richard_ilomaki3

May 30, 2002

Michel;

Since this is the Alternative Process forum, I have to say split D23,

as it is a proprotional developer and gives a long scale neg without

blocking up the highlights. That is just what is needed for Pt/Pd

printing which is my field of interest.

The best films I have found for that purpose are T Max 400 & 100,

exposed at half the rated speed. T max 400 is likley the best as one

would never have a grain problem with contact printing, but I had a

box of 100 T Max 100, so I used it and it is great.

cheers

check out teh Palladio website and their wonderful little book on

preparing negatives for contact printing.

Cheers

May 30, 2002

P.

I have seen portraits taken with both and they are WONDERFUL, leaving

nothing to any lens. Prints 12x18 were razor sharp all over, and the

colour rendition was neutral, as far as I could see from the

lighting. Very little if any discernable barrel distortion in the 28

and it is FAST.

For the money they looked good enough that I was tempted to trade my

M6 and 50 & 35 mm Summicrons on the spot for both of them and a Bessa

2 body with grip and winder.

The reason I didn't was mainly that the dealer acquiessed instantly,

not asking any money in addition. That told me he could do that and

make money selling the Leica kit, so I hesitated. I can not justify

the Leica outfit AND the CV lenses, so I was able to resisit the

temptation of the sparkling new toys.

Cheers

BTW, CV has an amazing book with all of the CV cameras, lenses and

accessories listed, but sadly I saw it only in Japanese.

May 24, 2002

Stefan:

There is a current thread on this very topic on the Developing &

Processing forum up the list on teh Greenspun forum.

May 12, 2002

Hello All:

I learned only too late in dealing with my kids that "ignored

behaviour extinguishes itself"! It works all the time, no matter how

old the kids are.

Cheers

May 5, 2002

Phillip;

On <ay 3 there was a very similar tnread on this forum where I and

others offered answers on this very topi. You would do well to check

it ou.

I travel extensively and have not hada problem with film up to 400

even with cumulative X Ray exposure of up to 10 times, sometimes on a

single trip.

Make certain to NOT carry film in checked luggage, as the X Rays they

may use are much stronger.

Kodak's Website has an EXTENSIVE report dated 18 Feb 2002 about X

Rays. Go to www.kodak.com and follow teh links to Baggage X Ray

Scanning Effects on Film.

There is little difference in the 4 C-41 B&W emulsions. Most of teh

time these differences are overshadowed by variations in printing,

but my preference is for Kodak T400 CN.

When I print the negs myself, I squawk about the times as the orange

mask in the negative effectively doubles or triples the exposure

times with my enlarger, but....

Cheers

April 12, 2002

Ollie:

I like the bridge. I would like it much more if the foreground were

not out of focus and, to me, distracting.

The magic of Large Format is that one can tilt the front to get all

that in focus. A big price to pay,but great results.

Cheers

April 12, 2002

Ben:

I too find it has a wide range and is very forgiving. I develop it in

HC110 Dil B for 4 1/2 min.

I have just last week bought the last 50 rolls the local dealer had,

with july 2004 exp dates. In the freezer I am sure I will have 5 yrs

worth. I alos use HP5, TRI-X and XP2, each having it's own character.

Oh well, John Sexton makes beautiful prints on T Max fiilms, so I

guess I can also if I do it right.

"Sic transit gloria mundi artis."

Cheers

April 12, 2002

Karl:

In these days of globalization, borders and old ideas about quality

are quickly changing.

If something is made in Hoing Kong or Germany there is no real

difference, as the defining standard is "who is the customer and what

are their requirements".

Often, the machinery is the same, the materials are the same and the

customer usually has direct control over the process and quality. The

main defference is the cost of labour and the level of health, safety

and environmental enforcement, not to mention the cost of social

benefits in developed countries.

I am a Canadian living in Singapore and my job is to visit our

customers' plants and operations in Asia to make sure they meet the

same level of quality that is met in N America and Europe.

A Chinese operator, of a Toshiba machine supervised by a German

trained foreman using steel from Sweden or glass from Hoya can

produce a product that meets ALL quality requirements of any company

in the world?

Why do manufacturers do this? A major maker of computer disk drives

is presently shifting operations from Singapore to Shanghai China

because they can pay a Chinese 3 dollars a day instead of a Malaysian

working in Singapore $30 a day.

Do you fly in airplanes these days? Many parts of Name Brand

airplanes are made in their own, or joint venture plants in China,

using US, Swiss, German and Italian machinery, installed and serviced

by the factory reps.

There are some models of Porches & BMWs made in European plants owned

by a Canadian company and shipped out as Porches & Beemers.

What counts is the Name & it's authenticity and backing by the owner

of the name.

Cheers

April 3, 2002

Tim:

Really good photos.

I have an almost exact duplicate of the saffron cloaked statue - a

real great setup, Fine Art or not.

I also have one of the Lake but with kids instead of the monks.

I do not know what John Molloy's point is. What else would he have

done?

I have seen much "Art" photography in the last week-ICP, Leica

Gallery, MOMA in NYC and would love to hear a definition of "Art

Photography" from Mr. Molloy.

I also bought books by John Sexton, W. Eugene Smith, HCB, Kertez &

Man Ray while there: again what is "Art Photography"?? Is Weegee's

stuff art?

To me it is an image that makes you look and say WOW, because of the

content, composition, lighting, etc.

On the seated statue, I would crop out the headless(likely stolen by

poachers-I Hate Those Guys!!) seated figure to emphasize the subject

and the vertical.

The safforn colour itself against a stone background makes just about

any photo "art" .

I will be going there again this year and will try improving on what

I did 2 yrs ago. Thanks for the Pix.

Cheers

March 21, 2002

Tom;

I have the same thing for my Nikon lenses-very handy. They are no

longer in production but they are available for about $50 used and

with a lens like a Nikon 105 f2.5 you get great terrestrial viewing

as well as astronomical stuff with a good mount. To match that in a

ready made scope with a similar aperture, you would have to pay more.

It would be worth it to get one and a Nikon 105 just for that. I use

it with my 85 1.8 for wide field viewing of the sky- stuff like

Messier objects AKA the Andromeda nebula/galaxy.

The advantages/differences one would see using a M lens would

invariably be lost in the haze or ripples created by the air.

Cheers

March 21, 2002

Steve:

XP2.

If you expose it at about 200-250, it will give you grainless, very

sharp 16 x 20 prints. It is capable of excellent tonal rendition

printed correctly- you must test that with your own stuff.

Cheers

March 14, 2002

Rob:

I enjoy it and envy teh subjects.

If I were a judge in a camera club competition, I would say it is a 7

out of 10, as the outcropping of land on the upper left conflicts or

merges with the guy's head. Also, the Kayaker would have more impact

if he occupied more of the right side of the frame. So go hire two

models and reshoot it for Mitch's sake! :>) :>)

Much of the impact of a good print is lost on a small screen, so a

really good print would snap it up a lot viewed live. Also, the

shadow detail in the wet suit is muddy and lost. Most horizons I have

seen are really horizontal, not 5 deg. up to the right: it looks

awkward.

In the words of that great moral philosopher Bill Clinton: " 80% of

life is hangin' on".

keep snappin'

March 14, 2002

robert:

I Jumped and I love it.

In any field of technology(or art I guesss) simplicity is the

ultimate sophistication.

All the above applies, but keep in mind that most of the time one can

sell Leica stuff for almost what you bought it for, as long as you

don't spoil the cosmetics.

Like any other art or craft, it take time, patience and dedication.

You will not likely produce masterpieces overnight or in a few weeks,

but after a year, you may well say that the overall "Quality" of your

prints or slides is "better".

I have an FM3a and an M6 and each has it's own place, strengths and

weaknesses, so it is usually not one in place of the other, but an

expansion of your art/craft to include different styles.

Cheers

March 14, 2002

Alfred:

In have bought a few camera related items and all has been well.

I will not, however buy something from someone who is not familiar

with the equipment and says something like: I am not a photographer

so I don't know much about it".

Unless it is very cheap and you can afford to write it off, "run

away".

ALl the above about +ve feedback applies.

Cheers

March 13, 2002

Another sort-of serious answer.

HCB, IMVHO taped his Leica logo more for reasons of his ego than

anything alse. I wish he would open up and explain why. Has anyone

ever heard from him on that?

Who in Shanghai in 1949 knew the difference between a Leica and a

pice of Blue Cheese; both equally uncommon in China then.

I have both my M6 and FM3a in grotty Nikon CF27 cases, wrapped mummy-

like in black duct tape for camoflage. I have the M6 cloaked in clear

tape, all over all the painted surfaces just as the bottom is from

the factory, obviously for scratch protection.

Taping over the Logo reminds me of what an ex-Catholic priest once

said to me: Try forgetting about, and suppressing, your sexual urges-

walk around holding your hand over your crotch all day.

Serious enough?

Cheers

March 13, 2002

If the demand is sufficient, I will market a special roll of tape

commemorating the 100th birthday of Donald Duct, the inventor of the

eponymous tape.

I will go to my local hardware/DIY shop and get a roll or 1/2 in.

wide 3M black tape, stick it on my M6, pull it off and see what

residue is left. If any, I will take a drop of lighter fluid and

remove it.

Then I will get a Leica stencil & black spray paint and spray the

logo onto the tape, inch by inch, then sell it for $10 an inch.

Then I will sell movie camera blimps to cover the camera to mute the

stertorous clatter of the shutter, as compared to the Black Hexar.

I will, at some time in the galactic future, be rich.

TFIC

R:>):>)

March 5, 2002

Eliot:

NO. The Hexar RF does NOT have TTL flash. It reads ONLY off the

shutter spot.

Too bad about the non TTL- the main failing of the otherwise great

Hexar.

Cheers

February 19, 2002

Gulley;

I have the Hexar RF and an M6 and can not say enough good things

about it-the Konica. The build quality is excellent-30 years will

tell if it is up to the standards of the old Ms.

I have had NO PROBLEMS with rangefinder alignment and have used

Hexar, Voigtlander, Leica, and Industar lenses on it with no problem.

Battery life is excellent as is ergonomics. I have had no exposure

Automation inaccuracies: overall excellent.

I have only seen and held the Bessa 2, but own a Bessa L- great

little camera for what it is- a body to hold 2 wide angle lenses. A

bit clattery but accurate and well designed. I moan and groan every

time I recall how much I paid for the Leicas I have loved( sort of

like Willie Nelson and Julio Iglesias), but have no real regrets

about keeping the M6 Classic.

Leica repair people are very busy, so not even the Leicas are

perfect. There are threads on this forum that tell sad stories of

multiple returns to Leica for incessant problems: with a Passport

warantee, they seemed to have been fixed quickly. I have had no

problem with the Hexar(s I have an older non-interchangeable Hexar

Black) or Cosina, so I do not know how their service is.

I have spoken to both distributors and their attitude over the phone

has been much MUCH better than the old Leica distributor here, with

whom I will NEVER deal again.

(Tell me you are not the ghost of Alec Guinness living as a Bohemian

painter on a houseboat.)

Cheers

February 19, 2002

William;

What little I know aout Pd/Pt is that the highlight densities in a

neg may be greater then for silver paper because Pd/Pt papers have

more range for highlights. That means the dynamic range is indeed a

stop or two greater than with most silver emulsions, and as mentioned

above, much depends on the mix of chemicals as well as temperature,

hunidity, phase of the moon etc.

Arentz' book as well as info from Bostick % sullivan and Palladio

will help. The book "Keepers of the Light" self-published by Louis

Nadeau is most helpful.

Good luck.

Cheers

I had great success with T Max 100 rated at 50 and 400 rated at 200,

then drevelpoed insplit D-23 Sol'n A 3 Min, Sol'n B, 10 Min. This

gives a neg that prints on Grade ) paper and beautifully on most

Pd/Pt formulations.

February 18, 2002

Here is my 2 cents worth for free.

I think the next Star Wars episode will be a watershed, as Lucas is

(I hear) shooting it on video with computer disc memory. He will then

use UBB (Ultra Broad Band) technology to send it via satellite to

theatres on a per-showing basis, thus eliminating bad prints and more

effectively controlling piracy.

This will also allow easier editing, addition of CGGs and

sound /Foley/syncing as well.

If it works, then Kodak, Fuji et al will lose a really big slice of

their film business. If it is not popular, then they will be able to

keep making thusands of miles a year and we will still have the

crumbs.

I have said before: Kodak has giant investments in China for film and

paper and Fuji does in Europe. Soon we may be buying Kodak film from

China, just as most everything else we buy that is manufactured.

The main reason CDs & digital sound took over as fast as they did was

because of the inherent weak points in vinyl: Tape hiss, limited

dynamic range, a fixed lifespan for a plastic groove subjected to

incredible forces by a diamond stylus, click & pops etc. Digital is

MUCH better than analog sound, despite what the purists and their

Sondek TTables say.

Digital photography will take over when it is not only as good, but

better and esier to use. Investing a thousand bucks in a computer is

the main obstacle. The future may well lie in the do-it-yourself

machines in stores and malls. In Shanghai last year I could take a

Compact Flash card into a shop, load it into either Photoshop or some

other software, then make 1 or 100 prints of any size up to 11 x 14

on a Kodak machine on RA4 silver based paper. I am sure Fuji and

Konica are not far behind, if at all.

Galen Rowell has all his exhibition prints done on Fuji Frontier or

Pictrography machines on Fuji Crystal Archive Silver based paper:

see www.mountainlight.com.

I predict both will be running side by side for a long time.

Cheers

Cheers

I await the results of Star Wars V with great anticipation, but will

keep my LF cameras, Metol, HQ and Pyro, as well as Bregger's E Mail

address.

February 18, 2002

Ken;

Plus X is of course an excellent "old style" emulsion that has a geat

tonal range. Given the right developer, it has a dynamic range of 1

000 000:1, 60 "Decibels", or 17-19 stops. I have yet to find a better

film for portraits than PX in D:76.

Bregger also has a traditional tonality with a rating of 200. I have

seen some exquisite prints from this on their own paper from LF negs.

Fortepan - I will not touch it in 35 mm or 120 size as I can never

get it to dry without excessive curling. I have not yet tried it in

LF, but hear it is good as far as tonality and developer tolerance is

concerned.

Since you didn't ask, I still use Tri X and D76 1:1, which for my

purposes is as fine and sharp as PX but has 2-2.5 times more speed.

Besides, it is much more widely available.

Ilford SFX is not a true IR film, but has extended red sensitivity,

and when used with a dark red filter, gives results similar to true

IR film. Tried it once.

Cheers

February 11, 2002

Tim;

There are reasons for the M cameras having swinging backs and

different film loading techniques: this is one of them.

One purpose of the swinging back is to allow a continuous round-

cornered rectangle of a body which is very strong. When you put the

bottom plate on it, the resultant camera body is even stronger.

As long as you do not hang stuff off the camera strap away from the

mount, there should be no problem; at least I have had none with 3

M3s and 2 M6s. Less is OK if not more.

Cheers

February 8, 2002

Badris;

It is important to do the test every year or so as the dyes in the

safelight do change, just like film dyes. A safelight that was OK new

may "leak" light after a year or two.

Also, a good test is to expose the paper to the safelight AFTER and

exposure has been made, as the threshold of sensitivity changes after

exposure. If you expose a sheet of paper to an image, then cover half

of it with black plastic, then let it sit in the safelight for 5

minutes, you should notice no differnce between then area covered and

the area not covered. Thic covers the time between exposure and

complete development in an open tray.

I read a thread a few days ago somewhere that said that chronically

dull highlights were due to low level exposure by a safelight that no

longer was.

Cheers

February 7, 2002

Jacob:

There is a unique set of exposure parameters for each different

camera, lens, film development and even light source combo. To be

rigorous, one needs to do tests on each one separately do determine

these. Even 2 lenses from the same manufacrurer with consequtive

serial Nos can be different, same as 2 amplifiers, cars etc. All Big

Macs taste the same, but Steak Diane in 2 different French

restaurants tastes different. All E&J G**** wine tastes the same but

a Margaux is differnet from a Pomerol.

Even tho' current mass production techniques are very good, Leicas

are not really MassProd machines. It take some time to learn the

machine, as it can not really be taken out of the box and used

straightaway as a Nikon or Toyota can.

The metering system on the Nikon is a complex matrix that integrates

readings from many sections of the visual field of view, then the

computer calculates an exposure based on algorithms set up by a

committee of engineers at Nikon. It can even tell what where the sky

is compared to trees when the camera is held horizontally, and can

compensate for that.

The Leica reads what falls on one grey spot on the shutter curtain

and tells you that it meets the 18% grey criterion; you must

interpret that, even with the TTL. You (we) are expected to do the

same as the Nikon algorithm does, based on tens of thousands of

images and the committee, all in about the same time in your head

without being conscious of it, sort of the way a hawk sees a rat and

knows just precisely how fast to fly and in what direction to grab it

on the run, without algorithims and committess of guys in white coats.

Ask Micheal Schumacher how long it takes to learn how to drive an F1

Ferrarri after learning on a Fiat. As long as I am still waxing

philosophic, why does every Stradivarious violin sound different?

Cheers

February 7, 2002

Gents:

In the 40s & 50s, Coney Island was beautiful on Sunday afternoons-ask

the ghost of Weegee!

It still is if you speak, or want to learn Russian. It's also a great

place to get first class Russian cameras and lenses.

I had a titanium M6 and it got a tiny scratch on the top plate and

the value went in half: it is not a user, but a showpiece.

What I would love to see out of the factory is a totally black

version: black not red circle with the script simply embossed, as

would be the M6 designation and all the othern script: a real

sleeper.

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