The Wide View in Vicksburg, Dec. 2021 (Hasselblad XPan 05)

Corner of Monroe and China Streets, Vicksburg, MS (30mm ƒ/5.6 lens, center filter, ƒ/8.0½)

Corner of Monroe and China Streets, Vicksburg, MS (30mm ƒ/5.6 lens, center filter, ƒ/8.0½)

When my friend first loaned me his gorgeous XPan panoramic camera, I took sample photographs around Vicksburg with Kodak Tri-X 400 film. 

Over the years, the standard 45mm lens was the most common one for XPan photographers. This was already pretty wide on this format. My friend also has the amazing 30mm ƒ/5.6 lens, which has proven to be a challenge. You need textures or interesting features in the lower foreground to keep the scene from being too boring. I think the first example above is effective, but the second photograph may have too much plain foreground. Click any picture to see it at 2400 pixels wide, and all comments welcome.

Good stuff junk yard, Mt. Albans Road, Vicksburg (30mm ƒ/5.6 lens)

This is the car junk yard on Mt. Albans Road east of Vicksburg. Readers may remember older pictures from here. 

Corner store, Mt. Albans Road (45mm ƒ/4 lens, Fuji Acros film)

Gorilla pawn shop, Washington Street, Vicksburg (45mm lens, med. yellow filter) 

The 45mm ƒ/4 lens has amazing resolution across the frame.  

Cherry Street at Clay, 30mm ƒ/5.6 lens, yellow filter, ƒ/11 (Fuji Acros film)

This little store at the corner of Cherry and Clay Streets housed the Wells & LaHatte appliance business for many decades. The business has moved one block away and the little wood building is for sale. The extra wide 30mm ƒ/5.6 lens is an amazing optic, but I found it works best when stopped down to ƒ/11.

Mt. Heroden Baptist Church, 1117-1119 Clay Street (30mm ƒ/5.6 lens, yellow filter)

Standby for more panoramic scenes in Vicksburg and the surrounding area. Thank you for exploring with me.

Panoramas on the Dixie Overland Highway - Mound, Tallulah, and Delhi (XPan 04)

As I wrote in the previous article, a generous friend loaned me his fabulous Hasselblad XPan panoramic camera. You may recall that I wrote about using an XPan in western Washington and Seattle during 2004, when I worked there for a few months. 

This offer was much too kind to resist. Loading a roll of Kodak Tri-X 400 film, I crossed the Mississippi River bridge to Louisiana and drove west on historic US 80, once known as the Dixie Overland Highway. I have photographed in Mound and Tallulah before with regular cameras, but the area offers topics for a wide view. Please click any picture to enlarge it. Unenlarged, they look like skinny sideways pictures, especially on a mobile phone.  (An aside: one day I plan to follow the former route of the Dixie Overland all the way to San Diego.)

Delta

Mount Zion BC Church, near Delta, Louisiana (45mm lens, med. yellow filter)

Tallulah

Tallulah is a bit beat-up. I have photographed there over the years and sometimes bicycle through town if I bike the loop on LA 602 and US 80. 

No shopping here, West Green Street (US 80), Tallulah (45mm, med. yellow filter)

No shopping here, either, West Green Street

Waiting for a load, West Green at Fourth Street (45mm at ƒ/8, yellow filter)

Fixer-upper house west of Tallulah, US 80

Willow Bayou Rice & Grain, west of Tallulah, US 80

Delhi

Delhi (Del'-high) is an agricultural town west of Tallulah on US 80 (no, not the Delhi in India - I have been there, too). It looks a bit more prosperous than Tallulah, and the downtown strip has some stores and restaurants.

Mooney's Auto Sales & Repairs, First Street (US 80) at Rundell Street, Delhi

No more pumping, Delhi Water Works

The Air Man of Delhi, First Street (US 80)

I took these photographs on Kodak Tri-X 400 film exposed at EI=320. Northeast Photographic in Bath, Maine, developed the film. Because the frames are 68mm wide, I scanned them in two pieces of 36mm with my Plustek 7600i film scanner and merged them with the Photomerge function in Photoshop CS5. The Tri-X is a bit grainy and does not let these lenses show their true potential.

Thanks, Bill, for letting me use your XPan!

Standby for more Xpan photographs in the future, including examples in color.

Hasselblad XPan Panoramic Camera: How to Handle the Film? (XPan 03)

Hasselblad XPan camera with 30mm, 45mm, and 90mm lenses

XPan with 30mm ƒ/5.6 lens and special viewfinder

Center filter on 30mm ƒ/5.6 lens

The amazing hardware

A friend in town generously loaned me his fabulous Hasselblad XPan camera with its three unique lenses. The Hasselblad XPan (and the identical Fuji TX-1) were innovative cameras that used regular 35mm film to create a negative that was 24×65 mm in size rather than the usual 24×36 mm frame common in most 35mm cameras. 

For me, the wide frame was a revelation. Through the viewfinder, I could see topics that I might have skipped with a normal camera or would have found boring without the wide frame to show the context of the scene. The wide frame provides a narrative to the main topic. I will post a series of XPan articles in the next few months. 

A recent guest author on Casual Photophile also wrote about how the wide view gave him a new way of viewing his world. An author on 35MMC found his XPan to be his favorite travel camera. But Hamish Gill of 35MMC found that the XPan just did not suit his type of photography enough to keep the valuable camera. It is a specialist tool to be sure.

However, this camera's wide frames require different handling than normal 35mm negatives. I did not see much on the internet about how people process or scan this unusual 24×65 mm frame. This article will describe my procedure.*

XPan negatives (converted to positive). Oh, oh, what to do with the odd shape?

Optical enlarging

If you print in a darkroom optically, any medium format or 4×5" enlarger like a Beseler would be suitable for the XPan negatives. I was surprised to see that Beseler still sells an XPan film holder. It is rather expensive at B&H, but at least is available. 

Years ago, some commercial labs developed XPan negatives and printed 4×12 inch machine prints. Nice. I have some albums with pages just for this size.

4×12 inch prints in plastic album. Lake Union, Seattle, Washington

Some companies made plastic print booklets specifically for the 4×12 prints.

Scanning options

Most people today probably scan the negatives and then post the results on the web or make ink jet prints. But how to scan these odd-size negatives? Some options:

1. Use a digital camera with macro lens and a copy stand to take a picture of the negative, and then reverse with software. My friend who owns the XPan uses this technique. 
2. Scan the negatives on a medium format scanner. My Minolta Scan Multi will fit the 65mm length, but I would need to cut a 24×65 mm mask. Minolta may have once sold a frame and mask in this size, but I doubt I could ever find one. Nikon's medium format scanners could be used for Xpan negatives. They used to sell a glass negative carrier that came with a mask for the Xpan format. It worked but was clumsy and very slow. 
3. Scan left and right frames of 24×36 mm in a regular 35mm film scanner and then combine them with software. I used this method with my Plustek 7600i scanner and then merge the two pieces with Photoshop CS6 (details below). 
4. Commercial scanning. Some laboratories may offer this service via the Imacon Flextight scanner (alas, no longer available new and staggeringly expensive)

Digital camera scanning

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Arizona. © Bill Stripling

Acueducto de Segovia, Segovia, Spain. © Bill Stripling

French Pyrenees. © Bill Stripling

This is Method 1 above. These are all scans made with a Nikon Z7 camera and reversed in Lightroom with Negative Lab Pro software. To my eye, these results look fantastic. If you have a high-resolution digital camera, this is an excellent technique. The quality of the light source is important if you are scanning color negatives. For LED sources, the spectrum needs to be as smooth as possible. Gaps or spikes in the spectrum can cause color shifts. 

Merging 24×36 mm scans

Plustek 7600i scanner with 35mm negative holder. Note how one XPan frame overlaps into the second opening.

I use Method 3, where I scan left and right sections of the XPan negative sequentially. For the two frames to blend properly, there must be some overlap (possibly 10-20%). You need to set the exposure and color balance for one of the frames and then be sure to not change those settings for the second frame. What I do:

1. Preview the left or right section in a 24×36 mm frame (i.e., the full size for this scanner).
2. Adjust color, gain, and contrast as needed.
3. Make a final scan at 3600 dpi and save as a 16-bit (full color) TIFF file.
4. Remove the film holder, pull the XPan frame so that the other side is in the 24×36 opening.
5. Reinsert the holder in the scanner but leave gain and color unchanged. This means I cannot preview this second piece.
6. Make a final TIFF scan of this second section.
7. If needed, clean scratches and chemical blobs with the heal tool in Photoshop.

Assembly

It sounds confusing but is relatively simple. Then I use the >Automate>Photomerge tool in Photoshop CS5 or CS6 to combine the two sections. Make a final check if the wide frame needs some cropping and you are done. It is a bit time-consuming but works well. 

Below is an example from the rail line south of the Amtrak Station in Jackson, Mississippi and one from a junk yard in Edwards.

Pascagoula Street overpass left frame

Pascagoula Street overpass right frame

Final panorama from Pascagoula Street overpass (Kodak Portra 160 film)

I-20 junk yard left frame

Junk yard right frame

Final panorama, I-20 North Frontage Road, Edwards (Portra 160 film, 45mm ƒ/4 lens at ƒ/5.6½)

Despite the work, this Xpan is a lot of fun and an amazing creative tool. Standby for more examples. Thank you, Bill, for letting me use your camera.

* I am not going to use the term "workflow." That is a cliche on photography web pages, especially the infamous DPreview. "I returned from my weekend in Paris and did my special workflow to my 15,000 shots." Bleech.

4×5" Treasure: Kodak Super-XX film (Abandoned Films 09)

Dear readers, I thought my experiments with discontinued films had come to an end when I used a roll of 120-size Gold 100 film in Louisiana in 2021 and then some 35mm Kodak BW400CN in Jackson and North Carolina. Oops, I forgot my box of 4×5" Kodak Super-XX film in the freezer. From Wikipedia:

Kodak's standard high-speed film from 1940 to 1954, when Tri-X was introduced in smaller formats. Discontinued before 1960 in roll-film formats, but sheet film was available until 1992. Originally 100, later 200 iso when safety factor was reduced. Relatively coarse grain. Very long, almost perfectly straight-line characteristic curve, great latitude made it ideal for variable developments, both longer and shorter, water-bath development, special compensating formulas.

Tri-X replaced replaced XX (three Xes rather than two, get it?), although the two overlapped for many years. Many photographers loved Super-XX because of its smooth contrast and subtle grey tones. Kodak still makes a version of Super-XX for cinematography. Some companies repackage it in 35mm cassettes for 35mm photographers, but I have not tried the roll film version.

A treasure of expired film from the freezer

My box had been frozen for decades. It was in the freezer of a dear friend who passed away two years ago.  I had never used Super-XX before and wanted to try it. Here is a small selection of my initial test photographs. 

Neuman Store, Canada Cross Road, Utica (135mm ƒ/5.6 Caltar-S II lens, 1/8 ƒ/32)

Parking lot, Levee Street, Vicksburg (135mm ƒ/5.6 Caltar-S II lens, orange filter, 1/2 ƒ/22)

Kansas City Southern rail yard, Vicksburg, 6/7/21 (240mm ƒ/9 G-Claron lens, deep yellow filter, 1/4 ƒ/45)

Porch, 1211 Monroe Street, Vicksburg (90 mm ƒ/6.8 Angulon lens, 1/2 ƒ/22.5)

BelAir Plaza, Hwy 80, Jackson (135mm ƒ/5.6 Caltar-S II lens, yellow filter, 1/15 ƒ/22)

These negatives were thin. I exposed them at EI-64 and possibly I need to allow another stop of light (EI=32). It is also possibly that the lab underdeveloped them these frames. I will show more examples in some future articles. Also, I will load film holders and try again as the spring advances.  

Checking out Monroe, Louisiana (Part 2)

KCS rail yard from Desiard Street, Monroe, Louisiana (Hasselblad 501CM camera, 80mm ƒ/2.8 Planar-CB lens)

Dear Readers, in the last article, I showed you the Ouachita River and the Kansas City Southern railroad bridge. Let's move east and see what else is interesting in the big metropolis of Monroe. 

New York Furniture, Desiard Street, Monroe (1/250 ƒ/11.5, yellow filter)

707 Desiard Street, Monroe (80mm Planar-CB lens, 1/250 ƒ/11.5, yellow filter)

Old City Cemetery, Monroe (80mm Planar-CB lens, green filter)

Desiard Street was once one of the prominent commercial streets passing through the city and then crossing the Ouachita River. Today, it is pretty sad, with empty lots, boarded-up buildings, and trash. The Old City Cemetery has ornate tombstones of prominent citizens.  

Beth Eden MB Church, Milhaven Road, Monroe (1/250 ƒ/5.6)

Abandoned house, Milhaven Road, Monroe

Proceed west following the railroad yard, and you enter modest neighborhoods of mid-century houses. Sadly, we saw many closed or abandoned homes. 

KCS rail yard off Oak Street, view west

City of Monroe workshop, Oak Street (1/250 ƒ/11.5, 80mm Planar-CB lens, yellow filter)

Monroe has three rail yards, underscoring its importance as a rail junction city. I have not yet visited the yard south of I-20. Next trip....

120 Cotton Street, West Monroe

Cotton Street, West Monroe (orange filter)

Cross the Ouachita River to the Cotton Port Historic District of West Monroe, and you are in Antique Alley. This features an impressive collection of stores selling antiques, furniture, knickknacks, craft beer, and miscellaneous stuff designed to separate visitors from their money. The streets are busy many evenings with Open Houses, Champaign Strolls, Christmas on the River, and other events. Good for them! Come and spend money.

This ends our short trip to Monroe. We will return some day to explore some more.

All photographs are from Kodak Tri-X film exposed with my Hasselblad 501CM camera, all hand-held. I posted the pictures at 2400 pixels wide, so click any photograph to see more detail.

Checking out Monroe, Louisiana (Part 1)

Dear Readers, Happy 2022 to you all. I hope you are all prosperous, safe, and optimistic this year.

Kansas City Southern rail bridge over the Ouachita River, Monroe (Tri-X film, Hasselblad 501CM camera, 80mm ƒ/2.8 Planar-CB lens, green filter)

Monroe, formerly Fort Miro and now the seat of Ouachita Parish, is the "big city" of north central Louisiana. The family and I used to attend theater productions at the Monroe Civic Center and have flown out of MLU airport, but otherwise have not spent much time there. Readers may remember that in 2020, I followed part of historic US 80 through the northern part of the city (it was not too exciting). 

A Virginia friend asked about someplace to explore, and I suggested Monroe. We drove there on a sunny warm day and headed to the Ouachita River at the historic city core.

The railroad tracks come right through the business district and cross the Ouachita River on a beautiful old pivot bridge. Some railroad maintenance workers let us enter the railroad property and take photographs. They said the bridge still occasionally pivoted when a barge was passing on the river. The Ouachita is a Federal Navigation Project, meaning to is maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers:  

"The Ouachita-Black Rivers Navigation Project provides dependable year-round commercial navigation from the mouth of the Black River to Camden, Arkansas, a distance of approximately 330 river miles." (from the Ouachita River Valley Association) 

I showed my Hasselblad to one of the railroad workers, and he was fascinated to look through the waist-level finder and see that the view was reversed left to right. Maybe I made a film convert.

South Grand Street may have once been the main commercial strip paralleling the river. The area looks reasonably clean and well-maintained. Empty lots show where old commercial buildings have been demolished. But the standing buildings have businesses or occupation. 

Many of these late-1800s or early-20th century shops and buildings used cast-iron frames and supports on the facade. This was a common construction method, and you still see millions of buildings around the country with the cast iron beams. Any old-town downtown will have these buildings. The big advantage of cast iron was that the vertical supports could be much more slender than masonry supports of similar bearing capacity. 

The side of buildings that faced the railroad were typically a bit rough or industrial. You definitely see this when you take the Amtrak through the Northeast Corridor.

These photographs are from Kodak Tri-X 400 film, developed by Northeast Photographic in Bath, Maine. I exposed them at EI=320, all hand-held. The light was bright and glarey.

This ends our short tour of the riverfront region of Monroe. Standby for Part 2.