sam_chan4

Thanks for the responses so far guys. There's nothing like the fun of creatively solving a problem instead of giving into the apparent limitations.

Clay, I can actually use just one head / strobe / light, since to mount the octo box to a stand I can use a grip head and an adapter. The octo's speedring is attached onto the adapter using some screws, then the adapter is held by the grip head, and the grip head is then mounted to the light stand. This is how anyone who plays it safe typically mounts a 5 ft or larger octo box onto a stand, and you can see the adapter that I'm talking about at the Chimera Web site somewhere.

Now, I know some of you (and a voice inside of me as well) will say "the best

way to get your answer is to actually try it yourself" ... however, I'm

ridiculously busy right now with my "day job" and just don't have time to set

up a test.

And so here I am - to see if you've had this thought before: Are there any of

you who own a Chimera 5 or 7 ft Octo, which is great for what it is as a very

soft light, but are doing a shoot where you wish you had a Profoto Giant

Reflector to get those more brilliant, specular hilites? That extra "pop"?

Well one way is to go and rent yourself a Giant Reflector. But how about this:

Setup the chimera octo onto a stand using a grip head (w/adapter), but with

none of the diffusers / screens, and no head. Then, put the head on another

stand and position it wherever you want - could be where the Profoto Giant

Reflector would have placed it - and voila, you've got a more flexible

version .. perhaps approaching a Plume.

Has anyone tried this and can comment on how well this works? I'm not

interested in the setup time - the answer is clear. Just wanna know about the

light, and thinking about things like how the curvature of a Profoto giant vs

that of the chimera octo differ, etc.

Thanks in advance for your collective expertise,

Sam

Excuse the typos - speedtyping at 3am is obviously not my forte ...

Sam

Hi Robb,

Thanks for putting in another vote for the gels - yeah, I think from everyone I've talked to this is the way to go.

Steve's post suggested that the gels cold be bent into a dome shape - Robb are you also doing this, or are you gaffing/clothes-pinning onto an internal baflle, or some thing else?

And since you mentioned the the Profoto beauty dish - this is something I've put off trying, but have always been curious about trying. I may just need to rent that sucker and try it. Would you be able to describe the difference in the quality of light between the beauty dish vs a small octa? I assume it's just a slightly harder light, since it's a smaller, less diffuse source - just trying to understand why that dish over an softbox.

I also hear people talking about a ringflash with a beauty dish reflector, however looking at most photos in all the big fashion/beauty mags, I have yet to see anyone using a ring based on the catchlights. If anyone can comment on this here, I've love to know as well.

Thanks in advance for any further details!

Warm regards,

Sam

thanks for the response/idea steve. hmm no one else with experience with this it seems ...

sam

hey guys,

i've got a 5 ft octobox and i'm researching a good way to warm up the light a

bit. with smaller softoxes it's easy, you can tape or clothes-pin a gel over

the front (or the inner baffle if it's workable for the type of shooting - not

too hot/hi-power). but with a huge box, what are the pros here on this forum

doing? you can answer this question and i'd be fine with that, but as well,

i'm leading you onto the topic of the question: has anyone using a Profoto

system tried the -300K UV glass domes, and has samples for comparing between

the regular UV dome and the -300K version?

thanks guys, look forward to your collective expertise,

sam

the first roll of new tri-x i tried also turned out thin when i dev'd it the same way as with the old tri-x. i agree with one of the previous posts about the need to pre-soak - it has made a difference. i'm using ddx to dev at the recommended EI 400 time + 10% more (as it usually seems with ilford's times, to me). not quite as thick as old tri-x, but it's really quite a nice neg and i've got no complaints right now.

warm regards,

sam

I'm into street/pj style photography, so I'm big on stealthiness like you too. I've been using shoulder bags from MEC:

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_listing.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302699955&bmUID=1166343875192

and then stuffing them with:

1. A thinly padded, no-frills pouch like the ones from LowePro:

http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Accessories/sliplock_cases/SlipLockTM_Pouch_50_AW.aspx

2. As many lens bags (which for me is usually one) from Think Tank (the ones they make are thinly padded and collpasable, whereas the Lowepros are pretty thick) as needed:

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/ttp_product_LnsDrpIn.php

I remove/"unstitch" or paint over all labels where I can. I use black electrical tape over all white writing on my black rangefinder body. I use a hand strap from:

http://www.prostrap.com/

so that there is nothing hanging upfront. I hold my camera in my right hand just in front of my right thigh where it is not fully visible from behind, and following the motion of my leg. Sometimes I wear fingerless black gloves on cold winter days.

Besides the professional PJs I've bumped into in NYC, no one really knows what I'm up to.

This has been working great. Tough, regular-looking, durable nylon, zippered shoulder bag with pockets to hold maps, etc, while the inside is customized and flexible to your gear.

Hope that helps!

Best regards,

Sam

looks like we've exhausted the knowledge of the rf-heads around here, so i just wanted to drop by and say thanks to all those who responded.

cheers,

sam

p.s. i'm liking these zm lenses. wondering what the zi body is like - i probably wouldn't sell my m6 for it, but it's always good to keep an open mind and see what's out there.

hey guys,

can any of the leica lens experts/historians out there please tell me the # of

aperture blades in as many generations of the 35 summicron as they can?

i aak because of recently chat i had with a friend about buying a 35 cron. we

were remarking how rf lenses tend to have more aperture blades on average, and

yet i thought about my own 35 cron asph and remember it only having 8 blades.

and so i wondered, "have they always had so few? my 50 lux has something like

12! i recently bought a zm 21 2.8, an even wider lens than the 35, and it has

something like 10!" and so here i am. i know you guys on photo.net are very

knowledgeable so i thought i'd see who's open to sharing some info.

thanks in advance,

sam

Hehe Dan, as I mentioned above, I am from Toronto - I definitely wouldn't call it a small town. :) It isn't all rosy up here - we have regular shootings - the latest involving a funeral for a kid who was killed in a gang shooting, and his best friend being also shot at the church during the funeral ... it's not just hockey. :)

Anyhow, small or big city, it's always better to know more than less when you go out exploring a new place. Just because a place is considered "dangerous", also doesn't necessarily mean I won't go there, but at least I know to keep the "spider senses" at full power.

As for Newyorkers thinking that Leicas are cheapo stuff ... I dunno, isn't it all relative? I mean, there must be places (say, in south Bronx? or maybe queens somewhere?) where people could use a few thousand dollars worth of camera gear? The population in most big cities is mixed income, I'm sure NYC is no exception.

Thanks again for everyone's feedback so far! This has been a great and revealing thread - I can really see the passion of the people who live there.

Looking forward to the trip!

>>given that Sam is from Canada maybe a carbon fiber hockey stick!

haha ya know it! we Canadians keep foldable carbon fibre hockey sticks in our back pockets cuz you never know when a game could start on the streets outta no where. ;)

Hi Bob, yep I always carry my M6 with just a 35/2 or 50/1.4 and nothing else - maybe a handheld light meter if I expect to hipshoot a lot.

I think for this NYC trip I'll take the 35/2 for getting more in cramped spaces.

I'll be there with TX, using it at 400 or 800 ... maybe even 1600 if i really need to.

James (Burger) has recommended that Brooklyn is a good place to see the "real" NYC, so to speak - "especially, Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Williamsburg, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and surrounding areas".

From all that has been said, there doesn't seem to be much to avoid at all. And I think it is now more a question of where you all think a street photographer can go to taste the real NYC - really see the flavour of some typical Newyorkers going about their day.

Hey Chris, yep you guessed right - it's either the UK or Canada, and the latter is the right answer.

And guys, thanks again for the continued responses! I thought I was the only one not working when they're supposed to ... ;)

John, no offence taken at all - which is why I have the smiley there - I comment with a smile as I took it as a joke. That's the Internet for you, it's hard to read the tone.

Cheers,

Sam

wow thanks james, that's some great stuff!

cheers,

Guys, thanks for the responses so far.

Hehe if being curious about your surroundings and getting some comments to plan for a trip is naive, then sure I like to be naive. :) I don't know your background, but from my experiences, I've learned to be a careful street photographer. It never hurts to ask, I say.

I'm planning on going to NYC for some street photography, but have

never been there before. I am pretty gutsy about taking photos a few

feet right in front of people, but am wondering if certain places in

NYC are truly not safe for doing that unless I want someone

following me with intentions of taking my gear. Does anyone have

suggestions for areas to avoid if I'm holding a Leica in my hands?

I'm trying to decide whether to take my Leica (preferred) or my

Nikon (if your feedback warrants it) ...

I've heard various stories, so don't know if I should bring out my

favourite camera.

Thanks guys.

I'm planning on going to NYC for some street photography, but have

never been there before. I am pretty gutsy about taking photos a few

feet right in front of people, but am wondering if certain places in

NYC are truly not safe for doing that unless I want someone

following me with intentions of taking my gear. Does anyone have

suggestions for areas to avoid if I'm holding a Leica in my hands?

I'm trying to decide whether to take my Leica (preferred) or my

Nikon (if your feedback warrants it) ...

Thanks guys.

Hi Flᶩo - sure that would be interesting to see - does the Minolta show 100%?

Sam

Interesting, I didn't know that the film holder masked off part of the frame. I'll have to look into those glass carriers ...

Thanks guys,

Sam

Thanks for the example - you guys are awesome - very quick.

If anyone out there shoots with a Nikon FM2n or a Leica M6 and scans with a coolscan V, then corner/edge examples of your scans would also be greatly appreciated as that would be most applicable.

Best regards,

Sam

Thanks for that quick response. Would you happen to have an example that shows this? I would really only need to see, say, a corner of a scanned image that demonstrates how much black there is.

I ask because I'm aiming for a "soft image edge" versus sharply cropped edges.

Thanks again,

Sam