Another roll of HP5+. However, this time we’re testing out the Minolta Hi-Matic G! I thought it would be reasonable to at least ensure this rangefinder worked, rather than leaving it to collect dust. Unfortunately, during this week I was terribly sick and barely left the house. Hence, plenty of shots from the balcony and frighteningly few from outside the house!
Camera: Minolta Hi-Matic G
Film: Ilford HP5+
Post Processing: GIMP
This was a quick attempt to measure the depth of field on the Minolta — could I capture the raindrops on the window while blurring the background sufficiently? No. Not on this camera, which controls the aperture automatically.
In all honesty I just thought it would be a little funny to photograph a Rubik’s Cube using black and white film. It was funny. I don’t apologize. Further, I was trying to see just how close I could focus using the Minolta. Once again, not very close. It was around now that I realized I had become spoiled by the Ricoh SLR. 
In bright sunlight the Minolta did pretty well! There’s good contrast here, especially compared to what the Konica managed, but then again my own skills in composing and editing have improved since then. 
A deeply contrasted sky. From memory, this was taken around sunset, and the clouds were particularly dark. It was a terrible beautiful sight, and I was happy to see the rangefinder manged to capture the moment. 
There’s many a mural about town, but this one has always caught my eye. First of all, the colors (or lack thereof) lend themselves to black and white film. Second, what the heck does the caption mean? That fifty-year interval some four thousand years ago? Perhaps the artist was a big fan of Ubaid Mesopotamia. 
Ah, back towards the Railway Station. This is a nice composition, except for the numerous poles and signs lining the street. 
The reflection along the railway tracks are nice, and they really pop on black and white film. The film grain is noticeable on the otherwise uniform sky. 
As promised, the Dunedin Railway Station gives a good yardstick for testing new equipment. In comparison to the Konica, I think the Minolta rangefinder took a much nicer photo. However, at least part of that is the improved editing (I wasn’t even using Gimp with the Konica!) and a sunnier day. Overall I still think the Minolta beats out the Konica. 
These last few exposures were just to use up the remainder of the roll. I don’t think I got up from the bench I sat at for the last four shots, but in my defense it was a very picturesque bench! 
On this final frame you can see the ghostly imprints of the clothespegs I use to keep the film straight while drying. Unfortunately I had to place the pegs over a frame of film, as I had shot right to the end of the roll. The results aren’t ruinous, and I like the reminder that this is a physical medium. 
