Hello everyone

[Petrochemist]

I've just joined the forum & thought this is probably the best place to start.

A little about myself:
I am an analytical chemist by trade, which gives me above average access to chemicals. Despite this my photography over the last dozen years has been almost entirely digital, covering a wide variety of formats frequently adapting lenses as well as shooting lots of infrared. In building up my hoard of lenses to play with I've ended up getting quite a few film cameras and I'm slowly getting round to shooting them too.

My main interest in analogue shooting is to make use of mt Toyo 5x4 monorails - turning them into a lot more than the optical benches I got them for.
The initial plan is to shoot Direct positive paper & process it using Caffenol stand developing in a old processing tank. The slow speed of photographic paper should be an advantage with many of the lenses I can employ most are barrel lenses (with no shutter)

Yes I know I'm mad, but I can get reasonable images from my full frame & medium format lenses already - going large will get some use out of the more unusual toys & allow me to play with movements.

My darkroom experience may not be too relevant - just over 40 years ago I worked as a summer job, using a repromaster copymaster to make enlargements/reductions of line art using 'photo mechanical transfer' Not a process I seen referred to since!

I have done a couple of cyanotypes more recently but they didn't need much in the way of dark

[Terry S]

Welcome to the site Mike.

I too remember and used PMT's at college, about 40 (really?!?!) years ago.

Terry S

[MartyNL]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I almost solely shoot LF these days, which is a shame for the other formats but like you, there are so many fascinating lenses out there! I took 18 lenses on holiday last summer, to compare wide open and 2 stops down. My kind of fun!
Feel free to share.

[Mike O'Pray]

Welcome Mike. Sounds like a useful background for anyone dabbling in darkroom chemicals and an interesting experiment with positive paper and caffenol stand

Mike

[Dave Hall]

Good to see you Mike

From the frozen Northlands

[Petrochemist]

Thanks for the welcome everyone.

[Petrochemist]

Originally Posted by MartyNL

I almost solely shoot LF these days, which is a shame for the other formats but like you, there are so many fascinating lenses out there! I took 18 lenses on holiday last summer, to compare wide open and 2 stops down. My kind of fun!
Feel free to share.

I don't think I've ever taken as many as 18 lenses out on holiday, but I did end up taking my two largest bags on the trip to marseilles a month ago. I think that's currently 6 lenses in one & 8 or 9 in the other.

None of the images I have available at the moment fit the remit of this forum (all digital) perhaps I could get away with https://flic.kr/p/2aSzfax showing a jury rigged microscope lens but with one of my wife's cyanotype prints as a background. I don't think it fit's the spirit of the forum though so I'll leave it as a link.

Hopefully I get some print to share soon.

[Petrochemist]

Originally Posted by Terry S

Welcome to the site Mike.

I too remember and used PMT's at college, about 40 (really?!?!) years ago.

Terry S

It wasn't that long afterwards that all the artwork was handled digitally. I suspect all the darkroom kit was just skipped. The camera was a real beast over 1m in every dimension, and I certainly wouldn't be able to find space for something like that (let alone find the means to transport it) - I do wish I'd been able to grab the lens though, fantastic coverage & of course sharp!

[David Lingham]

Welcome Petrochemist.
I spent my working life in the various sections of the printing industry and often used a Repromaster for base artworks and half tone screening. That was until we all had to learn digital, and then the fun really started.
Enjoy the forum.

David

[MartyNL]

Originally Posted by Petrochemist

I don't think I've ever taken as many as 18 lenses out on holiday, but I did end up taking my two largest bags on the trip to marseilles a month ago. I think that's currently 6 lenses in one & 8 or 9 in the other.

None of the images I have available at the moment fit the remit of this forum (all digital) perhaps I could get away with https://flic.kr/p/2aSzfax showing a jury rigged microscope lens but with one of my wife's cyanotype prints as a background. I don't think it fit's the spirit of the forum though so I'll leave it as a link.

Hopefully I get some print to share soon.

Here's a quick snap of 4 of them. The bottom right is a Nikon nikkor 200M and being the most modern, multi-coated lens, formed the basis of the comparison. It will come as no great surprise to hear, however, that the main distinction between all of the lenses was indeed contrast.
There were no shutterless barrel or brass lenses in this round.