The results are in!
After taking the little Vito apart for a good cleaning, I loaded some CVS brand (Fuji) 200, and headed down Blacksburg Road out of Fincastle, VA. The weather was not bad, as it was the day before the next storm was due to come through, but I knew I had to work fast before I lost the light to the incoming clouds.
I stopped at a little country church (I really need to write down the names of these places) because it was only a quarter mile beyond an old barn I wanted a shot of. Things went well, the camera was up to the task, and the Vivitar shoe mount meter agreed with what I would have selected for exposures. I did mess up a couple of shots by not focusing properly, or forgetting to. And then when I went to take some pictures of the camera that night, I forgot about the half roll of film still in it, and blasted a few frames when I opened the back. This getting old and forgetful crap is for the birds.
Anyway, it looks like I got things back the way they are supposed to be. These shots are straight scans from the pharmacy, no Photoshopping involved (not even cropping). I’m waiting on a second roll I shot yesterday to see if I learned anything from the first roll.
Virginia Winter Countryside by
br1078phot, on Flickr
Infinity looks good. And the exposure appears to be spot on, so the Vivitar meter is working properly too. It was giving readouts that matched what I would have selected anyway.
Hill House by
br1078phot, on Flickr
Nice, commanding view of the area, but pretty much exposed to the wind. I know, I live on top of a hill, and some nights it's like someone whacking the side of the building with a wrecking ball. I chose this shot to see how things look from near to far. The lens on this camera has no problem resolving detail at any distance. And these are drugstore scans!
Church Bell #1 by
br1078phot, on Flickr
This is from about 15 feet away. 1/200 at f11, which in the winter light, is just perfect. Still have to figure out the parallax on the finder.
Church Bell by
br1078phot, on Flickr
Now from about six feet away. I opened it up a stop to f8 to bring out the shadow area detail.
Gnarly by
br1078phot, on Flickr
Not sure if I nailed the focus on this, as sometimes the shots look better where I post them than they do on my computer.
Still Standing by
br1078phot, on Flickr
At least for this photo it is. Last nights windstorm may have taken it down, what with all the missing boards. But then maybe that allows the wind to just pass through, instead of pushing against the side so much. This is the last shot before the light strikes. I shot another roll the next day, but when I went to pick up the film, they showed me a piece that looked like about a third of the roll had broken off in their machine, and they hadn't gotten it fixed yet to finish developing the roll. Oh well, it is Friday the Thirteenth.
Voigtlander Vito B With Vivitar CdS Meter by
br1078phot, on Flickr
A nice meter for those of us who don't want to fumble around with a hand-held model. Sorry, there is no model number on it. I put a strap on the camera utilizing one I had from a Yashica, as it had the slits needed to go over the lugs on the camera. Only problem was it is a bit short, so I couldn't read the meter since it was too close. Darned worthless VA bifocals.
PF
