Canon EF II 50mm f/1.8
This roll sort of proves that it’s the photographer, not the gear, that takes/makes good photos. I’m not saying any of these photos are particularly good; in fact I’m saying sort of the opposite.
The 2004 Canon ELAN 7NE was the last film camera designed by Canon (the EOS-1V was sold for longer, but was released to the market earlier). It has all the bells & whistles of the EOS lineup to that point and most of the relevant features found on its DSLR contemporaries like the EOS 5D and EOS 20D. That means fast and intelligent auto-focus, excellent exposure metering and controls, and good ergonomics. But I didn’t really know any of that when I bought the camera at a yard sale ~6 years ago. I paid $25 and it even came with a kit zoom. I shot a half dozen rolls on it over the next few years but got mixed results (and awful scans). I finally got a faster prime lens which not only improved my shots but also improved the shooting experience since the kit zoom was a horrible wobbly plastic mess.
Fast forward to today and I’ve become very familiar with the ELAN 7NE. Even still, a lot of the shots from this roll ended up boring or redundant. Despite all of the camera’s capabilities, I was using it almost like a point-and-shoot. I did end up finding some good light and coaxing out some interesting compositions for certain subjects, but I only ended up with 10 or 11 frames out of 24. There’s just something about a camera that does it all for me that sort of makes my brain turn off, which was another problem I didn’t know I had when shooting digital. I’m still learning how to keep it switched on.
Note: although the colors and exposure turned out better in this batch that I developed alongside my first roll through the Pentax MV, I must have failed to fill up the developing tank with enough processor or blix. You can see a distinct section where the colors go pink, which shows up more obviously on some shots than others. Lesson learned, don’t be stingy with the chemicals.
Hit Rate: 11/24 (46%)
September 16, 2021
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