I may or may not just have bought another 3 films as well.
Laters,
P x
30 June 2011
Hoard.
Do you guys think I have enough film for my Diana F+ yet?
I may or may not just have bought another 3 films as well.
Laters,
P x
I may or may not just have bought another 3 films as well.
Laters,
P x
Poladroid.
Considering I'm lusting after instant film at the moment I might as well do a quick post about the other alternative.
Everyone's pretty used to lomo style photos thanks largely to the popularity of iPhones and their various camera related apps. And I must admit I do envy iPhone owners for this. But long ago an online app was made to replicate polaroids and I've just reminded myself of it tonight.
Poladroid is a free downloadable app that lets you turn your regular jpegs into Polaroid style photos. I just did a few to show as examples.
They're more like the results you get with the iPhone apps than actual polaroids but still, it's a bit of easy fun for some quick edits.
Laters,
P x
Everyone's pretty used to lomo style photos thanks largely to the popularity of iPhones and their various camera related apps. And I must admit I do envy iPhone owners for this. But long ago an online app was made to replicate polaroids and I've just reminded myself of it tonight.
Poladroid is a free downloadable app that lets you turn your regular jpegs into Polaroid style photos. I just did a few to show as examples.
They're more like the results you get with the iPhone apps than actual polaroids but still, it's a bit of easy fun for some quick edits.
Laters,
P x
Instant lust.
I was texting one of my friends the other day, talking about how I'd keep in touch whilst I'm in Portugal and the discussion has led to what I consider a worthy blog post. You see I mentioned how our apartment doesn't have internet and I'm not sure if any local places will have free wi-fi. He casually dropped in the idea of letters which I was all for. And in reply I said it was a shame Polaroid film isn't as cheap as it used to be as I think it'd be a great idea to send a random snapshot with each letter. This led to a furious search online for the cheapest Polaroid film available with little luck. Thanks to The Impossible Project, Polaroid film is once again available to the masses. But only if those masses have money to burn. Even eBay is selling it for crazy prices. Being a very poor student type, I have zero pennies. So sadly a fresh pack of Polaroid film is out of the question for this holiday.
So I began to look into alternatives as I didn't wish to give up completely on the idea of instant snapshots to send to my friend.
The first alternative that came up is the Fujifilm Instax Mini. Although the camera itself is a little pricey, the film is considerably cheaper than Polaroid so it's an affordable option.
The prints are a dinky credit card size compared to the Polaroid classic square format. But that makes them perfectly wallet/purse sized. I think I'd probably end up filling my purse with my favourite snaps if I had this. You could also utilise them as on the spot business cards with the right pen to pop your contact details on. Much more fun and memorable than getting someone to jot down your email address on a scrap of paper. And how about it for giving your number to a person of romantic interest? I know with modern technology you can just put your number directly into someone's phone but what about a silly pic and your phone number scrawled along the edge? Far more interesting I'd say. How could anyone resist?
The only downside for me with the Instax is the idea of lugging around a third camera. I'm already gonna have my Canon and my Diana F+ (not to mention several accessories) in a bag at all times on this holiday so adding a third does not appeal.
So what's the alternative to a third camera? How about a different back for my Diana F+?
Yup awesomely enough the Lomography society have created the Diana Instant Back. This nifty bit of equipment simply turns my regular Diana F+ into an instant camera. And even better? It uses the same film at the Instax so once again the film is in my price range (well once I've got some money).
Now I know what you're thinking. How different can be it to carry the actual Instax camera around compared to the Diana Instant Back? Since I have neither I can't give you an exact answer but truthfully I suspect the difference isn't actually all that much. And surely it'd be easier to just snap pics with the Instax rather than fiddling with changing the back on the Diana F+? Yup probably. But do you get to change the lens with the Instax? Nope.
Now since I own the Diana F+ deluxe kit, I have all the various available lenses for it as well as two different flashes and the lens splitzer. This is why I was drawn to the deluxe kit in the first place, the full spectrum of accessories included. So whatever I put on the front of my Diana F+ would come out in the instant film. Fish eye? Yup. Wide Angle? Yup. Telephoto? Yup. It goes on. This obviously opens up the possibilities available when the Instant Back is applied. And you can see gallery proof of these on the Diana Instant Back microsite. Just look at those photos! I'm torn between fish eye and close up being my favourites.
So as you've probably worked out the Diana Instant Back is way more appealing to me than the Instax Mini. My mind boggles at all the crazy shots I could get and how much fun I'd have with it. Of course I'd be a bit worried about some shots not coming out right since I'm still figuring out the Diana F+ but that's always been a risk with instant film anyways. And is of course all part of the fun of analogue photography.
Sadly being the woefully poor student I am, I can't afford either of these at the moment but when the next lot of student loan comes rolling in, I may well consider in investing in the Diana Instant Back. Unless someone wants to lend me the money in the meantime? Anyone?
I'll leave that one with you ;)
Laters,
P x
So I began to look into alternatives as I didn't wish to give up completely on the idea of instant snapshots to send to my friend.
The first alternative that came up is the Fujifilm Instax Mini. Although the camera itself is a little pricey, the film is considerably cheaper than Polaroid so it's an affordable option.
The prints are a dinky credit card size compared to the Polaroid classic square format. But that makes them perfectly wallet/purse sized. I think I'd probably end up filling my purse with my favourite snaps if I had this. You could also utilise them as on the spot business cards with the right pen to pop your contact details on. Much more fun and memorable than getting someone to jot down your email address on a scrap of paper. And how about it for giving your number to a person of romantic interest? I know with modern technology you can just put your number directly into someone's phone but what about a silly pic and your phone number scrawled along the edge? Far more interesting I'd say. How could anyone resist?
The only downside for me with the Instax is the idea of lugging around a third camera. I'm already gonna have my Canon and my Diana F+ (not to mention several accessories) in a bag at all times on this holiday so adding a third does not appeal.
So what's the alternative to a third camera? How about a different back for my Diana F+?
Yup awesomely enough the Lomography society have created the Diana Instant Back. This nifty bit of equipment simply turns my regular Diana F+ into an instant camera. And even better? It uses the same film at the Instax so once again the film is in my price range (well once I've got some money).
Now I know what you're thinking. How different can be it to carry the actual Instax camera around compared to the Diana Instant Back? Since I have neither I can't give you an exact answer but truthfully I suspect the difference isn't actually all that much. And surely it'd be easier to just snap pics with the Instax rather than fiddling with changing the back on the Diana F+? Yup probably. But do you get to change the lens with the Instax? Nope.
Now since I own the Diana F+ deluxe kit, I have all the various available lenses for it as well as two different flashes and the lens splitzer. This is why I was drawn to the deluxe kit in the first place, the full spectrum of accessories included. So whatever I put on the front of my Diana F+ would come out in the instant film. Fish eye? Yup. Wide Angle? Yup. Telephoto? Yup. It goes on. This obviously opens up the possibilities available when the Instant Back is applied. And you can see gallery proof of these on the Diana Instant Back microsite. Just look at those photos! I'm torn between fish eye and close up being my favourites.
So as you've probably worked out the Diana Instant Back is way more appealing to me than the Instax Mini. My mind boggles at all the crazy shots I could get and how much fun I'd have with it. Of course I'd be a bit worried about some shots not coming out right since I'm still figuring out the Diana F+ but that's always been a risk with instant film anyways. And is of course all part of the fun of analogue photography.
Sadly being the woefully poor student I am, I can't afford either of these at the moment but when the next lot of student loan comes rolling in, I may well consider in investing in the Diana Instant Back. Unless someone wants to lend me the money in the meantime? Anyone?
I'll leave that one with you ;)
Laters,
P x
26 June 2011
Jollidays.
I've been having a mild shitter of a time recently. Nothing serious compared to what some of my friends and their families are going through. Just a bit of a weird beef with my dad over me moving in with him come September. It's all about an old bed essentially. Had a frustrating moment this morning where I'd called him, left a message asking him to call me back but he called my mum and didn't even ask to speak to me. He repeated this behaviour earlier when I answered the house phone, he just asked to be put on to my mum without even making any kind of small talk with me. Way to be a parent hey dad?
But in two weeks I can forget all about my dad and just enjoy my life again. You know why? Because I'll be jetting off to sunny Portugal! I cannot wait. I've been promised this summer in Portugal since the beginning of the year and we're finally going. Mum got fed up of waiting for my stepdad to let us know what was going on so she asked me to help her book the flights this afternoon. So at 4:45pm on the 11th we're off to Faro. My folks were given an apartment in the Algarve which is why we get to spend the whole of our summer there. I'm really hoping that a summer in the sun away from all my issues here in Manchester will cause a significant difference to my depression. I'm going to focus on my photography and remind myself why I love it so much. With my new 50mm lens and the array of film for my Diana F+ I reckon I'll come back a different photographer (and hopefully a better photographer).
I can't truly cover how excited I am for the 11th. I can't wait to explore a new country and photograph to my heart's content. Expect a few holiday related posts over these next two weeks.
But I'm signing off for now as I'm watching Jurassic Park on the tellybox as well as keeping my eye on a lens on Ebay.
Laters,
P x
But in two weeks I can forget all about my dad and just enjoy my life again. You know why? Because I'll be jetting off to sunny Portugal! I cannot wait. I've been promised this summer in Portugal since the beginning of the year and we're finally going. Mum got fed up of waiting for my stepdad to let us know what was going on so she asked me to help her book the flights this afternoon. So at 4:45pm on the 11th we're off to Faro. My folks were given an apartment in the Algarve which is why we get to spend the whole of our summer there. I'm really hoping that a summer in the sun away from all my issues here in Manchester will cause a significant difference to my depression. I'm going to focus on my photography and remind myself why I love it so much. With my new 50mm lens and the array of film for my Diana F+ I reckon I'll come back a different photographer (and hopefully a better photographer).
I can't truly cover how excited I am for the 11th. I can't wait to explore a new country and photograph to my heart's content. Expect a few holiday related posts over these next two weeks.
But I'm signing off for now as I'm watching Jurassic Park on the tellybox as well as keeping my eye on a lens on Ebay.
Laters,
P x
Vintage.
Last post for tonight. I promise. Just very quickly wanted to post a photo of the suitcases my mum got in Barnados t'other day. £4.99 each. Can't complain. Mine's the red 'un.
Only problem is I'm not sure how I'm going to fit all my holiday clothes in it.
Laters,
P x
Only problem is I'm not sure how I'm going to fit all my holiday clothes in it.
Laters,
P x
Digital.
Yeah from no posts to 3 posts. What can I say? I feel the need to blog. There may be more posts to come but I may save them until tomorrow.
So from film to digital. This is going to be my shortest post for today because I don't have a huge amount to say about this. I'm not a big fan of the camera I have, a Canon 450D, but I'm determined to get this camera to work for me. When I bought it the camera came with the standard 18-55mm kit lens which isn't all that. And sadly on my course the equipment is more Nikon than Canon. Which is a bit of a bum deal. There are two Canon lenses available to borrow from college but it can be difficult to get hold of them. I had a particularly annoying time once when I needed one of the lenses but the tutor was borrowing it for personal reasons. Now I don't know about you but I think it's pretty unfair for tutors to borrow equipment from a college course especially when that equipment is in extremely limited supply and high demand from the students. But no point going on about it.
Now when I did The Geek Inside I actually hired out a lens from Calumet. It was a 24-105mm zoom lens and it was so much fun to work with. It made me realise what a difference a lens makes to a camera and to shooting. With that lens I didn't detest my silly 450D and we got along swimmingly. I loved the shots it produced and in the end I really enjoyed the project for the first time on the course. Being a zoom lens the 24-105mm gave me the chance to be a bit further away from the action but still get the shot I wanted. I get a little funny around people these days due to my depression/anxiety so this lens was just perfect for me.
So considering I'll be in Portugal for most of the summer I'd been thinking about how much I wanted to go away with a different lens to my standard 18-55mm. Now of course I couldn't borrow from college, neither of the lenses are suitable (there's a macro or a wide angle, useless) and that'd be no chance I'd be allowed to borrow considering I'm going abroad. And as much as I'd love to hire a lens from Calumet, it's hardly a financially viable option considering the length of time I'd be away and the amount of pennies I have in my bank. But I was randomly browsing lenses on Amazon the other day and wondering if there were any affordable options. I've heard a lot of good things about 50mm lenses and they're a pretty essential lens to have as part of your kit really. Now Canon's top 50mm lens is their 50mm f/1.2 and it's a beautiful lens. Unfortunately it's also like £1.5k so way out of my budget.
What is affordable though is the 50mm f/1.8 which is between £80 to £100 depending on which site you're on. And luckily for me I have a very kind mother with an Argos card and Argos are offering a buy now pay in 7 months time payment plan. So with a promise to pay her back with money from my student loan when my 2nd year lot comes through, off we popped to Argos this morning to purchase it.
I haven't had much chance to use it yet but I cannot wait to begin experimenting with it and of course take it to Portugal. I could probably do with buying a lens hood for it and I'll get round to it at some point before I go. But for now say hello to the newest member of my kit.
I've now got my eye on a Tamron 55-200mm for some fun zoom times.
It's just under a £100 on Amazon but the problem is that I don't have a £100 and I don't know anyone willing to lend me it until September. Dang. Still a girl panda can dream.
Anyways I'll go shooting with my 50mm soon and post the results on here.
Laters,
P x
So from film to digital. This is going to be my shortest post for today because I don't have a huge amount to say about this. I'm not a big fan of the camera I have, a Canon 450D, but I'm determined to get this camera to work for me. When I bought it the camera came with the standard 18-55mm kit lens which isn't all that. And sadly on my course the equipment is more Nikon than Canon. Which is a bit of a bum deal. There are two Canon lenses available to borrow from college but it can be difficult to get hold of them. I had a particularly annoying time once when I needed one of the lenses but the tutor was borrowing it for personal reasons. Now I don't know about you but I think it's pretty unfair for tutors to borrow equipment from a college course especially when that equipment is in extremely limited supply and high demand from the students. But no point going on about it.
Now when I did The Geek Inside I actually hired out a lens from Calumet. It was a 24-105mm zoom lens and it was so much fun to work with. It made me realise what a difference a lens makes to a camera and to shooting. With that lens I didn't detest my silly 450D and we got along swimmingly. I loved the shots it produced and in the end I really enjoyed the project for the first time on the course. Being a zoom lens the 24-105mm gave me the chance to be a bit further away from the action but still get the shot I wanted. I get a little funny around people these days due to my depression/anxiety so this lens was just perfect for me.
So considering I'll be in Portugal for most of the summer I'd been thinking about how much I wanted to go away with a different lens to my standard 18-55mm. Now of course I couldn't borrow from college, neither of the lenses are suitable (there's a macro or a wide angle, useless) and that'd be no chance I'd be allowed to borrow considering I'm going abroad. And as much as I'd love to hire a lens from Calumet, it's hardly a financially viable option considering the length of time I'd be away and the amount of pennies I have in my bank. But I was randomly browsing lenses on Amazon the other day and wondering if there were any affordable options. I've heard a lot of good things about 50mm lenses and they're a pretty essential lens to have as part of your kit really. Now Canon's top 50mm lens is their 50mm f/1.2 and it's a beautiful lens. Unfortunately it's also like £1.5k so way out of my budget.
What is affordable though is the 50mm f/1.8 which is between £80 to £100 depending on which site you're on. And luckily for me I have a very kind mother with an Argos card and Argos are offering a buy now pay in 7 months time payment plan. So with a promise to pay her back with money from my student loan when my 2nd year lot comes through, off we popped to Argos this morning to purchase it.
I haven't had much chance to use it yet but I cannot wait to begin experimenting with it and of course take it to Portugal. I could probably do with buying a lens hood for it and I'll get round to it at some point before I go. But for now say hello to the newest member of my kit.
I've now got my eye on a Tamron 55-200mm for some fun zoom times.
It's just under a £100 on Amazon but the problem is that I don't have a £100 and I don't know anyone willing to lend me it until September. Dang. Still a girl panda can dream.
Anyways I'll go shooting with my 50mm soon and post the results on here.
Laters,
P x
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