yogi_logy

Mine also fell apart on its very first major field trip. One leg fell off.

Is there an adapter that will let me use Bogen 3157 quick release

plate with 3275 gear head?

I have a Japan body and a China body. The country of orign is stamped lightly on the base plate at 3/4 inch from tripod socket toward winder. However, the stamp (scribing is probably more accurate) is so light it does not go through the black paint, therefore can be rubbed off quite easily in time.

 

FWIW, the leaf spring on the Japan model that acts as a film cartridge depressor is painted black while that on the China model is shiny stainless steel. The film winder stem at the bottom of the Japan body has no features while two concentric rings are indented on the China body.

 

I can't really tell any differences between the two bodies. Generally speaking Japan bodies are older.

Chris:

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking of a simple yes or no answer. Your reply is an eye-opener for me.

Konica-Minolta is taking its sweet time to answer my question (one

weeking and counting) so I hope to get a clarification here. Is the

custom white balance function on a digital camera sufficient to

compensate for high altitude (12000 ft) UV effect? Thanks in advance.

The mirror assembly has come out of the hinge and is now wedged

inside the Minolta 600si camera. What is a reasonable repair price in

Los Angeles/Orange County area? This is the favorite camera for my

wife and I really don't want to teach her how to use another camera.

At the canon forum on dpreview.com, a few people are comparing the kit lens with the 17-40L, with actual images posted. Their conclusion is that the L lens is clearly better at the very corners, but a draw at the central portion. It was a long thread with many people chiming in, naturally not everyone agreed on the conclusion.

I just got a new Minolta Z1 digital camera. I've found that with some

use, say 10 minutes or so, the camera gets warm around the tripod

socket. Not uncomfortably warm, but still I worry. Is this normal?

Is your question about radio frequency interference or dynamic response of the IS lens to inputs of high frequencies and amplitude? I know a car is no airplane, but as a passenger yesterday I was looking through the viewfinder with an 28-135 IS lens when I realized how completely overwhelmed the lens was to the task -- and how wonderful the human eye is. I would say to use the highest shutter speed possible and pray.

I have the combination and there was no problem at all. I do remember that the USB cable came wrapped in a warning notice to install the software BEFORE connecting the camera to the computer with said cable. My computer is a P4 and I already have other Canon film scanner software installed previously, don't know if that had any effect on the camera installation. Good luck.

Here's another slide under better lighting condition. The slide shown is not full width. The two magnified regions are scanned at 4000 dpi and are approx 250x250 each.<div></div>

J: I am not a professional photographer and my demands are not particularly high, therefore, I find the Tamron 28-300 suitable for my needs. Besides I shoot handheld. Below is a Sensia slide taken with the lens. The slide was scanned at 4000 dpi with an original file size of 5266x3607 pixels. The central and upper right corner regions are included so you can see for yourself. The magnified regions are approximately 250x375 pixels each. BTW, Italy has photographic opportunities in abundance. As a back packer, you'll love the Dolomites.<div></div>

I took the Tamron 28-300 (the one before the XR) to Europe three times when I had to limit the total baggage to 20 lb. The zoom ring is very stiff and in fact slipped on the first trip. Of course I had to continue shooting and managed by squeezing the barrel really tight. Afterwards, Tamron repaired the lens under warranty but told me I was abusing the lens. Anyway, stiff zoom ring is one compromise for a super zoom, among others. I have three Tamron super zooms and they all have stiff zoom rings.

I also have the Canon 28-135 and 75-300 IS and I would carry one or both if I knew up front that they would fit the event AND if weight is not an issue.

I pretty much second Ellis' advice. A slightly longish lens is easier to frame than a normal or wide lens. Find a medium range zoom lens that has barrel distortion at the wide end and pincushion at the other end. Somewhere in the middle is a small zoom range that will render a rectangle good enough to fool the eye. That small focal length flexibility helps in cropping out the black background area. Yes, a fixed focal length macro lens is better but too much of a hassle. I do eight or ten paintings of different sizes a month and the zoom lens helps to zip through in just a few hours. I use Ektachrome EPN.

I bought the Canon lens for a EOS body and the Sigma EX DG for a Minolta body, and the Canon lens is more compact and has a better finish. But then, at almost twice the price...

The Sigma is very nice optically. There is some light fall off, but no vignetting even with a normal thickness filter. But the filter size is 77mm, double ouch!

Popphoto has a review of the 20, 24 and 28 mm lenses that you can download.

The sticky foam would have been the lesser evil. I had a Minolta SRT101 that required shutter curtain replacement. It started by occasional mirror hang up, later on the curtain refused to make the complete travel. Just before it failed completely the film winder became exceedingly heavy to advance. I had it repaired for sentimental reasons, but the cost far exceeded the market value of a 30 year old camera. Good luck.

There is a foam material just below the focusing screen, probably used to dampen mirror bounce. Has it turned gooey and sticky? It happens when the camera body gets old.

You did indicate on an earlier post that you were concerned with overtightening. In that case, the standard solution is to get a tripod head with a lip sticking out of the mounting surface. You then butt the back side of the camera against the lip to prevent rotation. As an example, many Bogen tripod heads have been incorporated with a quick release plate assembly, and you can buy the quick release plate assembly with or without the lip.

The Minolta MD 35-70mm f/3.5 constant aperture lens has a following and is not inclined to drop in value. However, its barrel and pin cushion distortions are somewhat excessive, IMO. We are talking about used lenses, of course.

Just to prove it one way or another re your friend's photos, buy the same film, shoot the same scenes and preocess at the same photo finisher with the next roll of film. Make sure all the camera functions are at default setting, and shoot in the "P" mode. You probably don't have a lens shade? For now don't buy one, but try to have the lens shaded as much as possible.

 

There is one thing you may need to change as compared to your friend. The Maxxum 5 is very light as a SLR, therefore it is harder to hold steady and can blur the image. My wife had the same problem with the Maxxum 5. The holding technique is more important with a light weight camera. Try to support the camera as much as possible, or better yet borrow a sturdy tripod (or even a monopod) for this next roll of film. If this turns out to be the culprit, you can add weight to the camera body by adding the AA battery pack. Good luck.

Jim: If you measure along the diagonal from the lower left corner to the upper right corner, it is 18.2 degrees. Along the long and short sides, they are 15.2 and 10.2 degrees, respectively. You'll also need to subtract maybe 5% because most viewfinders do not provide 100% coverage.

For the 200mm lens at max focal length, the horizontal field of view should be 10.3 degrees, or 3.60 feet at 20 ft distance.

Jim: I don't know how many other lenses you have, or how familiar you are with the 28-200mm zoom. But I suspect two things: 1) You're checking with real close focus, perhaps just a few feet away, and 2) Your zoom uses "internal focusing". The TAMRON spec sheet states "... an internal focusing (IF) system....Because of the characteristics of this optical design, the angles of views at distances other than infinity are wider than that of the lenses applying an ordinary focusing system".

 

Regardless, you need to establish a bench mark since you haven't already done so. The 135 mm lens should give you a horizontal view of 15.2 degrees. So pick a wall 20 feet away, focus on it and then measure your angle of view and see if you get something close to 5.34 feet wide in the viewfinder. Chances are you'll see a lot more with that zoom.

 

I have the TAMRON 28-200mm and I thought it was closer to 160mm than 200, but I haven't measured it.

Not answering you question either, but if the leaky light is due to bad seals and not due to shutter curtain, then it is worth fixing for a song. And if you go that route and deicde to keep the A-1, then you might consider a cheapo solution to your macro deisre in the form of a Vivitar 2X macro focusing teleconverter. This little gizmo with its own focusing ring fits between the 50mm lens and the A-1, and turn the lens into a 100mm lens that can focus down to life size. This converter is no longer sold in stores (except maybe as real old stock) but e*bay has a bunch of them, and one that will close in two days has a decent price. Yes, I own one with Minolta mount for years and I like it. No I don't know the e*bay seller. If you really want to want the $700, there are many beautiful solutions.

Also don't forget to set the film speed by lifting up the outer ring around the "shutter and ASA speed" dial and turning.