e_n

Hey everyone,

I currently have the 488 Rc2 Bogen head

(http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=272779&is=REG)

and it has a 3/8"-16 thread for my canon 10d.

Will the adapter plate listed under the accesories 1/4"-20 be what I

need to use this w/ the 500cm?

Thanks,

-Eric

Hey everyone,

I am reading The Negative by Ansel Adams so I can better expose my

landscapes for B/W MF prints. In it he talks about getting a meter

reading of 10 and placing that on Zone V. Therefore a metering reading

of 11 is Zone VI and a meter reading of 9 is Zone IV. First off, what

meters give readings of 1,2,3,4,5,6,....? I'm a studio/portrait guy

and only use incident meters and it gives me stops and shutter speeds.

So, using my incident meter and the Zone system let's say I go to

White Sands Nat'l Park. I put my incident meter on the ground facing

up at the sun and get f8. Does that mean the sand would be Zone V at

f8 so if I want it to come out as the white it is I should open up to

5.6 (Zone VI) or 2.4(ZoneVII). I'm guessing I should stay at Zone VI

since any more would put the sky at Zone VIII or IX which would be

pushing it.

Also, do I need a spot meter when doing landscape? I don't see how I

can get a reading w/ an incident light meter of a mt. range a mile away.

With a spot meter I would think it would be wise to say, "ok, what is

the darkest shadow I want to have detail in." I would meter that and

then open up 3 stops so that the shadow I metered would be in Zone II.

Am I getting all this correct?

Thanks for any help,

-Eric Nordquist

ericnordquist.com

I agree that viewing the negatives could make for a difficult selection, but would I need a whole darkroom to make contact sheets? Aside from the chemicals, trays, measure, etc. already mentioned, what else would I need to make contact sheets?

Would I then be able to send the negatives to the lab circling the ones I wanted either a scan of or print until I have a house w/ a darkroom to develop my own?

Hey everyone,

I have learned photography using digital only (ericnordquist.com) I

have recently begun playing with a Holga and have a used Hassy 500c on

the way. I have a few rolls of cheap 120 b/w and color stuff shot with

the holga and I will soon have some T-max shot w/ the Hassy. I

currently use H&H to do all my digital prints, but for them to process

the 120 and give me images on cd we are looking at approx. $1 per

image. What are my other options? Can I process the images at home and

view the negatives on a lightboard and then send them certain

negatives for scanning? I would eventually like to set up a darkroom,

but I'm in temp. housing for another year so that won't do.

Please suggest anything and keep the tech talk simple since I'm a

newbie to film (although I thought this would look better in a nice

120 on t-max then my 10d: http://www.ericnordquist.com/cc/white_sands.jpg)

Thanks,

-Eric Nordquist

ericnordquist.com

Thank you all for your responses.

Benjamin...I went to the library and checked-out The Camera, The Negative, and the Print.

Thanks for the suggestions,

-Eric

ericnordquist.com

Don,

I just picked up a 500cm used for a good price, but I'm keeping my 10d. I haven't received it yet, but I just wanted to show that you aren't the only one. I plan to use the Hassy for fine art B/W..

Andreas... can you expand on why a darkroom is a must? I've never even been in a darkroom, but I am thinking of taking a class at the local Community College.

Eric

ericnordquist.com

Thank you Maureen for the links.

Benjamin, I'm a Digital Studio Photog so I have no idea about Zone V or IV or developing n+1. I will start researching. I was hoping to get something on what to spot meter through the camera, or how to take a handheld reading of the sand and close 1 stop...etc.

Or, how would you have approached that scene with your MF in hand to get a good exposure?

Hey everyone,

I usually focus on studio photography (ericnordquist.com), but I

recently ventured to White Sands Nat'l Park. I had a had time getting

correct exposures since it is so much harder then controlled studio

lighting. I used a 10d, so it wasn't a big problem, but I am waiting

on a Medium Format camera to arrive so I need to learn to nail my

exposures. I've attached to images and would like your opinion on how

you would have metered the scenes:

1. http://www.ericnordquist.com/cc/light.jpg

1/250 f8 iso 400. Exposure was taken by a handheld Sekonic meter that

I put down by the sand.

2. http://www.ericnordquist.com/cc/dark.jpg

1/2000 f8 iso 400. Exposure taken using metering in camera pointed at sky.

I would like to get the sand bright, but the sky dark. Is this possible?

P.S. Image I enjoed http://www.ericnordquist.com/cc/white_sands.jpg

Hey everyone,

I've learned photography using all digital equipment. I'm currently

shooting w/ a Canon 10d (ericnordquist.com) and enjoy the camera. I

would like to get into fine art black and white studio photography and

find that this is the area digital is lacking. I have a buddy willing

to sell me a Hasselblad 500cm w/ 120 macro cf, 80mm c, 120 back,

polaroid back, waist level finder, and shade for $1k. Is this a good

deal?

Also, is this camera good for loading Tri-X and shooting studio work,

or is the Mamiya RZ better?

Thanks for any comments or opinions,

-Eric

ericnordquist.com

Right now I have an Elan IIe and a ScanWit (BenQ) 2740S scanner.

What would I lose if I were to sell the Elan IIe and the scanner and

get a D1. Right now it seems like an extra amount of work to scan in

slides and the images aren't the same as the slides anyways. Is the

quality poorer on a D1? Can it do B&W?

What disadvantages are there to going strictly digital and never

touching film again?

Hey everyone,

So I used your ideas for my converted "bedroom to studio" and hung

some black fabric across the back wall.

I was armed w/ my elan IIe, my 50mm 1.8, B&W film, and the two

lights that we had in the corner of our living room. I setup

the "circle" where I was at top, subject at bottom, and lights at

approx. 45 deg. The lights I speak of are the ones for normal home

use that have three 60w lights with hoods on a stand. I aimed all 6

lights at my subject and began shooting. I also expiremented some

with the overhead room light on as well as my sigma EF-500 Super

flash.

The shots with just the 6 lights turned out ok, the black backdrop

has no texture at all and the subject is lit ok. When I used the

flash you could see through the backdrop to the wall, and the

subject was white as a ghost.

My question is what kind of lights should I buy when I want to make

this look better? Due to the result w/ the flash I guess the strobes

are not a good idea, because they would only do what the flash did

plus more, right? I also plan on getting a 80 or 105 lens, but the

lighting is what I'm wondering about.

Attached is an example of shot w/ just the 6 60w lights.

Thanks

-Eric<div></div>

I just received my Elan IIe and was playing around with the depth of

field preview. I was curious as to what it should show me. I have a

50mm 1.8 on the body, and all it appears to do is darken everything.

Nothing changes focus, or blurs away no matter what f-stop I'm at.

All it does is get darker or lighter. I know that this isn't how the

image turns out, so what does the DOF preview show me?

First, thanks go out to everyone for the great site and informative

articles.

I've decided on a used Elan IIE for my beginner SLR. I was going to

get a new 7E, but I've learned that the money saved is better used

on tripod and lenses. That is where my first question starts.

The "building SLR" article says the Bogen 3021 is a good set of

legs. This is fine and I can go with that. I do have a problem with

the cost of the recommended ARCA Swiss B1 for a ballhead. I can't

afford that. What is a good ballhead that a beginner can learn and

grow a little with?

Second, the article says a beginner may be best to start with B&W

film since the labs can change the exposure on color prints. Does

this mean that a lab processed B&W role will not be tampered with at

all? Is that why he recommends it? What brand of B&W should I go

with, and do I just me a few rolls at all speeds to start with?

Thanks for all the help. I am so excited and plan on ordering online

to support photo.net next weekend :)

I had a Canon Rebel 4 years back that I had to sell. I never had any

formal training, but I loved photography. I'm going to get back into

it and was wondering what camera you would recommend. Should I just

stick w/ the Rebel again, or will I outgrow it quickly? Also, I was

going to go to the Nikon class, do I need a Nikon camera? Is the

class worth it?

Thanks for any help!

-Eric