera is superb - possible to handhold yet with a neg size perfect for serious scan and enlargement. Looking like a colossal SLR my hands are already ergonomically trained to hold and search out its simple controls. With the TTL exposure meter on top, it is also possible to use without a separate light meter although I'd always recommend taking your time with this like all medium / large format cameras.
Street candid grabbing, while possible, is not the primary remit of these beautiful behemoths.
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