Shooting Fall Color with the Kowa Six
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- Опубликовано: 5 фев 2025
- #kowa #filmphotography #filmcamera #vintagecamera #mediumformat #fallcolors
In Georgia we don't always get the brilliantly colored trees in Autumn like the states to the north. But I didn't let that stop me from getting out and about with the Kowa Six and a couple of rolls of Kodak Ektar.
Check this out for an in-depth review of the Kowa Six:
• The Kowa Six - Best Ca...
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Great! For sure it motivates me to go this weekend to photograph nature around, which I found a bit complicated to compose
The important thing is to get out and have fun. Personally, this photo shoot didn’t produce nearly the satisfaction I’d hoped for, but being out in the nice weather certainly made up for it! Enjoy life!
Love Ektar.
Kowa Six was my first medium format SLR. Had a 55, 85 and the short telephoto. All that gear and my ‘73 Mach 1 all went up in flames. Wasn’t a good night. 😢
That sounds like an absolutely horrible night. I’m sure you miss the car more than the camera, though. I know I would.
Your channel is going to be huge.
Great presentation skills and sharing of knowledge. One request. Can you do an episode on metering for a scene? All the best. Jim from Milton, GA
Greetings to a fellow Georgian! It’s funny you asked about an episode on metering - it was also suggested by another viewer. So, I’ve got one in the works. It seems I have been shooting a lot with un-metered cameras lately, so it’s a good idea to do one. Thanks for the kind words! And thanks for tuning in!
Thank you for doing this. At 59 years of age, I’m no stranger to film. However, I was always a point and shoot photographer. Taking pictures of the kids as they grew up and vacations. Then of course going digital. But in the past couple of years I went back to film and having a great time with it. Now approaching photography with an artistic approach. However, still making some metering mistakes. Thx again Jim
Don’t downplay the importance of documenting family life, or being just a “point and shoot” photographer. That’s one thing photography (or what George Eastman started with his cheap Kodaks) has done for folks of our generation and older. I still love looking back through all those old prints of family vacations and trips. I just don’t see digital photography ever taking the place of that. Mainly, I guess, since we hardly have prints made of anything now. There’s a certain cost with film photography that gives it some weight and additional meaning. But I don’t need to be getting philosophical, lol.
Great video, i really enjoyed it !
You should try presenting the photos with a totally black background. That would greatly enhance the color perception.
I think you’re correct on that. I flipped back and forth between black and white, but since my B&W images are on white, I just kept it. But in hindsight black would’ve been a much better choice. Cheers!
great video!
Thank you! Glad you tuned in!
Awesome video! I’ve been looking to get my hands on a Kowa Six ever since you posted your last video on it, I’ve yet to find one, but the hunt is still on!
Thanks for tuning back in and good luck with your search! There’s definitely one out there somewhere with your name on it!
I have, as you know, been enjoying your videos - and your using of the Minolta Spotmeter F. In fact, I picked one up, and am reading the manual. Your using it is interesting and I would like to see perhaps a video on how you use it, how you choose your shadow and light spots for the averaging, and so on. Meanwhile, the fall trees along the river were stunning and a reminder of how beautiful autumn is. Thanks again!
Great to hear! I’ve been relying heavily on that meter for the last several months after doing the episode on the Canon T90 and its multi-spot metering. That is a great system, and this meter - while not as effortless as multi-spot - gives me results that I’m pleased with. And your suggestion about doing a video on the meter and it’s usage is a good idea. I could probably work that in well on a shoot with one of my large format cameras. And comparing that system with using the zone system. Would be interesting to do. Excellent suggestion!
Looking forward to seeing it!@@vintagecameradigest
For whatever reason colors at 6:10 were better than 6:04 more vibrant. I think I prefer your wider shots in this video, at least at the beginning of the video. Can't tell how your DOF worked out from the images. That bridge at 11:45 may have some interest to it, maybe. I wonder if some of the rock shots with the trees in the back may have been better with deep DOF? I do think there is something to be said for the square format in the woods and generally. Ektachrome may have been interesting. Good work, good efforts on your part! All the best! Thanks for the video!
PS there is a channel Steve O'Nions which is also quite interesting.
The color differences you mention are one of my main reasons for shooting mostly in black and white. It’s frustrating to me to find these variations where there really shouldn’t be any. I scanned these negatives twice. The first scans were done by a local lab, and they were awful. I did it myself using my DSLR set-up and Negative Lab Pro and got much better results. But there was still that odd variation. I think color negative film is just too widely variable to show consistency. Like you mention, Ektachrome is probably the way to go for color work these days. But that’ll require me shipping the film off for processing and adding another couple of weeks to my production schedule. I do want to try it, though, to at least prove out that I’ll get more consistency in color from shots on the same roll.
I did look at that bridge to feature. That was my plan, actually. But it didn’t speak to me when I tried to frame it up. I don’t recall why exactly, but that was my original intent. All in all, I wasn’t nearly as excited about the results of this shoot as I was to just get out and do it. It was on a Monday….no people around…it was like I had the whole world to myself. It was fantastic.
I do follow Steve and certainly enjoy his excursions. Thanks for the feedback! I do appreciate it!
Many years ago I shot color film and lab prints and they competed on quality, almost always good work. I found that all went bad as the late 70's and 80's came along. I ended up shooting slide film because they couldn't screw up the color, like the did with prints. Also, I found when they printed, color or black and white the print options did not fully cover the 3x2 nature of the negatives, so invariably the frames were cropped, and if not for that reason, then they may have zoomed in on the enlarger and cropped "by accident" that way. Frustrating. I did process slide film on my own from time-to-time. I would think the color film itself would have consistent colors, I would bet the processing was not up to par somehow. Although any change in the light or where sunlight falls can make big differences. As for B&W I used to process that and print it at home, many years ago, but the cost of paper I found expensive for me. Back then I used kodak polycontrast paper. Today I prefer digital but miss the more thoughtful process of film which, for me at least, meant each shot cost real money, therefore I did not shoot pictures of my food or more mundane things and was far more careful to ask myself if it was worth the money. Even so, I wasted a lot of shots. One thing is, the prints and slides are still here, lots of digital stuff is gone.
Best wishes for your success. PS Also, fall colors up north can also be rather flat and even when they are not, it rains and the cloud cover makes things muddy quite often. I find the sky is best in the morning and often all milky by later afternoon and all reasonable light may be gone by mid afternoon. I blame the problem on the legislature in Albany, only darkness emanates from there. (Only half kidding) Best wishes!
@@vintagecameradigest
I've been jonesing for a Hasselblad for quite a while now. I have 150mm and 250mm Zeiss lenses in my inventory (took in trade). But I have no idea how to go about finding a good one.
Thanks for taking us along on the walkabout. I remember the fall colors of Missouri from long ago when I lived there. Although not as striking as some other locations, they were still wonderful and the hickory trees always popped in a forest of oaks. Your part of the woods reminds me of Missouri.
I wondered about your shot of the boulder if a little more depth of field would put more of it in focus but still leave enough background blur for the effect. Thoughts?
Yes, the fall colors around here are less than spectacular and the changes are spread out over at least a month. So you never really get a time when everything is changing at once. The Red Oak in my yard is still just as green as it was in August. I’m just happy when I can find some yellows or oranges.
And yes that boulder shot was stinker. But by golly I was committed to make a photo there 😁. I really wanted the whole thing in the shot, but that tree was in the way. In hindsight I should’ve just moved on to something better. At least I only shot two frames, lol. And the background color didn’t pop as much as I thought it would. My eyes were seeing things a little more dynamically than the film was.
If you ever have the inclination, I would love to see you conduct a review/comparison of Ektar 100 & Portra 160 120 film, similar to what you've done with some b&w films. Only the opposite, I guess, as it seems that these two color films are on opposing ends of the spectrum on multiple levels. Would like to hear your opinion(s) on pros & cons, plus tips on better managing one or the other in initial exposure & post processing.
Thanks!
A video like that has been on my list. I was going to also add the Gold 200 to the mix, too. But my color results of late have been un-inspiring. There is SO much variability in the film to digital conversion with color negs it makes me crazy. Even when I try to standardize the process to get neutral results, I can still get color variability from frame to frame. Now, if I plan far enough ahead and send the film off to a national lab for scanning, it might work out better. I just have to plan. It’s still on the list.
Beautiful shots! Thanks for sharing your process! I just inherited a Kowa Six with an 85mm and 150mm lens from my wife's late grandpa. Just shot my first roll last week to test it out! Can't wait to see how the shots turned out.
Nice! Hope everything comes out terrific! The anticipation of the results is almost as fun as shooting the film :-) Cheers!
I'm surprised you got as much color that far south as you did. Our Fall color in Nashville is always less than desirable. We have isolated trees that look good, but overall, trees here go from green to brown and fall off.
FYI - long story short, I currently have access to a complete RB67 camera. One I can borrow whenever I want. So....I ordered a couple of 5-packs from B&H (Tri-X & TMax 100). And, for the record, I did own & use an RB67 AND RZ67 in the 1990's. However, I probably forgot more than I knew about the workings of the camera. It has a gazillion safety locks, etc. Right now, the camera seems to be locked up, and I'm presuming that one of those gazillion safety catches is on somewhere preventing me from going forward. As is, the back is mounted (no film), the shutter is cocked, the dark slide is out, and the shutter release lock is off. The camera won't fire, nor will the shutter lever or film advance lever move.
If you have any idea, I'd appreciate your advice. Otherwise, I've got a hammer and crow bar....
Yeah, it’s been several years since we’ve had any nice color. Or at least when everything’s turning all at once. Usually it’s just maples one week, white oaks another week, and the red oaks…well they’ll change sometime in January, lol. It’s all quite underwhelming. And these pics didn’t do much to impress me. But at least I got out and enjoyed the time.
I’m at a loss on the RB67. I’ve held one in my hands only once. But I have a friend who has one and uses it on a regular basis. I’ll reach out and see if he can help you out or offer some suggestions. Cheers!
Very glad to find your Kowa vids! I just received a very clean Kowa Six off ebay. It did have the shutter jamming issue so immediately sent it out for CLA and can't wait to get it back. It's got the 85mm lens with the WLF but I hope to grab a grip and one of the prisms (90 seems the most common)...I also have a rollei k4a so curious what you think of the prisms compared to shooting WLF all the time. Also, when winding the camera stops at frame 1 but does it automatically stop at the next number every shot? or just you watch the window to line up the frame count each time? Thanks!!!
Yep, the Kowa will automatically stop at the next frame. It’s a fairly sophisticated camera that you will certainly enjoy. I have the 45 prism, and I do like it. The design of the grip and camera make it a bit odd to hold when using the 90 prism. But the 45 is great. Bright with good magnification.
@ thanks the only 45 I can find is with the meter and id prefer to keep it more analog but found a good deal on a 90 since I think it could still be useful on a tripod. Appreciate the feedback and really enjoyed your two videos! Hope to see you use it again at some point!
groan; wish i had kept mine .. did find it hard 2 accessorise tho. Nowadays i have a ZBronica SQ. Hasselblad way above my pay-grade
It’s a sentimental one for me, no doubt. But it’s fun to get it out every now and then. Never had my hands on an SQ, but I do love my Bronica S2A and C!
Lovely video. I'm picking one of these up this week, I have heard they tend to jam, have you ever encountered jamming on the Kowa Six? If so what's the solution?
I’ve never encountered a winding jam with mine, BUT I know folks who have. The “trick” is to go easy on the gears. Don’t use the flip out handle, just turn the knob. It slows you down and keeps a lot of stress off the mechanism. If it does get jammed, I don’t know of a quick fix other than sending it in. So go easy on it. On a brighter note, you’ll love the camera!
@@vintagecameradigest I actually ended up buying a 1970 Hasselblad 500cm.
Well, that’s certainly the better choice given the option. I sold my 500C about 15 years ago and have regretted it ever since.
Do you develop color film at home?
I have before, but not lately. My results weren’t consistent. There’s a lab 30 miles from here that charges me $5 per roll. I’ll gladly pay that!
@@vintagecameradigest $5 including scan? I develop at home but only BW film and I scan BW and color at home - Plustek OpticFilm 8200i.
$5 is just for the dev, but they’ll scan for an additional $5. So, $10 per roll is still a good price. I WAS using a Canon scanner - Canoscan something or another. I liked it, but it only lasted a couple of years and they stopped making it altogether. I’m currently using a DSLR set-up, and I like the control it gives me for focus and exposure.