Fincastle, VA, and the last of my Plus-X

[br1078lum]

I couldn't make up my mind which section to put this post, so it wound up here.

I had one more roll of Plus-X left, and when I heard that it was being discontinued, what better send-off than to run it through an old Kodak.  I had purchased a Retinette 1A from ShopGoodwill.com, and was wanting to try it out on some vintage scenery, so I went to Fincastle, VA.  The weather was threatening rain, and there were some showers that passed while I was getting breakfast, but there was a window of time between rain bands, so I pressed on.  The overcast skys made for perfect lighting where I was going to be, and I don't mind a few drops here and there.

The Kodak Retinette 1A Type 044 is the last of the line for the Nagel Retinas from Germany.  It is much simpler than the Retina, but resembles the IIIS.  Non-metered, no rangefinder, and lesser construction, it is still a very stylish and capable camera.  It shares the same filter size with the Retinas, but that is about it.  I have a screw on hood for it, but it can't be used when there is a filter mounted, as Kodak did not add the external threads on the frames, so I have a push-on hood ordered.  It does have a hot accessory shoe, which was a first for the Retinettes.  Plastic winding lever instead of metal, and no guard on the film door release round out the other changes from the Retina line.


Kodak Retinette 1A Type 044 Front by br1078phot, on Flickr

Complete photo set at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7699588@N07/sets/72157628119589453/

Fincastle, VA is the seat of Botetourt County (Bot-eee-tot), and is about 20 miles north of Roanoke on US 220.  Established two years after the county was formed in 1770, it has always been the seat of the county government.  Many buildings still exist from it's early days, and the Tourism Office gives out a nice walking tour guide to point out the many places of interest.

I posted twenty photos taken that day in a set on my Flickr page.  No filter on the camera, and the Plus-X did very well in the lighting conditions.  I'll be missing this film.  The camera is operating properly, and the speeds seem to be spot on, as the only exposure mishaps were from my guessing the wrong way.  All were shot at 1/125 with apertures mostly of f8, with some f11's, and a couple of f5.6's thrown in.  Every once in a while the sun would peek through a crack in the cloud cover, and light up the scene for some good contrast.


Christmas Preparations by br1078phot, on Flickr


Crowder House I by br1078phot, on Flickr


Botetourt County Court House I by br1078phot, on Flickr


Court House Swing Gate by br1078phot, on Flickr

The complete set with narrative is at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7699588@N07/sets/72157628126285611/

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!  I'm already happy I didn't burn the pumpkin pie this morning!

PF

[jamesmck]

Wow, Phil, that is a great set!  Love the architectural shots (especially Crowder House).  Your Retinette is a sweet looker and performer.

James

[NancyB]

Those are very nice shots of what looks like a lovely little town.  And that Retinette is quite the performer, eh?

[lesged]

Phil,

You have established your reputation as a great interpreter of landscapes. But you also have an equal attraction to buildings, which is the other side of the shiny coin of Phil McFarland: cityscapes. This is grand example of your love for buildings.

It's a tribute to the underrated triplet lens.  Very sweet looking cameras the whole Nagel line, even the simplest of the series.

[br1078lum]

James, Nancy, and Les, thank you.  I try my hand at a lot of stuff, but landscapes do seem to be the one thing I do best.  I always imagined myself standing in a field somewhere with a viewcamera blackcloth draped over my shoulders, but I'll settle for whatever format size I have in film.  And the fact I no longer own a large format camera.  I've never been much of a 'people' photographer.

PF

[Julio1fer]

Nice series, a fitting farewell to one of the most classic films.

I have not shot Plus-X for the last 30 years or so. When I came back to B&W, about year 2000, Kodak already had cut down distribution and the film was hard to get locally. 

[br1078lum]

Julio, the roll I had expired in July, 2008.  I must have bought it shortly after I retired.

PF

[NancyB]

Phil, I too am crappy at taking pictures of people, I would also much prefer to be standing in a field with a view camera anyday.