Ok, now I've watched the whole video, and I have to say, that you've once again pulled a great video out of the bag, and given much food for thought. Your videos are unique on RU-vid that I've found. I like how one day, "I'll try taking out my 4x5 camera" and then, "I wonder how compact 35mm cameras would do?" and then, you add a compact digital to the mix. Or medium format. It's real--all real. :-) Now, to my thoughts. If you wanted to shoot a film SLR, wouldn't it be more compact to take a couple primes instead of the zoom? I'm thinking a 28mm and a 100 or 200mm telephoto. I have an old Pentax mount 200mm F/2.8 that I used to love shooting with (even got an adapter for it to shoot on my Canon dSLR). It seems it would be a bit lighter--but I could be wrong. Also, you got me wondering if there were any decent compact film cameras that had manual controls, and decent glass on them?
Thanks Jon. I’ve also considered a two or three prime setup next time providing I can carry them to allow easy access. I’d probably go for 28, 50 and 85 Nikkors which are light and compact. A small rangefinder would also work, the bodies are a similar weight to an SLR but the lenses are really tiny.
I love to see videos where the photog goes out with a light kit and makes compelling images. Photography is the bonus when I go out hiking. If I had to carry 10 kilos of gear it would cease to be a bonus.
Would have been interesting to see how your 35RC rendered colors. I love the way the 42mm Zuiko on my 35RC handles colors, especially the blue spectrum.
“On that bombshell”? You must be a fan of Top Gear :-) I enjoy your videos a lot and I take notes most of the times. Your are a great source of inspiration and a very creative and talented person.
I enjoyed watching your vlog and seeing the results of these 3 cameras. I've added your channel, I do a bit of retro film photography as well as aerial drone content also.
Steve, this video, and the previous one on these two ca,eras, plus the Sony, we're like a miniature-vacation to the mountains, at least for me! Calm, clear, and connected, that's how I would describe these two, they are some of your best. Thank you.
Hi Steve, love your videos, very informative and highly enjoyable, love your relaxed way, just thought i would ask you about using old film lenses on micro four third cameras, i have just started using them and find that they slow me down which is helping with my photography, the sharpness of the photos is amazing so was wondering if you would fancy doing a blog if you decided to try them out, the only thing about using old film lenses on micro four third cameras, the focal length is doubled which is sometimes good but sometimes bad, i am waiting on a metabones speed booster arriving soon to sort that out for me, can't wait. Looking forward to your next outing and seeing your amazing captures. I am using Olympus OM lenses on an Olympus OMD 1 Mk 2 with just a cheap adapter at the moment.
Thanks Henry. I’ve done a fair bit of adapting lenses to digital cameras but generally find full frame better due to the crop factor. Wideangles are a real issue and my 20mm nikkor isn’t really good enough here. Longer lenses are great though such as a 50mm 1.8 but overall I prefer native lenses on each camera system.
The Nikon auto lite is not meant for this type of photography. I have this camera and the lens is definitely not sharp. But it’s a great camera for chucking in a 400 speed film and using it at parties with flash. I really would’ve taken an SLR on a trip like this. The scenery deserves a better camera.
Steve always look forward to your blogs. Your photos are amazing: That walk is brilliant so many photo opportunities. I think you have as many cameras as I do and I love them all:
lol.. some lovely rose tinted b-roll - class :) It looked a fabulous walk and although its one I haven't done it looks like the hills above the Sygun Copper mine, possibly Moel Dyniewyd? I could tell from your bits to camera that you was really enjoying the walk and coupled with a lightweight kit I bet it was a real pleasure. Images as always were excellent and your compositions are always something that I enjoy. As you were going through the prints I was thinking, ok a few might have struggled on A3 but where it came through it did so with flying colours. Would love to see you put a little box set of A4s like Ben does but using various cameras on your trips. I am sure you would get some interest :) Atb Alan
Thanks Alan, it really is a nice area to walk and relatively easy to get to as well. I’ve thought about putting together some print sets but not for beyond that stage yet.
Excellent videos Steve, what came across so well for me, is the colour from the nikon, being very good, I know it's the film, and the black and white from the rc, we're beautiful. Also, you should maybe have mentioned, the olympus, is a piece of art in its self. I hope you continue with these videos, I'm loving them. Stay safe.
Thanks Dean. The colours were very good indeed and at the wide end the Nikon is certainly passable. It was no match for the RC though with that superb lens.
Fantastic video again Steve. I'm very much a digital shooter these days, but I started with film and this brings back a lot of fun memories. I had an old Zenit which my dad still has, and a Canon 3000V. I thought they were the best things ever. The walk along Aberglaslyn and up through Cwm Bychan over to Llyn Dinas is a real favourite of mine too. Such a beautiful place with so much to point a camera at. It looks great on early mornings and late evening in the summer when everything is green and flowering, almost looks somewhere alpine. Apart from the old copper mining pylons up through Cwm Bychan of course. Really enjoyed this video Steve, and the critique of the images at the end was very enlightening! Keep up the great work buddy. I've recently started vlogging my outings too, I've still much to learn, but it's quite addictive. Although filming myself "talking to myself" was the weirdest thing to get over to begin with. Look forward to your next videos Steve!
Thanks Gareth, is love to do the same walk in the evening light. Good luck with the vlogging too, once you get used to talking to yourself it gets a lot easier 🙂
@@SteveONions thank you. I'm getting there with it. My most recent vlog is probably not the greatest in terms of video, but the images I got I was very pleased with 👍
Great -- thank you! Beautiful countryside -- and the weather is not horrible for January. Since the compact rangefinder is so compact, maybe you could take one with you -- along with an older SLR, and have two different types of film available at the same time. There are a few very similar compact rangefinders with slightly wider lenses. Does anyone make hiking poles which double as a monopod? That would be a great way to bring a camera-stabilizing stand with you without any extra weight.... Oh -- love the old mining stuff in that valley (cable run for moving materials up and down the valley?) and the stone building ruins high up on the mountain....
Great video as always Steve! You got me interested in the RC and I just picked one up and ran my first roll of Tri X through it, so far I am impressed!
Fantastic images - I love them all, even the ones you said were “disgraceful”! It looks like you can get magnificent shots whatever camera you use. Reminds me of your Holga experience that amazed me. The point and shoots are good fun and some are excellent, but I have recently combined a canon EOS old film camera with a modern EF lens with autofocus and I get a cheap but excellent point and shoot but also full control if I want, in still a relatively small package. Many thanks again.
Another interesting and informative vlog, Steve. I tend to carry a 120 folder loaded with FP4 these days - camera in one pocket, meter in the other - and a Canon G10 compact for the colour. Looking forward to your next adventure in the hills.
@@SteveONions now for the hard part: try and make as gorgeous pictures like yours, because they are absolutely amazing. Like I said: your videos are among the most inspiring on RU-vid.
Hi Steve, many thanks for your excellent vlogs. They really inspire me to get back out there with my film cameras again. I have also been looking to reduce weight to enjoy the walks more and your suggestions are really useful. I think I will stay with my Yashicamat 124G for film and carry a compact digital in support. Keep inspiring and thank you.
That's a pretty good balance Peter and I've done the same myself on a few recent trips. Having a small digital compact means never missing shots and it also leaves you free to do the B&W work with film which to my eye is superior to digital.
One of the attractions (for me) of compacts, is, its limitations. It makes me work a little harder and think more at the scene in the viewfinder. Now that the 35 Trip and XA3 have rusted beyond help I've been using the FE2 and a 50mm. Alas not the same. So I will replace the compacts when the opportunity arises. Love the 2 posts photo. Great vlog Steve. Cheers Diz
Inspiring stuff. Based on the results would you go back along the same trail with the Bronnie or Intrepid(s) with the view of potentially "improving" the images captured?
Great adventure Steve and good follow up from last week. I really enjoyed the images at 03:50 and 13:10. Anyway, I've dusted off my old compact film camera and will be getting some film and taking it out for a spin soon, so thanks for the inspiration!
Very enjoyable walk, as you say the scenery is incredible, even on video. Loved the "Rocky" pose! While the photos look nice on video, obviously there is much more to evaluate in person, so your conclusions are all the more important. Light weight is not worth sacrificing image quality (within reason). Cheers, and thanks for a great blog series!
Great video- am very puzzled why the later zoom point and shoots like your Nikon were given such dire lens speeds, although I suspect going for very compact wide to telephoto camera is the reason. Alot of the older ones with 35-70mm focal lengths had f3.5-6.7 lens speeds, like the Pentax zoom 70 which might be better.
It’s all down to size sadly. There’s no way such a small camera can have a fast zoom that covers 35mm. An APSC film camera would be more compact but as you say it’s probably better to go for a shorter zoom range to get faster apertures.
I'm curious Steve, why you shot with both Portra and HP5 when actually Portra converts really well to B&W in Lightroom (or other software). I get the need for lighter equipment therefore you could have gone with an interchangeable lens rangefinder and a couple of lenses and used just 1 body and film. Don't get me wrong I'm grateful that you do these experiments and share them but just saying.
@Bobby Brady I was toying with the idea of getting the RX100 VA. For landscape shots, I almost always prefer digital over film, but for portrait shots, it's the opposite. I just thought it would be interesting to see what difference there would be with a 1" sensor vs film printed out.
Great video! Again, little camera must be bad. At the end the guy behind the camera makes the image. I own two Olympus 35 (RD and AC) and both have their strengths and weaknesses.
Another really interesting presentation. I have tried various compacts over the years, and have really grown to despise them. As often as not they either have some sort of non obvious fault or stop working after a few rolls of film. I can see that they have a place for street photography as you say, but I won't be wasting any more film in one.
Proof that skill and craftsmanship scores over technology..! Thinking back to the days of the compact zoom film cameras, I'm sure they ALL had 'stepped' autofocus, as opposed to the continuous systems seen on SLR's of the same era. So it was/is always a bit of 'pot-luck' as to where the damn things actually focus. They really were jack's of all trades and in my opinion were never as good as the less complicated (maybe less flexible) fixed lens alternatives like the Canon Sureshot's. There is little doubt however that the small Olympus cameras of the day are still highly competent performers. That area up behind Nantmor is a great and little visited area, your shots do it real justice Steve.
Thanks Alan, it does have a stepped zoom and I ended up leaving at the wide end eventually. I’m definitely going to take a bigger camera up there this year.
I’m not so familiar with the Fuji’s Stefan apart from a 645 autofocus model which has a superb lens. I’ve often considered the 6x7 and 6x9 but every time I see one the size puts me off.
Steve O'Nions I’ve had a Fuji GW690 for years and just added a GSW690. Yes they are big but not that heavy. For me it’s all about the lens quality. And negative size. With modern film they are equal to 4x5 from 20 years ago. Plus you have to suffer for your art
Great video Steve, you're inspiring me to get my Olympus SP out into the hills. I've got about 80 feet of HP5 in the freezer and it's high time I got some of it exposed! The tones in the two prints you showed at the end are really nice - apologies if you've covered this elsewhere, but which developer do you use? Time in the tank and water temperature are also of interest… Cheers!
Have fun with the lovely SP Graham, the RC’s very capable big brother. I can be a bit random when it comes to developers, currently (and in the past) I’ve favoured Xtol 1:1 for its sharpness and ability to deliver box speed.
Steve, thanks for the video. Great info and logical conclusions. I applaud your quest for a portable photography experience. However, have you considered creating an ultralight 5x4 setup? You can put together a kit that weighs around 6 lbs (2.7 kg) if you use a very light camera (e.g., Standard or Intrepid), very light Amazon tripod, a single 150mm lens, one or two screw on filters and use your phone as a light meter. And of course you only get 4 - 6 shots (2 -3 film holders). Maybe not as light as a Nikon F2 and a zoom, but still reasonable and, of course, a totally different work flow from 35mm.
Hi Dave. I’m definitely going to give a light 4x5 setup a try this year, probably with two lenses and maybe just the 6x12 back to save the weight of film holders. I’ve a few very light tripods that would work well on a calm day.
I'd be very much interested in the DSLR scanning of 35mm negs. My Nikon CoolScan 50LS ED is getting old and I just worry at times about how to replace it if it went all wrong. My Olympus EM5 MKii in high res mode or the Nikon D800 should be able to cope with scanning the 35mm negs. Many thanks.
Your Nikon is still a good bet and I prefer a dedicated film scanner to a digital camera. I have got good detail using hi-res mode on my Panasonic G9 but it does look more digital (unsurprisingly).
@@SteveONions Yes, I do believe the Nikon can have possibilities for doubling up as a scanner. It is a damn shame that Minolta is no longer with us and Nikon have all but given up on film photography. The nearest usable scanner available today to my LS-50 is probably the Pacific Image XAS Super but reviews about this item are as rare a hens teeth.
Loved the video Steve, I picked up a cheap 35rc last year. Found I didn't enjoy using it as much as my FE2, so I let it go. I think I came to the same conclusion about the versatility of an slr for nature/landscapes.
Try a Minox 35GT. I do like mine when weight is important. It gives enough control by adjusting the ISO setting if needed. Focus is guesswork but it gets better with practice.
Beautifil photograps as always Steve. Looking at your video I was all the certain about the fact you will eventually come to the advise to go for the F80 :!! You did make a lot of vid's making photographs with your F80 film camera.
My experience with the Nikon Lite Touch Zooms also. Basic metering with no way to override it means it tends to underexpose on high contrast scenes. I tend to take a compact plastic AF SLR instead if I want something light
Hi Steve. I have watch quite a lot of you videos now and I can truthfully say you are my favourite photographer on RU-vid. I always agree with everything you say and today's video is no exception. I have always found point and shoot compacts a nightmare to use. I love the images you got though but would have loved to see a comparison with medium format or even large format, not just the resolution difference, but how they got the better photo because of the user control they gave. 18/1/2020
Thanks. I’ll be doing more walks this year and some will involve medium and large format cameras. I just need to reduce the load to make it all manageable.
What is with the fences everywhere on your side of the pond? I realize it's probably to keep the sheep in certain areas, but here in the states it would also mean keep out. It just seems like everyone over there can wonder around where ever they like. Great images also, it was nice to see the prints from the previous video. Heading out today to make a video down the shore with lighthouse pictures. Almost got the darkroom done, I just need lens adaptors for my lens turret.
In the National Parks you pretty much can go where you want, above a certain height, and in certain areas. Back in the 1930s we had a mass trespass movement which won a lot of rights. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_trespass_of_Kinder_Scout
Freedom to roam. Quite an amazing ethos, when you put into perspective the ridiculousness of land ownership in general, and how it works in America. You can go to jail or legally be shot for simply existing on a patch of earth because someone owns it.
I picked up a Canonet G-III a few months ago on a whim just to play with and shot a roll of Delta 100 around my property. For such a small camera, it has some surprising 'heft' to it and produces some nice images. Its a bit wider than your Olympus, but not by much...has a 40/1.7 lens (I think 35mm would have been ideal). Filter ring is 48mm...now need to look for a pair of yellow and red filters.
Hello Steve, thanks for the video and a wonderfull place for photography you have there :) Also interesting to put those 2 35mm compacts in the comparison. How come though, i am not that surprised with your final conclusion on the camera's? (a happy olympus 35rc owner and user here ;) although i tend to use my 35rc more in urban settings)
hey Steve, have you ever thought of getting the minox 35 on your trip. I find it spectacular in price, quality & size. granted you are limited on the 35mm lense but that could work with landscapes.
Great video it is impressive the work you do i have 5 cameras that i just not to shoot much a mamiya 645 yashica d olympus om10 pentax k1000 and olympus pen f almost forgot a canon dijital, but watching your videos i have been inspired to do so and for the last 7 or 8 months been doing so, to the point that I'm developing my rolls of film and with an omega enlarger that i had forever even doing a few prints not near as good as yours but aseptable thanks for the inspiration keep up the great work
I enjoyed your VLOG and like your philosophy of it. I would throw down my Rollei 35S (with filter set) and my Sony RX100 mark one. Location: Boston mid June 2020. It’s a dream to commit. Subject: the history, architecture and dynamics of people. VLOG with iPhone. Again a dream. I would hope to score some keepers. Color AND B&W. A3.
It’s a circular walk Martin beginning from the bottom end of Llyn Dinas. The path of flat to Beddgelert than the route follows the river south before turning back and over the hills to the starting point.
That ansvered my question to your last vlog. There are cameras you cant do good with ;-) How about a Ricoh GR1? 28mm f/2,8 lens and IIRC some manual controll.......nope apperture priority and program only :-(
If you were thinking about selling or getting rid of that Nikon, let me know. I’ve been looking for one of those but the copies on eBay are iffy as to whether or not it’s working. I’ve bought a few film cameras on eBay this past month that simply don’t work but we’re listed as excellent.
It was actually surprisingly hard to track down that Nikon model Michael, there are a lot of versions that have a 35mm at the wide end but the 100w is rare. I think I got it from Germany and it was around £40.
I think A3 prints from point and shoot cameras is outside their capabilities really. They are ok at 8x10 which is "snapshot" print size. Sometimes as you say its nice to just enjoy the day out 👍
Michał Purzyński I have a RZ67 you won’t look back. They are a bit of a learning curve. Remember to release the lens.spring when not in use not to many people know about that one. You tube is a good teacher. All the best with it.
We had some nice fog here a few days ago...took out my RZ67 with a roll of Delta 100. Luckily, it was close to home, only had to hike a short bit, and I was familiar with the area so I only needed to bring along my 90mm. Bringing along multiple RZ lenses on a long hike would be tough...its like carrying a boat anchor.
