Pentax Spotmatic F - Gold 200
Camera: Pentax Spotmatic F
Lenses: Pentax SMC 55mm 1.4, Pentax SMC 135mm 3.5
Film: Kodak Gold 200 shot at 200
Developer: Cinestil C41 Kit
This roll was a bit of a bummer. Probably due to a number of factors. First, this roll has been in the camera for a number of months… are some of the creative effects from light leaks? Temperature variation? Also unsure how old the roll of film was. I don’t think it was that old, but no idea really. It was also a roll that has traveled far and wide. Likely several flights to San Francisco, back and forth on tugboats, half way around the world to Europe. In the freezer, to a trunk of a car, and back to the freezer. Film aside, the camera has some issues. The first roll of film I ran through this camera I noticed there was some shutter drag from the curtain resulting in the right side of the frame coming out darker. Hopeful that actuating the shutter a bunch of times might free up whatever stickiness existed I tossed this roll in thinking it might come out a little better. Some frames came out clean but towards the end of the roll there’s clearly something wonky going on still. These images started in Oakland where I was staying while dredging Richmond and ended with a walk back home in Redondo.
I suppose I could call this a failed roll but it’s when things don’t go so well that the learning happens. Not sure what I’m going to do with that Pentax as a CLA will probably cost more than a new camera. Do I need another camera? Absolutely not but here is something about that Pentax that is just a pretty rad little piece of industrial design. It also opens up the world of M42 screw mount lenses, the SMC 55mm 1.4 being one which may be my current favorite lens of all time and I wouldn't mind having a working version in the collection.
All of the images were scanned on the Valoi Easy 35 with a Sony A7Cr. Conversion pretty much straight default out of Negative Lab Pro. Didn’t see much value in spending a bunch of time playing with these.
