Fuji Natura + Fuji NR-400

raid · 07-18-2006

I tried out using the little Fuji Natura Balck P&S camera with B%W film. The Fuji 400 film was developed commercially in Ilford developer.

Here is the link to this roll. It seems that commercial developing is limiting B&W film developing and results.

Here are more photos from this roll:

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=622797

Raid

raid · 07-18-2006

I find the Natura to give me consistently very sharp images, but I am noticing some vignetting. I am also noting a darker stripe on the right side of the frame for the beach photos. Could this be a problem with developing? I wonder.I saw a similar stripe with another B&W roll I have posted (with Efke) and a Konica camera.

Raid

raid · 07-18-2006

Where are the [few] Natura users here?
Raid

dcsang · 07-18-2006

I would be one if I had the camera

I've considered this p&s because it seems to be the nice pocketable wide angle with a fast lens .. and I actually LIKE vignetting (for the most part)

Dave

RayPA · 07-18-2006

Hi Raid,

I've noticed the vignetting, as well, but I'm able to work around it in PS. I've not noticed any other artifact, thus far. I 've shot mostly color with mine.

raid · 07-18-2006

Dave,
What made you decide not to get a Natura?

Raid

raid · 07-18-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayPA

Hi Raid,

I've noticed the vignetting, as well, but I'm able to work around it in PS. I've not noticed any other artifact, thus far. I 've shot mostly color with mine.

Hi Ray,
What are your first impressions about this camera?
What do you use in PS to reduce the vignetting effect?

Raid

dcsang · 07-18-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by raid amin

Dave,
What made you decide not to get a Natura?

Raid

Haven't been able to locate one even remotely close to the North American continent

Dave

RayPA · 07-18-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by raid amin

Hi Ray,
What are your first impressions about this camera?
What do you use in PS to reduce the vignetting effect?

Raid

raid amin

Raid,

I like the camera.

IGMeanwell · 07-18-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by raid amin

Where are the [few] Natura users here?
Raid

I'm here Raid ... I just got a few negatives back and have yet to scan them

I'll upload some in the morning

I love your pics !!! So far I have been pretty happy with my results

raid · 07-19-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by IGMeanwell

I'm here Raid ... I just got a few negatives back and have yet to scan them

I'll upload some in the morning

I love your pics !!! So far I have been pretty happy with my results

Glad you like my pics.
It was the first time that I used a B&W film with the Natura. The vignetting is more obvious than with color film. Still, I love this camera.

Raid

LKSC · 07-19-2006

Raid, the vignetting is consistent with my experience of B&W with the Natura. Perhaps the dominance of high tones in the centre of those images exacerbates the problem.

raid · 07-19-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lloyd Chan

Raid, the vignetting is consistent with my experience of B&W with the Natura. Perhaps the dominance of high tones in the centre of those images exacerbates the problem.

Lloyd,
Yes, the use of B&W makes the vignetting very obvious and part of the photo in the Natura. I found out that using a film such as Efke will actually make use of this vignetting to give an oldfashioned look as if the photos were taken 50 years ago and not last weekend. I can tell you that when using XP2 film in the Natura, there is less obvious vignetting. I can't swear on it, but Iamsure that have one roll with XP2.

Raid

IGMeanwell · 07-19-2006

Here is a few photos ... resized ... I will post 3 at a time

The lab I took my Natura 1600 screwed up the negatives... the frames are all screwed up ... but I am posting the 2 I could salvage

The others I took are with Kodak Tmax T400CN ...

I took at roll of Fuji Superia 800 Xtra a day ago that is at another lab at the moment

and I had a roll of Neopan 1600 that have yet to come back from my main man at Ray Supply (told me his specialty is Neopan)

The picture from the limo is from a Bachelor party last thursday night ... I hope the Neopan comes out better ... I am pissed about the negatives

I like the camera ... my friends were telling me they didn't even realize I took the photos

IGMeanwell · 07-19-2006

Here are the Kodak

IGMeanwell · 07-19-2006

Here are a couple more examples

Trius · 07-19-2006

The vignetting on Raid's b&w shots is pretty pronounced, and the tendency to vignette more on the right side is strange. I suppose it could be related to lighting, scene reflectance, etc. It would be interesting to see some test shots, taken with both b&w and colour, of a light, plain, evenly lit surface such as a white wall.

And IG's shots show less vignetting. Film type and scene are different, otherwise I'd suspect variability between camera samples.

It's all a bit strange, to my eye.

DougK · 07-19-2006

Another Natura user here... took me a while to respond. Nice photos, Raid.

I've got four test shots from the Natura in my gallery using Kodak Elite Chrome 100 (I used to have more but I deleted them because they were boring). On some shots I've noticed vignetting but it's never been what I would call objectionable. To me, it's just been a part of the unique character of this lens. It's been most apparent in close-up shots or shots where I think the autoexposure system is keeping the shutter speed high and therefore the aperture is staying more open.

Is it just me or are the samples you posted a bit blown in the high tones, Raid? It looked to me like a little too much contrast adjustment in PS or maybe your scanner's settings are applying a bit too much contrast. They also seem a bit oversharpened, and I'm not sure if that may be exacerbating the issue. I'm completely willing to be wrong on those guesses. I still like the photos.

I'll have to run a roll or two of film this weekend and see if my results are similar. I'll admit that I haven't had time to test B&W or higher speed film before now so it will be interesting to see what I get back from the lab.

raid · 07-19-2006

The vignetting is supicious looking. I agree with this assessment.
I also have to agree that maybe I over did the post-developing "improvements".

Raid

IGMeanwell · 07-19-2006

I did very little post-processing ...

there seemed to be much more vignetting with the landscape shots than any "street" shots

Once I get back my Fuji Superia 800, I'll post some more pics... I took them while shooting some pool and I was trying to some nice close up wide angle action shots ... hopefully the shutter speed was keeping up

I want to bring this camera with me as much as possible especially at night and see where it came take me ... it gives a very unique perspective

Not to be blasphemous but I wish Fuji would release this camera in a digital form... same super ebc lens and same basic design

LKSC · 07-20-2006

FWIW, I find NPZ800 (now Pro800) works superb with the Natura at between +0.5EV to +1EV.

raid · 07-20-2006

Lloyd,
I have never used any 800 film, but I like both of your posted images taken with it.

Raid

IGMeanwell · 07-20-2006

Lloyd, I too tend to set the natura to +1.0 ev when shooting anything other than 1600 speed film

I haven't quite figured out if you can change the exposure when there is 1600 speed film in the camera

I still have a roll of Delta 3200 that I am aiming to run through it

DougK · 07-20-2006

I agree, IG, a digital version of this camera would be tremendously fun.

LKSC · 07-20-2006

NP mode will automatically kick in if you put 1600 film into the Natura, which is a camera-controlled EV compensation based on a plotted exposure table. Its explained in some detail on the Natura microsite but I can't read Japanese. I don't know if you can still utilise EV control in NP mode. I remember reading somewhere when the Natura was first released that in NP mode the lowest shutter speed is locked at 1/45 second, so some functions do become limited.