5 Frames with a Nikon AF600 & Fuji C200 in Venezia and Burano (Italy) – By Gregoire MBV

By Gregoire MBV

Few months ago, I was enjoying a long week end in Venezia, Italy. It was the last week end of carnival there. And we didn’t know at the time, but it was the last weeks of COVID related restrictions. There we landed, coming from Paris, in a city carrying this very touristic and historical reputation of her own, my C200 roll, my Nikon AF600 and I.

Discovering Venezia

Venezia is a city apart of any others that I’ve been to so far. In the bus from the airport to the heart of the city, I enjoyed watching the water expending on both sides of the road, and the exceptional architecture of the city that is revealed as we approached. Walking to the hotel gave me the first impressions of what would be confirmed during all the trip: Venezia is like a museum in the open. As I like street photography, I was wondering how scenes of daily routine, daily walk from the people here, would eventually render in pictures.

from a side of a canal to the other, shooting birds on a little boat.
from a side of a canal to the other, shooting birds on a little boat. Venezia (Italy) – 03.2022

Of course, the canals. But more than just canals, little streets, that run like a giant labyrinth. Small shops, restaurants, gorgeous monuments as well, everywhere. The carnival went well. I was not there to shoot costumes and the crowd all around the plaza, but for a street photographer, it’s a great moment because you’ll witness the heliocentrism of how crowded the streets are around the plaza as you walk towards it or from it.

random man walking in front of me as I shoot a street landscape
random man walking in front of me as I shoot a street landscape – Venezia (Italy) – 03.2022
bunch a people at the crossing of several streets. Venezia - 03.2022
bunch a people at the crossing of several streets. Venezia – (Italy) – 03.2022

But my favorite place of the week end wasn’t in Venezia itself. It was the small island of Burano.

Burano

Take a boat and go to Murano, a first island, crowdy as well. Then take another one that would eventually get you to Burano.

Burano is a gorgeous town-island, 40min away from Venezia. It’s a colorful, simple, quiet, and refreshing place. I was there walking the streets and you can definitely find a picture to take at every corner. Because of the people there, the tourists as well, the colors of the houses, and daily casual and candid scenes of a small town. There is this sentiment of a place that you see in paintings only. Just like a retreat where you feel the need to take it easy.

corner of a streets, in the shadows, somebody walking in the background.
corner of a streets, in the shadows, somebody walking in the background. Burano (Italy) – 03.2022
clean clothes floating in the air in between streets, with a colorful plaza as the background.
clean clothes floating in the air in between streets, with a colorful plaza as the background. Burano (Italy) – 03.2022

Fuji C200 with the Nikon AF600

To me, the blue-purple vibe of the C200 fits perfectly what I felt in Venezia and Burano. It’s not warming the scene, but giving it the accurate feeling of what I felt walking there during march with COVID still messing around. Yet, a friend of mine, film photographer as well, went to the same places a week after me, with some Kodak rolls to shoot (Victor, if you read these lines, you need to write articles here my friend!), and from what I’ve seen, it was nice as well!

Camera wise, I have to say, I love this Nikon AF600 as much as it offers anti-features that could make me hate it as well! But for this occasion, let’s agree on the Nikon AF600 being perfect when you travel: it’s light, easy to use, the AF is accurate and quite fast I find, and you can slide it in your pocket really easy. The perfect companion, even if the viewfinder is the very worst of the very worsts. I use my Yashica T3 on a daily basis when home, but traveling with the Nikon AF600 is the perfect set up for me.

I’m currently shooting B&W rolls, and I’ll probably try warmer films after that. But honestly, the combo made of C200 and Nikon AF600 is solid to me. I’ll run with it again for sure.

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Comments

Daniel Castelli on 5 Frames with a Nikon AF600 & Fuji C200 in Venezia and Burano (Italy) – By Gregoire MBV

Comment posted: 11/06/2022

Gregoire,
Loved your pics. Photography without any preconditions - just shoot what you see.
My Dad was the family photographer for decades, working with his Argus C3 and Kodachrome. After my Mom passed away in 1980, he stopped taking pics. We got him a Nikon AF35 p/s. Coupled that with drugstore branded color neg film and he started up again. That little p/s went everywhere with him and he had a blast with it.
Snobby film people too often dismiss these amateur cameras, but the people forget that they are cameras that unleash the pure joy of photography. You can be spontaneous or you can be serious, they allow you to be both.
That's the point of taking pictures.
Regards,
Dan
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Gregoire MBV replied:

Comment posted: 11/06/2022

Hey Dan! Thank you for telling this story. I would definitely agree with everything you say here. And not just for photography. We forgot that things can be helpful and meaningful without anything else than fun. I'm glad your story here proves that point as well! Regards,

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herb kateley on 5 Frames with a Nikon AF600 & Fuji C200 in Venezia and Burano (Italy) – By Gregoire MBV

Comment posted: 11/06/2022

I have shot the af600 quite a few times and find it a very high performer. I was actually shocked at how good it was with slide film. My one complaint is that the panorama switch is easy to hit, ruining shots. So you have to watch out for that. Otherwise it's a brilliant camera for films 800iso and under.

Not sure why there is a feeling that it is a tourist "snapper". My copy has a lens that is sharper than most point and shoots that I have seen.
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Gregoire MBV replied:

Comment posted: 11/06/2022

Hey Herb! It's a great little gem for sure, even with its flaws. I think the tourist snapper label for the Nikon AF600 mostly comes from its size, as it really easy to put in your pocket during a travel. I love it. Cheers,

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Brian Nicholls on 5 Frames with a Nikon AF600 & Fuji C200 in Venezia and Burano (Italy) – By Gregoire MBV

Comment posted: 11/06/2022

Hey Gregoire, the AF600 was only ever intended as a touristy 'snapper' of postcard-size images! However, you have proved here that it is a serious photographic tool capable of seriously good enlargements. Well done my friend!
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Gregoire MBV replied:

Comment posted: 11/06/2022

Hey Brian! I had pure pleasure shooting with little gem during this trip. Such a pocket sized camera with a good range of abilities! Thank you for your feedback! Cheers!

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