The Amateur Film Photographer.

Tag: F5

  • Refuge Oulettes de Gaube

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    Thomas John Usimaki
    in

    Back in late August, I returned to Lac de Gaube with the goal of making it all the way up to the Refuge de Gaube—and that’s exactly what I did. The refuge was fully booked, so my only option was to bring a tent, sleeping bag, and an inflatable mattress, as I wasn’t keen on…

  • Grain & Granite: Hiking Lac de Gaube on Recordak AHU 5786 Film

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    Thomas John Usimaki
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    A spontaneous overnight hike in the French Pyrenees turned into a field test for a rare and long-expired microfilm: Kodak Recordak 5786, manufactured in France under the Kodak-Pathé label. Armed with a Nikon F5, a Sigma 24mm f/1.4, and a 55mm Micro-Nikkor, I shot the roll at ISO 6 and developed it in POTA —…

  • Shooting Svema Mikrat Orto Direct in the Pyrenees

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    Thomas John Usimaki
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    What happens when you take a nearly forgotten ISO 0.8 direct positive film, POTA developer, and a tripod up into the French Pyrenees? Magic, it turns out. In this post, I take Svema Mikrat Orto Direct Positive on a 14 km mountain loop around the Pic du Midi d’Ossau to see if this ultra-slow microfilm…

  • Kodak Panatomic-X

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    Thomas John Usimaki
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    Today was a bright, crisp day. I decided to escape the city and breathe in some fresh coastal air. As I wandered along the sandy shores, the rhythmic sound of the waves and the interplay of sunlight and shadow evoked a sense of timeless beauty that perfectly matched the vintage character of Panatomic-X. A few…

  • Crossroads in Barcelona

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    Thomas John Usimaki
    in

    Sometimes in life, you’re at a crossroads. In those moments, a solo trip to Barcelona isn’t a bad idea. On Friday evening, after checking the weather app and seeing rain forecasted in Bordeaux for the entire weekend, I bought a round-trip ticket to Barcelona, booked a hotel, and off I went. I had never flown…