Golden Days in December

Today is December 26th, the day after Christmas (or as I like to think of it, the 2nd Day of Christmas!), and the weather is nothing short of amazing, even for southeaster Tennessee. The skies are mostly sunny and the temperature is in the lower 70ºs, judging from the number of people who were out walking along the Tennessee riverfront in downtown Chattanooga, my wife, Debbie, and I were not the only ones who felt that taking a walk and enjoying this beautiful day was a non-negotiable decision. In the dark days of winter, one must take every opportunity to soak up the sun and attempt to prevent vitamin D deficiency and seasonal affective disorder. It is a golden day, and day that makes one glad to be alive, and if one could preserve and bottle a day like strawberry preserves, this would be that day.

I almost always carry a camera with me when I take a walk, and today's choice was my Minolta X-700, a 35mm manual focus SLR first introduced in 1981. It was still available in 1990 when I purchased one new in the box from a camera store ad in the back of Popular Photography. It was only the second (and last) camera I purchased new, and I thought it was the best camera I would ever own for the rest of my life. However, some years later I parted ways with it, and it wasn't too long before I regretted that decision. But Shutter Brother Kelley came through for me in 2017 when he found an excellent copy of one in a second hand shop somewhere and bought it for me, and I've enjoyed using it ever since.

The Minolta X-700 was a wonder upon release, as it possessed three metering modes (Program, Aperture Priority, and Manual) along with many other fine features. I would have absolutely no reservations about proclaiming the X-700 as "The Best Camera Minolta Ever Made" and "One of the Best Film Cameras Ever Made" if it were not for one missing feature - a function so logical that it can hardly be called a "feature." If the camera is used in Manual mode, the LED display in the viewfinder shows the suggested shutter speed but not the speed you selected. You have to look away from the viewfinder to the shutter speed dial to see the selected shutter speed. Minolta included this missing functionality in the X-570, a fine SLR in it's own right. However, the X-570 did not include the Program mode. Why on earth couldn't Minolta put all of theses functions into one "super" camera and then devote themselves to building display cases for the many awards the camera would have won? 

Nevertheless, the X-700 was a superb camera. It has a solid build, and the grip makes it fit perfectly in my hand. Today it's plentifulness and relative low cost makes it an excellent choice for those looking for a film camera. And Minolta's lenses are excellent. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I get fine results from my Minolta lenses, including the budget release Minolta Celtic 35mm that I used today. This lens was a surprise gift from a listener (thank you Jeremy Zorns!), and it delivers. Period.

Today felt a little odd as I walked about with my camera. I hadn't shot in full sun in a long time, instead choosing to do my photography with at least some amount of cloud cover. Because I always shoot black and white film with an eye toward making a darkroom print, I think a lot about controlling contrast. Sunny days are high contrast days, and getting the film to hold details in both the shadows and the highlights can be difficult. This is why I develop my Kodak Tri-X 400 (the film I was shooting today) in Kodak D-76 diluted 1:1. Someday I might even try stand development with caffenol C-L to further control contrast. Nevertheless, sunny days are greatly appreciated in late December, and I decided to simply go with it and attempt to capture what I saw. The Tennessee riverfront provides ample opportunities for photography, and the warm sun on my back made the experience even more wonderful. Who knows whether I will get "keepers" from this roll of film when I do finish it and develop it, but one thing I do know:  You have to shoot something to get something. And plenty of good photographs have been made in full sun. I simply looked for things I liked, composed the frame, focused, made some exposure decisions, and gently pressed the shutter button. I felt creative, and it was fun. A good day.