I have two cameras that I usually use to take my pictures. The main one is a Minolta 5xi. For this camera i have two lenses: one Tamrom 28-200mm zomm lens and a 90mm fixed focal length macro lens (SIGMA). For the latter I also use a lense that SIGMA calls a “live size attachment”. This additional lens basically allows me to photograph closeups with the size of the object being the same as on the film as in reality. This allows for incredible pictures with a significant magnification factor. The second camera I have is a PRAKTIKA, still an old model from the GDR. It’s quite rugged and humidity does not influence it much. While my MINOLTA gos on strike at the slightest hint of a drizzle, the PRAKTIKA still keeps on taking pictures. For the PRAKITKA I have several different lenses: 29 mm PENTAGON, 50 mm TESSAR and 300 mm PENTACON.

The film material I use is usually slide film as this has a much higher resolution than negative film. Although for some purposes like portrait photography a noticable grain may be desirable. Usually I use KODAK slide films (Elite, Elite II and now Elite Chrome). Some people don’t like the high colour saturation of this film matierial. However, this yields the picture postcard look that is great for holiday and landscape pictures. If a more natural color is required I would recommend using AGFA material. For portraits I found that FUJI works best as it produces soft skin tones.

I sometimes use circular polarizing filters to enhance colours, darken the sky or taking out reflections from glass window panes, shiny surfaces or lakes and rivers. Alsways there is a UV blocking filter in front of all camera lenses, more for protection than for anything else. I’d rather buy a 15 EUR UV filter if it is badly scratched than a 300 EUR tele lens. In the mountains at high altitudes this filter works well to prevent over-exposure due to high UV levels. I also use a Cokin filter system that attaches easily to any camera lens using an adapter ring and has a multitude of different filter glasses (well, they are actually plastic, but hey) for all sorts of applications. I have a blue filter (80A) for taking photos indoors when only light from incandescent light bulbs is available. The filter prevents the typical red shift of all colors in this type of light. The second filter that I have for the Cokin sytem is a warming filter (81A) when only very cold looking lighting is available. It’s a very light filter with an effect that is just noticable. If I have the choice, I’d rather choose good lighting (approx. 6000 K) than making corrections using color filters.

For my PRAKITKA camera I use linear polarizing filters and for filtering black and white pictures I use orange 4, red 11 and yellow-green 2 filters. For this camera I also have a number of adapter rings to increase the focal length. However, the quality of the pictures suffers a little from using these adapter rings.

For developing black and white pictures myself I have an OPEMUS 5 by meopta. Sad that I hardly do this at all now due to a lack of time. It’s great fun to develop your own pictures and mybe alter them afterwards by toning them sepia or blue, contrast enhancing or colorating using liquid inks.

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