Not a common sight to see across Florida skies. Cirrocumulus (Cc) clouds are normally found above 25,000 feet (Florida). These were actually higher than nearby condensation trails left by high flying jets. Seen in early October.
Flying high above Walt Disney World…
Camera: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170
Thanks for your visit.
C&C
Almost sunset… sea oats along the dunes – sea fog obscures, the sun leaves its mark. Florida’s Atlantic coast. Winter’s days are numbered – Spring will be gone in a flash. Summer, well summer sticks around – and stays and stays.
Enjoying the brief cool days before the sun reminds us where we live.
Camera: Samsung Galaxy S4
All the best,
Chris & Carol
A fun little point and shoot camera from Yashica-Kyocera (1986). This lovely camera was kindly donated to us from a blogger friend and photographer who lives in Japan. She tests cameras that strike her fancy and often processes her film at home. We think her test shots are extremely interesting – and always well composed too. You can find her at https://cameragocamera.wordpress.com/
Field test v1.0 was done in Japan.
She typically hunts around in second hand shops and picks up cameras for well under $10 (I think this one was only $3).
The Yashica gets a fresh roll of Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400 and a new finger strap (in almost matching red).
This Yashica uses a 32mm f3.5 lens. The camera features a simple drop and go (well almost) film loading. It is a DX coded camera so it sets the ASA (sorry, old school). It produced 26 exposures from a 24 exposure roll.
Pull the film leader to mid point on the orange line and between the white marks.
The real test – can this inexpensive Yashica L AF deliver the same image quality as its highly regarded cousins – the Yashica T3 Super with Zeiss T* 35mm f2.8 lens or the more closely related Yashica T AF?
The T3 – often sells for over $200 on eBay. The L AF – well under $20!
Yashica T AF. Yashica’s first in the T* Series of cameras (1985). Probably the most closely related to the L AF.
I won’t post all 26 images here. I will pick a broad representation of the photographic challenges that I threw at the Yashica L AF.
First image overall – strong back lighting. A challenge for any simple AE camera. First sign of a red spot (far left).
These next two images were focused at infinity. Strong mid day lighting so deep shadows. The Fujicolor rocks some nice vivid colors and contrast!
First real test of the auto-focus and AE in dim lighting below. It did well considering the strong sunlight in the background.
I know right – crazy dark blue sky! No filters, just Superia X-TRA 400 and a contrasty lens.
Nice detail. Sharp focus too on this sign below. The Yashica employs center weighted metering. Most AE cameras would be thrown off by the bright sky.
Tough AE situation for a simple point and shoot (deep shade below). Post production would help but I like it as it is.
Back in the bright Florida sun!
Day 2 below at home. I was about 3 feet from the carp. Looks good.
The attack of the red bar! Not sure the why of it.
The AE handled this situation well – I blocked out the sun with the palm tree which allowed the Yashica to get a good reading on the building.
As I said at the top. All 26 images were excellent with about 4 experiencing the mystery red spots and bars. I’m thinking that the red marks are from a processing error – it’s way too random to be a light leak. No post production on any of these images. They’re presented just as they were scanned by the processing lab. Maybe the CD will be even sharper.
We’re impressed! The camera has a solid feel – it has some weight and is actually as big as our Fujifilm FinePix S9900W.
So does this inexpensive Yashica L AF beat the Yashica T* Series? Don’t know yet – now all we need is someone to donate a T3 or T4 to test it!!! ^.^
For the money, if you can find a decent Yashica L AF and want a great point and shoot 35mm camera that produces better than expected images – the L AF more than delivers and at a price that won’t break the bank!
Camera(s): Yashica L AF Date, Fujifilm FinePix S9900W and Samsung Galaxy S4
Final shout out goes to the City of Fernandina Beach, Florida! Thanks for never messing with the Historic District – it looks the same (for the most part) as it did 120 years ago!
Many thanks for your visit! Comments – please do. Donating a T3 or T4? – email us ASAP!
Chris & Carol
Nothing says deep summer like sea oats along the dunes on Florida’s Atlantic coast. Summer sky filled with cumulus clouds – cooling sea breezes and afternoon thunder. Come back summer!
Summer will arrive soon enough… and last, and last – and then last some more. Then it’s time to wish for some cooler weather.
Camera: Fujifilm Finepix XP100
Thanks for your visit.
Chris
St. Peters Episcopal Cemetery – Amelia Island, Florida. 2.2.2017
Camera: Samsung Galaxy S4
Centre Street, Amelia Island.
The Palace Saloon – Florida’s oldest bar. It opened in the late 1800s and was once the watering hole for the Carnegies (who had a mansion on nearby Cumberland Island) and the Rockefellers. It was the last American tavern to close during Prohibition! Still a favorite spot with locals and tourists alike.
Pirate Pete guards the entrance – only allowing thirsty people with money to enter.
Thanks for stopping by!
Chris
We just got our first roll of film from our new Fujica processed with ‘The Darkroom’. They scanned the 6×9 negatives and zipped them to us. We couldn’t be any more pleased with the results.
As a refresher – this is the 1978 version of Fuji Photo Film’s GW690 medium format film camera. It is the last model to to be called ‘Fujica’. It looks great in this image and it is in very nice condition, but well worn from the thousands of rolls and exposures taken. It will settle in to a more quiet life with us as we can’t afford to buy and have processed 120 film and only get 8 exposures per roll. But we are super happy with it. Super sharp Fujinon 90mm lens transfers the image nicely to the 6×9 negative.
By the way… all of the images presented are direct scans from the negatives. No post production on our part – no crops or other messing with the images. Some I missed the correct exposure by a stop or two with my guesses. I was mostly shooting at 1/250 with 100 film at around f8 to f11. Neopan Acros is very forgiving.
As you can see, we’ve presented 6 exposures vice 8… 1 other was a duplicate and exposure 8 wasn’t on the roll! I think I may have wound past the first frame. We believe the level of detail and contrast of the Fujinon lens is superb. Did we mention that we’re big fans of Fuji’s Acros? We also love the 6×9 format too. I would say that I was surprised at the shallow depth-of-field in the truck image – I focused on the ‘GMC’ logo and as you may be able to see, I missed spot on focus.
All of the images were taken along Centre Street, downtown historic district, Fernandina Beach – Amelia Island, Florida. The post office building is ca. 1911. The clock tower is ca. 1891. The ‘Pineapple Patch’ building is ca. 1880s. You get the point – for the U.S. it’s kinda old – for most of the rest of the world they’re kinda new. It’s all relative. ^.^
Thanks for your visit!
Chris and Carol
Closed and forgotten long ago when the super highway passed it by. Abandoned and neglected. Sun bleached, baked and peeling – rust overwhelms then destroys. Plants invade, cracks widen, water seeps in. Rot and mold – bugs and rodents. Soon to collapse – no restoration – forest takes over.
Camera: Samsung Galaxy S4
Thanks for your visit!
Chris
Altocumulus (Ac) clouds progressively invading the sky. Real meteorological definition. Not often seen this dramatically in Florida. The late winter sun was at just the right angle which made for some interesting lighting. Typically these clouds would be about 6,000 feet above the ground this time of year and they are found in what is called the middle etage (Mid 5) of the atmosphere. There were no cirrus clouds above which added to the drama of the lighting.
Now a bit of fun with the clouds…
Thanks for your visit! Comments are always welcome.
Camera: Samsung Galaxy S4
Chris ^.^
The Prairie School style of architecture was influenced by the popular Arts and Crafts style of design from the last part of the 1800s – born in the American Mid-West, it swept across the United States during the early 1900s and was in part made famous by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. This fabulous building is at the corner of Broad and Duval Streets in Jacksonville, Florida. Construction began in late 1912 and finished in 1916.
The Masonic Temple as it still stands today. Catching the last rays of Florida sunshine on a winter’s day.
This five story reinforced concrete and brick building located in downtown Jacksonville, Florida has stood the test of time for just over 100 years.
My image doesn’t do the building justice as it only focuses on one small part that caught my eye in the glowing late afternoon sunlight. The abstract ornaments includes a row of Masonic symbols between the fourth and fifth stories and ornate terracotta and pressed metal designs elsewhere.
The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Of interest, it was home to the first African-American owned bank in Jacksonville, the Anderson Bank. The building was groundbreaking in the sense that while located in the deep south, it was one of the few buildings that African-American business owners had their professional offices – dentists, doctors and lawyers.
Image taken with my Samsung Galaxy S4.
Thanks for your visit! Comments are always welcomed. Chris ^.^
Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris 