stuart_whatling1

I'm off to Yakutsk in February and you can bet that I'll be black-taping the M6. It's not a fashion statement or a theft-avoider so much as a way of ensuring that at -60 degrees C, my skin stays where it belongs, on my fingers and on my eye-lids, rather than sticking to the metal. I discovered the magical temperature ameliorating properties of gaffer-tape years ago when using a black carbon-fibre tripod in the Yemeni desert. A tripod which became to hot to hold after a few mins in the sun was perfectly comfortable all day after swathing in the the magic tape. Likewise, freezing-cold metal is far less threatening when taped.

I use the Olfa - cheap and cheerful but surprisingly good. Had one

for years and still haven't used up all the supersharp blades that

came with it, though I've mucked up a few kitchen tables in the

process.

If cutting mats with a hand held cutter like the Olfa the most

important thing bar none is to get a ruler with non-slip rubber pads

on the bottom - nothing worse than sliding off at an angle cos the

ruler slipped (only ever happens when you're cutting the fourth side).

I'd second the recommendation for the Schneider XL. I have the non-XL

version of the SA 90/5.6 for 5x4 and although it's my favourite lens,

I don't think the coverage would be enough for anything bigger than

that - so it's probably worth bulking up the muscles/credit card and

getting the XL. Although you might not need the 5.6 aperture for

shooting, you'll certainly need it for viewing. Viewing the ground

glass with anything slower than a 5.6 at these wider focal lengths is

like walking around on a dark night with sunglasses on.

Are you guys shooting 1600ASA stock or something? I've been

travelling around the world for years with 100ASA film, often to the

kind of backwoods countries with the really old fashioned X-Ray

machines that we're all taught to fear and I've never yet had any

detectable evidence of fogging. I've just got back from Beirut

airport where security is currently hypersensitive and everything

went through three machines with no problem. Is there anyone who can

put their hand on their heart and say that they've genuinely had

problems with X-Ray fogging of normal speed films? I never bother

asking for hand inspection because frankly I've never felt the need.

Given the current state of hysteria I'd say it's just asking of

unnecessary grief.

To reiterate previous posts, lead lined bags are a con - the op just

turns up the power until they can see in. Otherwise every terrorist

organisation in the world would be using them.

Raven,

 

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If you're worried about XRays, get your film at Teamwork (Foley St

W1 - they're about 10% cheaper than Calumet for most film types and

have good stock levels) and have it developed by one of the labs in

Soho - Tapestry and Metro are ok, though I always use Joe's Basement

on Wardour St - they're open 24x7 and are very reliable.

 

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Personally though I wouldn't worry. I flew back from Beirut yesterday

where security is extra-sensitive at the mo - my bags (containing 400

sheets of exposed Provia) went through two extra sets of x-ray

machines on the way into the airport and there are no traces of

fogging. Everything went into checked baggage - the Gitzo in my main

rucksack and the Wista etc in a Tenba backpack. Nothing was harmed by

this experience - I just made sure I was at the front of the carousel

at Heathrow!

 

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Enjoy your trip and don't forget to check out Teamwork - it's a great

little shop and the only decent LF specialist in London. Oh - and

remember that this being england, in March the weather will be really

miserable!

... though having said all that, it's not fool-proof. But then again,

what is in the LF world? Indeed I suspect that the reason we all love

large format photography so much is that every single aspect of it

gives us ample opportunities to remind ourselves of our own

fallibility.

 

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My three major balls-ups so far with the Quickchange holder have been;

1) Not realising that you HAVE to slide the dark-slide back in BEFORE

taking a shot - or you'll fog one corner of the whole stack. (8

sheets wasted).

2) Not realising that you've got to pull-push the whole caboodle

again after taking the shot (in order to cover up the exposed sheet)

before taking the holder off the camera (only 1 sheet wasted but oh,

the humiliation of taking the back off and seeing, not a black piece

of plastic, but an exposed sheet of film staring back at me.)

3) Spending a morning shooting local architecture and getting home to

find that I'd put the stack of reloaded septa back into the cartridge

upside down - so only one corner of each sheet got exposed. (8 sheets

wasted).

 

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I dare say this list will grow - though I do still maintain that

there's fewer opportunities to screw-up with the Quickchange than

there are with conventional holders.

The Wista VX recessed lens board uses a similar "paperclip" gizmo to

the Linhof but is probably cheaper. It's possible you might be able

to adapt one of these onto a Calumet plate.

I use one with a Fujinon 65mm lens on the VX and can confirm that

once you've got the shutter in the right place, it works a treat

(though setting the aperture is still a pain).

OK,

 

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The holder and three film packets arrived from Robert White yesterday

morning (210 quid altogether including P&P - fantastic customer

service as ever) and I've spent the day trying it out.

 

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Suffice to say, I'm hooked.

 

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Firstly I would suggest that one should simply regard the film

packets as reloadable cartridges. I'm tempted to stockpile a whole

load before Fuji change their mind and make them non-reloadable!

Although it might not be how Fuji are marketing it, I see this as

basically a hugely improved two-part grafmatic. Though the holder is

360g, the cartridges themselves are very light (250g) so it's

painless to slip a couple of extras into a bag.

 

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As far as ease of reloading goes, after about an hour's playing I

found that I can unload-clean-reload the 8-shot cartridge quicker

than I can do the same things with 4xDDS. I would strongly recommend

that you sacrifice one film packet by unloading it in daylight to see

how it works - then you can use those sheets to practice reloading in

daylight before doing it for real. The mechanism is pretty

straightforward but unless you've the fingertip tactile sensitivity

of a blind person or a card-sharp, it's best to be able to see what

you're doing the first few times

 

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When you need to unload the cartridge, start by turning the film

counter to "1" using your fingernail. Then with the lights out (I've

been doing this in a Harrison Pup tent and it didn't feel cramped),

place the packet with the slide up and the handle end away from you.

Feel with your thumbnails for the two vertical grooves on the end

facing you and push down on these to release the catches - you can

now pull off the end. Provided you've reset the counter to 1, you can

also now pull out the slide (it locks on "E") and the 8 septa pop up.

Each septum has a large cut-out in the corner where the film-type

notches are - it's easy to pick up that corner of the film and just

pull it out of the septum. Don't try sliding the film out - the open

end of the film-gripping slot is quite tight - instead just slide a

finger underneath the film and it pops out easily.

 

<p>

 

Reloading's just as easy - again, it's better to bow the film

slightly and 'pop' it into the septum, rather than trying to slide it

into the grooves. The edges of the septum are textured so by running

you fingers around it's easy to feel if the film's in properly. Note

that the open end of the septum (where the film notches are) goes

back into the holder at the open end, ie away from the handle.

I know I've made all that sound complicated but like I said, even

after only one day, I find these cassettes easier to load & unload

than conventional DDS.

 

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In use, the holder's great. Solidly made and with a nice professional

feel to it. Gut feel is that the design means it holds film at least

as flat as a conventional holder - probably flatter. If you're in a

hurry, moving on to the next sheet takes about a second.

The ONLY criticism I have is that the lip which keeps the holder in

position on a sprung back isn't quite as deep as I'd like - once or

twice it popped back out again so I've got into the habit of using

the graflock grips as well. Secondly, you can't pull the dark-slide

all the way out. Some people might see that as an advantage but I

normally use the dark-slide as a lens-shade. When you pull the slide

out to reveal the next sheet, slide it back in again straight away

before taking the photo (it goes back in BEHIND the film), otherwise

it acts like a sail and blows about in the wind. Don't forget to give

it another pull-push after the shot to move that sheet to the back of

the stack.

Oh and the instructions are not much good unless you can read

Japanese but thankfully it's all so easy to figure out that you don't

need them.

 

<p>

 

Well done Fuji and thanks again Bill for letting us know about it.

I'm looking forward to trying these out in the desert next week!

 

<p>

 

Cheers,

stuart

Gavin,

 

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Top quality sashimi has been available there in Japan for ages too -

that didn't stop people over here getting really excited when it

started arriving on these shores!

 

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Yes it seems it is the same holder. But it's arrival in the west is

quite a breakthrough.

Awesome! An updated Grafmatic!

 

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Just order one from RW so should have it tomorrow.

 

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I'm off to the Middle East next week, weighed down with 12 DDS and

400 sheets of Provia. Think I'll squeeze this unit into the rucksack

and see how it performs in the desert. Will report back next month

after I get back.

Huge thanks to Bill for the tip-off.

IMHO he's using a diffuser at the printing stage (ie under the

enlarger lens) rather than on the camera.

 

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Hence the way the shadows 'bleed' into the highlight areas. An old

trick but one that can look gorgeous with the right subject matter

and especially with a high-key treatment.

Whilst, as Bob says, you can get an extra-long extension bed and

bellows for the Wista tech's, I think he'd agree that in that

configuration they cease to be a portable, convenient, bomb-proof

folding rig that can be set up in seconds and stowed away in a small

and highly portable form. On the other hand, Wista do make a

fantastic (if slightly pricey - 150 quid) extension tube which fits

on like a normal lens panel and gives you an extra 100mm or so,

without having to muck about changing the bellows/bed.

 

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Don't know anything about how you'd fit a 5x7 back to a vx/sp but I

suspect that any such modifications would, as with the extension bed,

be a bit of a compromise, like trying to use a land-rover as a racing

car. I also think you'd have trouble using your "wide to as wide as

possible lenses" with that rig.

 

<p>

 

Wista-fan though I am, this sounds more like a job for one of Mr

Canham's cameras.

I have the VX and would certainly recommend it very highly.

 

<p>

 

The saving in cost/weight re the SP might not be massive, but it's

certainly significant and as always, increasing complexity increases

the potential for things to go wrong. I've not yet had any occasion

when micro-swing was needed - don't forget you've got the normal back-

swing on either camera (though the zero detent is a bit heavy and it

would be difficult to get very small adjustments there).

Now if it were proper back-standard focusing I'd be all in favour,

but it isn't so I'm not!

 

<p>

 

 

So, I'd say go for the VX and enjoy it. I originally bought the Wista

because Toyo's were in short supply - having used it for a couple of

months and tried Toyo & Horseman equivalents, I'm now very glad that

I got the Wista instead.

 

<p>

 

Good luck.

I've just bought the Nikon M 300/9 and so far I'm very impressed.

Sharp, contrasty and wonderfully compact - smaller than most 150's

The slightly shorter flange distance means I have no trouble using it

on a Wista VX, even without the extension tubes.

In London, Silverprint are especially useful for supplies - their web-

site has some good intros to various technbiques, including my

personal favourite, Gum Bichromate.

http://www.silverprint.co.uk/index1.html

Scroll down to "Alternative Processes"

Oops - scrub the bit about Compur 0 - it's actually even smaller. The

lens panel hole is approx 26mm - is that 00 ?

Just picked up a Schneider Super-Angulon 65mm f8 (with the chrome front barrel) in a compur 0 shutter. While the comments in the archive give varying assessments of this optic, it was cheap and pristine and the small size (49mm filter thread!) suits me, so I bought it.

 

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The odd thing however is the board it was mounted on - it's a Sinar board with a cunning gizmo which looks like a shutter release for setting the aperture from behind. Furthermore, the usual white writing around the front also has "SINAR" in green.

 

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My question is, was the only difference between this and a normal SA the extra little tab to engage the aperture ring with the remote control or is there something about the design that might make it unsuitable on a normal lens-board?

 

<p>

 

Finally, I notice that alongside the "X" and "M" settings for flash synch, there's also a "V" - which appears to be a self-timer setting. Was this a common feature on older lenses?

Just as a follow up, I now have a set of Wista extension tubes

sitting on the desk in front of me. Not cheap (about 170 pounds

sterling) but well made and perfect for what I wanted. They're

lightweight, easy to fit and will allow me to use lenses up to 360mm

on my Wista VX (300mm bellows). A hell of a lot more practical in the

field than an extension bed.

 

<p>

 

FYI, the set consists of a normal wista/linhof style board with a

33mm long tube sticking out of the front (the diameter of the tube is

84mm so vignetting shouldn't be too much of a problem). Two other

tubes (each 28mm long) can be screwed onto. A special mounting plate

then screws onto the front - with all three tubes, plus the front

board, total extension is 104mm and the weight is 350g.

With just the single tube (extension = 46mm, weight = 235g) and with

a 300mm lens fitted it doesn't take up much more space in the bag

than a normally moounted lens but will let me focus to <3m.

 

<p>

 

Problem solved.

Thanks for the thoughts guys,

 

<p>

 

Perhaps I should have clarified by pointing out that it's a Wista VX -

not one of the wooden jobbies.

 

<p>

 

I've just spoken to my local LF shop ("Teamwork" in central London)

and I understand from them that Wista do indeed make an extension

lens-board - presumably just because people want to be able to use

300mm lenses on their 300mm bellows! The long bellows and extension

rails would be totally impractical in the field and a bit OTT given

that I only need a couple of centimeters extra. I'm also curious to

see whether I can reverse it for use as a w/a sunken panel.

 

<p>

 

Will report back next week once I've had a look at these extension

boards.

 

<p>

 

 

Cheers everybody,

Stuart

Bear with me folks...

 

<p>

 

I know that one can work out focusing distance from the old formula;

 

<p>

 

1/p + 1/q = 1/f

 

<p>

 

where p is bellows extension, q is lens-subject distance and f is focal length. BUT, whenever I've seen that formula quoted it's always been followed by a caveat along the lines of "for a theoretical lens of zero thickness". My question is, how important is that caveat in practical terms?

 

<p>

 

The reason I ask is that I only get 300mm of draw on my Wista bellow but I'd like to use a 300mm lens (the Nikkor M 300/9 is the one I have in mind). Don't want to muck about with extension tubes (needs to be a small, light and reasonably cheap solution) but I figured that if I could find a recessed board, maybe 30-35mm deep, and mount it in reverse then I'd be able to focus down to 3m or so - which is ample for me. However, if that formula is way out for modern lens designs or one should be measuring from the rear-element rather than the centre, then it could be an expensive mistake!

 

<p>

 

Any words of wisdom would as always be much appreciated.

Let's see if we can lose the italics...</i></i></i>. There - how's

that?

Andre,

 

<p>

 

Can't comment on belarus or ukraine cos i haven't been there, but

you'll have no probs in the three baltic states - tallinn is

practically a suburb of helsinki nowadays and latvia & lithuania are

similarly 'westernised'.

Incredibly photogenic though, especially the old centre of tallinn. I

was there a few years ago with pentax67 and large gitzo and nobody

even noticed me. (see here for the results:

http://www.flat3.co.uk/europe/pages/index_tallinn.htm )

Go in spring or autumn if you can for some incredible raking light.

For landscape buffs the woods and lakes, especially in latvia have a

special kind of magic.

 

<p>

 

Only hassle from officialdom I had on that whole trip was a two hour

delay at Polish customs because they thought I was a journalist but

that was a very minor border crossing and I think they were just

looking for some boredom-relief.

 

<p>

 

(ps. When in Vilnius, don't miss the Frank Zappa statue. Quite mad.)

 

<p>

 

pps. to get back to Arthur's original question, I've just plumped for

the Wista but haven't put it through its paces in the field yet -

will report back on that one in October.

 

<p>

 

Cheers,

Stuart

Thanks everybody - informative as ever!

 

<p>

 

The cardboard weight question isn't really an issue for me - I don't

mind heavy packs; it's getting the volume down so I can fit my bags

into buses and "service taxis" easier that I worry about. I like the

idea of being able to pick up film drops from one or two places en-

route though (and return the exposed ones) since apart from anything

else it means I won't be exposing the precious filmstock to five

weeks of heat and dust.

 

<p>

 

Ellis, I followed your suggestion and contacted Fuji (their ProNet

service is only available on your side of the pond) and they

responded straight away with the address of a supplier in Beiruit, so

I think I'll follow that option, with the FedEx route as a back-up.

 

<p>

 

Cheers chaps.

I gave up using TechPan in 35mm years ago because I'd always end up

with 36 frames on a roll that each needed slightly different

development times.

 

<p>

 

Now I'm using 5x4 I may have to go back and try again...

Thanks Mica,

 

<p>

 

I think I'll just have to take the plunge and get the quickload back

and a couple of boxes (I did have a suspicion that like Polaroids

there may be some spare air-space in those boxes) then experiment

with different containers. I did see a post recently from someone

suggesting pro-size video tape boxes with the spindle removed...

 

<p>

 

As for the roll-film back, I've got a Wista 6x7 back and will be

using that extensively for recording small details and inscriptions

(I mainly shoot Roman architecture) but I don't want to have to skimp

too much on the big shots. Since I'll be rephotographing sites which

I've previously visited with a big Pentax, I'm looking forward to

comparing the 6x7's!

As for Panoramic roll-film backs, they sure are tempting but this

trip's for a specific book project and I only need 3 specific

panoramic shots, so I reckon I'll save on the weight and just mask a

few 5x4s.

 

<p>

 

Cheers,

sw