tony_digiugno

I found a bunch of TMAX reversal chemicals in storage at my school and would like to try my hand at them. I am exploring alternative processes to film making besides straight digital video for my senior thesis on Photography and Film so I would love to make reversals of 16mm movie film and 35mm stills. Problem is none of our faculty remember how to mix the chemicals or has any information on it. They come in parts A and B with no information on the label of how to mix or dilute them. Looking online for documentation I have found pdfs from Kodak on the development process but nothing on mixing them, it says to look at the packaging. Apparently that information came with the whole outfit but we no longer have that or any paperwork. I've inserted photos of the bottles as they are the only clues I've got to figuring this out. They come in all shapes and sizes. some of the Part A and Bs are different sizes and some are the same. Notice on the redeveloper bottles where Part A is 8 oz and B is much tinier. Both also say to make 1 qt. Obviously those two together will not equal 1 quart so do I dilute it with more water? And then what about the bleach where each bottle is the same size? And yes I am aware that these chemicals are very old and the bleach is toxic but that's not going to stop me from trying. I know the Photographer's Formulary kit exists but I would rather use the chemicals we have. I also don't have the time and money to be buying any more new chemicals or shipping my film out. I'd also rather not have to use a process that requires re exposing to light. Any help and experience using this process is appreciated! Thanks!

<p>I was looking at the schematics of the camera a while back and it looks too easy for me to mess up and break even more. Maybe some day I'll take another look at the inside but thanks for the links. I don't have the funds to be buying another camera right now with school starting in a couple days. I won't be working as much. To be honest I got this FA as a best offer of $100 and it was by accident. I was curious how low the seller would go but didn't realize bids could be automatically accepted. I figured since it was black and had the original finger grip intact I may as well take it. If I try another camera soon it will be a more reliable one.</p> <p>I meant the F3 is iconic haha. I've heard the FA is pretty underrated and Ken Rockwell's review of it was extremely favoring of it so I thought maybe there was some hidden potential in it for me to unlock. I almost got the F3 or F4 before I learned about the FA cause they are such great cameras from what I here. The mine cart chase in Temple of Doom was filmed party with an F3 with a custom movie film back and a motor winder! For Nikon's reputation for quality mechanics I can understand the love for less automated Nikons. I have a friend with an F2 and the one time I got to hold it I remember being so amazed by it that I wanted one of my own. Maybe someday I'll even go for that but again I like shooting with some automation, I move fast.</p> <p>With my camera I'm not so sure the mode switch is the problem. The viewfinder display changes for each mode and it's doing that correctly. The camera acts like it's working correctly in P and S modes but it's only when you release the shutter that the problem becomes apparent.</p>

<p>I used center weighted when I felt it necessary but mostly kept it in Matrix cause I wanted to test the accuracy of it, I still haven't had a chance to develop the film yet so I can't say how which one is better just yet.<br> The meter coupling lever is working just fine. If I don't rotate it all the way and use p or s the aperture will only stop down to whatever aperture it's at and will meter for that aperture. Otherwise metering works just fine in A and M modes so it does recognize the correct aperture values.<br> I'm not dealing with any circuitry and this camera is too intricate mechanically for me haha.<br> I did consider the F3 but if I remember right I found the other cameras to be more advanced and less expensive. The FM2 looks to be extra reliable and the FE2 has a very durable titanium shutter with higher speeds and an M250. The F3 looks great as well but I don't need the interchangeable viewfinders or huge motor winders. I'll still keep it in mind though, it is a very iconic camera and loved for a good reason.</p>

<p>Charles- I have no external grips or anything, just the body with two new lr44s. I swapped them out with another 2 fresh ones to be sure. The contacts on the bottom are clean and have the original cover protecting them. The mode selector seems fine, it clicks and locks at each stop. I tried out the camera using A and M modes just to make sure it was fine and it works but doesn't suit my style. I do a lot of street photography and most of the time I gotta keep moving so I shoot quickly. I typically set the speed to 1/125 or 1/250 as I am prone to shaky hands. I'd rather have a photo with too shallow depth of field than a blurry shot when shooting by selected aperture. Sometimes the lighting dramatically changes if a cloud passes over and my subject is then in the shades. Stuff like that for example. I found shooting in A mode I would find myself fiddling around a lot to reach 1/125 as it would keep changing the reading and I'd have to switch to Manual which I'm fine with using. I get why people tend to shoot in A but it doesn't suit me and it seems to be the only reliable option Nikon offers. Canons were all about shutter priority so I guess I should stick to them. I also considered the F4 but I wanted something smaller and I like manually winding the film. Thank you though.</p> <p>Michael- Man despite all my research I never heard anything about that. Guess in the future I should look up problems with cameras before I decide to buy them. I don't see any way of telling exactly how old my camera is, just that the FA started at Serial number 5000001 and I've got 5197136. Seems pretty high to me but Nikon did sell a lot more than the competition. I'm pretty savvy with taking things apart but I wouldn't call myself a certified repair man by any means. Would you happen to know what exactly that flex problem was and if it would directly relate to my issue? Maybe I'll go for an FE2 or FM2, something more reliable. Thanks for the info.</p> <p>Bebu- The readout is different for every shooting mode, It's weird. In A and M modes the aperture is seen through a window in the prism pointing straight at the lens and the shutter speed is displayed on the screen. In S mode the screen now displays the aperture number to match the speed I've selected and the speed is in it's own separate window. In P mode the only display is the screen and it tells you what speed it has selected, no aperture. When it takes the picture in S or P modes it elongates the shutter speed to match the minimum aperture so yeah technically it is taking a balanced exposure but why would I want to shoot that far down all the time? I see what your saying though and if the problem is that it is getting stuck after that stopped down reading and not readjusting then I have to figure out to fix that if it is even possible. I've had an A-1 for over a year now and it's my favorite camera next to the EF (that I recieved the same day as my FA) which is great for S and M modes and is built extremely well. I have 3 FD lenses, a 28mm 2.8 I mostly use, a 50mm 1.4, and a 100mm f4 macro with extension tube, all of which fit snug in a small camera bag and make for a versatile system with either camera. I guess I'll just stick to that since it all works anyway. I really wanted a Nikon set too since their lenses are built so well but if they aren't going to work where it counts then I guess Nikon just isn't for me. Shame. </p>

<p>I've been wanting to shoot Nikon gear for a long time just to see what all the hype is about and when I found a Nikon EM with a Series E 50mm 1.8 for $5 and an N2020 with a 50mm 2.8 macro for $0.99 (thrift shops are amazing) in the same week I thought I may as well find the perfect camera for myself. I love 70s-80s film slrs for their size, silence, and reliability. My favorite camera is my Canon A-1 with my 28mm 2.8 lens. It works in all program modes and manual mode and I usually find myself jumping between P and S modes. The Nikon FA was the only Nikon camera that fit the bill before you get into auto winding cameras and those are too noisy and plastic for me. The FA even has a 1/4000 shutter speed and mechanical 250 shutter so it's more reliable than the A-1, or so I thought it would be.</p> <p>Getting to the point, I bought the FA online in black and with the battery grip for $100 listed in excellent condition and fully functional which is a pretty good deal. Whoever was testing it out (the seller was a big Japanese company) must not have been checked it very carefully cause it's P and S modes don't work. The only reason why I bought the camera. Figures. They were to slow to update me on getting a refund so now it's my problem, may as well fix it.</p> <p>Now I know I'm definitely using the camera right, I've read the instructions and lens compatibility charts several times over. My 50mm E lens is Ais as is the macro lens so they should both be fully compatible as the FA was one of the few cameras to recognize Ais lenses. I rotate the aperture down to it's minimum, f22 or f32, set the mode to P or S, and put the shutter speed on any position besides M250 or B, and when I take the shot the lens always stops down all the way and selects the shutter speed for the minimum aperture regardless of what the computer has selected inside the viewfinder (The display will read 1/60 but fire for 2 seconds).</p> <p>Through all my research online I have only ever found 2 people with the problem.</p> <p>http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00biPA</p> <p>The first guy asks the question, everybody else hops around the question and talks about whatever they want, and the last guy who posted in 2012 on page 5 never gets a response. So what's the problem? I really want to expand my Nikon lens collection but I need a working camera and don't want to blow another $100 or more on another camera. I have too many. Please help. Thanks.</p>