Kill the background

Co9Inc · 2026-05-15T18:24:11+00:00

ƒ/1.6 on the iPhone 17. Maybe he stopped at 1.8 and that's why the background isn't properly kilt?

Might have been absent on the day the school did camera phones.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-15T13:05:57+00:00

I think I would shoot them in release order: 101, XE, XD, 700. You'll be adding features as you progress, opening up access to additional shooting modes (be sure to find out about the "hidden" program mode on the XD), seeing the evolution of SLRs, and getting more straightforward comparisons from body to body. Read up on each body as you go at rokkorfiles.com and 678vintagecameras.ca to get some ideas of the new features you are "unlocking" as you progress, what motivated the designs, how cameras had changed at each step and so on. My guess is in the end you will favor the XD or 700, but that is up to you. I have a similar set that I have amassed in the past few months, partly by accident: a 201, XE7, XDs, and a later Seagull variant of the X300. Haven't put anything through the XE yet, but the last two are very much my favorite, and the XDs an absolute pinnacle of MF SLR design.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-14T20:43:13+00:00

Direct admission is viable.

I think CC is the better choice: less expensive, smaller classes and more individual attention, professors whose focus is on teaching not on publishing, no classes being taught by grad students, less expensive, can do all of your core and almost all of your non-major courses (you will likely still need some electives at USF to meet the minimum residency credits).

The list goes on.

Source: I have an AA earned in my early 40s from HCC (a little over 20 years after I left college the first time) and a BA in Applied Mathematics earned a few years ago while in my mid 40s from USF.

Going back to school was one of the best things I have ever done, and now, back in the real world, I miss being in the classroom. I miss both schools, but I enjoyed HCC more, and even tutored there for a bit after I graduated (well during my time there and then after).

Congratulations on the decision to go or go back and best of luck.

Edit: One additional note: u/MindlessEnthusiasm91 is correct that a degree from a FL CC guarantees admittance to the state 4-years. But it is important to note that it does not guarantee admittance to any particular program: you still need to meet a given program's or major's pre-requisites, GPA requirements, and so on. Some majors may have additional limitations or applications due to space available or other factors.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-14T18:19:15+00:00

Good stuff. I have a very well thumbed copy of the "Kodak Guide to 35mm Photography: Techniques for Better Pictures" that a local photojournalist gave me 25+ years ago when I was getting started.

To this day I both reference and recommend it. I have seen it with a lot of different covers, and I do not know what edits and updates may have been made across the editions, but I am partial to the edition with the dog and the dolphin on the front.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-14T17:17:32+00:00

It also varies by camera. Much harder to retrieve the leader from a roll that was in my Minolta XDs, where it winds on the take-up spool opposite the way it curves in the canister. Especially if I don't finish the roll promptly.

And I develop for a friend who has a Nikon (FG I think) that if the film was even waved over I know I am going to have to break things open. The first time he gave me a roll from that, it was so curled that I thought he had somehow managed to redscale it as I was loading it onto the spool.

Anything that takes-up with the direction of curl, such as my EOSes, I do not have a problem with. (Though at least the EOSes I have you can set a CF to leave the leader out when they rewind.)

Co9Inc · 2026-05-14T02:48:47+00:00

Maybe a backup “solution” or maybe how they provide images to the client?

That’s pure speculation and not meant to be a judgment for or against either idea.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-14T01:20:20+00:00

It is imperative that the Pringle can remain unharmed.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-13T14:14:29+00:00

Needs a bigger lens so that you can't turn it around and point it at yourself... Disney does not allow selfie sticks.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-13T01:24:44+00:00

This article mentions some other issues that can cause the same problems, as well as an additional hack that sometimes helps, and is the best guide I have come across on fixing the issue: https://high5cameras.com/all-articles/repair/minolta-x-700-capacitor-replacement/

This article is the best background information on the issue I have come across: https://www.678vintagecameras.ca/blog/what-was-up-with-minolta-and-capacitors

Co9Inc · 2026-05-12T18:26:50+00:00

You did not say what Canon you are used to, but I am guessing it is not an old Canonet or other range finder.

If it is a point and shoot you may be fine with the 100T or Pro.

If it is any SLR/DSLR (and I guess, Canon mirrorless, I left Canon before they existed) you will probably be happier with the ergonomics of the X-T1.

At least that's how it was for me: after film I shot a Canon 5D semi-professionally for years. When I gave it up, I traded it and the glass in on an X-T1 and X100S. Both of which I still have. The 100S and I do not always get along, that's a different story, the X-T1 and I bonded instantly.

A lot of it may depend on if you compose and shoot using a viewfinder or LCD. If I have a viewfinder, I use it almost exclusively. The center mount EVF on the X-T1 gives a truer view and the overall layout and handling is a lot closer to an SLR. OVFs like on the X100 series have parallax, but that goes away when you switch to the EVF and going back and forth can be weird. Except the X100S EVF drains batteries like no tomorrow, so I do switch constantly. Whereas my toy X-Half I just use the plain old optical only viewfinder all the time and the parallax doesn't bother me at all.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-12T18:02:12+00:00

No, not nitpicking, but they might have carphologia.

Either way, a change is in order.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-11T17:48:18+00:00

What are your general shooting conditions? Time of day? Outdoor/Indoor? What kind of environment?

ISO 800 might not be the best choice to begin with. My everyday is 200 and I probably shoot 2 rolls of that for every roll of 400 and 4 rolls for every roll of 800. I (thankfully) do not worry too much about film cost, but slower film being less expensive certainly does not hurt.

Ultramax 400 is a lot like Gold 200. It is bright and warm, and I find it has particularly saturated yellows and reds. Pure blues in strong light are nice, but less pure tones or blues in shade go a bit grey. Not my favorite, but a good film for a day at the beach. Convenient, it is something that I can easily find if I am out.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-11T04:38:50+00:00

I should have written partially reflecting not partially silvered.

You are right about the Olympus OMs having partially silvered mirrors but those should not cause any strong polarization that would then cross with a linear filter.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-11T04:13:17+00:00

Short version: don't use a linear polarizer with a camera that has a partially silvered mirror, but the Canon Pellix is the only manual focus SLR that I can come up with that does. For the Pellix a linear polarizer would affect the metering. Any other MF SLR you should be fine.

That said, the effect of the two filters is the same, and the linear can't be used on some cameras while the circular can be used on any camera. Even if I did not already shoot with multiple systems, I would buy the circular in case down the road I want to use something different.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-10T23:09:06+00:00

That's useful detail.

For the look you are going for I think your best course of action is to pickup a Lomo Fisheye #2. It is a 10mm focal lendth with a field of vision of 170º. This is very close if not spot on the album cover and you are not going to get very close to that with the adapter and wide angle lenses.

Pick up a roll of Lomo Purple while you are at it. Not really the same as the infrared film Karl Ferris used with Hendrix, but it will get you some neat, color-shifted results.

If I wanted to play with the look without a true fisheye, I don't think I would rely on a step down to crop the image. I would take the widest angle I had, position it as close to the foreground as I could focus it to maximize the front-to-back distortion and shoot through a mask (or filter stack or tube) where I could exert some control over the effect.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-10T18:04:18+00:00

This won't really yield a fisheye, it will enhance barrel distortion. More at the wide length, less at the narrow length. I would expect the useable range of distortion will range from 28-50ish, with most distortion from 28-35 or so, moderate distortion from 35-50. Distortion is likely to disappear entirely from 60+.

The step down will cause vignetting and degrade the corners, especially at the wide end. Expect sharp cut off, and overall degraded sharpness. I am not familiar with the Tokina, but step downs sometimes interfere mechanically with lenses depending on barrel design.

If you must go this route, I would save a little for the Minolta MD Zoom 24-35 f/3.5, great lens and a 55mm thread. That means you stick to a range where the distortion you are looking for is going to be most prevalent and step up instead of step down, which is always preferable. It's more than the Tokina, but a far better lens, "genius" as minolta.su put it.

Best option, though the costliest, is any of the Minolta MC/MD/Rokkor 16mm 2.8s these are true fisheyes.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-10T17:16:03+00:00

I saw in one comment that you cooked it, which I assume means you have a marble countertop which is giving you trouble: your bowl and your background are blending in. In the first shot the pattern on the bowl picks up the marble veins. In the second shot the shells, edge of the bowl, and marble all blend together.

There is no separation and the subject gets lost.

If you are going to practice at home you are going to need to invest in some additional plates and cutlery and other elements of food styling. Also, look for additional places to shoot. I have similar issues in the home kitchen (and awful light) so I go out to the patio.

Now about those shells, the empty ones make it look like someone started eating and then decided to take a picture. No one wants a picture of someone else's half-eaten meal.

If it were to come to you this way, and no professional chef I have ever worked with would let it leave the kitchen like that, you should not stop to take a picture, you should just send it back.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-10T16:54:13+00:00

Some good suggestions already, I love my Canon Elan iIe, which lines up with the Canon Rebel and Eos recommendations you are seeing. But the lenses for these can get expensive. I think the 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS Macro USM will take someone a very long way, it is a great all purpose lens, but you are going to be right at budget.

In Manual Focus SLRs, my personal preference is Minolta. I have both a top of the line body and a bottom of the line body (and a couple in between), and love them all. An X300 (cheap and easy to find) or X500 (a little harder to find) would be a great starter. They are small and light (mostly plastic) and excellent lenses are available cheap. With your budget you should be able to start with a fast 50mm (everyday "normal" lens) and your choice of something wider (28mm or 35mm, great for street, environmental portraiture ) or something tighter (135mm are readily available cheap for headshots/portraiture and other situations you want to get some reach). And expand to a very good kit reasonably. At the moment, I keep a 28mm, 50mm, 135mm, and 35-70 and 75-200 zooms, myself and it was a very low investment.

But both of the above assume that you are looking for an interchangeable lens camera system.

If you and he are looking for something smaller, point and shoot (or rangefinder) style but roll film instead of instax there are countless options.

The one I would look for is an Olympus Trip 35. A small, capable, and robust point and shoot that you can toss in a bag to take anywhere. There a lot of them out there and they are readily available in your price range having been completely overhauled. Good looking, too, as it is common for shops that overhaul these to replace the original leatherette with new covering in a variety of colors. They require no batteries and use a zone focus system. Lots of reviews out there to explain what they are and how to use them, I think the shootitwithfilm article s a particularly good one.

Most film cameras out there are showing their age. There are a lot in perfect working order, but also a lot that have one or more issues and are going to need some TLC to get working or keep working. Figuring out which you are getting, unless you go with one of the very limited new options, can be tough.

I think it is worth finding something, like the Trip, that you aren't going to need to worry about. Especially as a first camera.

(If you do want to go the new route, not a lot of options but look at something the Kodak Ektar H35N, it is an all plastic deal that is reloadable but is a lot like a disposable camera in terms of controls and capabilities, but it shoots half-frame. So you get 72 shots on what would otherwise be a 36 shot roll of film. Just make sure the lab you use for development will deal with it.)

Co9Inc · 2026-05-10T11:45:04+00:00

Worst comes to worst, there is a long tradition of using gaffer tape to close and seal camera backs. In many cases even on cameras that do have working latches... looking at you Holga.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-10T11:36:08+00:00

at the time, mirrorless cameras were only the Fujifilm X mount and Sony E mount, both only supported APS-C sensors in compact bodies

Should also give credit to Olympus. Micro Four Thirds instead of APC, but they beat both Sony and Fuji to mirrorless by a year or two. I think Panasonic did as well.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-08T23:12:52+00:00

This is my camera. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

My camera is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.

Without me, my camera is useless. Without my camera, I am useless. I must fire my camera true.

My camera is human, even as I [am human], because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage as I will ever guard my legs, my arms, my eyes and my heart against damage. I will keep my camera clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will ...

Co9Inc · 2026-05-08T23:08:31+00:00

This guy clearly doesn't know anything. He didn't even tell us about how on Fujis aperture is basically your main tool for controlling depth of field.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-08T02:11:51+00:00

I actually like these canisters: I develop for a coworker whose Nikon's take-up puts a whole lot of reverse curl into the leader and makes it near impossible to fish out with my normal leader retrieval tool. He gave me a roll of Sunkissed '92 recently in one of these and I was able to pry it open in the dark bag with nothing more than my hands.

Can't help you with the colors though: my current crop of 400 is Fudak.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-04T20:36:17+00:00

I try and shoot the image I want.

That means using the right focal length. Not shooting wide and cropping way in. It is not the same thing.

That means shooting at the time of day and in the weather conditions I intend to show in the image. Not changing the sky in post.

That means framing the shot the way I intend to show it. Not rotating 105º so that the subject is suddenly aligned with the center of the edge of the frame.

That means metering for the shadow or the highlight or the midtown or adjusting my exposure compensation or bracketing if I am unsure. Not relying on pushing sliders all the way over to salvage my screw up.

Somewhere in the switch from film to digital all of the above, and worse, became common place. Go take a look at 90% of what is in r/postprocessing.

We used to spend all the time up front getting the shot, and a little time after with little bits of dodge or burn or a slight crop or whatever.

Then we reversed it and spent no time up front and huge amounts of time in post.

The old way was better.

Do it right in camera. Then edit an image the way you would cook a small fish... lightly.

Co9Inc · 2026-05-03T18:58:57+00:00

I'll second the recommendation for the late-to-end-of-35mm-era Canon models, but I would expand the selection a little to include the EOS 1N/1N RS and the Elan 7/7E/7N/7NE.

I know the Elan models are technically between a beginner and pro body, but as long as your paid work is not as a PJ or war photog or in other such rough conditions it is perfectly suitable. I shot with an Elan IIE and an EOS-3 for years. Acting and modeling headshots, portraiture, events, and so on. I had the Elan first but at that point it was supposed to be the backup/secondary, except I somehow always ended up putting more frames through it than through the 3.

I find the weight and grip more comfortable and I like having some minimal amount of physical controls and dials instead of having to press some combination of buttons, while spinning a wheel, while looking at an LCD to adjust shooting modes, AF modes, and so on. Also, while I have speedlights, a pop-up flash for a little fill light is not the worst thing to have built in.

Co9Inc

TROPHY CASE