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Category: Minola X-370

  • First attempts at color film processing with CineStill Cs41

    First attempts at color film processing with CineStill Cs41

    Up to this point, every image I had developed was processed by The Darkroom photo lab. They do fantastic work! I wanted to start processing my own film, though, and after a brief discussion with the folks at Bernie’s Photo Center in Pittsburgh, PA I learned that the color process had recently been simplified into a two-step process. Temperature control was still just as important as ever, but the timing was easier to handle. I figured, why not?

    I quickly learned that just because you can still find Fujifilm 400 at your local WalMart or CVS doesn’t mean it’s worth buying. Chances are if you live in a small town like me, that film has been there for nearly a decade and is expired. That was certainly the case with my first few rolls, but I also cannot rule out the fact that there is a learning curve to developing film – especially in color – so the quality on these first images is sketchy. By the third or fourth roll, I feel like I was getting the hang of it, even if my color correction of the negatives still left a lot to be desired.

    I also switched from scanning on a lithe table with a mid-range DLSR, to using a dedicated 35mm scanner, which helped to bolster my confidence in the process immensely.

  • Surf City 2025

    Surf City 2025

    Probably my first attempt at earnestly taking good photos with film, I brought the Minolta X-370 (and several other cameras) with me to Top Sail / Surf City, NC for vacation. Still very green, I made a lot of mistakes, but it was during this trip that I caught the bug and decided film photography something into which I wanted to dive deeper.

    Looking back at these photos now, I can start to see some potential. My issue then, as it is now, is that I’d grown so accustomed to quickly snapping a pic and moving on. Film honestly demands more from you, and it starts with slowing down and paying attention. Sure, you need to consider light and composition, but you cannot ignore that each shot comes at a literal cost. Is this image worth taking? Developing? Printing? Displaying?

    For the majority of these photographs, no. They are snapshots of my vacation. In that sense, they are special to me, but they are not portfolio-worthy. Not every photo needs to be.

  • Shaking out the cobwebs

    Shaking out the cobwebs

    With a week-long beach adventure fast approaching on the calendar, I decided to break out the Minolta X-370 again and put a roll through it. I planned on taking it and a number of other as-yet-untested cameras with me to decide which I was going to keep and which I was going to part with (Spoiler alert: I only parted with one, and I regret it).

    I took the camera with me to go hang out with some friends, and while I’d like to blame the soft focus on my poor vision, there may or may not have been some other factors involved.

    The thing is, though, I like these shots. They are as blurry and chaotic as the evening turned out to be. Not every photo was worth sharing, but they all represent the moment perfectly, and I think that’s more important than perfect lighting and tack-sharp focus.

  • First shots with the Minolta X-370

    First shots with the Minolta X-370

    Like a true child of the 80’s, I took a photography class in high school. I absolutely fell in love with the process of developing film and making prints, but once the class ended, I no longer had access to continue experimenting. A few of those old photos survive, but aren’t worth sharing, as I had no clue at all what I was doing.

    Some time around Christmas 2017, I obtained a Minolta X-370 and a pair of lenses. The camera had belonged to my wife’s uncle, who had passed away. Having just had a few rolls from the Mamiya C33 developed, I was interested in getting back to shooting 35mm and reliving that classic experience.

    The X-370 sports an aperture priority mode, so it was a much simpler experience than the C-33, but it was still a manual focus camera, and even in my 30’s I refused to wear corrective lenses, hence a lot of soft focus. I really didn’t understand how aperture affected the depth of field yet either, so combine that with shooting mostly indoors on Christmas and it makes sense that these images are less than stellar. Still, they invoke a sense of nostalgia, and I smile whenever I look at them – but a lot of that has to do with my son’s Christmas morning hair.