Cross Processed!

It's been awhile since I've done any film shots with slide film and this time, I tried using cross-processing. Pictures were taken on Fuji Velvia 100 slide film but processed as normal negative film to give it weird funky colours. I love the results and I think I'm gonna do lots more cross processing from now on.












My personal favourite. Love the funky colours on this one.

On the same day, I also took pics using my trust Nikon FM2, again on slide film. All pics shown here were taken using the tack sharp Nikkor Micro 55mm f/2.8 lens, a superb lens for closeup work. However, the results were totally different, being more grainy with the colours being rather bland. Perhaps it's the film type, Konica, if I am not wrong.













My personal take, I love my Nikon FM2 and definitely will want to use it a lot more these days. Nothing beats the tactile feel of film so I have sent in my old Nikon lenses for servicing. I am now also considering switching to Nikon for my DSLR so if anyone is looking for a well-maintained, less than 2600 shutter count Canon EOS 350D with battery grip. Canon remote switch and kit lens, do let me know.

Shanghai 120 GP3 Films & More Holga Mods

I got my first roll of Shanghai 120 GP3 films developed and scanned. These films are rated at ISO 100 so you need bright sunlight to shoot.

This is also the first time I am testing out the Fisheye Lens attachment as well as the Holga 120N.

The results were disappointing, to say the least. Greatly underexposed! The cloudy weather definitely played a part and I am not sure if the film quality had anything to do with it. Many of the shots were taken indoors as well, which probably made the shots even worse. I have since sent in a second roll which I am collecting on Monday. We'll see how that goes.

Here're some of the images.






First time I am using the Fisheye Lens, or any fisheye lens for that matter. Takes a lot of getting used to and experimenting I guess.




Once these 5 rolls of 120 film are used up, I'll stick to Kodak Tri-X 400 films for B/W and Kodak Ektachrome E100 for slide films. I must say it's been a long while since I have shot anything on slides, so chances are that the first roll or two would be exercises in understanding the Holga in relation to slide film.

My take on the Shanghai GP3 film was that packaging was poor, being placed inside an extremely flimsy cardboard box and the films themselves wrapped in firecracker looking red paper. On top of that, the film does not seem to spool well, being rather loose when wound. I've had to use rubber bands to tighten up the spools and that's not something I enjoy doing.

Then again this could be caused by the lack of film tensioning sponges in my 120N, as I removed them the moment I got the camera, not wanting to risk having chunks of sponge chewed up by a roll of film midway through a shooting session.

Other modifications I've so far done are:
- Flocking the interior with flat black (not shown)
- Sealing off two holes found at the top of the Holga, which causes light leaks when using the 6 X 6 mask. I've decided that I will stick to the 6 X 6 format for this camera.
- The dreaded Aperture mod.

The Aperture Mod was done as I felt since this was a relatively cheap camera, I would try to do a mod to it to improve the quality of my pictures. I first started by going to a number of sites to find information on the mod, and finally settled on using Squarefrog's Aperture Mod.

I started by removing the shutter assembly and lens from the Holga, and then the washer that determined the Holga's sunny setting aperture.

The darn washer that was the original aperture was so bloody flimsy it got deformed by my ballpoint pen, so I fashioned a new aperture out of a sheet of styrene, which I normally use for my scale modelling.

After supergluing the styrene tab onto the aperture arm, I clamped the 2 surfaces with plastic pegs to let the glue set (super glue dries quite fast) then I am ready to make the aperture.

I've only got a 3mm drill bit, so I used it to create a 3mm in diameter, then used a diamond file to sand it to approximately 5mm, which gives me an aperture of f/12

The original washer gives about f/10 so right now i have two useable apertures, f/10 & f/12, not much I know, but still beats the single aperture I had to deal with previously.

Finally, I airbrushed the new part flat black after filing down the edges and scraping off any excess with a scalpel blade and testing the swing arm movement to ensure the arm swung smoothly when everything else was put together.

Here's the result:


I've started shooting a roll of Fuji slide film using the now flocked interior and modified aperture. I intend to process it normally if possible, just to see the results of my effort.

Coupled with sealing up the two holes above the Holga when using the 6 X 6 mask, gaffering the front area, using the velcro tabs to secure the back plate to the Holga's body, I am hoping that at least I can control the light leaks to some degree and not have them too random.

Other mods that I am planning on would be the film spool tension mod since I have already discarded the two sponges and the Close Focus Mod.

Random thought of the day - It's an exercise in futility trying to score a 6 X 6 pressure plate from an old disused medium format camera.

Holga 120N's New Clothes

As in the previous post, I've done a little bit more for my 120N. I've given it new clothes, rather than the tattered look of gaffer tape, it's now got army camouflage clothes!

Went to Beach Road to clothe my Holga. Beach Road has loads of army-related stuff and camouflage name tags are one of them. I thought, since there're shops doing camouflage name tags, surely they would be able to sew two small pieces of 2" X 3" & 2" X 3.5" pieces of cloth for me. WRONG!

Man, most of the shops there, they've got major attitude! One shop at the block of flats next to Beach Road Hawker Centre, quoted me $10 to sew two pieces of 2" X 3" cloth onto velcro, using OLD camouflage cloth she got from some used & discarded pair of pants. Another shopowner, at unit 02-133, claims she does not have unwanted pieces of camouflage cloth, only one big piece, and wanted to sell it for $12!!!! WTF! BRING OUT THE CARVING KNIVES AND MATCHES!

Finally found one where the lady was nice enough to help me sew on camo material onto 2" thick velcro strips and even added a little extra by helping me sew on one more piece of 1.5" X 1.5" velcro.


Frontal shot with the 2 pieces of 2" X 3.5" & 2" X 3" velcro, to help pad up the sides, prevent the camera back from accidently popping open and gives me something fatter to grip the camera body with. The right side uses the 2" X 3" strip, to give greater clearance for the shutter release lever on the right side.


The rear, with the extra 1.5" X 1.5" piece, which effectively blocks the frame counter window since that one's a major culprit of light leaks.


With the square tab removed when I need to advance the film and see if I have advanced enough. Also serves as intentional light leakage if I choose to have it removed on a hot sunny day.

Total damage from this nice lady's shop? $5!!!!! HALF THE PRICE of the other rip off, disgustingly rude and overpriced shops. Yea so she does not sew letters onto the cloth, big deal.

I should not expect shopkeepers to have any manners in these places, though I would like to add, those that DO, they certainly will get repeat business or recommendations to others about them from me.

Random thought of the day - Singapore's shopkeepers are in need of some serious customer service training.

New Holga 120N

I sold my previous glass lens Holga, the 120GCFN. It gave me loads of interesting shots but I wanted something more, so I got me the basic N model, which uses a plastic lens, no flash but has a hot shoe.



Some of my friends asked me why I gave up the GCFN which comes with glass lens, built-in flash and colour filters for red, blue & yellow flash. It is so I can use an external flash, which I've owned since my Nikon FM2 days and need not buy a new flash. The Nissin 5200 GTE flash has to be attached via an adaptor, which I also use for my DSLR since that does not come with a PC sync attachment.


YAY!!!! Guide Number 52 power!!!!! Comes damn close to my DSLR's Metz!!!

As for what those strips of velcro at the side of the camera body are for, they're so I can seal up any extreme light leaks and also acts as a protective padding against accidental bumps and knocks or the film back from popping open and destroying the whole roll of 120 film. The padding also gives me a nice grip on the camera body, which is rather plasticky and thin. I also gaffered the front area to cut back on any light leaks though I suspect that's probably not necessary.





Besides the 120N, I also got 5 rolls of Shanghai BW GP3 film and a fisheye attachment for the Holga 120 series of cameras.

I just shot off my first roll of black and white film. I will get the results back on Wednesday. I am so looking forward to seeing the results of the Fisheye Lens attachment.