Florida

My film finally came back from NCPS yesterday just before the snowstorm, so I've been busy posting pictures to flickr. We covered a lot of ground, including St. Augustine, Everglades National Park, and South Beach. I was somewhat underwhelmed by my DSLR pictures from the trip. My hit rate seems to be much higher with the Xpan, probably due to the extra time taken for Xpanomics. As such, I've pretty much decided that my Rome kit will consist of a nice P&S (S95, DMC-LX5, etc.) and the Xpan. I finally ordered the Xpan 90mm lens too. I think this will make for a nice, light travel kit. The Leica bug is still in my ear, but getting pictures like these helps me shew it away for a little longer.

This is what I'm talking about

Pictured above is my carry on from a recent trip to south Florida. For the most part, it flies in the face of what I've been trying to achieve in terms of traveling light. The laptop's there, there are two camera systems (Canon and Xpan), the binoculars are there, and I brought along the tripod. I think I'm going to create a new rule of thumb: if I bring the laptop, then I'm probably not going to serious enough to use the tripod, so why even bring it.

The binoculars also come into question. However, they are nice for enjoying the moment or passing the time while waiting for the light.

As for the two camera systems, I'm not sure what to do here yet. Part of me is tempted to just take the XPan and a nice digital point and shoot like the S95 or LX5. However, it's hard to argue with the results of the good ol' 5D. I just wish its lenses weren't so flippin heavy. Maybe I should switch back to my Australian kit: 5D, 17-40/4, 70-200/2.8, and small Slik tripod in a backpack. The 24-105/4 is great, but it can't touch the unique perspectives of 17mm and 200mm.

Regarding my last post on Xpanomics, I think Tokyo Camera Style was either reading my mind (or my blog?) because suddenly there were posts on how to roll and develop film at home and how to improve as a photographer in 2011 with the one-camera-one-lens project. Filmus Monochromus was particularly informative. Unfortunately this also reignited my desire to own a Leica.

A Leica kit would certainly weigh less than a DSLR system, which fits nicely into my goals of minimalism. Hmm. Unfortunately it would also minimize the money in my bank account. :-(

Speaking of which, you can help support this blog by using the product links to Amazon. You don't even have to buy the item I've linked to, just go to Amazon through my blog and The Photo Way gets a small percentage of your purchase at no cost to you.

In any case, I'll try to get some Florida pics up soon. Happy 2011!

Xpanomics

So I just wanted to make a short post about the economics of shooting various types of film with the Xpan. The film prices here were pulled from B&H on 12/14/2010, and the processing and scanning prices were pulled from North Coast Photographic Services (NCPS). It assumes about $0.50 of shipping for getting the film from B&H and then shipping it to NCPS, then shipping the processed film back. It also assumes you get 21 panoramic shots out of a roll of 36.

Film	Roll	Ship	Proc	Scan	Total	Per Pano (21)	Per Std (36)
Fuji Provia 400X	$9.89	$0.50	$8.25	$5.49	$24.13	$1.15	$0.67
Fuji Astia 100F	$7.55	$0.50	$8.25	$5.49	$21.79	$1.04	$0.61
Fuji Velvia 50	$6.95	$0.50	$8.25	$5.49	$21.19	$1.01	$0.59
Kodak E100VS	$6.99	$0.50	$8.25	$5.49	$21.23	$1.01	$0.59
Fuji Pro 400H	$6.89	$0.50	$5.50	$5.49	$18.38	$0.88	$0.51
Ilford XP2 Super 400	$5.64	$0.50	$5.50	$5.49	$17.13	$0.82	$0.48
Kodak BW400CN	$5.25	$0.50	$5.50	$5.49	$16.74	$0.80	$0.47
Ilford FP4 Plus 125	$5.09	$0.50	$5.50	$5.49	$16.58	$0.79	$0.46
Kodak 400TX (Tri-X)	$3.45	$0.50	$5.50	$5.49	$14.94	$0.71	$0.42

So we can clearly see that the venerable Tri-X is the most economical to shoot, but obviously it may not give the desired results or grain. I was a bit surprised to see that Provia came out to be most expensive. $10 per roll is way too much; not sure why it's that high.

Now the real trick is to not think about how much each shot is costing you, causing you to hesitate as The Moment passes. This is especially true of street shooting. I'm curious to hear what others do to mitigate the recurring costs of shooting film. Developing and scanning yourself seem like the obvious choices, but the time and tedium (not to mention chemicals) have their own costs associated with them.

I prefer to think of the cost in terms of something to pass the time. I could pay $20 and go to an amusement park, or eat at a semi-nice restaurant... or I could shoot a roll of Pro 400H for less. For me the reward is often being there, and the pictures come afterward.

If this post bored your completely, then check out how Steve Kamb is going to travel the world for $418.

Seven Forty Seven

This is really more of a reminder to myself for future reference. When flying United to/from Narita (NRT), connect through Chicago (ORD), not LAX. Generally I'm not a fan of delay-prone ORD, but ORD to NRT gets you on a 747. LAX to NRT only gets you on a 777.

The route from LAX to NRT is entirely over water; it doesn't even come close to Alaska or Hawaii. The two engines on the 777 are impressive, but there are only two of them, and the Pacific Ocean is a monster body of water.

The route from ORD to NRT goes up over Alaska and northeast Russia. It's a barren world of ice, but it's something. Besides, you've got the 747's four engines to carry you over it all. This route also gives you some amazing views below if you get stuck in a window seat.

Bangkok

I didn't have a lot of time in Bangkok this past week, but I did get to do a little exploring. My friends and I took the Skytrain from Siam down to Saphan Taksin on the Silom line. Our original plan was to take the express boat from there up the Chao Phraya River to Wat Po. Unfortunately, it appeared the regular boats had shut down early due to the holiday (the king's birthday). Luckily, help is never far in Bangkok, and it readily presented itself along with a price. The first guy wanted 600 Baht (about $20), which we all scoffed at. After a little wandering around, we talked to another guy who started off at 500 Baht. We asked for 400, and ended up meeting in middle at 450.

That kind of negotiation is pretty much standard on taxis, trinkets, and boats. It can be frustrating to approach every situation as a used-car-style negotiation, but there are a few things to keep in mind: 1) they really are trying to make ends meet, 2) they're expecting to be talked down, 3) there's another guy selling the exact same thing just a few steps away, and 4) the stakes are pretty low since you're usually talking just a few dollars difference.

In any case, the ride up the Chao Phraya river was so worth the 450 Baht. If you don't have much time in Bangkok, I recommend it as a way to get out of the bussel and see the city from a different perspective. Here are a few of my shots from the river and around the Grand Palace and Wat Po.