Colin O

Well, none of these cameras last forever, and a sample of 1 doesn't really show anything. But yes, enjoy what's working! I hope you won't have any trouble getting a refund on the Alpha 700. I'm surprised a seller would sell a malfunctioning camera for so high a price without testing/stating.

I don't really know exactly how the diopter-adjustment dial works, but I don't suppose it could be as simple as it being in the wrong position?

Well, did you try with another lens? Can you post a sample image? Indicate how/where you focused, and let's see the result.

I use Peak Imaging in the UK. I'm happy to recommend them. You don't say where you are. Peak Imaging website: Online Photo Printing & Personalised Photo Gifts

Well, yes, Konica (and indeed later Konica Minolta) film was available until the mid to late "noughties". What the page says is that the Sakura brand was discontinued in 1987. Now I don't know if that's true or not (indeed I'd never heard of Sakura before yesterday), but, well, Konica-branded film is not Sakura-branded film ;-)

Just keep in mind that dating the canister doesn't definitively confirm when the camera was last used. The canister could arguably have been inserted into the camera last week.

When I google, the first result is this page: Konica film - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia (The second result is your question here!) ISO 200 according to camera-wiki.org, and, "In 1987, the Sakura brand was discontinued worldwide"

Thanks for posting. Really quite interesting. Some of the "high tech" involved makes me chuckle now of course.

Sounds like fun! But why is the aperture limited like that? I would have thought you could use any aperture the lens offered.

From time to time I enjoy browsing through sales brochures for old cameras. They can be an interesting time capsule. I was searching today to see if I could find one for the Minolta Dimage RD 3000. The closest I could get to finding something was this page, archived at the Internet Archive... https://web.archive.org/web/20020701051929/http://www.minoltaeurope.com:80/cgi-bin/db4web_c/db/minoeu/digital/literature_stage.d4w?Language=english&Product=Dim%e2ge_RD_3000 So it seems Minolta did make a PDF sales brochure available for download, but I can't find it online now. I don't suppose anyone here has a copy of this?

Amazing. What's the RD-175 like to use?

There are two interpretations I can see here... Increased (even double?) demand for Kodak Portra 400 - a good thing in my opinion This discontinuation is a sign of general decline in demand for ISO 400 colour film...and Portra 400 can only go the same way

Sad news - Fujifilm PRO 400H being discontinued... https://asset.fujifilm.com/master/americas/files/2021-01/4ec4fab236259fdc37bb1203fe95c455/400h_Web_Discontinue_Notice.pdf

Cold storage is even not as critical for traditional B&W film as it is for C-41, etc. Ilford says: A film that expired in 2018 and has been kept refrigerated could almost be considered still fresh.

While I'm at it, I may as well mention Zing Designs too. It's more neoprene lens cases that they have, but I've also been very pleased with them over the years. Zing

The links I posted were to a few products from OP/TECH USA, whose pouches I've found very useful over the years. I was just looking at the Really Right Stuff website, and I found it an interesting coincidence that they are also selling RRS-branded OP/TECH USA pouches. It seems Really Right Stuff also has faith in OP/TECH USA. I've no affiliation with them, but I would recommend checking them out - they've got some very useful stuff in a wide choice of sizes. OP/TECH USA | Comfortable neoprene camera straps and slings | OP/TECH USA

Media Holsters™ Battery Holster™ Filter Pack™

Echoing what John says, if you loaded a 36-exposure roll, surely you'd notice if you were able to press the shutter ~72 times? What about Steve's question? Were the double exposures of entirely different scenes? Or did the camera somehow expose twice, moments apart? Did you notice any triple exposures?

Amazon.com is named after the river, not the tribe of warriors. The river is named after the tribe of warriors though. But maybe that's all moot.

I wouldn't be so fixated on exposure adjustment, for no reason other than hearsay of Portra being tolerant of overexposure. I would just rate the film at box speed. By all means, overexpose half a stop or a full stop for reciprocity failure if you are exposing for several seconds. Personally, I wouldn't use a spot meter. I would use a centre-weighted meter, or even just meter with your DSLR - nothing wrong with that - it has an intelligent multi-zone meter built in. Have a read of this document from Kodak: https://www.pittsfordschools.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=5101&dataid=32070&FileName=accurate exposure.pdf You actually said yourself that skin tones turned out the same regardless of overexpsure, but highlights were too bright in your opinion. So this suggests there is no reason to overexpose.

My suggestions: Always meter the scene. Rate your film at box speed. Add exposure for reciprocity failure only when recommended. (Portra 400 technical data is here for example: https://imaging.kodakalaris.com/sites/prod/files/files/products/e4050_portra_400.pdf) Bracket your exposures. Take notes and see what works for you.

First of all, it's not clear to me what you see wrong with this picture. You saw the scene with your own eyes, I didn't. So to me, there is nothing obviously wrong with this picture. Let me also clarify something - Kodak Portra (and C-41 films in general) is known for being tolerant to overexposure, but yes of course it is possible to overexpose this film. I know there is a trend online where people recommend overexposing, but Kodak will tell you that this film performs best when exposed at "box speed". You should not be using a fixed exposure "rule". You say that with slides, you use "ISO 100, F8, 10secs". Are you saying that you use the same exposure settings regardless of the prevailing light conditions? But of course light conditions change! You should meter the light, and expose accordingly. What camera are you using? (How) are you metering your scenes?

Ehhh this is a Photography forum. The site is called Photo.net. Sony hosts its own "community". Try there. Customer Community

In my anecdotal opinion, there just weren't the pros around to buy Alpha 900s in great numbers. Since Sony introduced full-frame mirrorless, they have become way more appealing/interesting to pros. Nikon always had a ton of pros to market their flagship DSLRs to. In the days of the Alpha 900, Sony just didn't have the market.

I guess the answer to this question is always "supply and demand". I guess, it was the "pinnacle" of Sony/Minolta "traditional" reflex technology, and by all accounts, a good camera, so there is clearly still demand on the second-hand market. If it didn't sell in absolutely huge numbers originally (because of the limited market and not-cheap price), then the supply now is obviously going to be limited. What more can you say?