bill_laidley

A correction about whether the calculator is only used for depth of field.

 

The calculator is designed to assist with tilts, swings and depth of field. As I recall the

recommended process is to zero everything; focus of the far object; zero the ring; focus on

the near object; the ring will suggest the amount of tilt/swing required. Once you are

finished with tilts & swings it is used to calculate the required depth of field and to specify a

focusing point.

 

The concept and implementation was a work of genius on the part of Sinar.

I've used Anthony's Versaprint paper developer and ArtFix chemicals, have one of his big tripods, and have purchased photographic paper from him. I've been quite happy with everything I've bought from him.

 

My sense is that he doesn't just look for something to sell - he actually uses this stuff - and if it doesn't meet his personal standards he doesn't sell it. Not like most camera/photographic stores these days...

 

When I contacted him with questions about his tripods we talked for some time about the cameras I'd be using with it (8X10 Sinar and Kodak MasterView), he made sure that I understood that it was big and heavy (and rock solid). It isn't something I'd try carrying up the side of a mountain, but if I did I know I could rely on it. I trust Anthony as a supplier.

 

Bill

Really guys - Ontario ain't that bad photographically. The area I know best is around Peterborough (90 miles NE of Toronto). Rolling hills, farms, forests, old houses, old barns, old dams, old river locks, rivers, lakes, ponds, rock outcroppings. No mountains. I spent 3 weeks photographing in the area last August (5x7 B&W) - there was no shortage of subjects.

 

The big difference between Ontario and a place like Yosemite is that Ontario looks like someone has lived there. That may or may not turn your crank.

I'm getting light leaks on a 500EL I just purchased. I'll talk to the

vendor tomorrow - but it would help if I had a sense of what it will

cost to replace the light seals on a 12 magazine.

 

Thanks.

 

Bill

"new Canadian AZO"...

 

Production of AZO has been moved to one of Kodak's Canadian factories. The product is similar, but not quite identical to the "old" AZO manufactured in the US.

Does anyone have reciprocity numbers for Classic 200?

 

Thanks.

The focus on SPAM is good, but a more important question is how do they get your email address. Unfortunately the default configuration for most versions of Windows operating systems and web browsers is to have security disabled. You can test your system by going to the GRC.COM web site and following the links to 'Shields Up!'. This site - developed by Steve Gibson - tests your system using the same techniques available to hackers/spam artists/etc and provides you with details of what is available. It also shows you how to close the doors.

 

The process of re-configuring your system to be more secure is not simple and takes several hours - but it is worthwhile. On average I receive about 1 piece of SPAM a day.

 

It is also worthwhile to review the settings in your web browser and email packages (I'm not aware of any sites providing instructions and recommendations on secure settings). Perhaps the most important thing to do with Internet Explorer is to disable ActiveX - which is the source of most IE security alerts. My approach was to disable pretty much everything, use the software and watch to see what failed - if it looked like functionality I needed I'd re-enable a single function in the security settings.

Thanks Tracy - that makes sense. I've been trying to figure out where the blue came from, the anti-halation coating seems likely.

 

On a related, but different note... any news on whether Polaroid will be releasing an 8x10 T55? There have been rumours, and more rumours, and more rumours...

Last night the T55 negatives I was shooting developed blotchy blue

stain in the wash step. After exposure I put them in a PermaWash

solution, then washed them in water at the end. I've never seen

anything like the blus stain - it even coloured (temporarily) the tips

of my fingers.

 

I'm thinking that I might re-wet the negatives and put them in fix for

2 to 3 minutes to see if that clears the stain.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks.

Stewart;

 

Annie and Kevin put together a pretty good list. I could probably add to it, but first I need to know what you like to photograph. The odds are that you'll find something within an hour drive from the downtown that interests you. I think you could probably even take a helicopter ride to the top of some local mountains (places like the Garibaldi Glacier). The snow has started to melt off the peaks, but there is still lots left.

 

On the other side of Vancouver Island (and a little further afield) is Long Beach - definitely a spot worth checking out - particularly just before or after bad weather.

 

Bill

A few years ago I had an opportunity to chat with a fellow that made some training videos for the local airport. He said that after watching the sorting machinery in action he would never ever check another bag.

 

The bags get scanned (those bar code labels they put on) and at the right moment a pneumatic ram punches the bag onto a different conveyor belt. No gentle taps or pushes - we are talking about trying to kick it into the next county.

 

He also emphatically said that you should never ship something with a loose strap that might catch on something. Evidently he saw a series of backpacks that weren't put into plastic bags. The straps caught between two conveyor belts, and the ram just kept pounding the bags until a handler cut off the stuck strap. The conveyor belt doesn't stop for anything.

<p>"Following rules": I'm going to leap in here from so far out in left field that it will seem absurd.</p>

<p>There is a fascinating book titled "Aaron's Code" by Pamela McCorduck that tells the story of Harold Cohen - a highly successful abstract painter from England who left painting in the late 1960's and has spent most of the time since then developing and enhancing a computer program that draws and paints.</p>

<p>I'll pause here to let that sink in - a computer program that draws and paints.</p>

<p>Mr. Cohen has created a program that, in a sense, is his apprentice. He taught it the rules and the thinking process that he follows when he draws and paints. I'm not a huge fan of abstract art, but the drawings by the program are surprisingly good. I'd buy one if the opportunity arose.</p>

<p>I'm not saying that just following the "rules" will guarantee a good photograph - but they might help you during the apprenticeship. Once you have internalized the rules and techniques you move on to the next level. You may not explicitly think about the rules, but the odds are that you are using them.</p>

Jeez guys. I like this forum - I've learned from it and been entertained by it. But there are days when you remind me of one of those lame call-in radio shows where all of the callers are amazingly opinionated (and usually only marginally sane, but that's my personal opinion). The reason that they are all opinionated is only opinionated people call the damn show.

 

Only opinionated people participate in this forum. We need to remember that.

 

I've talked to Anthony on the phone. I've read his email newsletters. I've read his printed newsletters. Is he opinionated? Damn right. Fits right in here. He is also friendly and helpful. Which also fits in here if you'd all just relax a bit.

 

Okay. The much discussed Tri-X / HP5+ test. Was it a detailed, rigorous, scientifically valid test? No. Do I necessarily agree with his conclusions? No. Did the test meet his needs? The answer may be yes. If you read Anthony's newsletters you will get the sense that he thinks we (meaning black and white large format photographers) spend too much time testing, and too little time taking pictures. I suspect that in the past he spent a lot of time testing, found a film (Tri-X) and developer (HC-110) combination that works for him, and stuck with it. Anthony tested HP5+ by treating it the same way he treats Tri-X. I don't think he was looking to replace the film he knows. It sounds more like he did it out of curiousity and as a courtesy to Ilford. Perhaps if the result of the HP5+ test was something more Tri-X like - only better - he might invest more time.

 

Here is the paragraph immediately before his discussion of the test. Read the last sentence. Please.

 

"I�ll get e-mails and calls saying I�m wrong, from folks who like to debate this lens vs. that lens, the Sinar F vs the Arca Swiss, and some who no doubt take densitometer readings of threshold values in prints. Great. Whatever makes you happy. A factor of less than 1-1/2 percent is perfectly okay with me. I�d rather hone and analyze my sensitivity and response to the world out there� or debate Rubenstein vs Horowitz interpretations of Chopin, or modern day (too fast) interpretations of Handel; or Cézanne, Hals, Miro, Pollock. Think those guys sat around talking about music paper and tubes of paint?"

 

So... who wants to talk about tubes of paint?

 

Bill

Further to Per's comments I would add that the first (to my mind most important) thing is to understand your audience. As a technical writer I give careful thought to the level of reading comprehension, vocabulary, etc. that my readers will have (generally speaking one assumes a grade 7 or 8 level of capability). I write to the lowest reasonable level. That way I know that my audience will be able to understand the material. I also give thought to how the document will be used, for example if sections will be faxed to people I will use a slightly larger font and more white space so that it will still be readable as a received fax.

I'm not sure if I want to wade into this... but here goes.

 

In Richard's comments it is hard to decide what he is discussing: one sentence suggests the textual content, the other the visual design. I'll try to speak to both (I've done technical writing and web design, so I do have some knowledge of both topics).

 

Textual content: To put it bluntly it is hard enough to write a clear, concise sentence - and much harder to write an entire article on what may be a fairly complex topic. I have no idea if Ed and the other authors are professional writers, but I have no difficulty reading the material on his site. Frankly I think the authors have done a pretty good job, and given that Ed is not charging us to read the material I wouldn't complain if the articles did take some study to understand. I've read photography articles in magazines written by paid writers that were much harder to figure out.

 

Visual appearance: Ed does choose some odd backgrounds, but so what. I've viewed the site using several versions of Internet Explorer and of Netscape. In all cases I was able to read the material fine. I'll admit I use a higher screen resolution (just checked - 1024 X 768), so perhaps a lower resolution might make the site more difficult to use. However, most PCs sold in the last 5 to 6 years support higher resolutions - so it is not an unreasonable decision to choose to design a site that works best at those levels.

 

If you want to see difficult reading try some of the early issues of Wired magazine. They went out of their way to make it physically difficult to read (odd choices for layout, font and colours). Other than allowing them to feel cool, I never did figure out why.

 

As to Ed's site - my thanks to Ed - I think it is a great resource. I browse it regularly.

I'll soon be off to Dallas for a week. Does anyone have any

recommendations for interesting locations to take photographs? My

personal preference is industrial buildings circa 1900, but a good

old-fashioned landscape is always nice. TIA.

I found a place that can cut the aluminum to size for you - Metal Supermarkets. They appear to be a franchise operation, you can look up their locations on the web page www.metalsupermarkets.com.

 

I purchased 8 aluminum squares cut to 6x6, 0.063 inches thick for just over $18.00 Canadian which includes 14 percent taxes. In US dollars you should be looking at around 1$ each.