The United States National Parks System has over 400 parks, including places of great natural beauty and historic significance. Included in our magnificent parks system is the San Juan National Historic Site. The site includes what remains of the walls which surrounded the City of San Juan, and one of the original gates, La Puerta de San Juan. The site also includes the forts which protected the city from invaders, Castillo San Felipe del Morro, Castillo San Cristóbal, and Fort San Juan de la Cruz. For more information on our visit to the San Juan National Historic Site, and more information about our trip to Puerto Rico, visit our sister site, My Irie Time.
This first group of images was shot on the Canon EOS 1v with Kodak Portra 800.
The following images were shot on Fuji Pro 400H, some on the Canon EOS 1v and the square images were taken on the Mamiya 6 with the 50mm f/4 lens.
Up next, we’ll explore the colorful streets of Old San Juan with film!
What’s better on a Sunday afternoon in the summer than beer and barbecue? In August, we enjoyed the “backyard” barbecue at Ray’s Wine & Spirits in Milwaukee, as they welcomed Central Waters Brewery and some rather tasty BBQ trucks. While most in our group enjoyed the variety of beers, I loved the Waters-melon Ray-jito Slushi on that hot afternoon! All images shot on the Mamiya 6 with the 75mm f/3.5 lens, and Fuji 400H.
I’m a firm believer in printing your photographs, and it’s really satisfying to create a zine of your images to tell the story of your travels. Here is the flip book of our latest zine, Farewell Fuji 400H: Miami to Key West. Enjoy!
Key West is only about six square miles, but there are photo opportunities everywhere you look. The Old Town section of Key West is filled with historical markers, pubs, shops, and interesting characters. Let’s take a short tour.
All images shot on Fuji 400H with the Canon EOS 1v and 50mm f/1.2 or 24mm f/1.4 lens. There is just one exception. The last shot is on the Mamiya 6 with the Mamiya 50mm f/4 lens.
I love medium format, but medium format cameras and travel are not generally a good combination. The cameras and lenses are large and heavy. About a year ago, I determined that I was giving up on taking my Mamiya 645 Pro TL on long trips. The system is modular and breaks down nicely, but each lens adds about a pound of weight. I took it with me to San Francisco, limiting myself only to the 80mm lens, but for trips to the Caribbean where small planes and weight limitations are common, it has to be left behind. The good thing is that I have a compact alternative for shooting medium format film that is perfect for travel, the Mamiya 6.
Nevis, St. Kitts & Nevis – Mamiya 6, Mamiya 75mm f/3.5, Ektar 100
As a bit of warning, this is not a technical review. If you’re looking for all the itty bitty details, there are plenty of sites to obtain that information, like Film Shooters Collective. I write this from the perspective of someone who travels and likes to experiment with my cameras while traveling, but whose body is beginning to feel its age, and pretty much every extra ounce I pack. I will talk about how I use the camera and features I like.
San Francisco, California – Mamiya 6, Mamiya 50mm f/4, Fuji Pro 400H
Mamiya had two cameras it called the Mamiya 6 (or Mamiya Six). The older model was a folding camera dating back to the 1940’s and 50’s. The “new” Mamiya 6 was released in 1989. It is not a folding camera. Instead, the lens collapses somewhat into the body making it extremely portable. You push a small button on the bottom left of the camera and pull out the lens to extend it for use. Here is the camera with the 50mm lens, retracted and extended:
50mm lens retracted50mm lens extended
And with the 75mm lens retracted and extended. The 75mm lens is the most compact.
75mm lens retracted75mm lens extended
The Mamiya 6 came with only three lenses, the standard 75mm f/3.5, the 50mm f/4, and the 150mm f/4.5. The best of the bunch, in my opinion, is the 50mm f/4. It was the last of the three lenses I purchased, and the most expensive, but I’m glad I kept up the search to find one. The minimum focusing distance on the 50mm and 75mm lenses is 1 meter (over 3 feet). On the 150mm lens, it’s 1.8 meters (nearly 6 feet). Filter size on the 50mm and 75mm is 58mm, and on the 150mm, it’s 67mm.
Mamiya 6 with 50mm f/4 lens, 150mm f/4.5 lens, and 75mm f/3.5 lens
The camera is not small, but is easy to hold in the hand. All three lenses have electronic leaf shutters, which are so quiet, when I first started shooting this camera, I wasn’t sure if it had fired.
The camera uses 120 film and produces twelve 6x6cm (2-1/4″) square images. If you still have some rolls of 220 lying around, you can use those too, flipping the pressure plate inside the camera’s rear door. Film is easily loaded, similar to what you do when you load 35mm.
You can shoot in manual or in two aperture-priority modes, AE (automatic exposure – red dot in a circle on the dial) or AEL (AE Lock – red square in a square outline on the dial). In AE, you select the aperture by turning the lens barrel, and the camera automatically sets the shutter speed. In AEL, the camera memorizes the settings when the shutter release button is touched lightly so that even when the position of the subject or camera changes, a picture can be taken with the initial aperture setting and is not affected by changes in light. It holds the settings until the shutter is triggered or you release the button and press again. I tend to shoot in AEL mode. The light meter has not failed me yet.
The viewfinder is nice and clear. When you put on different lenses, you see the outline of what is in the field of view. When the 150mm lens is on, the image in view is pretty small and difficult to see, particularly with my aging eyes. Luckily, you can get a diopter correction lens to pop into the viewfinder (found them on eBay) to make it much easier to see that you have secured focus.
One feature I appreciate is the built-in darkslide, which prevents you from doing something stupid like trying to change a lens with film loaded. You will not be able to remove a lens with the darkslide, called a light shield curtain, open. There’s a release on the bottom of the camera which closes the curtain and allows you to change the lens. You then release the switch and you’re ready to shoot again.
The best feature of this camera is that it is compact, the perfect medium format camera for travel. With the 50mm or 75mm lens attached, it easily fits in the front pocket of my Billingham Large Hadley with room to spare for rolls of film. It measures 6 inches long by 4.5 inches wide, with a depth varying based upon the lens attached. With the 75mm lens attached, the depth is only 3 inches, and with the 50mm lens is just one-half inch more.
Billingham Large HadleyMamiya 6 with 50mm lens inside the front pocket of the Billingham Large Hadley
This was my very first rangefinder, and I have to admit that when I first purchased it, I didn’t like it. I initially had a hard time focusing, and missed a lot of shots. It didn’t help that one of my very first outings with the camera was a trip to New Orleans and things move pretty fast there! Upon returning from that trip, I was convinced that I was going to sell the camera. Thankfully, I did not give up. After I got the hang of it, this soon became one of my favorite cameras, perfect for an aperture priority shooter, and a perfect medium format camera for travel.
We were excited to return to Anguilla in January, our first visit since Hurricane Irma struck in September of 2017. Irma was a Category 5 hurricane, bringing wind speeds of 185 mph, with gusts up to 218 mph. The storm damaged 90 percent of the government buildings, including the hospital, schools, airport, and ferry terminal. The island’s infrastructure was heavily damaged, leaving the island without electricity, telephone, and internet.
The island’s recovery was incredible, a testament to the determination of the Anguillan people. Enjoy these images from our January visit, showing that Anguilla is back, and better than ever.
This was our fifth trip to Anguilla, and I shot nearly everything on film. I took the Canon EOS 1v with the 35mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.2, and 135mm f/2 lenses, as well as the Mamiya 6 with the 50mm f/4 lens. I shot a wide variety of film stocks, including CineStill 50D, Fuji Pro 400H, Fuji Velvia 100 RVP, Fuji Provia RDP III, Kodak Ektachrome E100, Kodak Ektar 100, and Kodak Portra 800. I also shot four cartridges of Super 8 on my Canon Auto Zoom 814, two Kodak Ektachrome 100D (7294), and 2 Kodak Vision3 50D (7203), but more on that later. Follow us on Instagram for more information on the camera and film stock used on each individual image.
For more about Anguilla, check out our sister site, My Irie Time!
At Lakefront Park in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, you’ll find restaurants, shops, and beautiful views of Pewaukee Lake. Visit in the summertime and you’ll be treated to live music on Wednesday nights and a Thursday night waterski show. Canon AE-1 Program, Canon 20mm f/2.8 with Fuji Velvia 100 RVP, and Mamiya 6, Mamiya 50mm f/4 with Lomography CN800, processed and scanned by Richard Photo Lab.
The road took us to Minnesota for the 4th of July, and we stopped for a great breakfast at Victor’s 1959 Cafe in Minneapolis. Don’t miss the Cortadito, espresso with a shot of steamed milk and Cuban sugar. Shot on the Mamiya 645 Pro TL with the Mamiya 80mm f/1.9 lens, and the Mamiya 6 with the Mamiya 50mm f/4, all on Kodak Ektar 100. Processed and scanned by Richard Photo Lab.
