Rick Helmke

I’m using an iPad right now, have an I phone and three Mac computers. I have never signed up or paid for I cloud storage and don’t plan to but apparently I’m about to run out of space every few months. At some point I expect to be threatened with falling off the edge of our flat planet. One is as likely as the other…. Rick H.

Sometimes it is the equipment, I’ve seen firmware updates, poor white balances, slow autofocus, even a need for faster write speeds for raw files. You spend too much time fiddling with the camera that you don’t pay attention to photography. Sometimes you’re just having a bad day. The Nikon D8xx cameras work so much better than the D1X as one would expect. I don’t have to pay as much attention to settings and can work on composition, lighting and so on. Rick H

I’ve gotten Ilford liquid chemistry lately but also found some unmixed D-76 in my stash that is now mixed. I think it all came from B&H. That reminds me, several rolls to develop…. Rick H.

I don’t have a photo but I believe Melinda Dillon’s character in Close Encounters was using a Rollei rangefinder. There were also several Nikon F2’s with motor drives and at least one with a 250 exposure back. Rick H.

Having been at this for a long time I discovered early that a lens going from wide angle to a telephoto is a compromise and doesn’t do anything very well. I doubt this will be any different and it’s slow. I know $1200 isn’t what it used to be but I think it can be spent on more effective glass. A lot of people will buy it and use it for everything thinking it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread but they’ll never see the shortcomings of this design. Then again I’m not the target market. Rick H.

Start with a new battery and make sure all the contacts are clean. Next make sure the contacts on the lens and body ant the lens mount are clean. Take out any film. Turn the camera on and put it in manual mode. I suspect a near dead battery and if so, you should be ok. Actually you posted this in the wrong place. A little further down there is a spot for film cameras. Taking the film out, if any, will eliminate an error with the body reading the ISO from the film canister. Let us know if this works. Rick H.

If he wants to spend that much money perhaps look for a used 17-55/2.8, an excellent lens and way better than any kit lens. Rick H.

Pricing please.

Pros and cons I can’t really say but I’ve seen some very impressive results from the 150 and not just as a portrait lens. Rick H.

This is easier than it looks. Meter for the background and use a flash or other light source to expose the shadow area to within a half stop of the background. Fill flash basically, should be simple enough with an RB. A flash meter would be helpful but something like a Vivitar 283/285 will do. Just set it to expose the fill area about 1/2 stop less than the backlight ie if the background is metering at f/11 then set the fill flash to expose at f/8 or just a title more. Gives the whole thing a more natural look. Rick H.

Not for me. I learned how to focus manually when there was no other way. I thought earlier AF rigs were easily fooled or defeated and while its miles better than it used to be it can still focus on the wrong thing if it’s moving fast. For street work I just do it myself. Rick H.

Somehow I have ended up with an Ftn, Ft2 and an FT3. We used them in the newspaper business as backups to a motor driven F2 because it was lighter and less expensive. Also, shooting Friday night football with a Sunpak 511 the F2 1/80 flash sync speed meant a lot of ghosting but the 125 speed n the Nikkormat solved the problem. I don’t know why but I put together a camera bag basically the same as what I carried in those days and love it. I also know why I walk leaning to the left all the time. Rick H.

Give a starting point please. Could be interested. Thanks. Rick H.

One thing no one has mentioned is slow shutter speeds. If that camera has been sitting for an extended period, more than a year or so, shutter speeds 1/15 and slower can get unreliable and may not complete the cycle, locking the camera up. I would cycle the shutter a hundred or more times at faster speeds and then go very gradually through slower speeds, maybe 30 times at 1/15, again at 1/8 paying very close attention that the shutter completes the cycle each time and doesn’t sound likes it’s having a mechanical issue or not completing the cycle ie. not opening and then fully closing. It’s a problem on the F and F2. Also never leave the shutter cocked for more than a few hours, especially if the camera isn’t used on a regular basis. Even when I was shooting 20 or more rolls a week in my F2 I never left the shutter cocked overnight. Rick H.

I’d say this is one time you’re best served by buying another and retiring this one. It will fail at the worst time. Rick H.