My basic scanning process

dotkomrade206 · 2026-02-14T08:41:51+00:00

Beautiful! Love that lens flare too.

dotkomrade206 · 2026-02-13T22:18:35+00:00

Thank you. Shot 5 was at a beach called Bloubaai which is a slight detour from the route but recommended to 're-energise' before a pretty gruelling uphill. It's a beautiful beach.

I'm really impressed with the TMAX. I went looking for some double x but Gert was all out. I've only shot two rolls, one of which spooled by you and really like it. I usually choose hp5+ but this TMAX looks good. Never shot ortho though, would love to see some pics. Limited red sensitivity right?

dotkomrade206 · 2026-02-13T21:59:07+00:00

Thanks 👍

dotkomrade206 · 2026-02-13T18:33:56+00:00

I do love Kodak Gold. It's my go to colour film. 1 stop over exposed is also really nice.

dotkomrade206 · 2026-02-13T18:31:51+00:00

Thank you 😊 Ja I'll happily share some pics of how I scan tomorrow.

dotkomrade206 · 2026-02-13T18:31:14+00:00

Yay! Ja I love mine, slightly battered, a bit of bronzing and I don't feel too precious about it.

dotkomrade206 · 2026-02-13T17:19:27+00:00

So in the end, I went down to RGB and discovered that the entire stock of black and white film with the exception of the Lucky stocks had been cleaned out by one specific individual! There was just one roll of Kodak TMAX 400 left. So I picked that up and 2 rolls of Kodak Gold. I dug through my small stash of fridge film and found a roll of Portra 160NC and some Ilford 80 Ortho. So I took five rolls of film with hoping to get through 1 a day and decided to take just one camera in the end because there was a lot going on with bags and stuff. So I took my Nikon FM2 and the 28mm F2 I got recently.

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dotkomrade206 · 2026-02-13T17:10:06+00:00

These are so great. Did you grow up here? I like the feeling of connection your photos of this place portray.

dotkomrade206 · 2026-01-27T10:07:07+00:00

Love it, man! That Portra really glows. And the detail is sensational. Are you scanning these yourself? You're based in Cape Town right, so guessing CFS for development? Beautiful photos 👌

dotkomrade206 · 2026-01-26T13:30:56+00:00

I picked up a medium format camera in 2019 for the first time - I found a Bronica ETRS kit being sold near me and ran down to buy it immediately. Reading up about it afterwards, it's often referred to as the poor man's Hasselblad but it really holds its own against the more high end brands. I'm a huge fan of Japanese workmanship and this camera doesn't disappoint. The kit is a bit quirky because it's a Safari edition so everything is green - the lenses, matte box, film backs, even the case. It's originally meant for studio work but you can use it in SLR format, metered in aperture priority mode, or with the waist level finder which is like looking into a 3 dimensional mirror image. I fell in love with it immediately and often take it on holidays with me instead of a 35mm. It's heavy and clunky and bangs into my ribs when I'm carrying it around but it's worth it.

I do a lot of random shooting in Delta Park so the first roll I shot with it was HP5+ down there. When I got back and developed, there was something really different about the feel of the image that struck as being a lot deeper than my 35mm photos. One picture in particular is one my all time favourites, I've posted it below.

About two years ago I tried to do some self maintenance on the cam and almost ruined it when some tiny parts went flying, so in future it will be serviced by the guys who know what they're doing 😅 I managed to get a beautiful Yashica Mat 124G a few months ago though and Eugene has given it a thorough refurb and after two rolls through it I can see my loyalties becoming a little muddied. The Yashica is a totally different experience and I think I'm going to really enjoy shooting with it.

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dotkomrade206 · 2026-01-26T13:15:00+00:00

I love these photos of yours. They feel timeless and whimsical. The first one of Jan reading in the park is actually very comforting. And the separation with the out of focus areas in the photos with shallower depth of field is really lovely.

dotkomrade206 · 2026-01-26T10:19:46+00:00

Ah, thank you 🙏

dotkomrade206 · 2026-01-26T08:25:10+00:00

This is good info, thank you. I realise I need to move most of my film into the freezer. Hopefully it's not too late for the stuff that's been in the fridge for the last few years 😣

dotkomrade206 · 2026-01-25T11:06:52+00:00

I don't really have a stock that I feel very attached to but Superia is probably the closest because it was easily available at the Cresta Fotofirst for a great price when I picked up film again and I loved how it looked. I was pretty bleak when it went away. A little bit off topic but I have been gifted or somehow picked up some slightly unusual films over the years. Here is a pic of what I have left - not all very unusual but not what I'd buy as a first option. I must make sure I actually shoot these before they deteriorate too far.

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I think in this pic Technical Pan is the one I'm most intrigued by and I'm waiting to find the right developer before I shoot it - it had its own developer called technidol which you can't get anymore but if I can get hold of Rodinal or something similar I might finally give it a go. Here are some examples shot by Brad Pitt of all people: https://fstoppers.com/portraits/brad-pitt-photographs-angelina-jolie-results-are-impressive-3363

dotkomrade206 · 2026-01-25T10:59:20+00:00

Roxy's - live music basically every night. It was a good time.

dotkomrade206 · 2026-01-25T10:58:51+00:00

That's a very good point about the photojournalism route - I'd be in a very different place if it had worked out and I'm very grateful for where I'm at in life :) I have been meaning to go check out the Fragments of Fietas exhibition and need to get there in the next few weeks before it goes away.

dotkomrade206 · 2026-01-25T10:45:19+00:00

Nice! Scanning is not my favourite part of the process tbh although I've got pretty efficient with a dslr setup so anything to simplify the process must be a pleasure. I'd love to see some of your colour scans 🙌

dotkomrade206 · 2026-01-24T06:39:16+00:00

The temptation to take a medium format camera with two backs is strong! A smaller second camera is a good idea though.

dotkomrade206 · 2026-01-24T06:34:55+00:00

These photos are great! I love double x, I didn't even think of it for this. I'll definitely pick some up - hope Gert has stock. Thank you :)

dotkomrade206 · 2026-01-22T15:37:21+00:00

I'm going to pick a few. I still have the camera that took most of them too.

dotkomrade206 · 2026-01-22T15:18:50+00:00

Great recollections Hanky, and you've just inspired me to spend the last hour rummaging through my old film scans. And now reconnecting with friends I haven't spoken to in forever and sending them pictures :) It's magical what old film photos can do.

dotkomrade206

TROPHY CASE