rude boy

Where did you get an M42-Maxxum adapter???

I swear by small Pelican cases. In-freaking-destructible.

An M3 double stroke, yes, double stroke by choice, with only a small amount of vulcanite missing and covered by liquid electrical tape, a canon 1.8 single coated lens, a canon 135 mint with viewfinder, 6 LTM to M mount adapter rings, a vidom finder, and a metal lunchbox for under $800. The M3 and canon 1.8 was only $500.

Shouldn't the ability to do wireless ratio be in the firmware?

Mary,

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Really, your responses are great, and I didn't mention VA and MD. The artistic community in MD and VA, VA especially, is incredibly warm, welcoming, and open. I'm sure there are more wonderful, helpful photographers such as yourself in the DC area. Personally, I was just giving warning that there is a class system among artists and photographers, especially in the DC area, and a lot of photographers consider themselves in the upper echelon of these groups. It might have been a bit harsh, but in my experience, its always good to know the downside of something before you go into it, especially a business venture. Armed with the knowledge, a painful experience can be avoided. Also, congrats on having clients "gush" about you, always a good thing, and it's always fantastic to hear about it, and have it come back to you. Both of you, Vince and Mary, best of luck to you!

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Lucky

I hope you haven't found this already, although its an obvious source:

 

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/konicaminolta7d/page19.asp

 

Although an excellent series of tests, does nothing to answer the question regarding long lenses.

 

I am out of town at the moment, sans long lenses. I can always do a test for you when I get back in town.

Just show up at people's weddings. That's always a GREAT idea.

Well, from experience, good luck. Good photographers in DC are very guarded. Some offer "internships" only. And most of those are committed full time jobs, that don't pay. I am thinking of one person in particular, who shall go unnamed, but who equates an internship with him to a college degree.

Now, that being said, what part of DC and what market are you looking to break into? Thats another thing to consider. There are different classes of photographers in DC. I know, it sounds aweful, but the art world in DC is very snobby, and not open to new artists that aren't already established somewhere else.

And before anyone suggests it, no, I am not a scorned photographer, or bitter. Actually, I had an excellent experience in DC, working for many voting organizations and a few senators/state reps.

An idea if you live in the DC area is to get your name out there. WPACONLINE.org Its the Washington Project for the Arts/Corcoran. It's a non-prof that has been promoting artists in the DC Metro area for at least 15 years, probably more.

Pickup a copy of the Artist's Directory. Yes, I'm in there. Or at least, I was in the 2005 edition. Anyway, its a large directory of artists, photographers included. I used to work for WPAC, and can tell you that most people in the directory are very friendly people. It usually has a phone number, studio address, website, some way to contact the photographer.

Teribly sorry if that sounded like a giant plug for the WPAC, but it helped me out a lot there, and helped a lot of people I know in finding connections in DC.

That being said, cold call photographers. It can't hurt. And good luck.

 

-Lucky

How far away are you that it needs to be wireless? You know, of course, that the VF has a nonCord mode, where you press the button on the meter, you can then test fire the flash, and get a reading. If you're using a model, have them hold it for you, and then test fire the flash. If you're doing still life, well, the CF has a tripod socket. Put it on a small pocket tripod, change it to non cord mode, press the fire button on the meter, set it at whatever you're photographing, and test fire the camera. It sounds like a lot when typed out, but it only akes a few seconds in reality. Other than that, I fear you may be in dire straights as far as keeping the cost down, seeing as you're working with a 283. Good luck.

Thanks. It was the older series of lenses that I was concerned with, not the new ones. I have an opportunity to get a mid 80'sish 150 sonnar for around $300 in good condition. I think I'll probably get it. I was just wondering how it compared optically to the CFE and CFi, etc. Thanks!

Is there any resource out there that compares the different series

of Hasselblad Lenses like the Rokkor Files does? I can barely find

any information on the lenses, like no of f/ blades, elements,

groups, etc. Anyone?

OUt of curiosity, how does it do for portrait work straight on, not bounced. I've seen a lot of these panels on ebay and online, but I've never seen a portrait done straight on, at about 3' (what I consider average distance) with the flash facing the person. Any chance of getting one?

Simple. Find a small one man tent, use the frame. Find it used if you can, or at a thrift store. OR, wal mart has them really cheap. Then, use the nylon included to make a pattern for the new tent. Get white ripstop nylon, and using a sewing machine, create a new skeleton, making sure to leave a hole one one side, about a 45 degree angle from the center for the camera. It sounds like a lot of work, but, it's a lot easier and cheaper than buying one that size, and, you'll have it forever, so it's not like a one shot deal. If you have a spouse or friend who is handy with a sewing machine, it makes it even easier. I built mine for under $100, and it's big enough to fit a child's bike in.

E-mail minolta. Print it out, take it to the shop. Have him CALL minolta, prove him wrong. If you really need a better picture, ask him what he wants, and I'll take one for you.

wait, i screwed that up. sorry! that hood may work, but there's still a chance of vignetting. it's 5 am and i have yet to go to bed. blame it on that. oops.

actually, this question has been covered before. people have tried several hoods, and the only one that has effectively covered with no vignetting is the hama 72mm 24mm-210mm hood <p>

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=90022&is=REG </P>

also, to note, if you're going to use a circular polarizer, it's gotta be the SLIM version. i think hama may be the only one to make a slim circular polarizer in the filter size, but i'm probably wrong. hope this helps.

So I'm shooting with the Minolta 16II, and I want to put an

accessory viewfinder on the accessory shoe. Does anyone know the

angle of view of the lens, or even better what it would be

equivalent to in 35mm in order to choose a viewfinder? Thanks!

Well, considering that they have only one digital DSLR, I doubt it. Nikon has several DSLR's and a lot more digital cameras than Minolta, and that doesn't seem to be slowing them down. Considering the 7 is Minolta's reasonably priced, feature packed professional SLR that has an amazing amount of features, I doubt they will stop production on it. IF they did, they'd be committing suicide, as those wishing to move to s apro SLR from another Minolta have no where to go other than the 9. Forget buying the 7 at a shop in Brisbane, and look at getting one used online or at B+H, I believe they ship to Australia, and have a LOT better customer support than Adorama. Though, I haven't dealt with Adorama in a year, so they might have improved. Either way, you'll probably find it a lot cheaper online than any store. Oh, and enjoy the move, the 7 is a photog's dream, IMO. Enjoy.

Well, i've gotten laughs upon it being seen, but I've mounted the 300mm Minolta G series on it before. I've got the 300/4 but the 300/2=.8 is the same size. I have the 7 now, but when I had the 5, it did quite well with the 300. The focusing is quite fast, and couple that with the 4fps and I was able to capture some great sports images. AMAZING lens. If you're lucky, you can pick up a used one for around $500 on ebay. Oh, yah, the glass, phenominal. I've made some 20x24's with 200, that you couldn't see any grain on.

You can find a used 3600HS on ebay relatively cheap. Actually, if you're lucky, under $100. And to be honest, you're not going to find a comparable flash for cheaper. Minolta has their own hot shoe for a reason, they make their own flashes. Save up, get the good flash. I've used mine for years, and it's served me very well. But alas, I am ready to upgrade to the 5600HS. Also, there's the 3600HS (D), which is lovely, and actually the one i own. I hope I didn't sound too harsh in my recommendation, and I'm sure someone will come along and have a better suggestion, but since no one has posted, thought I would.

To be honest, it's the perfect camera to use with accessory rangefinders, especially the Voigtlander 12mm and 15mm. I'm dyin to get my hands on one on the cheap.

Well, so far, shot at 200ISO, outside, I've got a time of 3 minutes, 45 seconds. which seems to be pretty darn consistent.

Those pictures are in paris, aren't they? Try shooting a few pictures without the lens hood. I've got the 7, and that lens, with no issues. Do you have another body you could try the lens on? Also, if you've only shot two rolls, definatly try another. Like I said, if it's not the original hood, that could pose a problem. That's all I can figure. Good luck.

3 Answers:

1. F#@k canned air. Best way to ruin negatives. Tilt in the wrong direction, and you'll find yourself one way screwd to friday. Good luck getting the neg to be perfect again, without rewashing.

2. Static brush, good. If you're getting only a few chunks of dirt, and you can see where the are, get a Kinetronics SPECGRABBER. It's meant for CCD's on DSLR's, but honestly, is AMAZING in the darkroom.

3. Remember the record cleaners from the 1970's? They came with the antistatic guns. Now, let's revue, what did they do for the records? They got rid of the static, to get rid of the dust. Try it on your negative, you'll be amazed. But that's a little secret of mine. So, keep it between you and me ;-)

Good luck.

I've owned a line of Minolta Cameras. I've been shooting since I was 8, and am currently using a 7 and an old 16II. At any rate. If you don't mind the small size, which i LOVED, go for the 5. It has basically all the features of an N90, save for a few small things, and is actually better in some aspects, such as AF. I wouldn't go with the 4, then you get to consumer level, and less features. Not that 5 isn't consumer based, but I digress. The 7. Well, go for it. Save the extra money, and go for it. I'm broke as shit, didn't matter, I found a deal on the 7, and took it. I've never been happier. I bought the 5 when it first came out, and wanted the 7 from the moment I bought it. Don't settle, you'll want the 7. That is, unless you ultimately want to go digital. At which point, don't buy the 7, and wait for the DSLR. But the 7, amazing. The weight is perfect, the feel is perfect, and the layout of the controls may be the most intuitive and genius on a camera, ever. The AF, AMAZING. I've got a 300/f4, and it's astounding how fast the autofocus is. That itty bitty little 1.7, you'll be blown away. So, if you're going to stick with film for a few years, go for the 7, you won't regret it. If you plan on buying digital, well, you might as well just wait for the new body in the fall. But nonetheless, if you really can't afford the 7, definately go for the 5. I may have got some laughs from other photojournalists, but when they saw how fast that itty bitty little camera focused a 300mm lens, their mouths went shut. Hope this helps.