clark_yerrington

<p>i would like to work for the Historic American Buildings Survey, and travel around the country photographing cool old buildings, inside and out and in detail.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>But also: just use some inexpensive, opaque plastic bins to stow your gear. Throw a blanket over them.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I'd recommend against this. Built-in shelves or cabinets and/or wall-mounted safe instead. The bins just make it that much easier to haul everything away.</p>

<p>many thanks, guys.<br>

i am loving the mamiya 7! <br />[how much is that 43mm, again?]</p>

<p>shash: thanks so much! i owe you one.<br>

richard: the mamiya 7 is really good for spontaneous candid shots. with careful focusing, using the wider F-stops, the subject is really sharp while the background and/or foreground is soft. settings are easy to adjust on the fly and the operation is relatively unobtrusive. tonal range is excellent. the rangefinder [i.e., lack of mirror blockout] gives a good sense of whether you captured the best moment or not. i am learning to be careful around the edges of the frame, in order to not cut off parts of the subject -- since the frame lines in the viewfinder aren't an exact point of cutoff on the exposed film. still some problems there, as you can see.</p>

<p>bunch of busted links. looked good in preview.<br />sigh.</p>

<p>now that i've had the mamiya 7 and 80mm for a year, am beginning to understand its exploitable qualities. a ways to go still, but making progress. and saving my pennies for a 43mm.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079 /4773904734_35fa470425_z.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="524" /><br />people at a block party, anchorage , alaska. good fun even in the rain.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4773895572_7c15507dba_z.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="524" /><br />kachemak bay, homer, alaska.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/47732545 89_738fd4ce4 6_z.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="524" /><br />celebrating summer solstice.<br /><br /><img src="http :/farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4773250551_de1674ef15_z.jpg" alt="" width="524" height="640" /><br />musical performance at anniversary party for art magazine 'F'.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com /4031/4694364122_2d51323006_z.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="524" /><br />trailer house, homer, alaska.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flic kr.com/4072/4687024305_5f89ce15d4_z.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="524" /><br />family photo in the chives.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4773863158_f038126cd8_z.jpg" alt="" /><br />kenai lake shoreline.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4118/47739 02500_4d4a909bbb_z.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="640" /></p>

<p>say it isn't so, rodeo joe!<br>

still buying lots of ilford delta pro 100; fuji velvia; ektar, etc. <br />as inexpensive and plentiful as ever. seems like a golden age to me....</p>

<p><em>"way out of budget."</em><br />too bad... it would be perfect for your needs, as near as i can tell. maybe the price of used ones will drop in the future. i got a mamiya 7 and 80mm about a year ago [used], and had to have some repairs made, but since then it's been golden... really great results, easy to use, relatively lightweight and compact. i'd like to get an RB67 someday, too... but doubt i'd like lugging it around.</p>

<p>if i was going to pursue studio portraits i'd probably get more medium format gear. you could get a mamiya RB67 and two or three lenses for what you will pay for the DSLR. everybody's got a DSLR. i just don't find them very impressive.</p>

<p>how about the mamiya 7 with 43mm?</p>

<p>jon the OP: those are fantastic, outstanding portraits. what a camera! wow!! i have the mamiya 7, but thinking about an RB67 also. i think you have pushed me over the edge! all that capability for 200 bucks and change... miraculous.<br>

[pardon the interruption, boys. you can go back to chatting about pixels, sensors and RAW files now.]</p>

<p>you're not shooting into the sun, are you? that would definitely make the background bright.<br />you didn't mention if you're shooting B&W or color. most B&W seems to be more forgiving -- you can miss it by a stop or two and it won't necessarily look under- or overexposed. nicer, more nuanced skin tones, too, IMHO. different films vary a lot in contrast, too. and finally, you might like the results from more wide open lenses for portraits -- f5.6, f4.</p>

<p>sometimes i go to outdoor parties during the summer and shoot pictures of 20- and 30-somethings, with a rolleiflex or some other weird old camera. good conversation starter, gets a lot of attention... and even after i tell them all about it, answer their questions, and they see me unloading and loading a roll of film -- after i take a candid portrait, they always crane their necks, looking at the back of the camera and want me to show them how the shot turned out! and i mumble, um, yeah, maybe in a few days... write down your email and i'll send you a link.<br>

the use of 'analog' to describe anything non-digital kind of drives me crazy, too.</p>

<p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4184163266_57c9dacc9e.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="287" /><br>

<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4577676448_933cf927b2.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="284" /><br>

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/4566856513_aa1119eb5d.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="284" /><br>

<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2595/3949877298_c1d0ac05e5.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="286" /><br>

<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2446/3663999477_200048980b.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="288" /><br>

<img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/88/244946115_e5e433eb8a.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="329" /><br>

<img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/92/244946112_2758741cd6.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="342" /><br>

<img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/85/244946108_9087bed725.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="340" /><br>

<img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1375/1297673171_104a87787f.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" /></p>

<blockquote>

<p>Am I the only one who thinks the pictures on Kevin's web site, although very pretty, have no resemblance to reality? I have never seen landscape look like that.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>i looked at his site. i have lived in anchorage for 38 years. he isn't faking or exaggerating anything.<br />people who haven't been here always want to know about snow, cold, ice. but this place is really about the fantastic qualities of daylight and sky -- incredible range, constantly quickly changing/fleeting.</p>

<p>and stewart's photo shop downtown still has a great selection of film.<br />you should just dive in, and help keep these businesses going.... get yourself a dirt cheap RB67, and just see what happens....</p>

<p>keller's custom photo lab in anchorage is still doing a great job with my 120 developing, scanning and prints.</p>

<p>yes, it is worth it, unequivocally. it might just take you a while to figure out the best use of the camera -- the types of settings, light and subjects that exploit its considerable capabilities. it probably won't perform like a good quality DSLR of 35 mm SLR with a zoom lens, in terms of quick candids or versatility in shooting groups. but it will render skin tones amazingly, and detail smoothly and exquisitely, with practice. it will work very well in a relaxed setting, like a party with posed shots where you have a little time to focus, adjust settings and talk to your portrait subject/s.<br>

if you have doubts about the metered exposure, try bracketing. or, when you're still in the experimental stage, shoot B&W -- it's a lot more forgiving, you can miss the correct exposure by a stop or two and still have something usable -- whereas transparencies demand exacting metering.</p>

<p>definitely going with macintosh next time, after 20+ years with PCs.<br />the anti-virus routine just wastes too much time. life's too short.</p>

<p>mamiya 7 with 43 mm, all the way. except it isn't cheap.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Also I have been shooting 35mm rangefinder for the last two months and I still can't get used to the framing.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>you don't say what kind of 35 RF or what the problem was -- but if it's just that the framelines aren't exactly what you get -- it will be the same issues with MF rangefinders as well. just keep your subjects from getting too close to the edges. <br />i don't know why you aren't considering a good TLR [rollei, yashica or mamiya]. it <em>is</em> cheap, and does not have the approximate framing problem either.</p>

<p>you can probably find a friend with a perfectly good SLR that's been gathering dust on a shelf since they picked up that new DSLR or digital P&S ten years ago. i have a mint condition canon AT-1 with a 50mm and 35mm i got that way; and a few others as well. <br />and check out estate sales, too.</p>

<p>you should think about a mamiya 7 or 7ii. [i believe there are only minor differences between the two.] rangefinder might be a lot better for street -- direct viewing, simpler interface, maybe slightly better range of shutter speeds for handheld, due to lack of a mirror -- and it's reasonably light and portable. it's not everybody's cup of tea but i really like mine. fantastic optics.<br>

a ten year old article about the 7ii by the founder of photo.net, sums up its strong points well:<br>

<a href="http://www.photo.net/equipment/mamiya/7">http://www.photo.net/equipment/mamiya/7</a></p>

the mamiya 7 and hasselblad are STILL pretty decent performers.

have you considered using them for some of your work, despite the hassles of dealing with developing, scanning, etc.?

might not mesh with your workflow, but your design sensibilities would be pleased, quite possibly.

<p>i would take the mamiya. not because it's more finely crafted and durable [it isn't] but for the portability and ease of use. not knowing exactly where the shot will be cropped [the frame line in the RF is approximate] would bug me a little, and the lack of half-stops between F numbers. still, it just suits me better. hasselblad, like leica deserve their reputation for superiority [and prices are likewise higher] but i'll leave them to the more talented and dedicated. my attitude with hasselblad is all respect, and realization we're not part of the same class of society. with mamiya it's love. </p>

<p>pretty good rundown on prices and models of rollei TLRs:<br>

<a href="http://www.antiquecameras.net/rolleiflex.html">http://www.antiquecameras.net/rolleiflex.html</a></p>