Not what I expected - Me or the camera or...?

<p>I've been wanting to get into medium format and film photography for a while now, so I read some books, did a lot of internet research and ended up with a Mamiya C33 Pro. I really like the slow, manual-everything shooting experience as I worked through my first roll of 120, but I picked up the film today and am really underwhelmed with the results.<br>

I'm wondering if it's due to mistakes I made, if the camera has some issues or something else.<br>

A few sample photos from the roll are here: http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-kZ8qX</p>

<ul>

<li>In the photo of the guy with the bike, I was focusing on him, but the sharp part of the photo is the bike behind him. I noticed in several other photos from the roll that the focus is significantly behind where it should have been</li>

<li>On the photo of the boy on the stairs, disregard the blur. It was the result of a flimsy tripod and a clumsy shutter press (I've since picked up a sturdier tripod and cable release). My main concern about this photo is the whole bottom half looking like it got exposed to light. You'll also notice the focus is again behind the subject, if you look closely.</li>

<li>The photo of the farm field has a few funky light irregularities going on. The bottom left is green-blue and foggy, the upper left has a repeating diagonal pattern in the sky, and there is a narrow line of vertical light in the upper right (that narrow line only shows up on the scan, by the way, but the other stuff on the left side shows up on the scan and the print).</li>

</ul>

<p>So, am I doing something wrong, does the camera have problems, or am I just expecting too much from a 40-some-year-old piece of equipment?<br>

Any advice would be great. I really am interested in learning and improving. Thanks.</p>

<p>The TLR might need a CLA. It's getting harder to find anyone who works on Medium Format gear. Lots of folks asking for it on the internet, but often no response. </p>

<p>Is the focussing screen upside down? i.e. matt side up</p>

<p>#3 bottom left might be lens flare. Is the lens clean inside as well as outside? Sometimes fungus develops on old lens.</p>

<p>What kind of film were you using? Was it expired? You ought to try an unexpired reversal film (chrome) like Velvia so you can see the results without haven't to print or scan. Run through different shutter and aperture settings and write them down as you go so you can check the camera out better. Good luck.</p>

<p>Wrong focus could be the result of the lower lens (used to record the image) not following the upper lens (used for focusing) exactly.</p>

<p>The user manual, http://www.cameramanuals.org/mamiya_pdf/mamiya_c33_pro.pdf , shows a viewfinder magnifier. Learn to use it as it will reduce or eliminate such focusing errors. There are several focusing test that can be run if errors continue when setting focus with the magnifier.</p>

<p>Images 2 and 3 show extraneous light reaching the film. Check the light seals on the camera back, the lens board mount, and the bellows for wear.</p>

<p>Advanced bellows check:<br>

Open the camera back, extend the focusing to its limit, take the camera with lens installed, and a small bright flashlight or small table lamp that will fit into the camera opening in to a darkroom or closet. Turn off the room light and wait 5 minutes for your eyes to adjust. Turn on the table lamp or flashlight and insert into the camera from the rear being careful not to touch anything with a bare bulb. Any dim yellow to bright white spot on the bellows or around the lens/board or viewfinder is a darkness leak that must be patched.</p>

<p>Which lab did you use? What film type is it? Was the film fresh? I see lab issues in the shots.</p>

<p>Thanks for all of the responses so far. I really do appreciate the help. I'll try to answer some of your questions...</p>

<p>@Norman Valentine: The focusing screen's matte side is down, toward the lens. The manual mentions an exposure index scale that's not there, though, so I'm wondering if a third-party screen was installed at some point. This could be an issue, according to some reading I've done, since the C33 wasn't meant to have a user-swappable screen and has spacers that could get messed up if the screen was changed by someone without the right knowledge. I'm unsure about this.</p>

<p>@Alan Klein: The lens looks clean, and was advertised as such in the eBay listing. I'll take a closer look once I've shot through the roll of film in the camera right now. The film was not expired. It was Kodak Portra 400 I picked up at the local photo shop. I'll consider trying a roll of chrome if I can't figure anything else out.</p>

<p>@Dieter Schaefer: How would I go about finding out if the viewing and taking lenses don't match up?</p>

<p>@Charles Monday: I don't have the waist level finder. I have the pentaprism, instead, and I'm pretty confident it's not user error. Not 100%, though, so I put the camera on a tripod and took some shots at an angled yardstick at various apertures tonight. That might tell me something once the prints are developed. If you know of other good focusing tests I should try, please let me know. As for the possible light leaks, the bellows are in good shape, and the eBay listing stated they were light-tight. I'll perform your test, though, once I finish the roll of film in there right now.</p>

<p>@Anthony Oresteen: The lab is a local photo lab called Sharp Photo. They're the only game in town, and since my town isn't in a metro area, they probably don't do a great deal of medium format processing and scanning. The person I dropped my film off with had no idea what resolution their scans would be at. The film was not expired and was Kodak Portra 400.</p>

<p>Shooting a yard stick wide open will tell you if there is an error and which direction the error is if one exists while shooting it stopped down will only show how much you have to stop down to compensate. <br /> You can check the focusing by placing a piece of ground glass on the guide rails that the film runs on. There should be an inner and outer guide next to the film gate, inner for the film, and outer for the backing paper. Place the ground side of the ground glass toward the lens. Focus on the test target with either the viewfinder or the taking lens on the ground glass, shutter open on T or release cable locked open on B with the aperture wide open, and check the focus on the other. If an error exists I would suspect the pentaprism mounting or the view screen over the view lens mounting. You can measure the lens standard distance from the body with the view lens sharply focused then again when the taking lens is focused and the difference between them is the shim thickness to be added or removed from the focus screen mount. <br /> Fuji color roll film is 3.5mil (.00035 inch) thick. Kodak an Ilford roll films are 4.5 mil (.00045 inch) thick. The focus difference between the viewing and taking lens has to be less than .0003 either side of perfect at the film plane to obtain acceptable sharp images with the taking lens wide open.</p>

<p>A substitute for a piece of ground glass is to attach strips of Scotch Magic Transparent Tape to the film guide rails without overlapping it. Tape residue will not be a problem if the tape is only on for 2 or 3 hours and is not in direct sun. It has been reported that the tape applied to microscope slide glass works well also, but I have not tried it. Wax paper works also but is not as sharp as a piece of ground glass or tape. <br /> Check the film plane focus with a loupe.</p>

<p>The finer the detail in the test target the better. A map or newspaper classified ads attached flat on a wall works well.</p>

<p>For checking focus at the film plane ground glass is ideal but rather than fiddling around cutting glass, (and potentially your fingers), I use a piece of plastic from a CD jewel case. Measure then score it several times with a Stanley knife / box cutter and snap off. Cleanup edges if necessary with sandpaper.<br>

Cover one side with strips of frosted tape, Scotch brand is good, butted up to each other rather than overlapping. Place your plastic plate against the film rails with the tape facing the lens as this is the side you will be focusing on. You can then tape the plate into place on the camera leaving your hands free to focus.</p>

<p> </p>

<p><strong>@Charles Monday and Martin Jones:</strong> As someone new to film, medium format and TLRs, I have to admit a lot of what you're recommending is sailing over my head. Any chance you could point to a video or illustrated description of what you're describing online? I'm sure I can figure it out, but a visual or two might help it click in my brain.</p>

<p>Also, I checked the bellows, using the flashlight in a dark room technique, and everything looked fine. I'm extremely confident now that there are no light leaks occurring through the bellows.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>@Charles Monday and Martin Jones: As someone new to film, medium format and TLRs, I have to admit a lot of what you're recommending is sailing over my head.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Jereme,let me try to explain. When you open the camera back, you can see the place where the film runs. The film must be precisely positioned to allow proper focusing, so there are a couple of flat surfaces (rails) for the edges of the film to ride on. (The film is pressed up against these rails by the spring-loaded plate attached to the camera back.) If you hold a piece of processed film up near these flat parts (the so-called film guide rails) you'll be able to see how it fits in. The idea is that the lens should be accurately focused right at the place where the front side of the film is.</p>

<p>What Charles and Martin are suggesting is that you place a "ground glass" at the place where the film normally would be. Then you can open the shutter, and by looking at that ground glass, you can tell if the focus position is correct for film.</p>

<p>Note: ground glass is essentially a piece of glass with one side that has been all scratched up (this can be done with a "grinding compound") so that it looks cloudy. This allows an image to be projected onto the glass, and viewed from the other side, same as your viewing screen works. If an image is NOT in focus, you will see the ground glass image also NOT in focus. And vice versa. Since most people don't have pieces of ground glass around the house, the suggestions to use the transparent or frosted tape are as substitutes, they function in a similar manner. Stretching the tape across the film guide rails makes sure that it sits flat, right where the film would be.</p>

<p>The basic test is to set the camera on some sort of stand, pointed at a flat target. You might use your kitchen table for the "stand," with a piece of newspaper taped to a wall for the flat "target.". Then you focus the camera, and see if both the film plane focus agrees with the normal viewing screen. They should agree (use a magnifier, as it is fairly critical). If they don't, then the trick is to find out what is wrong.</p>

<p>Hope this is enough to get you started.</p>

<p>Page 3 of this post http://www.photo.net/black-and-white-photo-film-processing-forum/00arro?start=20 shows a Mamiya C220 set up to test the taking lens focus with tape on the film gate.</p>

<p>Now that you have verified the bellows good, remove the lens, take the camera back into the darkroom, and check the back for light leaks.</p>

<p>Martin, thanks for the tip about using a piece of plastic. I have some scrap glass, glass cutter, clear acrylic, a plexiglass scorer, and a good straight edge. </p>

<p>@Charles, Bill and Martin: Thanks for the suggestions and details. What sounded like Greek at first finally made sense once everything was spelled out and a photo was provided.</p>

<p>I used the jewel case suggestion and tested the focus of the viewing lens vs the taking lens, using a wall map in my office for a target (the camera was set up on my desk, about 50" from the target). I'm happy to say that the focus of the two lenses matched spot-on.</p>

<p>Not only did I determine that the lenses were in alignment, but learning how to do the test also taught me a lot about how my camera (and film cameras, in general) works. A big thank you for that.</p>

<p>Also, I got my second roll of film processed, and found that the focus and evenness of exposure are much better than the first. I added two photos from the new roll to <a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-kZ8qX">this gallery</a>. On the photo of the ruler, I focused on the 15" mark, and that is where the focus falls in the picture. On the photo of the tools, I had focused on the blue-handled tool in the center of the frame. In both photos, the exposure appears as I would have expected it to, with no light leaks or odd light elements. Hurrah.</p>

<p>Now that I have a better understanding of how the camera works, I have a theory about what might have caused the light leaks and focus issues on the first roll of film. Tell me if this makes sense. The backlid of my camera is a bit tricky, in that you really need to press it in when locking it closed, or it won't close fully. If the backlid hadn't been closed fully for the first roll, it obviously could cause light leaks, but could it cause focus issues? My thinking is that, if not closed all the way, it wouldn't have pushed the film completely against the focal plane. Conceivable?</p>

<p>Also, I didn't pay for high-res scans of this second roll, as I wasn't very happy with the scan quality of the first one. Is there an online shop you'd recommend for processing and scanning? I'm in Wisconsin, with the closest metro area being Minneapolis/St Paul. Thanks again.</p>

<p>With the back loose the darkness will get out while light will get in. The film will record the light from any source, focused or not. <br>

Take a look at the back while open. You will see a plate that is higher than the rest of the back on the inside of the back that fits over the film gate opening. That is called a pressure plate. Some are fixed while others are spring mounted. It puts pressure on the film over the image area to keep it flat while behind the lens. Loose back=loose pressure plate = film out of position=loss of sharpness to out of focus depending on how far from the correct film plane the film actually is.<br>

You can substitute recording medium and use film or digital sensor for many of the mechanical requirements for sharp focused images with a camera discussed here. </p>

 

<p>You're quite welcome.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>If the backlid hadn't been closed fully for the first roll, it obviously could cause light leaks, but could it cause focus issues? My thinking is that, if not closed all the way, it wouldn't have pushed the film completely against the focal plane. Conceivable?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>It's certainly plausible, but it wouldn't explain your specific focus problem. If the film moves back, off the guide rails, the result would be that CLOSER objects would come into focus. But your first roll showed that FARTHER objects were in focus.</p>

<p>My guess would be that you weren't critical enough with your focusing (on the first roll), but it's possible that some sort of intermittent problem is going on. You might retry the focus test, also, but use distances similar to your photos. Just in case there's a glitch in the focus mechanism, etc.</p>

<p>If your camera is a recent purchase, try to return it and get you money back if you can. The camera has multiple problems, focus is off, may have been dropped. If you want to experiment with medium format film, try a Pentax 645, or a Mamiya 645. Both are a good entry camera to the medium format world and will not break the bank. They are good cameras to learn with. Or if you have a little more money to spend, you could get a Hasselblad 500 series complete for well under $1000. It could last you a lifetime. Make your first rolls of film Velvia, and see what you think. Save the Portra for portraits. For all kinds of prints try a roll of Kodak Ektar.</p>

<p>I think I've worked through the issues and came up with some shots from my most recent roll that I'm pretty happy with. Thoughts on these? http://flic.kr/s/aHsjMvHV4w</p>

<p>I also picked up some Ektar 100, based on Fred Mueggelhopper's advice. Thanks for that.</p>

<p> The focus issue is a common problem with these. People take off the ground glass to clean the mirror. Under the glass are several little,tiny washers used for proper spacing (focus) then they put it back together sans the washers.</p>