#Paterson film developing kit

[evaneugenedavis]

Developing Film at Home: A Beginner's Guide

Please note that this guide is for developing black and white film. It’s recommended to start with black and white film because developing color film is a more involved process. I will write a guide on developing color film in the near future. If you’re a photographer who’s been shooting digital for a while and have recently started shooting film, you may have noticed that shooting film can be…

[mycollectionhouse]

Darkroom Spiral Reel for AP Paterson Kaiser Film Developing Tank 120 127 135 Multi-Format Film Holder Camera Processing Accessories Kit

Darkroom Spiral Reel for AP Paterson Kaiser Film Developing Tank 120 127 135 Multi-Format Film Holder Camera Processing Accessories Kit

[derekblair78]

Research Part 2 Film Processing & Paper Types

Film Processing

There aren’t many chemicals that are used to develop a roll of film. In Black & White film development, you really only need to get familiar with the developer, the fixer, and the stop bath.

So once you have shot a roll of film it needs to be processed to create the negatives and at this point your film is still light sensitive so should not be exposed to light.  When you are at this stage then you have two options were you either take your negatives to a film processing lab and pay to have them developed or you process the film yourself. If you chose the latter option of processing your own film it can be highly satisfying and cost effective and its also easy to learn. The most common method for hand processing film is undertaken by using a Daylight Processing Tank. This piece of kit needs the film to be loaded on to a ‘spiral’ or ‘reel’, in either a dark light proof room or in a changing bag or tent, and then enclosed in a light tight container or developing tank, ready for the addition of the processing chemicals. The most difficult part of using a tank is loading the film onto the spiral as this must be done in complete darkness. However, with a bit of practice, it becomes quite easy to do.

Developing 35mm Film in daylight processing tanks

Things you will need:

A 35mm film tank with film correctly loaded.

300ml (per roll of film) of Ilford ID11 developer at 1+1 dilution (150ml of developer and 150mm of water) and stock dilution for Ilford Delta 3200 (300ml).

300ml of Ilford Stop Bath (per roll of film).

300ml of Ilford fixer (per roll of film).

Photo Flo wetting agent

Procedure

Check the developing time for your film, the method that I use to find all of this information is the massive dev chart site. You can check the development times by entering your your film type into the film type box and your developer in the developer box. so when I developing film at college I enter ID 11 into the developer box, click search and you are given a dev chart for the desired film. Bellow is a chart I made up of all of the films that I have shot so far.

Measure out 300ml of ID11 developer at a 1+1 dilution which is 150ml of developer and 150mm of water (stock for Ilford Delta 3200) and make sure its at or as close to 20°C as you can get, 300ml of stop bath and 300ml of fixer, all in separate measuring cylinders or jugs.

Remove the rubber lid on the Paterson tank and immediately pour in the mixed developer. Start your timer or watch the clock from when you add the developer.

Replace the lid and immediately begin agitating the tank. Start by agitating for the entire first minute of the development time, then for the first ten seconds of each further minute. Between agitations, tap the tank on the sink (to release any air bubbles) and leave it to stand upright.

When the developers time has finished, immediately remove the lid, pour the developer back into the measuring cylinder or jug and then pour in the stop bath. Replace lid and leave the stop bath in for at least 30 seconds, agitating for the whole time, and tapping (to release any air bubbles).

Remove the lid and pour the stop bath from the tank back into its container for further use.

Pour in the fixer and replace the lid. The time for fixer is five minutes, and agitate the tank for the first whole minute and then for the first ten seconds of each further minute.

Remove the lid and pour the fixer back into its container as it can also be reused.

now you was the negatives by inserting the mixer tap hose into the hole in the centre of the tank and let the water rinse through it at 20°C for 20 minutes.

Turn off the water, remove the hose, remove the funnel and then add six drops of Photo Flo wetting agent to the full tank of still water. Leave this to stand for 30 seconds. After the 30 seconds lift the post and spiral out of the water.

Carefully unroll the film from the spiral and then with a squeegee slowly pull it down the wet negatives to remove any excess water then hang to dry for a few hours inside the drying cabinet.

Clean up your workspace and wash the developing tank and place in a drying cabinet.

Once the film is dry you can cut the negatives into lengths of 6 exposures and place in negative sleeves for safe storage until your ready to create prints or scan the negatives.

Photographic Paper 

Photographic paper works a lot like film. Light hits film it causes a chemical reaction that causes special silver-halide crystals to turn black when processed with developing chemicals. Therefore on film, the brightest parts of the image appear the darkest on your negative. When placing a photo under an enlarger, this process is reversed. Light is shined through the negative, and those dark parts on the negative block the most light. Photo paper also has silver-halide crystals in it, so the parts hit with the most light, turn the blackest. Photographic paper is simply that, paper coated with photo chemicals. The paper can be thick or thin just like normal paper, and it can be made from a variety of materials. The chemical coating can also have different qualities.

Graded Paper

Graded paper is not as popular as it once were. This popularity drop has caused graded papers to become sort of “elite.” However, they are usually high quality and expensive. Graded papers come in grades zero – five. Zero produces the least amount contrast. Five produces the most contrast. If your negative has perfect contrast, printing it on paper graded three  would work perfectly. If you negative has very high contrast, you’ll want to print it on zero or one. Conversely if you negative has very low contrast, you’ll need to print it on four or five. Obviously, if you print a lot of images, you’ll have a stock a variety of grades of paper.

Variable contrast paper

Variable contrast paper is a single paper that can produce a variety of contrasts through the use of magenta filters. There are two types of printing enlargers, black & white, and color. When using a black & white enlarger you’ll have to buy a set of magenta filters. These will be graded similarly to graded papers. You’ll typically have five or so different magentas to choose from. The denser the magenta filter, the more contrast your print will have.

Paper Types

There are two general types of paper. The first is fiber-based paper (often shortened to FB). Fiber paper is known to produce really good tones and be very stable after processing. Museums and exhibitions often use this paper for prints due to the quality and archival nature. On the downside, due to the porous nature of the material, it takes a longer time for chemicals to saturate the paper fully. Fiber paper is also very fragile when wet, so it has to air dry as opposed to being dried in a machine.

The other type of paper is resin-coated paper (often shortened to RC). RC paper is quick to process, but slightly less stable after development. Because the chemicals only affect the outer layer of the paper, the developing and fixing process is quicker. It’s also much sturdier, so the paper can be dried in a matter of minutes using a rolling drying machine instead of hours or days hang drying or screen drying.

Paper Finishes

 This is about the only area that darkroom papers overlap with their modern inkjet paper equivalents. There are several types of finishes that serve a variety of purposes.

Glossy - Has a high reflectivity and smooth texture. It gives the impression of richer contrast and emphasizes the details and sharpness of an image. When displaying your prints, the glossy paper needs to be positioned carefully in relation to light sources or glare will make viewing the image difficult.

Matte - Has a rougher texture and low reflectivity. It tends to mask imperfections and provide a softer look. It looks absolutely great behind the glass of a frame since the texture allows a microscopic bit of space between much of the surface and the glass itself.

There are a number of finishes that fall in between glossy and matte: not totally shiny, but not totally rough. Depending on the brand and the type of paper, these finishes may be called semi-matte, luster, pearl or satin. For the vast majority of images, these in-between finishes work wonderfully. Of course, your final choice of finish will be based on your personal preference.

[mealha]

Everything you need to develop your own film at home

In the last few years we’ve seen an uptick in enthusiasm for film photography. While analog photography has seen a bit of a renaissance, it’s increasingly challenging to find a lab that will actually develop film for you. The good news is that developing rolls of black and white film at home is easy, fun, and doesn’t require a huge investment to get started. Here is everything you need to turn your spare closet or bathroom into a tiny darkroom.

Black and White Film

A versatile film stock that is popular with photography students. (Ilford/)

To get started, you will need to grab some rolls of black-and-white film. Ilford HP5 is a versatile black-and-white 400 speed stock that’s forgiving if you screw up or want to experiment with alternative methods of development. It’s a popular film stock with students with a medium grain that has a flexible latitude. If you are just starting out, and happen to miss an exposure, HP5 will give you a bit of leeway to rescue those precious images. You can buy it in packs of three or five to bring the cost down.

Film Changing Bag

A film changing bag provides a light-tight space to remove your rolls of film from the cannister and get them on the reels. (VANZAVANZU/)

You need to get the film out of the can and into the developing tank in complete darkness. If you don’t have a windowless room handy, this simple bag will do the trick. The double-zippered enclosure looks a bit like a shirt, and allows you to slip your hands into the sleeves to get to work. It’s also handy if you’re uncomfortable in the pitch dark.

Film Canister Opener

A dedicated film canister opener can provide a safer way to open rolls when fumbling in the dark. (eTone/)

Any bottle opener will help pry your film out of the canister, but, a dedicated film canister opener can be helpful in the beginning as you get used to working without seeing what you’re doing. This one has a matte black finish to cut down on reflections, is made of solid metal, and has a dedicated metal edge to slide under the lid of the canister. Once you’ve popped the top of the canister off and rolled the film onto your reel, use a pair of scissors to cut the film from the plastic cylinder in the middle of the roll.

Patterson 35mm Developing Tank

A Patterson 35mm developing tank will allow you to develop two rolls of film at once. (Paterson/)

There are two kinds of reels and each seem to have a dedicated following. We personally prefer the plastic Patterson reels and developing tank to the metal reels. It’s much easier to get the film on the reel straight (which means even-distribution of photo chemicals) and require less agitation during the developing process. Simply feed the undeveloped film onto the plastic reel and then plop it within the light-tight tank. Keep in mind that all of this needs to be done in the dark, so you will want to add your Patterson reels and tank into your dark bag before you pop open your film canisters. This tank can develop two rolls at a time, but if you only have one you can simply leave the second reel empty. Before you develop your first roll of film it’s good to trash a roll of cheap film just to see how the film will feed onto the reels.

Ilford Simplicity Starter Kit

Single-use sachets of all the chemicals you need to develop two rolls of film at home. (Ilford/)

Darkroom chemicals typically sell in large quantities and, unless you’re processing a lot of rolls all the time, you are probably going to end up with a lot of unused fluids. The Ilford simplicity starter pack contained all of the chemistry you need to develop exactly two rolls of film. The kit contains single-use sachets of developer, stop bath, fixer and a film wetting agent. This is a great way to experience developing film at home, without investing a ton of money into darkroom chemicals.

Graduated Cylinders

These graduated cylinders will keep your darkroom chemicals safe and sound during the process. (Paterson/)

You will need a place to hold your chemicals and that is where these graduated cylinders come in handy. You will want to invest in three to get you started—one for each other chemicals involved in the developing process. These polystyrene models are chemical-resistant, easy to read, have a tip-free base to keep you from knocking chemicals everywhere and a dripless spout. The sturdy cylinders will also make it easy to heat your developing chemicals to the proper temperature before you begin.

Precision Thermometer

A precision thermometer like this one is just as good in an at-home darkroom as it is in the kitchen. Just make sure to have a dedicated thermometer for each room! (Taylor Precision Products/)

Temperature is crucial in the development process. Just a few degrees off and you can drastically change the look of your film. This thermometer will ensure that things are properly heated before you begin. It conveniently clips to the side of your graduated cylinder so you can keep a hands-free eye on the process.

Film Clips

These stainless steel film clips will help your newly developed strips of film keep from curling in on themselves. (eTone/)

Once you’ve finished developing your rolls, you will need a safe place to let them dry. Although a fancy film drying cabinet is ideal, for a lot of photographers developing at home, leaving rolls in the shower will suffice. These film clips will help keep the wet film from curling in on itself as it dries.

Negative Storage Sheets

Keep your film safe and organized with these negative storage sheets. (Print File/)

Once your film is developed and dried you will want to store it in a way that prevents dust and scratches. Archival negative storage sheets will keep your strips safe from the elements, make them easy to view and store and will even allow you to clearly label what’s included on every roll. If you are planning to work in a full-blown darkroom these also provide a seamless way to create a contact sheet, which shows you small versions of all your photos so you can choose which ones you want to print.

Film Scanner

Digitize your analog film with a film scanner. (Epson/)

If you don’t have access to a darkroom where you can make old school prints its worth investing in a film scanner to scan your negatives and process the images digitally. The Epson Perfection V600 is our choice for getting the job done. Although it isn’t technically a professional-grade scanner, it can scan at a max resolution of 6400 x 9600 dpi, has 3.4 Dmax for excellent dynamic range, and Epson’s Digital ICE technology which can automatically remove small imperfections from your film.

from Popular Photography | RSS https://ift.tt/2P4KcwH

[chrisoncinema]

The Year in Review: Top Ten Films of 2017

Well, we made it. We survived. Before getting into this list, I'd like to thank everyone who read, shared, or commented on one of my posts or videos this past year. It was a pretty monumental year for this blog and for my cinematic journey. I didn't go into 2017 with a plan to revive this blog but I'm happy I did. I ended up thinking about this very list for most of the year; giving me time to rediscover my love for movies and an excuse to watch way more movies than I otherwise would have. So let's get to the movies, shall we? This list is not a definitive, quantitative, or objective ranking of the films released this year. Rather, it is a rough sketch of the movies I enjoyed seeing the most. The movies that moved me, surprised me, or stuck with me. You can see my previous post for a listing of movies I missed and movies that didn't make it into my top ten. I hesitate to call these my ten "favorites" because, if you ask me in three months what my favorite movies from 2017 are, the list might look quite different. For today, though, I hope it provides something new, forgotten, or overlooked that you can take with you as we head into the new year. 10. It Comes At Night

In an apocalyptic near-future, a mixed-race family must protect their home and their health from foreign threats. Of all the horror movies I saw this year, It Comes at Night was the one I could never get out of my head. Whether director Trey Shults intended it or not, It Comes at Night became a meditation on many of the ills that plague America in 2017: from the failure of white saviors to a tribal and territorial fear of “the other.” What made the film feel special was its simplicity and focus. Shults was not interested in world-building or mythologizing. Without the visual formalism of The Killing of a Sacred Deer or the loaded narrative commentary found in Get Out and mother!, It Comes at Night is its own survival kit: stripped down to the bare essentials, without the fanfare or gloss of over-production. This is a movie with lace-up boots and dirt under its nails. A movie that, above all, feels like its about real characters who react uniquely to new conflicts and discoveries.

Joel Edgerton, whose face I admittedly often forget, gives one of his best performances. His family, played by Carmen Ejogo and Kelvin Harrison Jr. (who were both new to me) were standouts, and small parts by Riley Keough and Christopher Abbott (two of the greatest actors in the indie scene, Keough especially) round out the great cast. Throughout the movie I was reminded of Alien, another horror film that takes place in a claustrophobic environment, where it is just as interesting to watch all the characters converse as it is to see them get attacked by a giant space bug. Many people were let down by the absence of a horror they thought was implied in the title “It Comes at Night.” But, like Alien, they’re missing the trees for the forest. This is a human drama. What makes the film horrifying is its plausibility. Hell? Other people. What comes at night? Darkness, paranoia, emptiness. It doesn’t get scarier than that.

9. The Death of Louis XIV

Moving even smaller in scale, The Death of Louis XIV is a sad, funny, beautiful chamber-piece starring the one and only Jean-Pierre Léaud. Truthfully, a big part of what makes the film so enjoyable is the meta-narrative trip that comes with this casting. Léaud began his career at age 14 starring in one of the most influential films of the French New Wave, Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows. He is, quite literally, French cinema royalty and, though Léaud himself is only 73, this feels like his great swan song. As always, Léaud manages to be both funny and tragic; equal parts ornery and charming.

The film's lofty title may not seem like the most exciting or accessible subject matter but, while stuffiness abounds, there is simply too much to enjoy in this film to pass up and I’m shocked that more people aren’t talking about it. The cinematography is some of the best this year: every single shot looks like a candlelit oil painting. The blacks are endless, the reds are velvety, and the golds are radiant. Is the movie slow? Yes, absolutely. But I, for one, enjoyed drinking with the King, scheming with his advisers, and laughing at each new, ridiculous wig that appears on screen.

8. Lady Bird

As with every new work that seems to be receiving undue or hyperbolic praise, I was highly skeptical of Lady Bird before finally seeing it. So let’s start with all the ways I was right. This is a coming-of-age story and it contains all the usual suspects: a fast-talking, strong-willed protagonist who still has a lot to learn about how the world actually works; parents who just want the best for the protagonist who have trouble communicating with her and with each other; a quirky best friend who is briefly tossed aside while the protagonist tries to be popular; and a concluding event that reminds the protagonist of some little piece of wisdom that was dropped along the way. Despite all of this narrative predictability, there’s something undeniable about Lady Bird. It works because of the characters that writer/director Greta Gerwig has crafted. An incredibly gifted, funny performer in her own right, Gerwig understands that no relationship is black and white. The best scenes feature Saoirse Ronan’s titular Lady Bird and her mother, played by Laurie Metcalf. Though their relationship is often contentious, at a moment’s notice the two act like the best of friends. They are too similar to be compatible and yet it is this resemblance that keeps them together. If that’s not an accurate, human depiction of mother-daughter relationships, I don’t know what is. In the end, Lady Bird is endearing, warm, and human – genuinely funny and genuinely moving. Gerwig didn’t reinvent the coming-of-age dramedy, but she came close to perfecting it.

7. After the Storm

If you enjoyed the familial drama of Lady Bird, I highly recommend watching the criminally ignored Japanese film After the Storm. The movie centers on a dead-beat, divorced dad trying to reconnect with his young son and ex-wife – well, kind of trying. The film’s lead, Hiroshi Abe, is basically Gob Bluth from Arrested Development: he’s lazy and selfish but is able to skate by on his charm, social flexibility, and a bit of self-deprecation. Like Lady Bird, After the Storm is full of complex, three-dimensional characters, tenuous family dynamics, and lived-in wisdom that never feels hacky. Hirokazu Kore-eda shoots the film without pretension, keeping a careful eye on the little details of everyday life. It doesn’t have the pep of an American dramedy so many viewers might find their minds starting to wander but, like 2016’s Paterson or Kore-eda’s predecessor Yasujiro Ozu, After the Storm has a lot to offer if you’re in a receptive mood. Pair with tea and a rainy day (a monsoon, if you’ve got it).

6. Good Time

Good Time is a travelling carnival. It’s a fever-dream that feels familiar even though you never know exactly what you’re going to see. The music and lights are dizzying, the air is full of weed, sweat, and old cigarettes, and everyone is inexplicably dressed like it’s the 90s. Need I say more?

I didn’t know what to expect from Good Time having seen none of the Safdie Brothers’ earlier films, but I was intrigued by the trailer. The film did not disappoint. Beginning with a bank heist gone bad, Good Time is the story of two brothers played by Robert Pattinson and Benny Safdie. As many have noted, the film owes a lot to the 1970s cinema of Scorsese and Lumet but there’s an immediacy to the filming that feels unmistakably modern. Just when the gritty realism sinks in, the movie blasts into space thanks to a bold score from experimental producer Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never). It’s one of the best scores of the year, featuring a gut-wrenching, original song from Lopatin and Iggy Pop. The cinematography is equally manic: mid-winter greys mix with neon lights and vibrant reds. The Safdies keep their camera dangerously tight – detailing the desperation on a nearly-unrecognizable Robert Pattinson (and we’ll see him again before this list is over). Twilight? Never heard of it. You’re witnessing a movie star – a direct descendent of Pacino or De Niro. Good Time is grimy, thrilling, and occasionally very funny. Like all carnival rides, I went home feeling nauseous, head-pounding, and in need of a tetanus shot. 

5. Columbus

Columbus is a movie so personal to me that I can barely talk about it objectively – I kind of feel like I made it (but I can assure you I did not). The first feature by video essayist Koganada, Columbus is a movie about love, loss, and architecture so genuine it makes (500) Days of Summer look like the sloppy, insincere mess that it is. The film’s success is largely due to its two leads: Haley Lu Richardson, who I had never seen before but fell in love with immediately, and John Cho who is now, unarguably, a leading man. The third star of the film is modern architecture by the likes of Eliel and Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, and SOM.

Without giving away too much, Richardson’s Casey is a student who meets Cho’s Jin, a visitor to Columbus, Indiana: architectural mecca of the Midwest. Many of you don’t (and couldn’t) know that I went to school to study architecture. I, like Jin, skeptically engaged with bright, young minds like Casey and questioned what architecture really meant to culture, to a city, and to me. Why does architecture matter? That’s a question I’m still answering but I can tell you this: we need spaces of reflection, communion, and discourse. The best architecture provides that. Columbus is the proof. I’m so pleased that this film has made a number of year-end lists. It’s a little film about a simple story and, like the best architecture, I look forward to exploring it again.

4. Nocturama

Nocturama is perplexing, modern, and gripping from the first minute. Nocturama is the story of a small group of French radicals who plan a coordinated attack on Paris. Nocturama asks a lot of questions – Who are these people? How did they meet? Why did they choose to become terrorists? – but if you’re looking for answers, look elsewhere.

What makes Nocturamaso exciting is the immediate immersion in the intricacies of the plot. There is no Ocean’s Eleven-style voiceover guiding you through the plan, no diatribe or manifesto to take in, just the cold, hard act. Bertrand Bonello’s ensemble piece is a commentary on luxury, privilege, and the rebellious naiveté of youth. It’s also impossibly cool: our anti-heroes smoke, dance, and listen to pop music. They’re kids – just like the ones on your street, in your school, at your mall – and that’s what makes the film so challenging, scary, and dangerous. It’s easy to characterize terrorism as a foreign offense. Nocturama doesn’t want to be easy but if you’re not careful, it might seduce you. Nocturama lights a fuse and dares you to enjoy the flames. Either way, your palms will be sweating.

3. The Lost City of Z

I’ve been critical of James Gray’s big, melodramatic films in the past but with his most recent work, I finally got it. The Lost City of Z stars Charlie Hunnam – in what is far-and-away his best performance – as Percy Fawcett, a 20th century explorer searching the Amazon for the titular city of Z. It’s hard to describe exactly why this film works so well. Like the old epics of David Lean, we follow Fawcett from his humble beginnings as a promising, young military officer, we learn and struggle with him, we return with him, after his numerous expeditions, to see his family growing and changing.

The Lost City of Z offers a whole lot to take in and it’s a testament to the editing that this 141 minute voyage moves along as breezily as it does while also never feeling rushed. What helps keep the story going is breathtaking camera work by cinematographer Darius Khondji and a great cast that includes Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, and Ian McDiarmid. Films like this don’t feel like they should exist anymore – The Lost City of Z is sprawling and beautiful but also quite smart: evoking questions of colonialism, masculinity, and the personal price of one’s work. It’s not perfect, but it’s a rare gem in a field of plastic.

2. Personal Shopper

Personal Shopper was one of the most unique theater-going experiences for me in 2017. It was a Wednesday evening when I spontaneously decided to drive half an hour to the only theater showing Olivier Assayas’ latest film. It was playing in a single auditorium – and a small one at that. I arrived early, as I always do, and waited for the few other moviegoers to trickle in. But they never did. And so I was treated to a personal screening of one of my favorite movies of the year. A movie that, rather fittingly, serves as a meditation for loneliness, isolation, and the vulnerability of predation.

Personal Shopper stars Kristen Stewart as a self-proclaimed medium trying to make contact with her deceased twin brother. Less of a horror film and more a dramatic character study, if you were ever doubtful of Stewart’s acting chops, this film should convince you. I was completely transfixed by her performance. She, and I say this without a hint of irony, is our James Dean. Sporting a leather jacket and a cool, androgynous demeanor, Stewart’s Maureen Cartwright is everyone who has ever slouched with hands stuffed deep in their pockets, anyone whose hands have shaken from an unexpected text message, anyone who’s had the eerie feeling of being watched by someone just out of reach. Personal Shopper is all about atmosphere: chilling, evocative, and sensual. I suppose I understand how people looking for plot-points found this film messy and inaccessible. As for me, though, I’ll be chasing the specter of that first screening. Going to the movies is a kind of séance and I’m thankful to Olivier Assayas for showing us a visionary Kristen Stewart.     

 1. Dunkirk

I know it’s basically a cliché to even talk about Christopher Nolan at this point, but this is where we find ourselves. NOLAN. BROS. FOREVER. Christopher Nolan doesn’t just make films as if each one is the last he’ll make. He makes films as if they’re the last film that will ever be made. Dunkirk is an absolute spectacle and it is, by far, Nolan’s best work to date.

As I’ve discussed before, Nolan came to prominence at the same time I was discovering film. I was in awe of The Dark Knight and Inception when they came out, but by the time The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar were released, my fan-boy-dom had faded. Interstellar is a very good but very flawed movie. It wants so badly to capture the humanity of early Spielberg and the grandeur of Kubrick but, sadly, fails to reach either. Still, the best decision Nolan ever made was swapping out his longtime cinematographer Wally Pfister for Hoyte Van Hoytema. Van Hoytema, who has done great work with the likes of Tomas Alfredson and Spike Jonze, brought a much needed flair for richness to Nolan’s pragmatic sensibilities. With Dunkirk, finally, there is a rich screenplay to match.

It seems Nolan actually listened to the critics who, for years, decried his overly-expositional dialogue and choppy editing. Dunkirk, not unlike Kubrick’s 2001 is pure visual storytelling. The difference is that Nolan was still determined to tell an intimate, human story and, calling upon the cinema gods from Murnau to Hitchcock, he did it.

There was no cinematic experience more breathtaking this year than seeing Dunkirk in IMAX. The sound design is so fierce and the score is so relentless it felt like a deep tissue massage for my brain. I left the theater after each successive viewing feeling invigorated in a way no film has affected me before. Nolan has always tried to make films that could capture the attention and imagination of any viewer (that’s why it was so important for this film to have a PG-13 rating) and he finally did it. The structural experimentation that Nolan was known for from the start is used here to turn the entire film into one of his signature, cross-cut sequences: one long, thrilling crescendo. And he did it all, God bless him, in under two hours.

Nolan-mainstays Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy are as cool as they’ve ever been, and seasoned pros Mark Rylance and Kenneth Branagh bring much-needed warmth and pathos, but the film belongs to the new faces that Nolan introduces: Fionn Whitehead, Aneurin Barnard, Tom Glynn-Carney, Barry Keoghan, and, of course, Harry Styles. They are the young men who have history thrust upon them – dropped into a giant, dangerous world with the weight of a nation on their shoulders. And they fail. They fail their mission and, occasionally, they fail each other. They return home distraught, ashamed, and confused.

“All we did was survive,” they say.

“That’s enough.”

Perseverance is noble. Support is bravery. Survival is victory. That’s Dunkirk’s message. It’s the one we needed this year.

[mealha]

The best new camera gear at PhotoPlus 2019

The annual PhotoPlus Expo kicked off yesterday in New York City. (Jeanette D. Moses/)

The PhotoPlus Expo kicked off today New York City with three days of talks, workshops, portfolio reviews, and, of course, new camera gear and accessories. This annual show is an excellent opportunity for photographers to check out new products in-person. We've spent the afternoon scouring the showroom floor for the best new products available to photographers. Here's what we've loved so far.

The forthcoming Canon 1DX Mark III was under glass on the showroom floor. (Jeanette D. Moses/)

Prototypes of the forthcoming 1DX Mark III lived under glass in New York City. While we still don’t know when the new flagship will be available to the public, the development announcement did include some exciting tech specs. The camera will have a brand new CMOS sensor and DIGIC processor, the ability to capture 10-bit stills using HEIF, an enhanced autofocus system with improved tracking and an autofocus sensor with approximately 28 times the resolution of the 1DX Mark II. Expect to see them abound at the 2020 Olympics.

We love the Duratect Silver version of Fujifilm’s new X-Pro3. (Jeanette D. Moses/)

The Fujifilm X-Pro3 is a digital camera that will make you think a bit more like a film shooter. The new camera essentially has the guts of the DSLR-shaped X-T3, but a hidden LCD screen encourages users to slow down and compose through the viewfinder. We got some nice hands-on time with Fujifilm's new X-Pro3 earlier this week, but the company had some samples of the two new colors on the showroom floor in New York City. This Duratect Silver version reminds us of an old Contax camera, which is a very good thing.

Canon’s new RF 70-200mm f/2.8 is one of the world’s shortest telephoto lenses. (Jeanette D. Moses/)

Canon’s two new RF lenses, the RF 85mm f/1.2 and the 70-200mm f/2.8, were also on view at the Canon booth. These are the ninth and tenth lenses for Canon’s mirrorless system, and both are impressive in their own right. The 70-200mm f/2.8 is one of the world’s shortest telephoto lenses—it’s compact size is even more evident when you see it compared to Canon’s other telephoto glass. The RF 85mm f/1.2 features a new DS coating, that gradually decreases the transmittance of light in the image to create beautifully blurred backgrounds. We weren’t able to actually shoot with the version that was on the showroom floor, since it was a pre-production model, but looking through the massive piece of glass gave us better insight into its nearly $3000 price tag.

The 58mm F/0.95 Noct was available for folks to touch and try in New York City. (Jeanette D. Moses/)

Nikon's very pricey and very niche lens, the 58mm F/0.95 Noct was available for some in-booth shooting for the first time ever. The $8,000 manual focus lens is one of the fastest the company has ever made, and although it's specifically made for niche subjects like astrophotography, it can give shooters some pretty interesting results with portraits as well. The lens has 17 elements in 10 groups, and, while it's a bit of a monster when attached to the Z camera, the bokeh is really impressive.

Sigma’s super compact full-frame camera has a Leica L mount and is built around a 24.6MP BSI-CMOS Bayer sensor. (Jeanette D. Moses/)

Sigma's super compact full-frame fp camera was on display in New York City. We learned about this camera over the summer, but this was the first time we got a sample in our hands. It's tiny, but solid. The camera uses Leica's L lens mount and is built around a 24.6MP BSI-CMSO Bayer sensor—a departure from the Foveon sensors you might expect in a Sigma camera.

The updated version of Sandisk’s Extreme Pro Portable SSD is very nice. (Jeanette D. Moses/)

Sandisk's new Extreme Pro Portable SSD has a read speed of up to 1050MB/s and comes in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB versions. It has a forged aluminum body that protects the SSD core and helps keep it cool. This rugged little drive has an IP55 rating for dust and water and higher impact resistance compared to its predecessor. It connects with USB Type-C and Type A, and it's small size makes it perfect for a photographer on the go.

A compact multi-card reader from Lexar. (Jeanette D. Moses/)

Lexar’s compact professional 3-in-1 USB 3.1 Type-C Reader is compatible with SD, microSD and CompactFlash cards. It supports transfer speeds up to 312MB/s for SD and microSD and 160MB/s for CompactFlash cards. And the triangular shape makes it a little more compact than the traditional rectangular versions.

HEX’s new compact backpacks and slings should be available just in time for the holidays. (Jeanette D. Moses/)

We’ve been using and loving HEX’s camera backpacks for a while now, and although they are great for travel, they can be a little bulky for everyday use. That’s changing though—in part, they say, because of the feedback from women who have been using the bags. This December the company will be releasing scaled down versions of the backpack and sling bag. The new compact designs come in all three colors: black, blue camo, and green camo.

Ilford has a ton of new analog products hitting stores, including a brand new ISO 80 film. (Jeanette D. Moses/)

Ilford had an array of exciting new products on the showroom floor at PhotoPlus. First up there is a brand new film called Ortho Plus that comes in 120 and 35 formats. It’s an orthochromatic black and white film that is rated at ISO 80 and isn’t sensitive to red tones and has a fine grain and sharpness.

Ilford also announced the fifth generation of its best-selling Multigrade RC darkroom printing papers—the last update came 25 years ago. According to the company the new emulsion on the paper has been in development for the last eight years. The new version has a slightly warmer base tint, deeper blacks and offer a more consistent contrast throughout the tonal range.

Finally, Ilford is launching a really clever starter kit for film developing. The box includes pre-measured chemicals for developing two rolls of film, two reels, a Paterson 2-reel Universal Film Development Tank, graduated cylinders, a thermometer, a stirrer, and film clips. It’s everything that you need to get started developing film.

Add a pop of color to your images with Lensbaby’s add ons for the OMNI Filter System. (Jeanette D. Moses/)

Lensbaby had a new pack of colored accessories for its OMNI Filter System on view on the showroom floor. These multi-colored crystals, films and gels attach to the front of the specially designed Lensbaby lens filter using magnets and allow photographers to inject a range of colored tones into their scene. Unlike other Lensbaby products the OMNI Creative system works with standard zoom and prime lenses.

Tamron has four new lenses available for Sony shooters. (Jeanette D. Moses/)

Tamron announced a trio of wide F/2.8 prime lenses for Sony shooters at the show: a 20mm, a 24mm, and a 35mm and a 70-180mm telephoto zoom lens. The lenses all have the same 67mm filter size, moisture-resistant construction, and a fluorine coating on the front element to prevent fingerprint smudges. The lenses support Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF features in Sony cameras, plus they are a lot more affordable than Sony’s native lenses.

from Popular Photography | RSS https://ift.tt/341mciD