An MM1 and film comparison in print in Los Angeles

[BerndReini]

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Hey everybody, if you find yourself in Los Angeles, please stop in Samy's Camera. I have eleven prints up for exhibition in the Leica Boutique on the third floor. Five of them were taken on Fuji Neopan film with an MP or M7, the others with an MM1. They were all printed digitally at a nice size (about 12-18) and it is fun to try and spot which is which. Here's a link to the photos exhibited:

 

http://www.berndreinhardt.com/#/black-and-white-1/

[peterjcb]

...a little hard to judge without seeing prints but I say 2,5,8,9 & 11 are the Neopan....
...how'd I do? .....

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[BerndReini]

Peter, you got four right. Pretty good I would say and I don't think the prints would have helped. I find it easiest to tell from the film being more low-fi. Unless you blow the highlights completely with the MM it is easier to tell it apart by its clarity and sharpness than anything else. I didn't try to match the MM to the film images expect in one case, where a more degraded look helped the photograph. Having them exhibited together it is nice to see how nicely integrated everything is. I have a copy of Peter Turnley's "French Kiss" book, and I went through the exercise with this book. Now he of course does things the other way around, he has everything printed as silver-gelatins, and I find it pretty easy to pick out the MM shots in his book as well. I do really enjoy the look of a grainy film. The MM looks much like 6x9 Verichrome Pan film. It has a thin emulsion look that I think works really well for the woman in the suit store. But really the main reason I bought the MM was for photographing the kids. They don't stand still, and neither would I want them to and the MM really allows me to shoot more freely without having the expense and hassle of film and processing in the back of my mind. I am nevertheless happy to have a good thirty or forty rolls of Neopan stashed away, and nice cameras to load it in.

[wattsy]

I've seen some of these posted here before Bernd so I can probably guess most of the the film ones.  The one taken in (I think) Union station is especially impressive.

[toyfel]

Beautiful pictures! My guess 2,5,6,9,11 is film 

[BerndReini]

Beautiful pictures! My guess 2,5,6,9,11 is film 

Thank you, I appreciate it. You have two wrong. I think 2 and 5 are the easy ones, then it gets trickier.

[wilfredo]

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Thanks for sharing.  I love the MM1!

Edited August 12, 2015 by wilfredo

[ramosa]

Film=2, 7, 8, 9, 11

[ramosa]

Film=2, 7, 8, 9, 11

Oops. I misread the prior post. New answer=2, 5, 7, 8, 9. Edited August 14, 2015 by ramosa

[BerndReini]

2, 5, 7, 8, and 11 are shot on film. The rest are MM1. What is surprising is that seeing the print makes guessing no easier than the small Web Jpegs. People in the store have the same difficulty when it comes to the trickier photos.

[horosu]

2, 5, 7, 8, and 11 are shot on film. The rest are MM1. What is surprising is that seeing the print makes guessing no easier than the small Web Jpegs. People in the store have the same difficulty when it comes to the trickier photos.

Well, on the one hand this says a lot about the MM1, on the other hand it also says a lot about your film workflow! :-)

 

I feel that proper exposure, careful developing and, maybe most importantly, a high quality scanner produce superb results

Edited August 18, 2015 by horosu

[BerndReini]

 

 

Well, on the one hand this says a lot about the MM1, on the other hand it also says a lot about your film workflow! :-)

I don't really know what you are trying to say with this. Do you mean my film workflow is not good? Because I can tell you that I use Fuji Neopan 400 rated at ISO 250, and out of sheer laziness, I leave my processing to what is considered maybe the best photo lab in the United States (Richard Photo Lab). They carefully process each roll in a dip-and-dunk processor and make large scans with a Noritsu, which by far exceeds any home-scanning you could do. I am fairly impressed with the film prints and I personally would not be able to improve on the technique.

 

I am assuming the work on your flickr page is also a mix of MM and film. I like both. It is different, but I can't say that I find one medium inferior.

Edited August 18, 2015 by BerndReini

[wattsy]

I think Horosu is complimenting you on your film workflow – at least that is how I read it.

[tom0511]

I really like the shot with the spider net. the other kid shots show so serious faces or not kid like environment, I miss the positive energy and easiness (is it the right word for "Leichtigkeit und Fröhlichkeit"?) of kids. The light and tones I like a lot though.

[BerndReini]

Thanks for the comments. I understand what you mean about the "happiness" of kids pictures, but maybe I can put them into a different perspective for you. As their Dad I see a lot of the happiness, but I really enjoy the moments when they are so absorbed in experiencing the world that they don't pay attention to anything else.

[pop]

Thanks for the comments. I understand what you mean about the "happiness" of kids pictures, but maybe I can put them into a different perspective for you. As their Dad I see a lot of the happiness, but I really enjoy the moments when they are so absorbed in experiencing the world that they don't pay attention to anything else.

I agree that the moments when a child is absorbed and concentrates on some endeavour are very precious. That's what I like most when I visit events where music is performed by children.

 

 

Beautiful set of photographs.