Picking up from my previous blog (a disguised treatise on the benefits of change, or rather a stubborn capitulation of myocardium to photo walks), I chose to explore a city only a half-hour Skytrain ride from my apartment. Port Moody rests thirteen stops from VCC-Clark, one of the quick getaways I devise out of Vancouver, other than a prompt ride on the Expo Line to Waterfront, a bobble on the Sea Bus, and a roll up Lonsdale. A walk along the water, west of The Shipyards and towards Sailor’s Point, is an unsolicited recommendation.
If I were to give myself a nickname, Port Moody would be an apt consideration. I love to look at and photograph water – from land. Port Moody is a perfect place to get away, have a gander, knock back a porter, and return with a roll of thirty-six photographs to be developed at Rocket Repro.
Lion, one of our customers, lent me his Super Rokkor 2.8/45mm lens, as I told him I had not used my Canon P since about never. The Canon P is a favored rangefinder of my finances. Nikon fandom aside, I borrow (less so, own) LTM lenses, or endear myself enough to be lent and trusted with one. The Super Rokkor is Leica-like; the near-facsimile is neither particularly the sharpest nor the dullest. It’s a little lens that weighs about as much as a billiard ball, a lens about which not much is written on the web.
The Chiyoko Super-Rokkor was originally designed for Minolta Rangefinder cameras that utilized the Leica Thread Mount (LTM), one of the popular mount systems at the time. This lens was branded under the name “Chiyoko” before Minolta started using its own name on lenses. 1947-1955 are its years of manufacture, and despite its age, many photographers, myself included, find the lens sharp, especially in the center. It can be adapted to mirrorless cameras with the right adapters, and I prefer this lens for the compact setup rangefinders allow over SLRs.
We appreciate when our customers lend us their gear to try. We, as colleagues, also lend each other gear, at least in the film department. Marley lent me his Jupiter 8 LTM, as well as his Leica 35mm f/3.5 Summaron; Mark, in his heyday, offered me the use of his Mamiya 7; Nicole lent me her Minolta 3000i; another customer lent me their Rolleiflex 3.5f, and one of my close, legendary friends, Jimmy, gave me his spare Olympus XA-2. If I count my blessings, these aforementioned are a few of mine.
If you are in the market, we currently have the Canon 50mm 1.4 LTM, dubbed “The Japanese Summilux,” on consignment sale.
As I consider the brief thesis of this blog post, perhaps the acquisition of new technology can inspire or refresh a photographer’s temperament. Or, an excursion to a new chapter of land, unforgivably close to one’s comfort zone, will nudge a creative border. I had not used my Canon P in over a year – a borrowed lens convinced me to pick it up again, if even for a day.
One reply on “Broody in Port Moody”
Lion
Boris, Great photos from your Port Moody adventure!
Happy that you had a good outing with the Super Rokkor lens.
The Canon P and Canon 7 ltm rangefinder cameras are way fun to take photos with.
Skytrain photowalk destinations? Where to next?
Cheers,
Lion
Comments are closed.