ivanskavinsky

Thanks for the heads up:-)

He's one of my fave contemporary photographers.

Cheers,

Ivan

Lester,

I have found no appreciable difference between them. The 20 needs maybe 5 points more

magenta tint than the 17-40. I never saw a difference on film and RAW convertors make all

that discussion, digitally speaking, pretty pointless as far as I can see.

Cheers,

Ivan

I fear that in trying to keep it brief earlier, I may have forgotten to say anything useful :-)

I have both lenses. Both of my copies are great as far as I'm concerned. The 17-40 is used

primarily as a work lens (fast moving stuff) but when I'm shooting personal work I like to

shoot with a fast fixed kit (20, 35 f2, 50 f1.4, 85 f1.8). The 20 does have a distinct

advantage when the light is going. It's very useable wide open & is approaching it's best,

earlier in the aperture range than the 17-40. I don't find the 17-40 very useful at the end

of the day (without a tripod).

Hope this is slightly more useful info.<div></div>

Dear Jim,

I'll just repeat the wise words from everyone before. Yes it does (I use the Canon 20mm) but

it is emminently correctable in ACR. Doesn't cause me any problems.<div></div>

Hi Mark,

Ink jet - Absolutely not! I've tried glossy, matte and other iterations at different times and

temps with only cracked and destroyed images to show for it.

Dye sub - Not sure, but wouldn't recommend it.

Try silverprint's site (UK) for a list of books for many processes including print finishing.

Best of luck, Ivan

Conrad, the only person that should be able to hear it is you!

I am only aware of it in an absolutely quiet room and then only because I can feel it

through my cheek. Bystanders can't hear it, but they can hear the shutter slap and motor

drive...

Why is the noise SO important to you on a lens that is designed for tele work? It's closest

focus is easily outside the range you could hear the Is in a perfectly queit room.

It's one of Canons very best lenses, you will not be dissapointed with the results and

options it gives you.<div></div>

Oooops!

Sorry Andrew, mia culpa, I was looking at the contract they sent me to sign (I didn't).

The rules look laudable, I'd encourage everyone to have a go.

If only their relationship with freelance PJs was as understanding...

Just so long as you don't mind giving the beeb an unlimited license to reproduce and profit

off your pics. Oh yeah, and you have to indemnify them against any legal proceedings

through their use/misuse of YOUR pics.

Good deal...

Hey Richard, thanks for the links.

Bob/Trevor/Whatever... Don't be so worried about the nasty Londoners, they're not that bad

and the guys at Aperture are seriously rural in attitude. You don't have to come to London, I

meant I'd pretty much trust those dealers to mail stuff, it's just that you'd miss out on a really

good chicken Ramen and green tea if you stayed at home :-)

Hi Bob, welcome.

You could also try Aperture Photographic (Great Russell Street, London) or The Classic

Camera (round the corner in Pied Bull Yard).

They both do mail order and are very reputable. My preference is, just, for Aperture. They're

really nice enthusiastic guys who love cameras. But I've bought from both with no complaints.

Happy hunting.

Thanks for the help guys, I've tried all the LowePro bags (I use the Stealth AW for my Dig

kit) but found even the Super Trekker oddly imperfect (and heavy!) for the 10x8. I say

oddly,

because the gear is such a uniform shape. I think Ted is on the right track, I don't need

rapid access to the gear, I am going quite a way (10-20km a day) but on comfortable

terrain with good tracks (no cramp-ons required!).

I think I'm gonna have a dig around my local hiking store. Cheers for your thoughts guys.

I would appreciate any recommendations and experience of 8x10" backpacks.

I have just got a Double extension Wista for which I have 10 DDs and a 300mm lens.

I have looked through the previous Q&As but I'd like a more UK specific answer please (a

lot of the US kit is hard to get hold of here).

All suggestions greatfully recieved, cheers, Ivan.

Hi Steve,

Sounds like it's time to take it in then I'm afraid :-(

Though I did clean all the contact areas with a pencil eraser, perhaps you could try that

before sending it in?

Good luck.

Steve,

you need to unscrew the 4 small screws on the hotshoe (make sure the screwdriver is a very

good fit, otherwise you could bugger the heads!)

Good luck,

Ivan

Steve,

I had exactly the same problem and ' Puppy Face's' solution worked perfectly!

The 580 & 550 would work fine (on the hotshoe, not wireless), but the ST-E2 wouldn't.

Turned out that the Hotshoe had expanded slightly and the ST-E2 has the loosest fit so

the small amount of play was just enough to screw the ST-E2 connection.

I unmounted the hotshoe assembly with a jewellers phillips scewdriver, squeezed medium

hard with a wooden block, remounted and hey presto, fully working wireless flash:-)

Hope it works for you.

Cheers;

Ivan

1/60th at the long end (1/30th leaning against a wall!)

1/30th at the short end (1/20th leaning)

No coffee or cola!

Subject movement is more of an issue...

Hope this helps

Looks horrific in Safari (Mac). Thumbnails are wrapped in thick white lines with a scroll bar

in the middle. You might want to trial it in other browsers.

Had no trouble with download speed though:-)

Thanks Ben,

Seems I wasn't pushing them down with enough force, sorted,

cheers,

Ivan

Hi people, I have a Wista 54 SP (I think! It has no markings but is a metal field camera) with

a buggered bellows and I can't seem to find any (obvious) way to change out the bellows.

I'm clearly stupid beyond redemption and therefore beg for your forebearance and help in

this matter.

All (polite!) suggestions would be very gratefully recieved,

Many thanks, Ivan Coleman

Hi Mark, I have to agree with Dave, sorry!

To cover the range, particularly the interiors, landscape and architecture, you're going to

really need a large format with movements. You could go for a nice field camera with a

6x9 back, that way you'd still be in MF but have loads of camera movement potential.

If you do go for MF you'd really need a Tilt and Shift lens with the kit and even on 645

that'd set you back the price of a resonable 5x4 camera!

On 35mm I use Canon's TSE 24mm and 45mm lenses for film and dig and they're pretty

remarkable. You can pick up a decent S/H one for around 800GBP (1400USD)

Hope this helps, Ivan

Yian,

I'll have another go at the 'look' thing.

Personally I think a few things happen in portraiture with LF:

For starters, during focusing and composition, the ground glass image is inverted in both

vertical and horizontal planes (this technique is used by painters and I've heard that

Cartier Bresson sometimes used a finder that did the same for his Leica). By changing your

normal relationship with the objects in the frame, I think it can make you more

geometricaly aware (maybe only subconciously) and therefore stop you from reacting in a

traditional iconic visual way to your subject.

For seconds, simply having to spend more time setting up and really looking at the subject

and frame makes for a different experience for both parties in a portrait sitting. More

intense but also more shared and involved.

For desert, most importantly for me, it's about respect. I don't mean at all that you can't

show respect with a 35mm, it's just that people respond to the LF slightly more seriously,

they bring something else to it, respect seems to go both ways.

OK now I'm sounding like a seudo git!

I know Avedon had 3 assistants, but it still took time and he still had to peer under the

darkcloth and then insist that the subject didn't move too much, then finally, wait for just

the right moment to cross their face.

My last effort:

Maybe the LF look has to do with the amount of looking involved...

Hope that helps, I'm going for a lie down.

Ivan

Hi there Yian, I've been really enjoying taking my documentary/reportage work into LF,

much as you seem to have discovered a liking for it. If you want the selective focus look

without moving up formats, then the Canon TSE is a very good way of achieving it. Better

actually than the 50f1.4 because you can place the zone of focus precisely where you want

it, ie not directly in line with the film plane.

BUT...

It's a big one, a lot of the 'look' you like is to do with the huge increase in resolution,

especially in the out of focus areas where on 35mm you might start to see grain.

Also, if you like Avedon and his portraiture you should bear in mind that a lot of the

feeling in the pictures has much to do with the physical presence of the 10x8 camera.

Here's a link to a great set of reportage pics shot on 10x8"

http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0408/miller_intro.html

Good luck with it all,

Cheers

Ivan

I'm with Todd on the film wind 'problem'. I've treated mine atrociously (not as badly as the

balaclava'd git that chucked it at the floor though!) and it has been fine.

I know at least 4 other photojournalists that bought them for their ruggedness (as well as

the 6x6 format and collapsable lens). One of them works almost exclusively on the West

Bank in Palestine!!

He's not complaining about anything more than being chased by men with guns...

Thanks for the 50mm ref Cliff

Robert, thanks for your thoughts, especially on the lexar cards ( I'm using the 2gb WA's so

this may present a problem). I had heard about the Mamiya not telling you what the

problem was (full card, empty battery etc), I can live with that for the price.

Thanks again for your help.

It's a great, though now pretty rare camera. I've had mine for 4-5 years from s/h and loved

it. It's bounced around pretty much everywhere with only one problem. Smashed

viewfinder by very journo-unfriendly anarchist!! This I got repaired through a Mamiya

supplier (UK) fairly quickly, though not cheaply (300USD!).

Focusing has always been very good.

Exposure meter though is not so great at backlit situations as it's not TTL (it's on the

front!)

The 75mm lens is astonishingly sharp and contrasty.

The biggest problem I've had, has been finding a 50mm for it. They seem to be rarer then

the proverbial hens incisors...