jerry_breault
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Posts posted by jerry_breault
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I have all my dad's negs and slides from the 40's and up. The bw negs and K-chrome slide are all fime, the E-chrome slides are all faded or moldy. They were stored in the basement of his house in Mass. for years.
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The Toyo/Omega 45D is the same as the current Toyo C without the easily removed bellows. A couple years ago I bought a D, 8 lensboards, hard luggage case, and an additional short monorail for about $400. I removed the long rail and put on the short rail and haven't looked back. I use it with the standard 3 lens kit, 90, 150 and 210. I do not do studio work, this is my field camera. We just throw the "handy carrying case" into the trunk of the car and off we go.
Jerry
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Michael,
I have 3 Caltar Rodenstock lenses, all are wonderful and all were purchased from KEH. Don't wait too long.
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How much is hard to pin down, but used darkroom stuff can be found cheap right now. I bought my CPE2+ used for $250. Found it a local bargain ads paper. One of the best things I've spent money on.
Jerry
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My home made tubes were very simple. Black plastic pipe cut to about 5.5 inches. Black plastic push on caps, only place I could find these was True Value. Chemicals in Dixie cups.
Jerry Breault
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I've been shooting for over 20 years, but have been a bw shooter for only the last 5 or so. I could never get quite the results I wanted on bw, until I learned the Zone system. It helped me understand the relationship between what I saw at the scene, and what I envisioned on paper, and how to connect the 2.
Start here http://www.cicada.com/pub/photo/zs/chapter1/
Jerry
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Those numbers are milliseconds. To compare, 1 sec is 1000 msec, 1/2 500, 1/4 250, 1/8 125, 1/15 66.6, 1/30 33.3, 1/60 16.6, 1/125 8, 1/250 4, and 1/500 is 2. For all intents and purposes it is right on, no adjustment is necessary. Go take pictures.
Jerry
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Scott,
Since this was close to home, you have opportunity to go back and catch the shot the way you want it. Note the lighting and weather conditions you think would be ideal, and watch for them. When the weather is perfect, get back there for the right light with tons f film. Start shooting before the light is perfect, then you won't miss it. The difference between hunting and scouting is whether or not you bag what you wanted. I do a lot more scouting than hunting.
Jerry
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The best results you can get on any repair is to return whatever it is to as new performance. Parts can be cleaned, adjusted, or replaced, an item can be repaired or rebuilt/refurbished/renewed, but the end results are a device that performs to factory specs. If you want better than that, then you need to do business with someone that can re-engineer out the weaknesses that the factory left in. This paradigm holds true for everything, cameras, watches, guns, cars, stereos, bicycles, everything. To use your carpenter analogy, there are framers, finish carpenters, cabinet makers, and fine furniture craftsmen. Bringing your Stickley Sideboard to a framer to have a repair done will likely bring poor results, likewise, it would probably take forever for the furniture craftsman to build a garage or put up a fence.
In order to be satisfied, make no assumptions. Be specific when explaining the conditions you want corrected. Also, ask the service person how they will eliminate the condition, what the performance results will be, and how can you be sure. Also, demand they provide proof of performance and some written warranty on their work. If they are not specific in their reply, or will not provide proof or a warranty, contact another repairer.
The fact that these people called you when it was done, and were providing a chart of actual speeds is good. Also, letting you talk to the technician is good. Part of the problem may be that you presumed that a CLA of the shutter would solve the slow speed problem. Has the problem been solved? Have you tested it? Since it now performs to factory spec, the service provider did ensure the shutter perfomed as new. If you want better than that, you probably need to find a higher end shop, or buy a more precise shutter.
There are bad repair places out there, but there are also some good ones. This holds true for lawyers, doctors and dentists too. The consumer has to be able to tell the difference in order to protect themselves. When you find a good one, spread the word. If you feel you've been cheated by a bad one, seek compensation. If all you ever find are bad ones, your evaluation criteria may need revising.
Jerry
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Robert,
I use a Toyo 45D in the field with the short rail. I'm basically trunk shooter, but when I have ventured out a little, I carry my lenses, meter, and a few holders in the large Domke shoulder bag I use for the Nikon 35mm stuff. I tote the Toyo by hand holding it upside down by the rail. My lovely assistant (the Mrs.) carries the tripod. I wouldn't tackle the Alps this way, but for a short trek into the woods it works. I'd love a more portable set up, but haven't felt enough pain yet to spend the money.
Jerry
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I use Oriental Seagul VCFB Glossy paper on a Beseler 45 MXT with a condensor head, I develop the paper in Dektol at 1:2. This all matters. With this setup, I get from absolute black to paper white with 1.3 units of negative density. I have found that, with my EI based on Z1 .10 above b+f, and Z9 at about 1.15, I get a good Z8 at 1.0. While that is low by some peoples standards, I find that it gives me what I would call normal print contrast.
While finding Z9 on paper is not to difficult, Z8 is easier for me to judge than Z9 when metering a scene. Likewise, I find it easier to base the exposure on Z3 or Z4 instead of Z2. Every now and then I have to fight off the urge to adjust what I do to fit someone elses view of normal and remind myself that if it works, don't fix it.
Jerry
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Is the developer less than 6 months old? Ilford states a lifetime of 24 months unopened and 4 months is a half full bottle. If you call Ilford, they'll decode the date code on the bottle and tell you how old it is.
Do you dilute directly from the bottle just before use, or do you keep pre-diluted stock on hand? Once mixed, the life of the developer is dramatically shortened.
Do you store it in Ilford's container, or do you transfer the solution to another container? Not all containers are created equal.
Jerry
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Chris,
The 3 lenses you are interest in are made by Rodenstock. The 150 and 210 are Sironar N lenses and the 90 6.8 is the Grandagon N. These are first quality goods that are branded for Calumet. I own all 3 of these and love them. They have not disappointed me in any way, and I reccommend them highly whenever I have the opportunity.
Jerry
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Maybe I'm just lucky. I blow off the holders with canned air before loading, and I don't ever recall having a dust problem. But, every now and then I give my bellows a real good cleaning. A lot more crud collects there than some people realize.
Jerry
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Depends on what you shoot. Outside doing landscapes, I use 400 exposed at 200. Because of the use of smaller apertures to control depth of field, I feel I need the speed to stop the wind effects. In smaller formats I use 100 exposed at 50. Enlarging both up to 16x20, the LF prints still blow the other stuff away.
Jerry
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I used the my tank manually before I got a CPE2+. I agitated by rolling it back and forth using the edge of a counter so the tank would be level. Couple of points:
1. I tested before and after development developer temps and found no difference using a 75 degree dev temp, so water bath was not necessary.
2. The tank is designed to be filled as it rotates, I found filling, capping and agitating without rotating caused uneven development. It was subtle, but it would show up in large areas of sky. I suggest you find some form of stationary roller set up and use a flexible funnel to fill it while it rotates.
3. Use the 2509n reels. These were modified to improve development using 6 sheets, on the old 2509 Jobo advises to only use 4 sheets. Once you work these issues out, you will be very pleased with the results.
Cheers
Jerry
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As far as brand choice goes, do not overlook the Caltar II N series. They are really Rodenstock N's, and can be found at bargain prices.
Jerry
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For 4x5 I use TMax400 and D23 1:1 in a Jobo CPE. Used to use Xtol 1:1 and TMaxRS 1:7, but to my eye, the D23 is more pleasing. Before the Jobo, I used home made tubes and closely monitored chemical temps in a waterbath, never had any real problems and the results look just like the Jobo.
Jerry
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...you'll shoot your eye out. Santa delivered a lift for the Jobo. Price was 1 diamond anniversary band for Mrs. Claus.
Ho Ho Ho
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I use the VCFB in 8x10 thru 16x20 sizes, souped in Dektol 1:2. Neutral, no green cast, nice tones. I have yet to try toning in KRST.
Jerry
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Robert,
Make sure you use the reversing Beseler base. I have seen no difference in BW negs done on the Beseler, or in my CPE. The one thing you'll need is a flexible funnel so you can pour in developer while the tank is rotating.
Jerry
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The charge is coming from the plastic sheets.
Jerry
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Steve,
I use the same tank and reels. The short answer is yes, you could use less, and yes, 250ml would probably be ok. But, going to less than that could cause coverage problems. You need to be sure that the tank is leveled as it rotates so that the top and bottom of the reel gets covered by developer.
What I do is process in batches. I don't shoot a lot, so I may go a month or two until I get enough sheets at N, N+/- 1 and 2 to go thru an entire liter of stock developer. I then spend a weekend doing film and contact sheets.
Jerry
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Take a look at how Paul Butzi does it. www.butzi.net.
Jerry
Is processing color film with a Jobo CPE-2 worth trying?
in The Wet Darkroom: Film, Paper & Chemistry
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