robbiebedell

Alexander, This is a shame. In which city did it occur? Miracles do happen..

Peter. If you want a front element for your Elmar go to John Van Stelton. he put a new element in my old Elmar a few years ago and it became a new lens..I don't know if he still does this. His work is excellent.Robbie

John, If that was the Apeiron Workshop in Millerton, N.Y., in 1972, we were in the same class. Alex was my room-mate. Bruce Davidson was the keynote teacher and he left to work on a film and Charles Harbutt took his place. If that is the workshop I may have negatives of you. That sure was a different time. Let me know. Robbie Bedell

Paul, All aside, may I ask this because I am going to New York in June? Is there a problem with taking photographs inside the Met? Many museums today will not permit photography. It would be nice to know I might go there and take photos without breaking any rules. Thank you for your posting. Taking pictures for the fun of it is one of the great pleasures of photography. Sometimes it just gets too serious. Robbie

Hello Nels, When I graduated from Loyola University in New orleans in 1972 I made my way to a workshop in Millerton, N.Y. I flew to NY, took a very scary subway ride, got lost, finaly got to the Port Authority (more scary in those days) and took a bus. I ended up hitchiking the final way to the Apeiron Workshops. Bruce Davidson was the teacher and I was in complete awe of who was going to be the teacher. As it turned out, Alex Webb was my room-mate. He was a very serious undergraduate from Harvard at the time. Everything then was Tri X. I have watched his grand success. I have always admired, in this world of "commercial" journalism, how his exquisite personal vision has defined his work. He once wrote that the "journalism gets me there." It is what he has gotten after he is "there" is what we see. I think That's great...Robbie

Hello Scott, I have a Wisner Technical Field also. The screen that comes with the camera does have "clear" lines for the grid. But when you look through the camera at a subject the "clear" lines become black. They are not wearing off. I found the glass that came with the camera to be too dark for me and I invested in a Beattie screen and it has served me very well. I understand the Maxwell screen is even brighter, but I have not seen one. The stainless springs should be tight. If they seem to be too tight try putting a wax on the outside of your film holders something like Pledge, just a touch where the holder rubs against the camera. Then put some on the inside where the holders slide, just a little. Wood loves Pledge, it will not hurt it. I can hear people scream at this, but I have done it with my Crown Graphic and Wisner and you would be surprised how easily the holders slide into place, just use a little wax, too much could be a bad thing. But that tightness is a good thing, it holds your film tightly and that's what you want. As I understand it Ron Wisner found special spring steel for this and he did a good thing there. I Love my Wisner.

Robert, I have one but I have no idea what it is worth, Robbie . Does anyone have any suggestions?

Manoj, I had a Harrison Pup Tent and I liked it and used it for about seven years, then it self-destructed. I never subjected it to too much heat nor too much cold. It just melted into a mass of goo. I sent it to Harrison and explained the problem to them and they told me they were aware of it and were trying to determine the cause and that I could buy new one from them for $200 since the warrenty had run out. I will never buy another Harrison tent. Calumet sells one for a fraction of the cost....

Today I got a used Digilux 2. When I turn it on the image in the viewfinder

looks like a scene someone might see if on LSD (for those who remember). I got

a new memory card thinking that might do something but it did not. The image

looks like the histogram, very long and narrow in the vertical with stange

colors. The lens zooms in and out with the same distortion. Has anyone ever

seen this? I read the manual front to back. I have not yet paid for this

camera so there is hope. Thank you all in advance...Robbie Bedell

On a recent post I read that someone had Fred Lustig put a 4x5 back on a 3x4

Graflex. My R.B. Super D has the old 3x4 Graflex film holder back and it

drives me crazy because I cannot find any film holders for it. I have only one

film holder. My question is: It is really possible to put a revolving 4x5 back

on my camera and about how much would this cost? This camera is in "like new"

condition (1964) and if I can't put a 4x5 back on it I will sell it. I realize

I would not get the "full" 4x5 inches on the negative, that's OK. Thank you to

all..Robbie Bedell

Peter, That is what mine is, a 3 1/4 x 4 1/4.

Hi Peter, I have a nearly new 3x4 Graflex RB Super D and it measures: 6 1/2 in. long, 7 in. high and 5 1/2 thick. Mine has a 152mm 4.5 Ektar and it is a beauty. I don't use it as much as I should. Let me know how you like yours...Good luck..Robbie Bedell

David, In my experience for black and white the "rigid" summicron in good condition is the best, followed by a good collapsible. The collapsible is hard to find in good condtion. My first Leica lens was a "rigid" and because it was my first I did not know how good it was compared to the others (for B&W). I traded it a couple of years ago for a much newer "tabbed" version which was a very fine lens but, for me, too contrasty. I've been kicking myself for losing my rigid. I print negatives today that I made in the 70s and they astonish me in their quality. I now have a collapsible that I had re-coated and it is just as good, but not as nice ergonomicaly. If you have any questions please feel free to email me. Robbie Bedell

Hello, I have an 80mm 2.8 N lens for my Mamiya 645 which has seen very little

use and, I think, is a great lens. However, twice now, the lens has broken on

me with, I must say, disasterous results. Both times during paid jobs the lens

aperture ceased automatically stopping down (without me knowing it)resulting,

of course, in very overexposed photos with very short depth of field. I had

one dealer tell me this is "very common." Has anyone else had this experience?

Thank You to all who respond..Robbie Bedell

Hello Jason, I would look at Manfred Schmidt in Chicago. I think he is at www.manfredschmidt.com if I have spelled that correctly. He has lots of Rollei things and I know he insists on quality. Good luck..Robbie

Ronald. With all respect it is debatable because I am going to debate you on this, which I really do not enjoy. But, again with respect, I would like to ask: Why would Leitz make a lens, the 4.5 Focotar, which new I beleive was about $600, only be good for a 5x7 print and then start to fall off at 8x10? I just made a 16x20 with mine, cropped at that, which stuns me in the sense that the last time I printed the image was with a new Componon-S and the new print, with the Focotar exceeds it!. A number of times, in newspaper darkrooms in which I have worked we turned the enlarger heads around an printed to the floor (all B+W). Yes, the prints were very grainy but they were the sharpest grain we ever saw. As I said in my earlier post, all of the afore said lenses are great. The subject IS debatable. I think the Focotar 2 was made for color. What is a World Class lens anyway?

Timo, I'm sorry. I meant at the end of my post for you to make a print of that enlarged negative and then decide!!

Timo, You got it for free. What I would do is spend the 40 or so dollars to clean it and then I would use it, that is for black and white (for which I assume you would be using it). I have used the Nikkor, Componon S, and 40mm Focotar ALOT. I have not used the Focotar 2, but a famous camera dealer from New York who has a German accent told me one day over a few beers that the difference between the first Focotar and the Focotar 2 is "Debatable". To me the original is the one. I use it and it is the best there is (for me). It shows the tonal range of Leica lenses the best. I have it on my old Focomat 1. The thing is, all of these lenses are great. It comes down to what you like. If you want to sell the lens, you might get $80 to $100 for it. Before you sell it, enlarge a negative as much as you can, a cropped 11x14 or even 16x20 and look at the grain. It is separate than the others in this respect. Best of luck, Robbie

Cam anyone recommend a lab that does dependable 4x5 film processing in

Florida. I am in in West Palm Beach and over the last few years all of the

labs that did this here have closed. If you know one please let me know and I

thank you in advance..Robbie

Can someone tell me the diference between Tri X 320 an 400. I have used TriX

for many years and now I am using it in 35. 120 and 4x5 and I am getting very

confused.

Thanks Robert!. I just checked and the pins do not readily go into the littles holes on the camera. With a little playing with the pins do go in and that seems to make the whole unit more solid.

I have been using a Rolleiflex E and I am loving the negatives it makes. I

have had no problem with leaks, but last weekend I used a pistol grip (rollei)

and the last few frames of the film I shot with this had a band of light leak ,

worse on the last frame and less on the frame or two preceeding it. I KNOW

this is from the grip. I don't need it and I will probably never use it

again. I am just wondering if anyone has ever experienced the same. I think

the grip bends the back or something. Thank you in advance for respose...Robbie

Ganesh, I had a Harrison 4x5 Pup Tent that I used for about seven years (I bought it new). It was always kept in its bag and I did not use it that much, maybe a dozen times per year. I live in Florida but the tent was never subjected to sunlight or heat and was stored in an air-conditioned space. One day I took it out of the bag and all of the plastic had just melted into a black oozing goo. Totally unusable. I sent it back to Harrison and they told me they could not determine what had happened but I was welcome to buy a new one for $200 or so. Needless to say I will buy my next tent from another manufacturer. If I had been out on a job I would have been out of luck..Robbie Bedell

Jeffery, I would call Ken Hansen in New York. He is a Leica dealer with the most experience, in my opinion, and has been selling for many, many years. Call him at 212-879-3263. Best of luck..Robbie

Ron, I have a Focomat 1, which I have been informed is from the 1930s. It has the long column. With my first version Focotar I need the extension rings and think you will also or it just will not come into focus. Mine are the Leitz rings (There are two) but there are others. The info is on the net. Even though mine is very old, I love using it. It is exteremely solid and gives me better prints than the V-35s and 40mm Focotars that I used daily for many years as a news photographer, all black and white.