After the heat wave, the days are starting to feel a little cooler and more like autumn. The sky is starting to clear and I can feel that we are gradually approaching the winter sky. The humidity is also dropping, so the way we perceive light is also changing. It is just about this time is comfortable to get out and take pictures.
I still want an FUJIFILM XQ3 even though I know it won’t be released. Some of the older compact film cameras are now priced at a premium and are not even a little expensive. (like a CONTAX T3) With digital cameras, it is hard to get a premium price for a vintage camera (not that I want a premium price for my camera). In the end, the old digital cameras is older sensors and digital circuits, that why the pictures that come out of them are not good enough (in terms of resolution, color, etc.).
I have been using the XQ1 from time to time recently, and I have to say that it is just as nice photo as ever. There are some things I would like to say, such as the lack of a viewfinder or the fact that once you turn off the camera, you forget to zoom and always start from the wide-angle side, but the palm-size is hard to give up, and the fact that FUJIFILM colors are available even in this size is the biggest thing.
In September Apple event, the iPhone 12 still available in the list, but the iPhone 12 mini is the end. iPhone 13 mini remained, fortunately. The iPhone 12 mini, a mini model that was a bit cheaper due to its smaller size, must have the problem of being priced similarly to the SE. The SE is also better than the 12 mini in terms of performance. I think the fact that there is a new iPhone 14 Plus has also had an impact.
What will happen to the mini model in the future? It is too early to say, but will there be a new mini model in the iPhone next September? What will happen to the mini and Plus models in the future? I took the liberty of making a prediction based on the sales cases up to that point.
I think that there will be no mini model next year. The Plus model has appeared in place of the mini model for the first time since the iPhone 8. I think that there will release Plus model and be no mini model next year either. Along with that, sales of the mini model will end. I believe that the mini size will disappear from the iPhone lineup once and for all.
I searched casually yodobashi.com for available films, and for some reason, FUJIFILM SUPERIA X-TRA400 was found and is now available for purchase. Why? I thought it was discontinued, and when I looked it up, I found that it was indeed discontinued in 2018.
But somehow it is back… Originally, the film was still being sold overseas, and it seems that the specifications of the film that is now being sold are the overseas version with the packaging labeled for Japanese (The film specification is still X-TRA400).
The product is not listed on the Fujifilm product page, but the online sales site Fujifilm Mall has resumed handling the product. フジカラー SUPERIA X-TRA400 36枚撮り (Sorry, the link is to only Japanese page.) However, there is currently a waiting list.
Continuing from the last time, here is Tokyo in 2016, this time in summer, with a Kodak ULTRAMAX 400. Kodak gives the impression of being a bit yellowish, but the sky has a deep and strong blue color. The colors also seem darker. The film tends to depending on the type, and even the way the film is developed when it is sent out for development can change it. So what is the truely image of film is difficult to say. However, the base of each film is different, and the developing process adds flavor to the film. There is no right answer, and I think one way to deal with film is to choose what you like. Of course, there have some standard films that you just have to choose when you are in doubt, but that is one of the many (or maybe not so many nowadays) types of film.
This is Tokyo in the winter of 2016 taken by the film Kodak Gold 200. The colors are typical of Kodak. In winter, the humidity is low, so the light tends to penetrate better and produce higher-resolution photos. I noticed that Kodak Gold 200 is one of the films that is not easy to get. It is still available on the Internet, but Yodobashi Camera no longer carries it and it is no longer a film that can be easily used…. It is hard to see Fujifilm’s lineup decrease, but it is also hard to see Kodak’s lineup decrease.
I took some color shots of Ginza at night, using a high sensitivity of ISO 1600, but they came out beautifully. It was a day when I moved because I wanted to take pictures. Ginza’s Namiki-dori Avenue and its vicinity is not dark because of the lights from the signboards, but it is a somewhat unique street. It is not that it is a dangerous street. It may be an area where there is a large contrast between daytime and nighttime. I sometimes walk around with my camera, because I have a chance to some picturesque moments. Sometimes I am able to take a good picture, sometimes not. X100V can be instantly adjusted with a dial to the appropriate value for the moment, which is really convenient when walking around town at night. (And the photo quality is beautiful!)