dan_blair2

<p>My A12 back has suddenly decided not to reset to zero, and the "key" stays red, thus my 501c will not fire. The camera fires fine without the back on. I've taken the back on and off numerous times and removed and replaced the insert numerous times, but nothing. Thoughts?</p>

Does anyone know where I can find a replacement 3/8-inch mount screw for a

Gitzo Studio PL5 head? (The head is similar to the current G 1570 M head.) I

checked the B&H Web site and didn't see it there, nor did I see it listed as a

spare part on the Gitzo site. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

 

Dan

Try Strauss Photo-Technical Services over near Gallaudet University. They've done good work for me in the past and have an excellent reputation. They're on the web at www.spts.com.

 

I hope this helps.

Two weeks ago I went hiking with my M6 around my neck. At one point

I slipped on a rock and fell into a stream I was crossing. The M6

went halfway into the water, with the viewfinder side taking a quick

dip. A little water got into the viewfinder and frameline windows,

but fortunately no water got passed the lens or the bottom plate.

The lens is fine. After allowing the water to evaporate out of the

viewfinder and frameline windows, the camera seemed okay. However,

today when I went to use it, the frame lever didn't work. Worse,

the shutter will only close at 1/30 to 1 sec. by turning the dial to

B. I don't know whether 1/60 and above are accurate. The meter

works.

 

Can anyone give me a prognosis? I'd read where M's had gone

swimming and performed perfectly after drying out. I was hoping

that would be my case.

 

Thanks for any info/advice anyone can provide.

I was shooting an event this past Saturday, and when I mounted my 28-

105 on to my A2, the aperature readout read 00. I tried remounting

the lens and twisting it slightly to see if I could ensure that the

lens and body electrical contacts were touching properly. On

occasion the aperature readout correctly displayed 5.6, but then when

I went to take the photo, the body locked up and the camera indicated

that the battery was drained. Eventhough the battery was fresh, I

changed the battery and the same thing happened. I then put the lens

on a 1n body, and the same thing happened, again with a fresh

battery. I had to use my friend's Nikon set-up to finish the shoot.

This morning I mounted the lens on all my EOS bodies, and everything

seems to be working fine.

 

Does anyone know what happened or why? Is it a body problem or a

lens problem? I don't want to go into another job and have a

malfunction where the body locks up and everything becomes

worthless. I will mention that it was raining all day Saturday, and

I'm wondering if moisture was the culprit.

Thanks for any info you can provide.

To answer some of the hypotheses: I thought about the sand/dust issue. I was in Cairo, Egypt, where there's plenty of both, but all my other equipment, including a Canon 1n and a hand-held light meter, seems fine. My padded bag fell from chair height a couple of times times, but I don't think that's it, either. The bag was with me on all my flights and was well guarded and protected. The loose screw sounds plausible, however.

I was recently on a trip where I used an M6 with the 35/50/90

combo. At one point on the trip, after having used the 35 for a

while, I put the 50 on the body and went to focus, and the focusing

ring wouldn't budge. Nothing. (The lens was in perfect condition

prior to this.) After several minutes, I was finally able to twist

the body in one hand and the focusing ring in the other, and I got

the ring to move from the infinity mark to the 6-foot mark. It was

a chore just to get it that far.

 

The ONLY thing I can think of that might have caused this was

mismounting the lens on the body at some point since I switched

lenses often. I've looked at the lens's mount, and don't see

anything obvious.

 

Has anyone experienced this, and more importantly, how can I fix

it? Is the focusing helicoid permanently damaged?

 

I would appreciate any input anyone can give.

I've noticed that the black finish on the top plate of my M6 is

developing bubbles. I'm not concerned about the cosmetics of the

camera or its resale value since I use it often and don't plan on

selling it. However, I would like to know if this is a common

occurence and whether anyone else has experienced this. If so, can

you tell me how much worse it will get? Will the finish start

flaking off?

 

Thanks for any infomation you can give me.

Pat:

 

<p>

 

I was at the Tidal Basin on Monday, 4/1, between 6:30-8:30 am with my

M6 around my neck and my 4x5 in a backpack. I only used the M6 that

day because it was too windy. I spotted another 4x5 and a Pentax 67

among the jillions of 35's. I shot Provia with the 50 and 90 lenses,

but don't have the results back yet. It's a shame they put that kiosk

right at the base of the steps of the Jefferson Memorial. I had to

shoot around it all morning.

 

<p>

 

Dan

Thanks for all the helpful responses. I don't know which cold light

tube I have; I'm away for the holidays but will check when I return

home. (Although I find it's a real pain in the neck to get that cold

light assembly out once it's put in place.) I'll definitely get a

hold of the Steve Anchell book.

 

<p>

 

Thanks again.

After acquiring an Omega D5 XL enlarger a few months ago, I've finally been able to put together a makeshift darkroom and have started printing a few 4x5 b&w negs that I developed. I've outfitted the D5 with an Aristo cold light and a Rodenstock 150mm lens. I've done some rather rudimentary printing so far just to play around, and I have a couple of questions that have me perplexed. Please excuse me if the questions seem naive.

 

<p>

 

1. I cannot get the lens to focus close enough to print on an 8x10 piece of paper no matter how far I extend the bellows or how low I crank the neg./lens stage. Is it impossible for me to print on 8x10 with a 150mm lens? Am I relegated to 4x5 contacts and printing on 11x14 and up?

 

<p>

 

2. Installing the cold light necessitated the removal of the filter drawer. How can I use contrast filters now? Can I place 6x6 in. filters between the neg. carrier and the light, or should I just forget it now that I'm using cold light and go with graded paper?

 

<p>

 

Thanks for your responses. I'm just getting my feet wet in b&w, so I apologize if my questions seem painfully simple.

Andy: I must take exception to your characterization of the failure

of Midway Airlines. You stated that "Midway Airlines just went out of

business - gone, like the WTC." As someone who watched the Pentagon

burn before it was broadcast on television, I cannot see the parallel

between a foreseen business failure, where people lost their

replaceable jobs, and the unforeseen terrorist attacks against the WTC

and the Pentagon, where thousands lost their lives.

I'm going to the beach this weekend, and was wondering whether the M6 is more or equally susceptible to the beach environment than an SLR. Thoughts? I may just take the A2 if there is a high risk at being exposed to the elements.

 

<p>

 

Thank you.

 

<p>

 

Dan

Has anyone purchased or seen in person the book Ansel Adams At 100? If so, can you provide your thoughts or a review?

 

<p>

 

Thanks.

 

<p>

 

Dan

Asman Photo on Pennsylvania Ave. SE on Capitol Hill is a pro lab that

does b&w, e6 and digital scanning. They have a website, although the

url escapes me. Chrome in Georgetown is another lab you may want to

try as well.

 

<p>

 

Dan

I would greatly appreciate information on developing Arista 125 sheet film in both D-76 and HC-110. I'm using hangars and tanks, so I'm looking for ballpark time, temperature and agitation figures from anyone who has used these combinations. Assuming that the Arista 125 is really Ilford FP4, I suppose I can also use Ilford data.

 

<p>

 

Thanks for any input.

 

<p>

 

Dan

A couple of months ago I purchased a used Omega D-5 enlarger. I haven't had a lot of time to play with it yet, and I'm still accumulating the necessary accessories to begin printing with it. However, I do know that the silver cylinder that houses the condensers does not even come close to sitting flush on the negative stage. Can anyone tell me how fix this so I don't have major light leaks? Is there one screw or knob, or a set of screws or knobs, that will allow easy alignment of the condenser unit? Or will I have to resort to a rubber mallet? I'd like to get printing as soon as I can.

 

<p>

 

Thanks for any insight.

 

<p>

 

Dan

Thanks Louis. I was so close, yet couldn't quite get it all together.

Everything seems fine now, but I'm sure I'll have more questions

later.

 

<p>

 

Thanks again.

I recently bought a used Omega D5 XL enlarger and a used Zone VI cold light that is supposed to fit all Omega D models. I bought them from two different sources, and I am now trying to figure out how the cold light fits into the enlarger. I first removed the condenser light source from the enlarger, then I removed the variable lens and the condenser lenses. I put the diffusion panel for the cold light in the aluminum cylinder that houses the condenser lenses. Now where does the cold light go? It won't fit where the original light was. I could drop the cold light into the cylinder directly on top of the diffusion panel where the condenser lenses were, but then I'll have to pick the cylinder up by hand each time and slip the negative carrier underneath. That would render the upper stages of the condenser assembly and the arm that raises it worthless. Any thoughts? I may have overlooked something completely obvious, or maybe I'm doing it right and don't know it. I haven't bought any other accessories for the enlarger (lens, timer, neg. holder, etc.), so I'll probably be back with other questions in the future. But right now this has me stumped.

 

<p>

 

Thanks for all your help.