Förlorad och återfunnen kärlek

Efter några år med Canon och Fuji är jag tillbaka med Nikon och det känns helt rätt. Då menar jag inte nödvändigtvis tekniska specifikationer och hur bilderna slutligen blir. Det går att ta alldeles fantastiska bilder med i princip vilken kamera som helst och det som alla märken levererar idag är fantastiska maskiner! Det som framför allt känns rätt med Nikon är hur kameran ligger i handen, hur layout och funktioner är placerade och inte minst på vilken håll man skruvar på objektivet. ;)

Nikon D750 - Mauritius

I den digitala världen är det framförallt två Nikon-kameror som jag använt flitigt. Den första på listan är Nikon D750, en fantastisk kamera som lanserades i september 2014. Kameran blev känd för sin exceptionella bildkvalitet och mångsidighet, vilket gjorde den populär bland både professionella fotografer och avancerade amatörer.

Nikon D850 är inte bara en kamera för mig; det är en symbol för äventyr, upptäckter och oförglömliga minnen. Jag har utsett den till min absoluta favoritkamera genom tiderna, inte enbart på grund av dess tekniska briljans, utan också för de extraordinära upplevelser vi delat.
— Me

I den digitala världen är det framförallt två Nikon-kameror som jag använt flitigt. Den första på listan är Nikon D750, en fantastisk kamera som lanserades i september 2014. Kameran blev känd för sin exceptionella bildkvalitet och mångsidighet, vilket gjorde den populär bland både professionella fotografer och avancerade amatörer.

Nikon D750 - Stångby

Kamera nummer två, släppt i juli 2017, står ut som en favorit bland många. Tack vare sin mångsidighet och prestanda var Nikon D850 en väldigt populär kamera. Denna digitala systemkamera var utrustad med en imponerande 45.7-megapixel fullformatsensor som gav bilder av hög kvalitet med enastående detaljrikedom och skärpa. Dessutom bidrog frånvaron av ett optiskt lågpassfilter till den övergripande bildkvaliteten.

Nikon D850 är inte bara en kamera för mig; det är en symbol för äventyr, upptäckter och oförglömliga minnen. Jag har utsett den till min absoluta favoritkamera genom tiderna, inte enbart på grund av dess tekniska briljans, utan också för de extraordinära upplevelser vi delat. Kamerans perfekta ergonomi och en bildkvalitet som fortfarande konkurrerar med de bästa, gjorde varje fotograferingstillfälle till en ren njutning.

Nikon D850 - North of Sweden

Nikon D850 är inte bara en kamera för mig; det är en symbol för äventyr, upptäckter och oförglömliga minnen. Jag har utsett den till min absoluta favoritkamera genom tiderna, inte enbart på grund av dess tekniska briljans, utan också för de extraordinära upplevelser vi delat. Kamerans perfekta ergonomi och en bildkvalitet som fortfarande konkurrerar med de bästa, gjorde varje fotograferingstillfälle till en ren njutning.

Vad som verkligen gör D850 speciell för mig är alla de otroliga stunder vi delat tillsammans runt om i världen. Tänker på vågsurfande under Sydafrikas strålande sol, där kamerans snabbhet och precision fångade varje ögonblick av adrenalin och glädje. Minnena från Svalbard är lika levande, med bilder av majestätiska renar i den arktiska vildmarken, fångade i perfekt detalj trots de utmanande ljusförhållandena.

Nikon D850 - Cape Town

Närmare hemmet har Nikon D850 varit en trogen följeslagare i Skånes lantliga landskap, där enkelheten hos en maskros förvandlades till en konstnärlig bild som fångar naturens skönhet. Och vem kan glömma de fantastiska upplevelserna vid ishotellet i Jukkasjärvi?

Nikon D850 - Jukkasjärvi

För mig är Nikon D850 mer än bara en kamera. Det är en reskamrat som hjälpt mig att dokumentera livets största äventyr och skönheten i vardagliga ögonblick. Det är den kamera jag har varit mest förälskad i, och varje bild är en påminnelse om de fantastiska upplevelser vi haft tillsammans.

Men som ofta händer i historier om förlorad och återfunnen kärlek, har jag återvänt till Nikon. Den här gången är det Nikon Z8 som har förnyat min passion.
— Me

Min relation med Nikon D850 har varit en resa av passion och upptäckt, men som med alla berättelser, kom en tid för förändring. Det som förändrade allt var inte en sviktande kärlek till D850, utan snarare en oväntad förälskelse i ett annat objektiv och kamerateknik. Det var Canon RF 28-70 mm f/2 som stal mitt hjärta. Denna upplevelse introducerade mig för världen av spegellösa fullformatskameror, en värld som visade sig vara lika spännande och innovativ, och ledde mig till att lämna Nikon - åtminstone för en tid.

Nikon D850 - Cape Town

Denna förändring var inte enkel. Att lämna Nikon D850, en kamera som varit så central i mitt fotografiska uttryck och så nära kopplad till många av mina äventyr och upplevelser, var en känslomässig process. Men utforskandet av nya tekniker och objektiv var en resa jag kände att jag behövde ta.

Nikon D850 - Norway

Men som ofta händer i historier om förlorad och återfunnen kärlek, har jag återvänt till Nikon. Den här gången är det Nikon Z8 som har förnyat min passion. Den kombinerar den älskade ergonomin jag alltid uppskattat hos Nikon med den senaste tekniken inom spegellösa kameror. Dessutom tände Nikkor 135 mm f/1.8 Plena objektivet återigen gnistan i mig, en gnista som påminner om den jag först kände med D850.

Nikon D850 - Skåne

Denna återförening med Nikon, genom Z8 och dess fantastiska objektiv, har återställt en relation jag trodde var förlorad. Det påminner mig om att fotografiska verktyg är mer än bara teknik; de är förlängningar av våra kreativa själar och partners i vår konstnärliga resa. Nikon Z8 har inte bara fört mig tillbaka till Nikon-familjen, utan också påmint mig om kärleken till fotografi och det eviga sökandet efter det perfekta ögonblicket att fånga.

Nikon Z8 - Lomma

Kodak Portra 160

Canon EOS 30 Kodak Portra 160

Kodak Portra is one of the films I always have at home. It is available as ISO 160, 400 and 800 and I almost always photograph them as 100, 200 and 400. The film replaced Kodak's Vericolor in 1998 but has been upgraded accordingly, as late as 2022.

As with many modern films, Portra was created to work better as a film scanned and processed digitally before printing the images.

This film is excellent for both portraits and landscapes, a perfect film to take with you on vacation. My opinion is that it wants some extra light, spring and summer film in southern Sweden at least. Therefore, it was extra fun to see what it would do with a foggy and cold winter day by the sea.

I think it did pretty well! And after gray and gloomy days comes the sun.

To choose film

Someone might be wondering where this newfound interest in flowers comes from. There have been many pictures of flowers in recent weeks and several visits to the botanical garden in Lund. But it doesn't really have that much to do with flowers. It's more about testing different analog films and how they render color and tonality. Of course, there is a lot of green in the garden. The same is true when I walk in nature. However, many other colors are also interesting.

If you look in our freezer, you can see a great variety of films. These are brands like Ilford, Kodak, Fujifilm, Rollei, Bergger, and so on. And from some manufacturers several different types. Fujifilm Velvia 50, Provia 100F, 400H or Kodak Ektar 100, Portra 400, TRI-X, and many more. A great mix where everyone renders colors or tones differently.

Kodak Ektachrome E100 Cross Processed in C41

Kodak Ektachrome E100 Cross Processed in C41

But it's not just the film that varies. So do the chemicals for development. Some developers fit a specific film more or less right. Sometimes you choose developers depending on whether you want more or less grain, more or less sharpness, more or less blackness, and so on.

So the combination of all the different variants explodes. If you also add cross-processing to the picture, when you develop slide film with developing liquids for ordinary color negatives, it becomes unsustainable.

When it comes to cross-processing that you can do in both directions, slide film in C41, and color negative in E6, different films give very different results. So it's about finding what you like but at the same time making it easy for yourself. In the end, it is the image that matters most.

So in recent weeks, I have tested several different films to find a handful that I will use primarily. There are a few left to try in terms of cross processing. For example, I'm not so fond of the green tint that Kodak Ektachrome E100 gave, so I think I instead will go for Fujifilm Provia 100F. On the other hand, I like Kodak when I develop it in the right chemistry, E6.

Canon EOS 30, Fujifilm 400H Color Negative

Canon EOS 30, Fujifilm 400H Color Negative

To complicate matters further, I do not choose the same film for medium format 120-film as I do when it comes to 35mm film.

When it comes to developing chemistry, there is an infinite number of variants for black/white film, not quite as many for color negatives and slides. I have tried a variety and also a single bath variant from Cinestill, Monobath D96. Also, their C41 for the color film which consists of two baths. But I'm not entirely happy with any of them.

So right now, it looks like I will primarily use the Ilford HP5 + 400 as a black/white 35mm film but the Ilford Delta 3200 when it comes to 120-film. Color negatives will be Kodak Ektar 100 and Portra 400. And as a slide film, I think it will be Fujifilm 100F.

Canon EOS 3, Kodak Ektar 100

Canon EOS 3, Kodak Ektar 100

In my Pentax 645n II medium format camera, I will also use the Fujifilm Velvia 50 for landscape photos. You simply can not resist it!

Nikon F5, Kodak Tmax P3200

Nikon F5, Kodak Tmax P3200

Canon EOS 3, Kodak Ektachrome E100 CP

Canon EOS 3, Kodak Ektachrome E100 CP

Canon EOS 30, Kodak Portra 800

Canon EOS 30, Kodak Portra 800

Canon EOS 30, Kodak Ektachrome E100

Canon EOS 30, Kodak Ektachrome E100

Vitemölla

Yesterday, Exor and I drove out to Österlen. We were heading to a place for motorhomes in Vitemölla. There are some places right down there by the sea. Unfortunately, it was full when we got there in the afternoon around four.

Vitemölla, Sep 2020

Vitemölla, Sep 2020

Brösarp

Brösarp

The idea was to walk part of the Skåneleden in the afternoon and evening. Partly get a good hike and scout for the next morning when I thought we would take some pictures at sunrise. But we had to divide it into several parts. We parked and did our hike as planned, but then we drove up to Brösarp's slopes and a rest area where you can spend the night with a motorhome. After a short night in the camper, we returned to Vitemölla just after 6 in the morning.

The fog was thick, so the conditions for a beautiful sunrise were small. But I thought that there could still be some atmospheric pictures down by the sea. When the sun rose at 6.49, I even got some color in the sky, and before the sun came too high, I had time to take a couple of pictures, which I think was perfectly ok.

Sunrise, Sep 2020

Sunrise, Sep 2020

Now we are at a parking spot in Simrishamn next to the harbor, have made fresh coffee, eating breakfast, and editing pictures. A good morning.

Straw, 2020

Straw, 2020

Twilight

It feels like we just thought it was too late to photograph the sunset when it was a work or school day the next day. The sun goes down here in southern Sweden around ten during summer. Further up in the country, it is much later, and above Arctic Circle, it never sets.

Lomma Lighthouse, Sep 2020

Lomma Lighthouse, Sep 2020

Now it becomes rather stressful to manage to eat dinner before you have to leave home. Later in the autumn, you will not have time to get home from work before you have to drive to get to a location before the darkness has completely put the day away—also, there are a lot fewer days with great potential during the autumn and winter. But when you get those beautiful autumn days, they are often more rewarding than most other days.

CR5_5034-Redigera.jpg
CR5_5027-Redigera.jpg

Last night there was potential for a beautiful sunset, and I even stopped an hour after the sun went down to take some twilight photos, which was a long time since I did. I often return to Lomma harbor and the lighthouse, as I did last night. The sun goes down behind the lighthouse this time of year if you stand in the right place. The only ones there was a lone fisherman and me. No bathers and all the tourists had left. That is on the plus side.

CR5_5043-Redigera.jpg
CR5_5042-Redigera.jpg

After the sun went down, I turned around and photographed a small part of Lomma as well. I'm impressed with how well my Canon R5 handles low light and thus higher ISO speeds. But I must also say that the dynamic range of the camera is excellent. I do not know exactly how many stops there are, but I like what I see.

CR5_5041-Redigera.jpg

Mini-vacation

Gone on little mini-vacation when autumn rolls in and trying to push away the last of summer. It is still quite lovely temperatures around 20 degrees celsius—windy and rainy and in between some sun, and at the moments when the sun manages to get through the cloud cover, it is still nice and warm.

Råå Vallar, September 4th 2020

Råå Vallar, September 4th 2020

This weekend we have taken the motorhome to Råå Vallar and got a place right down by the sea. From the motorhome, we can see some of the ocean beyond the wall, which is a perfect place to take shorter walks upon. The wind protection it provides is appreciated in the end, even if the view is not what it could have been.

It did not look promising for a beautiful sunset Friday night, but we got at least a fantastic cloud show with lovely colors that ended the evening before the night took over together with some rain. So we ended this day inside our mobile house with wine, snacks and Yatzy of course while the rain was hitting the roof, only to make it even cozier.

Bua Harbor

We got some summer heat back this week, so Exor and I went on a little trip with the camper. The goal was Bua Hamn, just north of Varberg, where there are motorhome parking spaces. I had heard a lot of good things about this place but also some less positive comments. Everything comes down to what you want, and that is very much individual.

Krogsta 2020

Krogsta 2020

When I look for a place to stay, it's not just about the place where you park your motorhome. Nor how toilets, showers, the ability to empty the tanks, and refill water or access to electricity. All this is, of course, good, and if the place has it, it should work and be clean and tidy. For my part, I use the facilities in our car and am not so dependent on what the motorhome parking offer. If it exists, it is great but not decisive in any way. In several places, I do not even check what it looks like in the common areas provided. But that is me and certainly do not suit everyone.

Something important to me is the surrounding area and what is within a walking circle of around 10 km. I would say this is crucial. And through some Googling and studying satellite images, I had a feeling that Bua Hamn could be an excellent destination to meet my needs.

Other things I take the opportunity to do when the whole family is not with me are to see if the place would be the right place for all of us on an upcoming trip. And on that point, there is no doubt, Bua Hamn is a top candidate for our family trips coming up. We are a family with two adults, three boys aged 11 to 17, and an active dog. So we have relatively high and broad demands.

CR5_4667-Redigera-Homepage-2.jpg

The parking space is a rather sad story if you think that you just pull out the awning and hang by the motorhome your whole stay. The sun this time of year also means that you need to sit with your back to the sea and look out over a large paved parking lot and on the horizon villas of various kinds. If you want the sun in your face, that is. I had parked with my nose out towards the harbor like most guests, and I can genuinely appreciate that view as a background when I sit and work inside the motorhome.

Dobforsport Exor

Dobforsport Exor

For the family, there are most things you need. A football pitch right next to the parking to run off some energy. A jetty with tables and also barbecue areas. If you take a short walk, you will come to both a sandy beach and a pier with a jetty from which you can jump. And perhaps most important of all, a good 4G connection for our mobile devices.

For me, Exor and my cameras, the place is also perfect. Many nice loops to hike on and many lovely motives to try to catch. I have to recommend Bua Hamn motorhome parking with a high rating, even if there are better places by the sea if you want to hang by your car and enjoy a stunning view. But if you have the motorhome as an anchor to make excursions from, this is a top candidate.