Author Chris and Carol

No Love Fuji? The Discovery 90 Date

Chris and Carol 8 Comments

The plastic fantastic wonders of the 1980s and 1990s generally receive no love – especially looking back on them with our digitized eyeballs in 2017. These overlooked (even when new for the most part) cameras were the bridge cameras for many photographers that were moving away from their bulky SLRs from the 1970s and looking for something easy, carefree and light to take with them on short outings and family get togethers. The 35mm format was the clear winner in the format wars, now manufacturers wanted think-free 35s that were as easy to use as falling outta bed (?).

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This Fuji Discovery 90 Date was introduced in May 1993 to an already crowded plastic 35mm marketplace. So how to stand out? Drop-in loading, auto focus, auto exposure auto rewind and auto wind was a good start. A big bright viewfinder centered over the lens – and macro capability (23 1/2 inches / 60cm). Auto flash. How about a good price too? And free film? Free batteries… sure. $10 in coupons too!!! Fuji did everything it could to sell these things, and they did alright too. It helps that you make film.

We like our recently acquired Fuji… it feels balanced in my hand and I like the big centered viewfinder. The lens is a Fujinon f8 34mm lens – we can’t wait to run a roll through it to test it out. By the way, the Fujicolor expired in May 1997.

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Thanks for your visit… check back when we run a roll through it. Do you have a favorite plastic fantastic camera? Let us know.

Camera: Fujifilm FinePix S9900W

Chris

Yashica Flex AS-II by Yashima Optical

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One of the original group of 6 cameras that Yashica (Yashima Optical Industries Company, Ltd.) made in the early to mid 1950s. This AS-II was introduced in 1954 and featured a built-in (well, attached) light meter. They’re solid cameras these early Yashica TLRs, and in our opinion, had some underrated features as well as great lenses. The light meter was made by Sekonic by the way.

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Yashica Flex AS-II with built-in light meter (just visible on the camera’s left side). The light meter’s cells were located under the nameplate and were exposed by lifting up the nameplate flap.

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The AS-II featured Yashimar lenses that were made by Tomioka Optical for Yashica. A Copal shutter with a blazing fast 1/200 top speed!

If you’re in the market for a vintage Yashica TLR then the AS-II should be on your list. Be advised that most will not have a working light meter – if you get one with one it’s a bonus. They are a bit hard to find – 63 year old cameras don’t often look this good or work perfectly. We were lucky as we were able to purchase this one from a collector in the US for a reasonable price.

Taken on the US Post Office steps in downtown Fernandina Beach, Florida. The post office dates to 1911.

Camera: Samsung Galaxy S4

Chris

Carol and Sakura

Chris and Carol 2 Comments

My lovely wife Carol enjoying the sakura blossoms in front of my mom’s house in New York – 1974.

Shot with my Yashica TL Electro-X and printed on Kodak matte finish paper. This many years ago the colors have faded…

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… but our love hasn’t.

Still married 43 years later to my sweetheart and best friend. ^.^

Chris & Carol

 

Our Cat – ‘Avon’ 1977

Chris and Carol 6 Comments

One of the last good images I was able to take of our cat Avon enjoying some warm sunshine by our front door. He was a found kitten, starving but friendly (aren’t all hungry kitties friendly?). He was found along Carol’s Avon cosmetics route in Pensacola, Florida back in 1975. A Tom Cat with a silly name but it fit him. He ran off from our new house in Yokohama, Japan and he either lost his way or was taken in. I don’t think of the other possibilities.

Original image taken with my Yashica TL Electro-X on Kodak Ektachrome 64 color slide film and the matte finish print of the transparency was dry mounted. The scan is of the print (flaws and all) with my Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II scanner.

Say hello to Avon.

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Full uncropped image taken with my Fujifilm FinePix S9900 under studio lighting vice a scan. The marks are on the print. I like his tone and tint better here (below).

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Thanks for the visit!

Chris and Carol

Marseille to Sisteron & Gap by Train – 1986

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As part of my ship’s port visit to Cannes, France, I was able to take an all too short trip to Marseille from Cannes and then on to Sisteron. Not quite the full French Alps but close. A charming little town with some nice views of the mountains. Unfortunately I had to be on the next train heading back south so I at best had only an hour to walk about.

The quality of the scans are not the best as satin paper does not scan well at any resolution. All images were taken with my Canon F-1 (1978 Version) on Kodak Kodacolor negative film.

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Marseille train station?

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Pretty sure that this was at the train station in Sisteron. Although I could have made it all the way to Gap.

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I didn’t take notes as I shot these images – 31 years later I can’t recall exactly where they were in Sisteron or were they in Gap?

All the best and thanks for your visit! Oh by the way, if you recognize any of the scenes please let me know where they are. Thanks

Chris

Yashica EM TLR test roll – 2011

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Some recently found images from a roll of Kodak E100VS Ektachrome Professional color slide film taken with my Yashica EM. Shot and processed around 2011 or so. Scanned (today) with my Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II scanner.

I normally shoot Fujicolor PRO400H color negative film and Acros 100 black & white… I can see why. I wasn’t happy with these images when I first saw them and that’s why I probably just chucked them in a drawer.

My post production (no PS or LR) after the scans helped some but the color was way off. In fairness, it could have been the processing as I used a basic online company vice ‘The Darkroom’.

The transparencies weren’t cut properly by the lab so some of the square images are not square. I don’t crop my 6x6cm images after scanning as they’re meant to be square (adds to the composition challenge in the viewing hood).

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Amelia Island’s courthouse.

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Clock Tower

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My father-in-laws motor home.

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Front yard river birch planted from a 1 gallon pot 15 years ago.

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Backyard dry streambed with maidenhair ferns.

All of the images were exposed using the Yashica’s exposure meter. Since slide film has a narrow exposure latitude, it was a good test of the Yashica’s nearly 50 year old built-in meter.

Mammatus Clouds

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Some mammatus clouds associated with a cumulonimbus cloud (thunderstorm). As seen in south central Florida during a moderate thunderstorm. No reports of tornadic activity and lightning strikes were only occasional. Since this was observed in late March, the freezing level was probably around 12,000 feet or so. Lightning normally occurs whenever the top of a cumulonimbus cloud reaches at least 10,000 feet above the freezing level. So the top of this cell was around 22,000 to 25,000 feet – not likely a severe weather event producer as it was nearly stationary and not associated with a front. Contrast that with the atmosphere during the summer – a thunderstorm cell in this area would reach 50,000 feet or more and be more likely to produce severe weather.

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Camera: Samsung Galaxy S4

Chris