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Archive 2024Did I do something wrong ?

  
 
zi464
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p.1 #1Did I do something wrong ?
Need some advise from you guys.
I used to shoot point and shoot, but start to shooting mechanical cameras from this year.
Recently had 3 rolls developed from lab, let me know if I did something wrong.
Thank you all.

Nikon F3HP + kodak gold 200 , used light meter app in phone.
These 4 pictures should be 1/500-1/1000 with aperture around f8-11, infinity focus.
All don't look sharp at all and even look out of focus a bit. Not sure if the vibration while I press shutter caused the issue.

https://i.imgur.com/ko96kHa.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/r3nH8Sl.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/a0P5H7f.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/X6no1pC.jpeg

This one is pretty sharp though.
Also I did wrote down the setting of this picture.
F5.6 , 1/500 , infinity focus

https://i.imgur.com/aZ1sy17.jpeg



Mar 06, 2024 at 02:05 PM
zi464
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p.1 #2Did I do something wrong ?
Below shoot with Canon F1 New + kodak ultra 400
The first 3 pictures were shoot with f5.6 , 1/250 in rainy day.
Infinity focus but all look out of focus

https://i.imgur.com/h4QJvNY.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/c7y7cYF.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/lXqovcZ.jpeg


Forgot the setting of below 2 but yes they were infinity focus as well.

https://i.imgur.com/qri0Zsp.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/7Ezmf8H.jpeg
Mar 06, 2024 at 02:07 PM
Desmolicious
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p.1 #3Did I do something wrong ?
How is your lab scanning the film?
Camera shake can cause issues but you are obviously aware of that and are using fast enough shutter speeds.

Which lenses are you using?

A digression perhaps, but why are you using a light meter app with your F3?
Mar 06, 2024 at 03:08 PM
zi464
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p.1 #4Did I do something wrong ?
Desmolicious wrote:
How is your lab scanning the film?
Camera shake can cause issues but you are obviously aware of that and are using fast enough shutter speeds.

Which lenses are you using?

A digression perhaps, but why are you using a light meter app with your F3?


I used The Darkroom @ CA , it is my first time use them.

Nikon F3 with Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
Canon F1 with SSC breech lock 50mm f/1.4
Personally i don't quite believe the light meter from old cameras, so that's why I used light meter app most of the time while I shoot film.
The last 2 pics I posted shoot with Canon were use camera's light meter .As you could see, other than focus issue the exposure seems not arcuate as well.

I'm thinking to bring some induvial negatives to local lab scan again to see how is the difference.
Mar 06, 2024 at 03:46 PM
Desmolicious
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p.1 #5Did I do something wrong ?
I don't like the Darkroom - they have bolloxed things for me in the past.

If u want you can mail me a negative that shows the out of focus look, and I will scan it w my digi camera set up that is always pin sharp if the pic is in focus.
Mar 06, 2024 at 04:41 PM
zi464
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p.1 #6Did I do something wrong ?
Desmolicious wrote:
I don't like the Darkroom - they have bolloxed things for me in the past.

If u want you can mail me a negative that shows the out of focus look, and I will scan it w my digi camera set up that is always pin sharp if the pic is in focus.



Thank you , will pm you once I got the negatives back.
Mar 06, 2024 at 04:49 PM
Oldwino
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p.1 #7Did I do something wrong ?
Somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but I seem to remember the Darkroom has pretty low resolution basic scans. That could be the issue.
Mar 06, 2024 at 11:33 PM
clu3.clew
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p.1 #8Did I do something wrong ?
It could be the scans. My local lab does develop and scan. Their scans always came out soft compared to my super old Epson V600. I guess their scanners are built for volume, not quality?
Mar 07, 2024 at 02:55 AM
coralnut
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p.1 #9Did I do something wrong ?
We're now in an era where easy high res at home scanning is a reality. Combine a 60mm macro lens, a Nikon ES-2 film holder and a digicam with a decent pixel count and you can get great scans at home.
Mar 07, 2024 at 07:42 AM
bjhurley
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p.1 #10Did I do something wrong ?
I don't think the resolution is the issue here; I get low-resolution scans from my lab but they're all super-sharp and in focus (as long as I focused the lens correctly when taking the shot of course). If the negatives are good, it's possible their scanner is having a focus problem and they aren't doing any QA on their scans.
Mar 07, 2024 at 08:20 AM
bjhurley
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p.1 #11Did I do something wrong ?
If the negatives are out of focus, I'd say your lens probably focuses past infinity or is otherwise miscalibrated somehow. Still, that shouldn't be an issue at f11 or even f8 unless the infinity focus is way off.
Mar 07, 2024 at 08:24 AM
zi464
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p.1 #12Did I do something wrong ?
bjhurley wrote:
If the negatives are out of focus, I'd say your lens probably focuses past infinity or is otherwise miscalibrated somehow. Still, that shouldn't be an issue at f11 or even f8 unless the infinity focus is way off.


Once I got the negatives back , I will bring some of them to local lab to scan.
I'm planning to take some pics at f5.6 , f8 and f11 , maybe with tripod as well to test out.

Hopefully it just my mistake, not the cameras/lens or lab issue.
Mar 07, 2024 at 09:13 AM
bjhurley
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p.1 #13Did I do something wrong ?
zi464 wrote:
Once I got the negatives back , I will bring some of them to local lab to scan.
I'm planning to take some pics at f5.6 , f8 and f11 , maybe with tripod as well to test out.


Okay, and be sure to take some photos at various distances as well, not all at infinity.
Mar 07, 2024 at 09:37 AM
AmbientMike
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p.1 #14Did I do something wrong ?
You want to use the in-camera focusing aids (not that they're perfect, either,) and not just turn it to infinity.

Does the app match the in camera meter?
Mar 07, 2024 at 09:41 AM
zi464
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p.1 #15Did I do something wrong ?
AmbientMike wrote:
You want to use the in-camera focusing aids (not that they're perfect, either,) and not just turn it to infinity.

Does the app match the in camera meter?


Yes, I know the infinity is not always perfect so the next roll I will pay more attention especially for those views I have to turn it to infinity .


Both Canon F1 new and Nikon F3's meter are bit underexpose compare to the app.
I will also try to borrow a Sekonic from my friend, compare the pictures with Sekonic and app meter
Mar 07, 2024 at 09:59 AM
zi464
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p.1 #16Did I do something wrong ?
bjhurley wrote:
zi464 wroteOnce I got the negatives back , I will bring some of them to local lab to scan.
I'm planning to take some pics at f5.6 , f8 and f11 , maybe with tripod as well to test out.
Okay, and be sure to take some photos at various distances as well, not all at infinity.


Yes, will do.
Mar 07, 2024 at 10:00 AM
coralnut
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p.1 #17Did I do something wrong ?
bjhurley wrote:
If the negatives are out of focus, I'd say your lens probably focuses past infinity or is otherwise miscalibrated somehow. Still, that shouldn't be an issue at f11 or even f8 unless the infinity focus is way off.


LMK if I'm wrong on this -- if I understand the problem correctly the OP is getting the same type of results with 2 different lenses on the same camera. If that is the case it suggests a system wide problem rather than the same problem occurring w/ 2 different lenses.

If it were me, my first step would be to examine the negatives to confirm accurate focus before going to the trouble of doing calibration tests for two different lenses. To me a scanning problem or a camera specific focus problem seems to be more probable than having 2 different lenses fail in an identical fashion.

By any chance is this a new (to the OP) camera? Could it have a focusing screen calibration problem? What kind of focusing screen are you using? Do you wear glasses or need them? Have you tried using a diopter adjustment or a viewfinder magnifier attachment? Is there any chance that you're getting eye fatigue when you're out shooting? When having focus accuracy issues with a film SLR there are all kinds of problems to consider beyond lens calibration (which is a very popular discussion topic in the digital era).



Mar 07, 2024 at 10:27 PM
coralnut
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p.1 #18Did I do something wrong ?
One other thing to consider -- how large are you viewing your scans when you notice them being OOF or lacking sharpness? I'm viewing them on a 27" monitor and I definitely see the problems that you're complaining about, but when I reduce the image size to 8x10 or 11x17 (considered a large 35mm print in the film era) they don't look nearly as bad. Though I hate to admit it, I have a lot of images from the film era where the results look OK at 8x10 but fall apart under extreme magnification. The most likely culprit for me is viewfinder focus that wasn't as great as I thought it was at the time I captured the image, or focus screen miscalibration. Those both need to be incredibly precise when you're working with high magnification. Dare I say it, most film cameras aren't that well calibrated.

When I reduce the viewing size of your images to 8x10 they don't look all that bad.
Mar 07, 2024 at 10:49 PM
zi464
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p.1 #19Did I do something wrong ?
coralnut wrote:
bjhurley wroteIf the negatives are out of focus, I'd say your lens probably focuses past infinity or is otherwise miscalibrated somehow. Still, that shouldn't be an issue at f11 or even f8 unless the infinity focus is way off.
LMK if I'm wrong on this -- if I understand the problem correctly the OP is getting the same type of results with 2 different lenses on the same camera. If that is the case it suggests a system wide problem rather than the same problem occurring w/ 2 different lenses.

If it were me, my first step would be to examine the negatives to confirm accurate focus before going to the trouble of doing calibration tests for two different lenses. To me a scanning problem or a camera specific focus problem seems to be more probable than having 2
...Show more →


2 different lens on 2 different cameras ( Nikon F3 and Canon F1 New )

I will test the F3 very soon again maybe this weekend and will go to exactly same locations to take the pictures with different aperture. Also will pay more attention on the focus point.
Hopefully is all my mistake either hands shake or I didn't focus right cause the issue. To who wear glasses is hard to focus while using film camera
Mar 08, 2024 at 11:12 AM
zi464
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p.1 #20Did I do something wrong ?
coralnut wrote:
One other thing to consider -- how large are you viewing your scans when you notice them being OOF or lacking sharpness? I'm viewing them on a 27" monitor and I definitely see the problems that you're complaining about, but when I reduce the image size to 8x10 or 11x17 (considered a large 35mm print in the film era) they don't look nearly as bad. Though I hate to admit it, I have a lot of images from the film era where the results look OK at 8x10 but fall apart under extreme magnification. The most likely culprit for me
...Show more →


I got what you mean.
I have plan to print those pics took with film cameras, so want to make sure all I do is correct before move to next step.
Mar 08, 2024 at 11:32 AM
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