Daddy’s Got a Brand New Toy!

Well, actually, daddy’s got a brand new old toy. It’s a Mamiya NC1000s (pronounced ma-MEE-yah) 35mm film camera. That’s right, a film camera!

I purchased it from eBay, and it came with a 50mm f/1.7 lens (shown on the camera with a UV filter I purchased separately) and a 135mm f/2.8 lens. It cleaned up nicely and looks great. I added the SmugMug strap I already had.

I also picked up a set of eight filters from eBay. Seven of the filters fit the 49mm threading of the 50mm lens and the eighth filter fits the 52mm threading of the 135mm lens. All filters are in mint condition, and I doubt some were ever used. The filters were a nice acquisition that set me back a staggering sum of $11 for the eight. The 135mm f/2.8 lens, which came with the camera, is also shown in the photo below with the filters. The colored filters will help me enhance the effect of particular colors in a scene when rendered in black and white (B&W). For example, the red filter will darken blue skies as most of the blue will be blocked by that filter.

I purchased this camera, mainly to shoot B&W on a good, older, and inexpensive camera. Specifically, my goals are to:

• work with film to compare differences and similarities with digital,
• occasionally restrict myself to a photographic medium which was prevalent, not that long ago,
• force a slowdown in my photography due to the newness of the camera and the expense of film,
• enjoy the feel of handling a more mechanically imbued camera and the process of using film, and
• train my eye to see in B&W — and, yes, I know this one is possible with digital.

The automatic exposure on the Mamiya NC1000s only works in shutter priority mode — the camera also has a manual mode, of course. For manual mode, I’m thinking of using my Canon PowerShot A590IS as a makeshift exposure meter — not having a dedicated meter. The PowerShot A590IS — a great little camera — contains an evaluative and center-weighted metering option. Yes, the Mamiya also contains a built-in light meter, but my PowerShot provides more control over metering than the simple one in the camera. Plus, I’ve coupled the PowerShot with CHDK, which provides a live histogram.

Film

As my interest in film photography, for now, is with high contrast B&W, I purchased some Ilford DELTA 100 PROF 135-36, Ilford HP5 PLUS 135-36 and Kodak TX 135-36 (TRI-X PAN 400) based upon recommendations. I purchased this film online from B&H, which is a fast and professional photography source.

Film developing is definitely not in my plans, now or any time in the future. I have neither the time nor inclination to muck around with chemicals and paper to get that “just right” look. That sort of photo post-processing is going to remain in the digital realm in my house.

Seeing as how I have no plans on doing darkroom, I searched online for a professional lab. After reviewing quite a few possibilities, I settled on Iris Photo & Digital, Northampton, MA. They develop professional B&W film, their development prices look reasonable, and the cost of having the photos scanned onto a CD are better than other labs I checked.

First Impressions

I love the feel and balance of metal sitting in my hands and the beautiful “clunk” sound it makes when the shutter snaps.

Though it was the lightest SLR camera of its kind at the time of its introduction, it’s heftier than the plastic cameras of today — not a bad thing necessarily. It just feels nice and looks fantastic. No preformed plastic hunk with electronics you can’t fix. The mechanical nature of this camera makes me think I could repair it, given a manual and the right parts. I suppose it’s akin to owning an antique car; simpler structure and a more hands-on approach to life.

As far as the output quality goes, I’ve only used up about a dozen shots from one of the 100 ISO rolls, so I can’t make a judgement call on the photo quality yet.

Plans

This camera will obviously not be my primary camera, that’s still my Canon 40D, but this will provide me with some fun in a different way.

For now, I’m just taking my time, looking for scenes that present high contrast opportunities. Other than that, I’m just enjoying my new toy. Hey, I love it so much, I purchased another one in mint condition from eBay! This is getting to be a bad habit.

If you would like to learn more about the Mamiya NC1000s, or its twin the NC1000, then check out Mamiya NC1000 & 1000s or Mamiya NC 1000 S Camera Body sites.