Of the many large, heavy 35mm rangefinder cameras I tried over the years, the Konica Auto S2 is one of two that I kept. (The other was the sublime Yashica Lynx 14e.) I liked it better than the vaunted Yashica Electro 35, better than the famed Minolta Hi-Matic 7. I don’t think this camera is objectively better than any of my other now-departed rangefinders — it just fits me better somehow.
Of the cameras that I own but don’t need, of which there are many, I’m trying to give them annual exercise. In August and early September, it was the Auto S2’s turn.
I’m pushing through some Fomapan films that I bought on deep sale not long ago. I’m also experimenting with Ilford’s ID-11 developer. I suppose I could have titled this post “Fomapan 200 in ID-11” as well, because that’s just what I did. I shot the film at EI 125, as I seem to have best luck with it there, and developed it at the ISO 200 time.
One thing I like about ID-11 over HC-110, which has been my go-to, is that I get longer development times. Sometimes HC-110 puts me too close for comfort to five minutes — I’ve gotten unpredictable results with development times faster than that. Yet HC-110 is a more convenient developer for how infrequently I develop film. It keeps so well and it stretches so far!
I brought the Auto S2 with me as I went about my business for several weeks until the film was gone. For whatever reason, I encountered a lot scenes that said “shoot portrait, not landscape” to me. I made some decent photographs, but nothing that should go into my portfolio. Here are some of them.
Every time I shoot the Konica Auto S2, I’m so happy I kept it in Operation Thin the Herd.
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