iangillett

<p>Superb images Brian, Grand Central wasn't that empty when I was there as they were shooting the remake of the film Arthur - there were power cables everywhere.<br>

The upper level of Top of the Rock was open, and it was cold. The Security Guards did not seem at all bothered by people using tripods, maybe it was due to the fact that there weren't many of us there. I was surprised to see people using tripods as I understood they were not allowed and you have to go through security scanners to go up to the Top of the Rock so there was plenty of opportunity to prevent people taking them up. I wasn't very impressed with the "professional" photographer taking group pictures at the top - he was using flash against the glass!</p>

Currently in New York and enjoying getting photos of the snow - in Central Park and on the streets (snow-blowers,

plows, covered cars and embedded bicycles).

Just got back from Top of the Rock, went up around 4pm to take some general shots then waited for the light to go

down to shoot the lit-up buildings. I thought there were restrictions on tripod use and so didn't take one along but

there were one or two photographers there with tripods including a really dedicated film shooter who was using a Fuji

6x17 with 105 mm lens - he was shooting one minute exposures with Velvia.

You cannot avoid the snow as it is snowing at the moment.

Enjoy

Christoph,

......or you could use a 6x7 card mount.

<p>I expect that Hasselblad prices - certianly for the more modern equipment - are likely to remain strong for quite a while. Many serious amateurs, myself included, are buying up lenses, backs, etc because they were what we dreamed of owning when we were younger and now we can afford them because the mainstream professionals are moving into digital, either 35 mm format or medium format. You can also fit a digital back to the Hasselblad V series and that will keep the prices strong. RB's and RZ's can be picked up relatively cheaply and I have built up a reasonable RZ system over the years. I don't think the prices will get much cheaper for these simply because those people that bought them new, or newish, are likely to drop so much on the selling price that they are considering hanging on to them just in case they feel the urge to shoot film again; of course you can get an RZ Pro II D which will interface more easily with a digitial back.<br>

Viewing a 6x7 slide is wonderful; projecting it is even better!</p>

Hi Patrick,

I have thought about the panoramic adapter for my Mamiya 7 but I decided against it. Why would you want to lose the

real estate of the larger film size? If you want a panoramic image from the Mamiya you could always trim the medium

format image - you also have the possibility of using the top or bottom of the image to correct for converging verticals.

I do also have the xPan and it does have one major advantage over the Mamiya - the 30 mm lens! It is much wider

than the excellent 43 mm.

<p>I also own both systems. There is not much I can add to Allen's comprehensive answer. You have not said what sort of photography you would be using the cameras for, and it is that which may influence your decision. Although you used to use film you are coming back to it after extensive use of digital and you may find the lack of instant feedback disconcerting so it may be worthwhile going for the RZ as it can take a Polaroid back; indeed, it would also help you with changing ISO by having separate film backs available - one of the great advantages I find with digital is being able to change the ISO.<br>

Another aspect to consider is the aperture you will be working at. Rangefinder focussing is very good for wide angle lenses but less accurate for longer focal lengths so if you are shooting wide open at longer focal lengths you may find it harder to achieve focus.<br>

Like Allen, I wish that Mamiya offered a focal length between the 80 and the 150 for the 7 - for the RZ you can get 90, 110 and 127.</p>

Have you considered the 100 mm f2? It would fit in well with doubling your focal lengths (24 mm to 50 mm). It is a

little bigger than the 85 mm and is often overlooked. I have often thought about adding this to my range of lenses but

I already have both 85 mm and the 135 - which is an excellent lens. The problem is I end up being lazy and using the

70-200 f2.8.

Best Wishes

Ian

<p>I don't very often do weddings but when it is your wife's business partner's eldest daughter who is getting married then it is difficult to avoid doing the photography as a wedding present. The wedding took place on the weekend before Christmas and in England that meant snow - and lots of it. I had to do most of the photographs inside with lots of flash - although we did manage to get outside for most of the group shots and some atmospheric shots of the bride and groom (the hotel staff were brilliant in sorting that out). Need less to say the snow meant that many of the guests struggled to get to the wedding. I was taking photographs of the bride getting ready and was there when she took the call from the harpist who was supposed to accompany the bride's two sisters singing during the ceremony. This was the moment when she realised the harpist couldn't make it - fortunately they had recorded the harpist and were able to use the soundtrack.<br>

Taken with a Canon 1Ds Mk iii with a 24-70 f2.8 lens and using a Quantum Td5 flash with a softbox, camera and flash on manual.<br>

Enjoy</p><div></div>

<p>Dear Cloe,<br>

Personally I would go for the Mamiya 7, particularly if you are looking at a lifetime commitment. The camera is still current and there are some great lenses for it. I have the 43, 50, 65 80 and 150. I don't use it as much as I should but maybe I will take it to New York when I go there for a short break next weekend.<br>

Of the cameras you have listed the two which will give you the greatest depth of field will be the 645s. Both the cameras are now dicontinued and I believe they operate in the "Portrait" format, so if you want landscape you will be working with the camera on its side.<br>

I had a Fuji 690 (bought and sold one twice), which is similar in size to the 670. I found the camera quite "clunky" but the huge negative/ transparency size was great (although I couldn't project the 6x9s). The camera is very soild. It does not have a built-in meter.<br>

The Makina is a lovely camera, but...it is very delicate and you need to take care with the folding mechanism. It is no longer made and there are several collectors out there so the secondhand prices are high. The lens is f2.8 so would be good for low light, but harder on the focussing.<br>

The Bessa is also a compact camera but again there are concerns about the folding mechaism.<br>

The Mamiya 6 was discontinued a long time ago. It is held in high regard and is quite compact when the lens is collapsed.<br>

With all of these cameras you will find some limitations: either fixed lens or limited range of options; limited close focus - mostly down to just under a metre; viewfinder "inaccuracies".<br>

Have you consider using a 645 SLR? Many people recommend the Pentax 645 but I have never used one. I did have a Mamiya 645 Super with a range of lenses but traded that in when I bought a Canon EOS1n many years ago.<br>

Another thing to bear in mind for your trip is the availablity of film. You are going for a long time and supllies may be difficult.<br>

Best Wishes for your trip.<br>

Ian</p>

<p>Dear Sally,<br>

The results would have been different; 120 has backing paper throught the roll, 220 has a paper lead-in and paper lead-out but in the middle it is "bare" film.<br>

Ian</p>

<p>I would advise against it as the emulsion surface could have been scratched, albeit slightly, by passing over the rollers and across the pressure plate.<br>

Ian</p>

<p>I bought my two M6 TTLs and my R6.2 new from a local Leica dealer in Croydon, south of London. I bought the M lenses from the same dealer - the 35 mm ASPH Summilux, Noctilux, and 90 mm ASPH Summicron were new, the 50 mm Summicron was used. From the same dealer I bought the 50 mm Summicron R new and the 28 mm shift and 100 mm macro, both used. I bought a used 19mm and a used 80 mm from other dealers. I sold all but the 50 mm to fund the purchase of a new Canon 1D Mk ii. I have since bought a 24 mm and 90 mm Summilux from ffordes in Scotland. Last year I bought a Panasonic GF1 and a Leica M adapter so that I can use my Leica lenses on a digital camera (until I decide whether or not to get an M9). My main cameras are Canon (1Ds Mk iii and 1D Mk iii) with Canon lenses from 14 mm through to 500 mm. I really miss the 19 mm for my R6.2 but am doing much less with film. I would like to do more but the ease of digital and the instant results mean that the digital tends to get out more.<br>

Ian</p>

<p>Dear Larry - thank you. I had assumed the new battery would have been OK but will get another and try again. Maybe I'll even buy a battery tester this time.<br>

Dear dan Mar - thank you. Many thanks for the link. My son also discovered an Elph Sport (Ixus X-1) when he was tidying his wardrobe. I bought it for him several years ago and had completely forgotten about it. What a great little camera! Now to get the film processed.<br>

Best Wishes<br>

ian</p>

<p>Dear All,<br>

I hope I am posting this question in the correct forum. I've recently been going through some old boxes in my loft and rediscovered my black Canon Ixus L-1 - in another box I am sure I will find my original Ixus one day. The Frame Counter is displaying "26", so I assume that the camera is still loaded with a 40-exposure (?) film. I think I last used the camera at my sister-in-law's birthday meal some seven years ago. The date is still displaying - showing the 7th with a time of 18:58 as I compose this message (my computer clock is showing 18:55). The camera outline is showing a film canister on the right-hand side and the battery is flashing - however, I have replaced the CR2 with a fresh battery (and tried cleaning the contacts) and the battery symbol stubbornly remains flashing with the last portion of the battery showing. I have tried turning the camera on but it does not respond.<br>

Obviously I would like to remove the exposed film - and try and find somewhere to get it developed; any ideas - I live and work in London, UK? Does anyone know why the fresh battery is not re-powering the camera? Is there an internal battery that also needs to be replaced?<br>

Any other comments on using an "old" APS camera gratefully received.<br>

Many Thanks<br>

Ian</p>

Dear Brian,

I had hoped that, by now, someone with greater expertise than me would have responded. As they have not I

decided to get my Td5-R out, put the 580 EXII on my 1Ds and have a play.

With the Qnexus NX unit on the T5d-R, I set the 580EXII to Master - turned the Speedlite on, held the Zoom button

down for a couple of seconds until the letters OFF came up, turned the Control Dial so that the letters "on" were

displayed, ensured the Channel on the Speedlite and the Quantum were the same and then.......fired away! Both

flashes fired.

I hope this sorts out the problem you were having.

Yours

Ian

<p>Dear Gianluca,<br>

I have the TS-E 24 mm (Mark I), TS-E 45 mm, and TS-E 90 mm. The lenses are relatively compact and using Live View, or connecting to a computer display, gives a flexible set up - probably more than for the "large-format" style set ups (although I do not have experience of these).<br>

Remember that, if you need the field of view given by a 24 mm lens, or especially a 17 mm lens, you will not get this using your Pentax 67 lens.<br>

Yours<br>

Ian</p>

<p>Dear Brian,<br>

Never tried it myself - last weekend at a wedding I was either using the T5d on camera or firing a mixture of 550 EX, 580 EX and 580 EXII using the EXII as the Master, but....<br>

have you set the 580 EXII to "Master"? do you have the correct module for the T5d?<br>

Yours<br>

Ian</p>

<p>Like others, I do not see the need for an external finder and, while I understand Stuart's suggestion that you could mask off the Mamiya 7 43 mm finder that does seem an expensive option - B&H list the finder at $400.<br>

You do need to take care when using the built-in finder. In my early days of using my xPan I did find that some of my images were not turning out the way I was expecting. Eventually I realised that the rangefinder spot was not in the centre of the frame vertically but around one-third of the way down. Whilst this wasn't too much of a problem when using the camera horizontally it did seriously affect vertical compositions. When you frame using the external frames then you are OK.<br>

I hope this helps.<br>

Ian</p>

<p>Dear All,<br>

Thank you for your feedback.<br>

Bonsignore - I did the Google search and now have the manual for the camera. It certainly answers some of the queries I had. It has, however, left me with a problem - am I only supposed to use the camera while wearing a three-piece suit and tie ! I realise these cameras are revered but was hoping for a more casual approach.<br>

Steve - I am pleased to say that the bellows look in excellent condition but I guess I will have to have my first film processed before I find out. The camera is now loaded with Kodak 400 NC as I thought the negative film would have a wider exposure latitude. I am looking to get back into black-and-white processing but one step at a time. I can, and have, scanned 120 film on my Epson flatbed. I may not be able to go very large with the images scanned but they look good on the computer screen.<br>

Professor K - thank you, I have found the red marks on the distance scale and aperture scale and will try using it as a 'Point and Shoot' ;-) However, having read the manual in more detail I now realise the red dots I was referring to are for setting up the self-timer. I gave them a twist, they were quite stiff, and then triggered the shutter. The mechanism started but was quite slow and seemed sticky. The shutter eventually fired - with a little encouragement from me - but I don't think I will be using that very often. The camera was described as having been recently serviced but I think they might have omitted this from the CLA. Once I am more familiar with the camera I may try it again but I don't want to break it. I am intrigued that you think I may have a rare example. This has made the ownership even more special - but I won't be too disappointed if others come back and shatter my illusion.<br>

Craig - it seems like it is the original but then I have no real way of telling.<br>

Rob - I'll try and post a picture of the camera for you soon.<br>

Allan - thank you. I'll have to keep an eye out for the <em>Ikonta Guide</em>.<br>

Red - your comment has intrigued me. My camera does not have automatic advance and I have to align the next frame using the red window in the back of the camera. If I line these up properly - a skill I haven't tried in years - will the frame be correctly spaced, or do I still need to compensate?<br>

Winfired - thank you. I didn't find that link when doing my original searches.<br>

Once again, many thanks for all your feedback. I took the camera out yesterday but didn't find the right opportunities to take a photograph, the weather was quite dull. Although I went to Oxford with my wife we spent time with our son, who is studying Chemistry there, and watch and hear him performing in Handel's <em>Messiah</em> as part of the Queen's College Choir. Nevertheless I showed him the camera and, though he doesn't share my passion for photography - yet, even he thought it was 'Cool". There's hope for him yet !<br>

Hoping to hear more from you.<br>

Best Wishes<br>

Ian</p>

<p>Dear All,<br>

I have just purchased my first "Classic Camera". I was searching on a secondhand dealer's website (not KEH) and came across a Zeiss Super Ikonta 530/2 which had been recently serviced. I read as much as I could about the various Super Ikontas on the many websites there are and realised that I could not resist any longer. It arrived in the post today and is now sitting on my desk and being admired by everyone I show it to.<br>

I am hoping that one, or more of you, will be able to tell me more about the camera and give me an idea of how old it is, etc. It has a Carl Zeiss Jena Triotar f4.5 10.5 cm lens Serial Number 1524398 in a Klio shutter with speeds going from 1/5 to 1/100 second. I was a little puzzled by the focal length of the lens as all the information I had gathered suggested the Triotar lens would be 120 mm. I've managed to sort out the focussing from the various bits of information I have picked up from the web and the shutter is self-cocking and sounds so sweet! There are red dots on opposite sides of the lens which look like they should do something but I cannot work out what.<br>

I am looking forward to putting my first film through but haven't decided whether to use colour or black-and-white. I intend to scan the images afterwards on an Epson flatbed scanner which has a film adapter.<br>

All comments and advice very gratefully received.<br>

Best Wishes<br>

Ian</p>

Harry,

It depends what you want to photograph. If it's architecture and you need to shift to avoid converging verticals then go for

the 24. If it is general photography or food then consider the 45.

Remember you can use the TSE lenses with converters, so if you want a 35 mm lens combine the 24 with a 1.4

converter.

Best Wishes

Ian

<p>Dear Scott,</p>

<p>Although the TS-E lenses are manual focus you can use the camera's AF system for focus confirmation.</p>

<p>Ian</p>

<p>Dear Cameron,</p>

<p>There would be a 'chance' of you buying a Leica M9 for 400 to 600 dollars but it would depend on whether the lottery tickets you bought for that amount of money actually contained a winning number!<br>

Do you feel lucky?....well do you?<br>

Yours<br>

Ian</p>