david_l.

<p>To revisit this old post... I have sucessfully installed the Dandelion chips onto a</p>

<ul>

<li>300mm/2.8 ED-IF AIs</li>

<li>200mm/4 Micro AI</li>

<li>24mm/2.8 AIs</li>

<li>28mm/2.8 AIs</li>

<li>300mm/4.5 ED-IF AIs</li>

</ul>

<p>Programming was easy, and no metal removal was required for any of these lenses. I purchased my chips from <a href="http://www.peleng8.com/">Peleng 8</a> via his feeBay store (user: ml-gvalt). He is registered in Lithuania but ships from Belarus. I was a bit worried about this at first, but the order arrived in a reasonable amount of time. One thing to note is that the chip alignment tool Peleng 8 sells is different than the ones you see elsewhere on the web. They are half-circles of a thick plastic, not the full rings you see elsewhere. They work fine for gluing, but I would rather have the circular tool in situations where some material removal is required in order to affix the chip. That is the only reason I have hesitated on chipping my 105mm/2.5 AIs. My 50mm/1.2 AIs can not accept the chip at all; the only examples where I have seen this particular lens chipped is with a reprogrammed Nikon chip which is thinner than the Dandelion.</p>

<p>I finally gambled and purchased a chip and mounted it on my seldom-used and rather neglected 200mm/4 AI-s Micro. Works like a charm and no Dremeling needed. Make sure you purchase the Dandelion from a seller that includes the mounting guide. Because the plastic chip holder is epoxied to metal, the bond can't withstand too much torque. So you will have to be careful when mounting and removing lenses.<br>

If I may steer the direction of this old thread as it is one I did start a few months ago, lets use it to list lenses that do or do not need to be ground down to accept the Dandelion chip. So far we have:</p>

<ul>

<li>55mm/2.8 (AI/AI-s?)</li>

<li>200mm/4 Micro AI-s</li>

<li>20mm/3.5 (K/AI/AI-s?)</li>

</ul>

<p>Feel free to continue to add to this very short list.</p>

<p>I recall once hearing long ago that the sealed lead-acid batteries in the Porty or Ranger were nothing more than common motorcycle batteries. Does anyone know the style or model for replacing a dead one without spending $200 on one with the Elinchrom or Hensel label?</p>

<p>Well, so far, this post seems to have generated more questions than answers...</p>

<p>@Walter - These chips are manufactured in Russia and are being sold through some sellers on eBay as well as Leitax as an option for their lens mount conversions. Leitax will install the chip onto an adapter for a small fee (€10).</p>

<p>@Carl & Ian - I contacted Bjorn a few times in regards to the chips he mentions on his site and he said he was out. How long ago did you get yours and were they actual Nikon chips, clones, or something else like these Dandelions?</p>

<p>@Richard - Most people don't put the terms "precise handiwork" and "Rolland Elliot" in the same sentence ;) Depending on the lens, sometimes it is much more than the insertion of a pair of threads to install a chip. Many require large sections of the lens mount (chrome area) or the rear element housing (matte black area) to be removed in order to facilitate the chip. Generally, the longer the lens, the less work is required.</p>

<p>Hello all - Does anyone have any experience with the ~$35 Dandelion focusing confirmation chip as installed on a Nikon lens with a Nikon (D)SLR?<br /> http://filmprocess.ru/nikon_spec_en.htm<br /> <!--ebay item: 350356246369 --><br /> I have read of many 4/3rds, Canon EOS, and Pentax users who have purchased lens adapters with these already installed for their repsective mounts, but no Nikon users with Nikkor glass. I intend on installing the Nikon-type ones onto my library of Nikon MF lenses with the intent if having my D300 recognize the lens in the same way it reads the old Rolland Elliot CPU modifications. In fact, I think this may be superior to the R.E. mods, as the Dandelion chip can be programed with the correct aperture and focal length for each lens as opposed to the R.E. hacks which only transmitted the correct aperture.</p>

<p>So my query is to see if anyone has tried to install the Dandelion onto their AIS lens and how it is working out? Also, where would one learn and find details on where and how each lens mount needs to be cut out? Or does anyone provide the installation as a service? It would have to be an independent shop as no Nikon authorized service center is allowed to do it (I've asked around).</p>

<p>I assume there are limitations for some lenses. I consulted this Bjørn Rørslett chart detailing lens upgrade options for a service he does not seem to actually offer.<br /> http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_CPUconversion.html<br /> I would love to upgrade as many of my older Nikkors as possible and maybe even replace the R.E. installed chip in my 300/2.8 that has the CPU from a 45mm/2.8 which gets mixed up with the real 45mm/2.8 that I own when sorting in Lightroom... So any pointers?</p>

Thanks for the response but, again, I already know that the Crumpler and Domke inserts

WILL NOT work. I live a couple of subway stops from B&H, Adorama, Calumet and the

other stores in the city and I have tried them all. I won't need to "cut them down" to fit

since they are all to small to begin with. I know exactly what I want but no one I know of

seems to make it. All it need is a padded insert large enough to hold my 4x5 camera

(dimensions are in the O.P.) is that so wrong???

Thanks - but as I mentioned before I already have a bag for my 4x5 (actually a satchel, a

backpack and a lightware case.) I just need a insert or padded divider for my satchel.

I have a good-sized shoulder / messenger bag that I have been using to carry around a

Cambo Wide, a few film holders and a Polaroid back for some "street" shooting. I have

been using a shoddily made (by me) camera insert to pad the camera and accessories but

it is falling apart and I need to replace it. I don't want to replace the shoulder bag - it is

perfect for this camera kit, wide flat and weather resistant, and easy access to the camera.

But are there any padded divider systems like Crumpler or Domke that are large enough to

protect my 4x5 - as is it would have to have a pocket / divider / insert interior dimension

of 10"x8"x6" to hold just the camera and a bit of extra room in another pocket / divider /

insert for the film holders. Any suggestions that are not Crumplers (too wide) or Domkes

(to small)?

The Crumpler Bunion insert for their Wonder Weenie bag fits the Domke F2 main

compartment perfectly! I have 2 of these and I can swap from my medium format kit to my

digital kit with the simple chanfe of the insert and I keep universal accessories in the outer

pockets. I prefer the Crumpler insert to the Domke one because the Domke ones are not

padded on the bottom.

Hi -

Assuming I can do something about it since I own a camera, A friend handed me a stack of

family photos that have become damaged by exposure to the elements. They sat in a

garage and had been rained on. many of the photos in frames have fungus on the glass so

I can assume that the fungus and who knows what else, is embedded in the photo paper.

Most of the prints are RC both B&W and color but there are some older bromide and one

tintype. I planned on running them through a print washer and soaking them in a bath

containing a print hardener, but I am going to scan each photo before I do any work just in

case some of them don't make it. Any suggestions on how to wash the organisms out of

the prints? Anything else that I shold be doing to preserve these photos?

...but my original question is about the domke f-80* satchels. Do any models aside from

the f-801 have the proper piggyback clips to mount onto a domke f2?

Actually the issue is not moot. I fly a couple of times a month and try to never check my

bags, we all have had too many problems in the past. Most of us who travel regularly try to

check as little as possible - speeds up the trip quite a bit. So I keep my photo gear in a

sholder bag and the rest of my travel gear in a medium sized backpack. If my laptop bag

and camera bag are counted as 2 items then I can't carry my backpack onboard.

I have an Domke f2 that I purchased almost 20 years ago and it is still holding up.

Unfortunately my matching f-801 satchel has not lasted as well. It has been damaged

beyond resonable repair. The f-801 is sadly discontinued and the few times they pop up

on FeeBay, they sell for more than a new f-802 or f-803. I used to carry my laptop in the

f-801 and would clip it to my f2 and could get it on an airplane as one carry-on piece of

luggage (although about five years ago I was renting a camera kit that was supplied with a

f2 of a different color so the airline counted the rented Black f2 and my Navy f-801 as 2

bags and made me check my backpack.) So my question is does anyone know if the f-802

through f-805 series satchels have the piggyback clips to attach to a f2 like the f-801 did

and a follow up question - my f2 is Navy with Sand trim but the current bags are one solid

color and the Navy seems to be a different tone which might make it difficult to clear

(rather trick) the airline regs with my f2 as one bag. Is this true or are my eyes going?

Obviously I am making my own, as I don't think there are any camera grips that mount

into a tripod socket on the right side of a camera. What I am looking for is a commercially

made grip that has substantial material to modify and mount laterally (see the big camera

link below.) I could go at a chunk of wood with a lathe but that still would not solve the

problem of twisting. Any other helpful suggestions?

 

http://bigcamera.com/articles/images/173.jpg

 

 

That is what I am looking for - just for the Right hand, not the left!

Well if I was 75 years old I would be accustomed to holding a camera with my left hand

and making adjustments with my right. Most of us who aren't receiving a pension have

been raised to hold the camera's weight with their right hand and adjust with their left. I

have continually been disappointed with current LF camera manufacturers for ignoring this

fact. Especially with

a rotating/revolving back, there is no need for cameras to be awkwardly and

uncomfortably held in the left hand ( you hear me Paul Droluk?) I don't wear my trousers

backwards and shoes on my hands so why are there so many left hand grips?

Since I am not going to get a second mortgage to buy a rare and discontinued Linhof

anatomical right hand grip (I saw a beige one boxed sell for over $1200) are there any

inexpensive alternatives? I have a heavily modified Wista/Rittreck 4x5 and I have affixed a

bracket to the right side of the camera that has a tripod thread in the midpoint to give me

an anchor point to rotate the camera 90 degrees for optional movements. So if I could find

a right hand grip with a strap that wraps around the back of my hand I could rig a mount

to fit the tripod thread. I am still up in the air about the mount but what Bob Hutchinson

has done to a Cambo wide with the Bogen quick-release seems intriguing.

 

http://bigcamera.com/articles/CamboWideImproved.htm

 

But I need to find a good grip that I don't need to sell a kidney to pay for it - any advice?

Any suggestions on how to get it mounted?

this thread is nuts - I think I am going to sell my cameras and take up a less volatile hobby

like needlepoint or fly fishing!

 

On the other hand - I think this argument, which, so far, has spanned several threads, can

be

simplified; Littman comes from an era when patents and copyrights are respected, most of

us who are of the "internet generation" with our iPods filled with downloaded MP3s, are

less concerned. Littman seems to be dealing with many of the issues the entertainment

industry is. Recently, I too had a similar problem that seems to be analogous to Littman's

patent issue. As a native New Yorker, and a follower of Christo's since our first meeting in

1995 I, like millions others, went to Central park to photograph the Gates. After seeing

more cameras in one afternoon than I had seen in my whole lifetime, I desperately wanted

to get at least one shot that was somewhat unique and unlike the billions of other photos

that had been taken of the gates thus far. After a couple of days I found my spot, my

subject, my angle, and the isolation that I wanted and within 5 minutes of my setting my

8x10 up, at least 30 tourists crept up alongside and behind me, cameras snapping away.

It reminded me of a game we used to play in college. One of us would look and continue

staring at something without saying a word and within a set time frame, the rest of us

would count how many other people looked and we would compete who could fool the

most people. Mr. Littman you can patent and copyright products, techniques, and

information but as my example above shows, there is no realistic protection of a good

idea.

Actually Bob, we all need verification. Every time you copy digital data small errors are

generated. After several generations errors could corrupt your data and render it

unreadable. That is why your CD/DVD burner or data backup software runs a verification

before finishing a copy. Dumping a 2 or 4 GB card is guranteed to generate an error or two

and applying murphy's law, it is sure to reveal itself in the most important photo on the

card. I have been using DSLRs since the mid-90's and have had many files damaged or

corrupted.True file verification - while time consuming helps prevent data loss during

backup.

 

Secondly, I'm typing this on a Mac that is running OSX installed on an external RAID. I have

duplicate copies of my system on internal and external drives to prevent any slow downs

in oeration due to system problems. Saves me an expensive trip to a computer repair

service who will do the exact same thing with a broken computer (boot from a external

drive.) On the road, a second drive, such as a 2.5" hard drive in external case is a necessity

for laptop users who are doing more than emailing and web browsing. There are a

plethora of devices out there that are designed for flash card backup that have 2.5" or 1.8"

drives inside but slower USB 1.1 or 2.0 interfaces (yes USB 2.0 throughput capability is

higher than firewire but in real world application firewire 400/800 is consisrent, faster,

and more stable - ever use an external USB 2.0 burner, got coasters?) I only costs a few

cents more to license firewire so has anybody done so?

I am looking for an accessory that will allow me to dump my flash cards on the road with

file copy verification (not just file name check) and can act as an emergency boot drive for

my Mac - thus the firewire interface requirement. I was on the edge with the CompactDrive

PD7X but lack of a voltage regulator, firewire, and verifiaction put this out of the loop. The

Belkin and newly released Apple plug for the iPod seems interesting but they do not verify

files and the iPod is not bootable. I heard the Mindstor devices have a firewire interface

(anybody boot OSX off this drive?) but has serious reliability problems and the company is

out of business to boot. Any advice or device that I have missed?

Thanks Ronald for getting the essence of my question. I actually have been using a directors finder swatch - several steel plates on a ring. They have different aspect ratios and a guide to estimate focal length by distance from frame to eye. I have been using this but it is getting tedious and clunky. From the above responses I seem to be able to eliminate 16mm and 22mm focal lengths so I still have 17-21mm to choose from. The main issue is what manufacturered viewfinder (like the Voigtlander 21mm) will produce as close to full frame? I am not concerned with getting 100% - we don't get that with our 35mm, digital, nor medium format gear, so I am not expecting it with LF. We all are accustomed to knowing that what we see through a SLR or TLR viewfinder is not what will be recorded on the film/sensor, but, simply put, which viewfinder will give me the best approximation of what I will be shooting on film? I came into this trying to choose between a new Voigtlander/Cosina 15mm or 21mm finder, and now I think I can eliminate the 15mm. But the 21mm might not be wide enough. So I will repose the question again which finder will work aside from the overpriced ($650 + mask) Cambo?

This question has been posed several times but each time seems to

produce different answers. I am aware of the differences in aspect

ration and useable film area but I am trying to match a viewfinder to

my 65mm Rodenstock. I have seen ratios from 1:2.8 all the way up to

1:4 which means that I would need a 35mm viewfinder anywhere from 16mm

to 22mm. That is a broad range... Does anyone know of an inexpensive

viewfinder I could use to correctly match with my 65mm lens? I had

been nlooking at a Cosina-Voigtlander 21mm but if 65mm(4x5)=16mm(135)

then this is useless. Any help?

Paul -

Your photoman cameras seem very interseting. I will be messaging you for more info. They seem to be reasonably priced atlernatives to panoramic Fuji, Linhof, Horseman etc. and 4x5 handhelds. I have always been frustrated as to the exorbitant costs of these types of cameras because the users are generally "luxury hobbyists." Even the old excuse that the helicoids are expensive to have custom made is rubbish since Schneider is selling these to the consumer market for around $300 a pop. I'm glad your company isn't taking advantage of this market and I could see your product taking on the "big boys" like Cosina/Voigtlander did with "luxury" 35mm RFs.

Extensis Portfolio. New version just came out... I have used it for years. Will create a disc image with it's own stand-alone browser.

I think the post referencing CDs and MP3 players sums it up perfectly (somewhat unbeknowst to the poster.) You don't have to be an audiophile to hear the differences between a CD track and an MP3 copy of the same track. The quality is reduced to an "acceptable" degree for the sake of "convinece"; carry your library of CDs (or rather downoladed and stolen files) in your pocket! I think convienence will become a priority of digital camera manufacturers over quality. The hipsters don't fuss that there is a limited audio spectrum to the files on their iPods, so why should the photogs fuss over a limited visual spectrum? (gotta love digital reds...)

 

 

The main change on the horizon of digital technology is convergence. People are getting tired of buying a digital camera, a computer, a portable hard drive, a cell pgone and a PDA. Albeit manufacturers are making more money by selling these devices seperately, consumer demand is increasingly putting pressure for consolidation. The device I am waiting for is the PDA/phone with a hard drive that can play MP3 and MPEG4 video with expandibility for WAV/MP3 recording and flash card downoading. The technology has been available for quite some time; in fact I have seen some Windows CE devices hacked to utilize PCMCIA hard drives like are in iPods. See the iPod Photo yet? One step closer...

I was browsing through e-blah and came across an auction for a Linhof

Technar. I wan't familiar with this camera but it seems to be a

currently produced model similar to a Cambo Wide, essentially a

wide-angle lens in a helicoid and a body with no bellows. I'm not

going to link the auction but if you search for "Linhof 4x5 TECHNAR +

75mm Super Angulon" you'll find it. I haven't seen this camera for

sale new and I know that Linhofs are kind of pricey, but is there a

reason that a used model is selling for over $1,000,000? Or is this a

joke?

 

A postscript - are there any US dealers stocking this camera?

 

Thanks