For some reason I always want a compact 35mm film camera and keep on looking for me. I thought of many models from the past, but this one just seemed to hit the spot. Its not that compact either, but has a sharp 45mm f/1.7 lens with a great meter and only shoots in aperture priority mode. There is no shutter speed dial and max ISO of 500. There a way to sort of guesstimate the speed with a max speed of 1/500. It looks vintage and I like it. At least that is what I read on the internet from the Yashica Guy. I bought the camera from Ebay and the dealer has a no questions asked return policy which is not see often.

At first I put a roll of Tri-X through just to see if it works. Afterward I decided to try a roll of Kodak Portra 400NC. Expensive film and I develop it at Walgreens near my house.

I stopped at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage to try out a few shots. I ended up not going inside, but just took a few snaps around the premises. I have never been there before.

Cool Gene Autry branded chairs.

Next morning with film leftover in the camera I went to Hollywood Blvd to shoot the rest of the roll. Like always with tourist areas the crowd starts coming in around 10am.  For a while the streets are empty. Most photos taken @ f/11 and focus set on infinity.

Not sure if I would eat at “Scoobys”

The stores were just opening their doors.

People take the “stars” very seriously.

The above scene I noticed on my way back to the car, but was too lazy (and did not want to get hit by a car) to shoot from the middle of the street. I took it from the other side and keep on kicking my self for not getting closer. The camera has a fixed lens of 45mm and had I just crossed the street and shot from a slightly closer distance…… Learning experience…..

Overall a great camera, easy/simple to use, sharp lens. I am keeping it. The white balance on the Kodak Portra is fantastic.

By not finishing the roll in one day it took a few weeks. I used my Leica M6 for this first outing. I had the film developed and left unmounted and uncut so it would be simpler to scan.

These photos are from a beach camp site in Malibu, California.

I also went hiking in Hollywood Hills and took the camera with me. It was in the middle of a heat wave. I love the extra vivid color rendition of slide film.

Hollywood sign from the top of Mt Lee. Its all closed with a fence and this is about as near to the sign as you can get.

I like the results and will try to shoot another roll of Velvia soon. The total cost of film plus processing is around $20, not cheap. The results are great!

There are some minor updates and a few differences in this new version. I have had my LX3 camera now for some time and can say that I absolutely love it. My short LX3 review is here and a small LX3 update is here. The new LX5 looks promising with new features and a better zoom. Complete specs are here from Panasonic. (Panasonic first leaked the specs and now has taken them off the website).

• Higher ISO, LX5 capable of ISO 80 to 128,00 and  LX3 has 80 to 3,200.
• LX5 has HD video in 60p AVCHD Lite.
• Zoom range – the LX3  2.5x  (24mm-60mm) while LX5 has 3.8x zoom (24mm-90mm).
• At 4.32 x 2.58 x 1.69 inch the LX5 is slightly larger then the older brother LX3 at 4.28″ x 2.34”’ x 1.06”.
• Optional electronic and optical viewfinder.

Will I upgrade?

1. Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2

2. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

3. Olympus PEN E-PL1

4. Olympus PEN E-P2

5. Panasonic DMC-GH1

I am sure the are all great cameras based on images I have seen. The main benefits are:

• Smaller size camera
• Smaller price
• Larger crop factor
• Use of lenses manufactured by others

The disadvantages for me are:

• Small sensor. This is a killer for me.
• Slower auto focus
• Poor higher ISO performance

Now that Sony has entered with a similar offering and a direct competition with NEX-3 and NEX-5 and a larger APS-C sensor. I cant wait to get my hands on this camera as this is the same size sensor as the Nikon D300s. So far the sample images have been outstanding and the price is right for the NEX-3 with an 16mm lens.

Well here it is. If any one has this camera and provide some real reviews, opinions – please share them.

I also like the camera although its a 5 mega pixel, but it has a built in flash and video. The phone came with a 4GB storage card .  I took this photo last night with lights completely off while watching So You Think You Can Dance:

I got some cheap screen protectors from Ebay around a $1.50 and looking into getting a case for the phone. Thinking about the Innocase II as it reminds me of my wifes iPhone case that I like very much.

I brought my camera along. I love the purse on the side and him tinkering around with his cell phone. My las visit to a museum was to Getty Center.

Fantastic place to visit lots of rooms with various works and a great garden with a coffee shop.

I’ve only had about an 1 1/2 hours there as I had to go and pick up my kids. Here is the link to  Norton Simons.  I also would like to visit the New York museum of arts as it houses Hokusai Mt Fuji views. Hiroshige also produced a version. From Norton Simon site:

Hiroshige produced his own version of Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji shortly before his untimely death on October 12, 1858. Unlike Hokusai’s series, Hiroshige’s views of Mount Fuji from the surrounding countryside are vertical; this provided the artist with a new orientation and perspective with which to present his unique vision. In the evening scene Fuji from the Sumida Embankment, the volcano, off in the distance, is in shadow. A group of three geisha, visually interrupted by a tall cherry tree, have disembarked from their pleasure boat to enjoy the spring blossoms.

Hokusai’s Mount Fuji: The Complete Views in Color is a great book on his block prints and I highly recommend it. Also a book called Hiroshige: One Hundred Famous Views of Edo in hardcover is nice to have.

Luckily at the moment I have the time to visit these places in my own personal solitude. This way the works are absorbed and processed without interruptions. At the same time I am able to capture a few photos of the surrounding atmosphere.

Still using the Epson V700 scanner for my negatives and I really like it. I used Kodak Portra 400vc film for these photos I buy them in 5 packs.

After digital which I now have been shooting for over 10 years I switched to film. I had a Nikon DSLR for the last year or so which I now sold along with all the DX lenses.

I now have the following cameras:

• Panasonic Lumix LX3 – digital compact camera which I like as it shoots video. I wrote about the camera before see my Review of LX3 and here with an Update on my LX3. Also see my album of LX3 photos on Flickr.
• Nikon FM2N which is an old film camera. I think this camera is fantastic and I wish that Leica M lenses worked on this camera. I wrote a bit about it as i sold most of my Nikon gear to finance a digital Leica. See the story here. Then I took it out shooting in low and high light see my post on China Town, Santa Monica Pier and Union Station. Overall a great camera.
• Leica M6 TTL. This film camera is considered one of the best, but pricey. I wrote about it as it landed in my house and then my M6 Update, One More Roll of Tri-X 400, Leica M6 and Various Films, another Leica update and Kodak Ektar in Malibu

I will not re-write some of the famous words regarding using film and how it makes you think before taking a picture, cost of film vs digital, etc. I think all of them are true.

It all boils down to one simple thing for me. Taking photos with a film camera has made me stop doubting my self and now it has carried through to other aspects. Plain and simple there is no screen to check the photo (chimp), I do not take multiple photos of the same scene. Just shoot and move on. If I was shooting a studio setup, then perhaps a multiple exposure would be warranted.

My goal now is to forget about which equipment I am using and concentrate on the content, subject matter of photography.

I have never been to the Union station and did not realize what a landmark and a beautiful place it is.

It was not as crowded as I had hoped, but a great place for photography. Seems like a place to take all the photos you want of both people and trains. No one even cares if you have a camera.

This hallway is for used for rentals of events such wedding. Wow! Used to be the ticket purchasing counters.

Nice and sunny day in Southern California and as alway tourists everywhere. I did a walk around the promenade and then headed toward the ocean and the famous pier.

I developed the film shot at box speed with Diafine and am quite pleased with the results. I was shooting at f/2.8 wide open the entire time with a Nikon lens.