dave_sherman1

I have used the Epson 740 with MIS archival inks with excellent results. You may have to make some adjustments in color balance.

 

http://www.inksupply.com/index.cfm?source=html/epsonarcs.html

 

I use the Epson Matt paper. Almost all of the paper I have used will yellow if exposed to light. The worst paper to uses is glossy. I keep my prints in archival plastic pages or under glass. I have not noticed any fadding after 2 years of prints under glass exposed to daylight. Matt prints viewed under plastic or glass look just as good as prints made with glossy paper.

This question has been asked many times over the years. I have seen several suggestions the "maybe such an such will fit". I have never come across an actual polaroid back that will fit the 2X3 Crown Graphic. I ended up buying a 2x3 Galvin view and a polaroid back to fit. I use all of the same lenes as my Crown Graphic. I got tired of looking for a back to fit the Crown Graphic.

I second the vote for the Canon. Made sure that it is a late model. the Canon 1.4 is also supposed to be a great lens. I have used the 1.8 for many years. I just replaced my 40 year old lens with one I found in almost mint condition on eBay for about $140.

Get yourself a 50mm Canon 1.4 or 1.8. You can't go wrong with either lens. I pretty much changed over from Leica M's to Canon rangefinder's because of the compactness and quality of the Canon optics. I love the M bodies and lenses but find that the Canon lenses give me just what I want. Now I just shoot pictures and don't worry which brand lens is better.

The Canon P is probably the best and most usefull of the Canon rangefinder cameras. I has a single stroke lever advance and a modern rewind crank. It has frame built in frame lines for 35, 50 and 100mm lens. It has a hinged back and is easy to load. The 50mm 1.8 and 1.4 are considered two of the finest lenses ever made. The 35 f2 and the 100 f3.5 are also great lenses. The later black or black/chrome lenses are the best. The Serenar lenses tend to be inferior to the later Canon lenses. The camera is of superior craftsmanship and rivals any Leica ever made. The camera is quiet and compact. There is no built in meter. The focusing is easy with a large circular split image. It will accept the new Voigtlander lenses. I have two of them and use them extensively. I

When my father bought his first Nikon F in 1963 he gave me his Canon P rangefinder. I was 13 at the time. At 15 I shot pictures of the high school debating team using the Canon. That lead to an assignment as yearbook photographer for the next three years. I used a 4X5 Speed Graphic a Rollei TLR and the Canon to cover school events. By day I am a mechanical engineer and by night a jazz trombonist and in between and intermixed a photographer. I have done weddings, commercial, industrial and photojournalism. I have worked as a freelancer for a newspaper and as a b+w printer for a large fashion studio. I use several camera systems, all manual, including Leica M, Canon rangefinder, Nikon F's, Bronica S2A, 2X3 Crown Graphic, 2X3 Galvin view. I also use a digital camera on occasion. I have spent more hours that I could ever count in darkrooms. I still develop film but scan the negatives and print them on an ink jet printer. My favorate camera at the moment is the Canon P of which have 28, 35, 50, 100 135mm lenses. Even though I have Leica M equipment I find that the Canon equipment is lighter in weight and the optics are of high enough quality for my needs. I sometimes complement this system with a Rollei TLR when I need larger prints. My other equipment sits there waiting for the occasional assignment that requires something that I can't handle with the Canon or Leica.

Every human face is unique. Changes in technology changes the appearance of everyday things. Human are always coming up with new styles and new way of changing their own appearance. We may live in a more homongenous society. You may have to scratch a little to get below the homogenous surface, but below this surface is full of uniqueness. When I am struggling to find uniqueness I think of James Joyce. His importance in writing is that subject matter to write about is all around you. You don't have to travel to exotic places to find. Go to the local Joe's garage or to the local bakery. Go to a swing band concert and check out the new generation of swing dancers. Check out the new gismos that the vendors are selling. Go to county fairs. There will always be unique subject matter out there as long as there are unique individuals.

The use of flash for bouncing light is an important technique that I recommend the serious photoghrapher to learn. There are many instances where the lighting is just too bad. I used 283 and 285 for many years for indoor shooting where the existing lighting was just too poor. Proper use of bounce flash can provide an image that looks quite natural. Several years ago I purchased a Norman 400B battery powered 400ws strobe. This unit replaced the famous 200B that was a favorite of wedding photographers and photojournalists. Because of the higher output of this unit I was able to use slower speed film with my Leica. While it is not something that you want to use for casual shooting, it a great flash to use when the lighting is bad and you need quality images. Lumadyne and Quantum also make 400ws units. Most phototgraphers associate these units medium format equipment but they are ideal for 35mm also. I shot a series of photos for a valve company inside their production facility which involved photographing workers building and testing valves. I used an M3 and a variety of lighting. In the dimmly light warehouse I was glad that I had the 400B and a couple of reflectors. Another technique that I use when shooting under flouresent lighting (I know that this is off topic) is to use a portable flouresent shop light as a mainlight and use the overhead lights as the fill. I have used this technique for product shots as well as for enviromental portraits of workers. While these techniques may not sit well with the Leica purests, these are techniques that can extend the usefulness of you Leica equipment. I have found that much of the industrial photography that I do can be done with my Leica equipment.

I agree with Ray. I think that the topics and discussions are just fine.

This lens is attractive for a few reasons. First is that it is a LTM lens. There have not been new LTM on the marktet since the early 70's. Second is that it sells for around $250 new. Form many people who infrequently use a 50mm lens the f2.5 is not much of a limitation. I almost purchased this lens but found an almost new Canon 50mm f1.8 on ebay for half the price of the Voigtlander.

There is a reason that Leicas are supplied with a PC cord socket. I'm not a great fan of fill in flash. However, properly done it can improve the image. One of the best shots of my parents was taken using fill flash with my Leica and a ND filter. Most of my portraits are not "grab" shots. I generally like to use some type of fill, usually a reflector or a light colored wall. I read where Alfred Einsenstadt carried a small lamp or a light bulb to use in poor lighting. I don't understand the contempt that some of the Leica users have for adding light to a scene. As far as I am concerned, available light photography also includes what might be available in my camera bag. It's the final image that counts, not whether you use a reflector or a light bulb to obtain the image. A magazine editor could care less whether you added some light to the scene.

Leicas and similar rangefinder cameras are quiet. There is no mirror flopping around. I have taken pictures in very intimate musical situations without disturbing anyone. I have seen SLR users escorted out of the same venues. Most of the lenses are smaller than SLR lenses. Close-ups and long telephoto shots are not practical unless you use a Visoflex. Shooting in low light with a rangefinder camera is a lot easier than a SLR. A lot depends on what type of shooting you do. If you like to shoot flowers then a rangefinder is not the best choice. If you shoot slides and require accurate framing then I would use an SLR. There is no single camera system that does everthing well. I use my Leica and Canon rangefinders for portraits, scenics, weddings, industrial photography, etc. I may also use other equipment to cover the things that I can't do with rangefinders. With the new films on the market today you can get the quality of image that was unheard of just a few years ago. Just try PanF or FP4+ and see what beautiful scenics you can take.

I have been using PMK for about a year. As mentioned in previous posts the Ilford films HP5+, FP4 and Pan F all respond well to PMK. I have found that Pan F stains less that the others. For all around photography I have not found a better developer. However, because of the detail that you get in the highlights, you may be disappointed in the results for portraits, expecially portraits of women. I still prefer Tri-X with HC-110 for portraits of women.

I have shot many weddings using an M3 as well as a Canon P. I use both the Vivitar 283 and 285 for flash. What could be simpler? Flash outdoors can be handled by ND filters. However, I usually use a Rollei TLR for the outdoor shots. Rangefinder cameras and TLR's are the best cameras for weddings because there is no mirror to obscure seeing the flash has gone off. With SLR's you can take a lot of shots before you realize that you flash is not working. This happened to the photographer who shot my wedding. I have SLR equipment but would never think of using them for weddings.

The beauty of using a rangefinder camera is its versatility. My first choice of camera to use is usually a rangefinder. Whether I use it handheld or with a tripod is determined by what and where I am shooting. If I'm shooting a musician in a crowded nightclub I won't use a tripod. If I'm shooting a musician's portrait in a less crowded area then I would probably use a tripod. It is more important to use a tripod with 35mm than larger formats because of the small negative size. For years I never used a tripod for 35mm. If I needed a better quality image I used a larger format with a tripod. Then I discovered that if I used slower speed film combined with a tripod I could use 35mm to obtain superior images. I have 11x14 prints taken with my Leica using Agfapan 25 and a tripod that rival larger formats. I rarely use anything other that my Leica or Canon rangefinder cameras. My philosophy is to use a tripod whenever you can. Handhold when you cannot use one. The image quality will be better using a tripod even at faster shutter speeds. I keep a tripod in the trunk of my car at all times. Some of my best landscapes have been taken with my Leica on a tripod. Leicas are not just for street or low light photography. They are all around cameras.

I used both Brovira and Ilfobrom. I always felt that Brovira was at

least equal if not more contrasty than Ilfobrom. I never made exact

comparisons but I used #4 Brovira and #4 Ilfobrom and my recollection

was that the #4 Brovira hand more contrast than the Ilfobrom. The #5

Brovoria was definitely a #5 paper. The other great thing about

Brovira was that the whites were pure white and the blacks were pure

black. I sure wish Agfa would bring it back.

Brovira was my favorate paper, especially for 35mm because it was

available in #5 grade. I also think that a #6 grade was also

available. The combination of a shorter film development and use of

#5 paper resulted in a combination that couldn't be beat for small

film sizes. When I found out that it had been discontinued I bought

a good supply of it. Unfortunately I only have a few hundred sheets

of 8X10 left. Many fine papers have come and gone. This is one that

I truly miss. I used it with Dektol or Zone VI developer.