‘One Third Keepers’ with a Minolta 9000 and Kentmere Pan 200

The idea of ‘One third keepers’ came out of online chats I took part in about 15-20 years ago.  We discussed hit rates of chosen to unchosen shots and whether digital photography had just become ‘spray and pray’. The general consensus was that, allowing for bloopers and duplicate ‘insurance’ shots, a reasonably successful roll of film was one where you would be prepared to share a third of the resulting images.

Minolta 9000 AF / Kentmere Pan 200 / Perceptol

Camera and lenses: The camera is one that tends to make me smile – the Minolta 9000 AF – the first camera that Minolta designed for their new AF mount and just about the only Autofocus SLR with a wind-on lever. I reviewed this very camera here.

The lenses I used were: a pair of first generation 20 and 24 Minolta AF lenses, plus a 50 and 100 macro, which are Sony versions of Minolta originals.

Film and processing: The film was Kentmere Pan 200 (K200). After trying to find a decent process time for this film is R09, I decided that I might have been over-processing. In order to find a benchmark, I got hold of some Perceptol from Process supplies in London – Harman publish a time for Kentmere Pan 200 in stock Perceptol of 10 minutes at 20 degrees, which meant that in British summer temperatures, I was processing for just 6 minutes. The resulting negative strips were scanned as TIFF files by a Plustek OpticFilm 135i scanner and processed and output as web-sized JPGs in DXO PL 7 with a final tweak in PSP.

Locations: Shots were taken at the RAF Museum at Collindale, a walk along the Thames footpath between Woolwich and Charlton and a visit to Apsley House and walk through St James’ park.

Pictures (12 of 36)

Closing thoughts

Having dug out the 9000 a few weeks ago, I found and fitted a focus screen with a split image and microprism (actually the screen from a crocked Pentax MX with a bit shaved off the rear edge). I had forgotten how much a proper focus screen can add to the enjoyment of this camera – it is not only the central focus aids, but the feeling you get for what is in focus elsewhere in the frame. Exposure seems unaffected by the change of screen.

In the original review, I noted that the shutter of this camera showed occasional capping – possibly linked to smears of oil that were visible on the shutter blades. Since then I’ve only encountered one frame lost through capping over the course of well over 100 exposures. Use and exercise would seem to agree with this particular 9000.

The 9000 is a fun camera to use and this example is holding up well mechanically. Cosmetically, it has been looking a little tatty as it is shedding the thin plastic skin off the grip which is doing a reasonable impression of the chocolate covering coming off a melting choc-ice. I had momentary worries that losing bits of the body could lead to a light leak (hence the patching up the back with insulating tape), but things seem to be OK.

Forgetting to wind on caught me out at first – not a problem I tend to have with other older analogue models. Perhaps this is linked to the presence of the grip, which seems very ‘autowinder’. The whole camera is gloriously over-engineered and I relished using the ridiculous articulated rewind knob when the film was finished.

I’m quite well off for A-mount lenses. The combination of 24, 50, and 100 macro give me my ideal combination of something wide, something fast, something long and something that focuses close, while the 20 just shows how I’m addicted to wide primes.

The results with the Perceptol seem quite good, and should give me a decent comparator for further K200 experiments to find a good time for developing with one-shot R09.

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