APRIL 2024 – A traditional farmhouse near Aschau i. Chiemgau, Bavaria. Photo captured with a Agfa Super Silette-L viewfinder camera from 1958 on AgfaPhoto APX 100 black and white negative film. Photo © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
As you may know, I re-discovered analog photography with old cameras a while ago. It began by the desire to not just look at and edit photos from the past but to refresh the memories of the photographic experience.
So I purchased this Agfa Super Silette-L on eBay, and the camera came very close to my memories. But by now i am pretty certain that I did not shoot with this camera as a boy in the 1970s. It was the Kodak Retinette 1B of my mother. However, I did not remember this camera when I purchased the Agfa Super Silette-L.
When the camera was delivered, I inserted a fresh b&w negative film – the excellent AgfaPhoto APX 100 – and started shooting. I did not shoot a lot of images, and when I realized that I was really looking for the Kodak Retinette, the excitement faded slightly. So, it took me almost a year to finish off the film.
One day in April 2024 I took the camera to a hike near Aschau i. Chiemgau. Close to the parking lot at the trailhead I discovered this building with the large meadow. The scene was a dream of blue and green. The red roof of the house added a nice contrast. How would that develop in genuine b&w? Not too exciting, I’d say. But the camera did a good job capturing the scene.
I present this image almost unedited, straight from the negative scan. The image is sharp, the exposure is well-balanced, and there seems to be no dust, scratches or hairs on the image.
And here is the same scene, shot with my Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphone:
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date & Time | 06-APR-2024, 11:53 |
| Location | Aschau i. Chiemgau, Germany |
| Camera | Agfa Super Silette-L |
| Lens | Agfa Color-Solinar 1:2,8/50 mm |
| Film | AgfaPhoto APX 100 b&w negative film |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 16 bits/pixel, grayscale |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 6676 x 4352 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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