I've been finding archival sheets of processed film all over the house. The surprise I found was cleaning my upstairs desk - a plastic shopping bag with 8 rolls of unexposed film. All my film cameras were sold in 2003-2005, so I made a small purchase just to squeeze off a few analog frames for nostalgia's sake. Checked the darkroom (now storage room) and found tanks and reels, graduates, bottles, thermometers, and lots of unmixed chemistry. (who knows if it is any good) The purchase - a black body Nikon FM with a 50mm lens. I had forgotten what such a small, beautiful, mechanical machine felt like in my hands. Really a joy. Not quite on topic, but just trying to organize my processed film is already reaping benefits.
That was San Francisco by Ghiradelli Square. Right place, right time, happened to look in the right direction.
Have not seen a mounted cop there ever since. Nor those steps empty.
Same roll of film! Which is funny because that literally meant I used one 36exp roll of film for my moto ride up from LA to San Fran and back!
Today I shoot one roll of film between loading my camera and making it to the front door..
Anyway, same Contax RTS II. That bike was my new Honda Valkyrie Interstate which means this was 1999.
Traded my trusty Goldwing 1200 IS for this - was swooned by the looks. But as a riding experience the Valk IS was a POS. That big bat wing fairing? It was mounted to the handlebars not the frame so it was a real handful at low speeds as the steering wanted to flop from one side to another due to all that weight.
Another downside - awful wind buffeting at speed. Horrible harsh suspension. Too long wheelbase/geometry so it always felt like it was dragging its but. Terrible mpg to go along with carbuerretion that sucked at altitude. The swoopy bags meant storage space was limited.
Best day was when I traded it for a Wing 1800 which was so much better in every respect. Great bike.
Anyway, here is my boat anchor back when, at some spot south of Big Sur
Set the Wayback, Sherman! 1975 New Hope, PA Auto Show. Back before they became "concours" and the owners did much of their own work:
Wright Flyer Replica, Nikon FTn, Nikkor 24 2.8 Non-Ai, Tri-X D76:
1973 Datsun Pickup dashboard. Bought it brand new the first week of October 1973. All my friends with muscle cars laughed at me. Two weeks later, OPEC shut off the pipeline and I was still driving around.
Nikon FTn, Nikkor 50 1.4, Tri-X, D76:
Dennis photographing a Praying Mantis with a Micro Nikkor
Nikon FTn, Nikkor 501.4 Non-Ai, Tri-X, D76:
My buddy Kenny with some girl giving the look that says she would rather be anyplace else. Yes, that's a 1972 Pinto in the background.
Nikon FTn, Nikkor 50 1.4 Non Ai, Tri-X, D76:
madNbad wrote:
Set the Wayback, Sherman! 1975 New Hope, PA Auto Show. Back before they became "concours" and the owners did much of their own work:
Wright Flyer Replica, Nikon FTn, Nikkor 24 2.8 Non-Ai, Tri-X D76:
1973 Datsun Pickup dashboard. Bought it brand new the first week of October 1973. All my friends with muscle cars laughed at me. Two weeks later, OPEC shut off the pipeline and I was still driving around.
Nikon FTn, Nikkor 50 1.4, Tri-X, D76:
My buddy Kenny with some girl giving the look that says she would rather be anyplace else. Yes, that's a 1972 Pinto in the background.
Nikon FTn, Nikkor 50 1.4 Non Ai, Tri-X, D76:
1. On the dash of your sweet Datsun.. what was meant to be in that binnacle that just has the D? A rev counter that you didn’t option out?
2. That is some serious defensive body language of that girl that Kenny has his arms around! Did he even know her? Was this a hostage situation?
Desmolicious wrote:
1. On the dash of your sweet Datsun.. what was meant to be in that binnacle that just has the D? A rev counter that you didn’t option out?
2. That is some serious defensive body language of that girl that Kenny has his arms around! Did he even know her? Was this a hostage situation?
This was the base, base model for $2600. No tach and only a AM radio. It had a weird electrical problem where the dashboard lights would shut off and I would coast along until it all would pop back on after about thirty seconds. Took it to the dealer where they found some burned wires behind the cigarette lighter. I didn't smoke so they disconnected the lighter. Turned out all of the dash lights were tied into the lighter. It was a simpler time for automotive electronics.
I think he met her that day and never saw her again. If she even gave him a phone number, it would've been fake.
Kenny's mother bought the Pinto in the background. Ford was advertising them for $1899. She went to the dealer and they started with the litany of extras installed at the factory and the price was $2200. She told them to take the extras off and sell her the car for $1899. She got the car and the extras for her price.
This really is a fun thread! I'll start diggig into the boxes of Kodachromes.
That ungainly Photomic FTn prism finder brings back so many memories. I started in 1969 with a Nikkormat FTn and Nikkor-S 50/1.4 but soon lusted after the “professional” Nikon F and must have got one some time in 1971. By the end of the year I’d become really serious and had a Leica M2.
