grain

NPS or Reala.

Switch to Fuji altogether. Shoot Reala100 and NPS160 and

discover Fuji CrystalArchive paper. You'll be glad of it. The

Gentleman is right also in that C-41 is the same wherever you

go. As long as the lab monitors the plots each morning you

should see little difference-unless the machine isn't cleaned

each night.

I stand chided.

tired of sifting through self promo ads in this forum, don't be

selfish. If we need it we know where to look.

Mythos abounds, but here's the truth. EFKE (longhand for the initials FK for FotoKemika) makes a film called KB25. This is the inheritance of what was ADOX. It is a true 25 speed emulsion and is available in almost any format including 127 for you baby rollei fans. It has a spectral sensitivity that tops out at 620nm, meaning it can be developed by inspection under a Kodak Red#2 safelight. It responds well to Rodinal at various dilutions, as well as Ethol UFG stock, and Microdol-X 1+3. The most important truth is that it's very fine grained and very cheap to buy. [frugalphotographer.com] carries it.

Buy lots! It's made in Croatia and we need to keep them in business so we're not left in the lurch like Eastman (Panatomic-X) and Agfa (APX-25) have left us.

Marketing ploy or no, the s.s.c. designation is a desireable feature. I have this lens and it stands up very well to EFKE 25 in Microdol-X.

Quite good resolving for a 24.

Does the worker in a studio putting in long hours and mortgaging his life to produce a certain shot or look, have a harder time than the worker that spends weeks in far flung places, without steady work, in pursuit of the perfect moment? Debt vs. Mosquitoes; Creative Freedom vs. Artistic Truth. Fantasy vs. Reality. I don't think it's a fair comparison. I work from life, I'd be pretty unhappy working in a studio because I am after the moment, not the slick shot. But that's me. I've risked my safety for a shot many times, but never my house.

What does the little knob just below the viewfinder do? All else

seems to work fine. I'll not be payng $20 for this one bit of trivia

if I can count on our group for an answer. Thanks much in advance.

I've made a discovery about the 120 folder, the Ansco/Agfa "Viking",

which was thier answer to the Voigtlander Bessa. The lens it carried

was generally an Agfa "Agnar". If you've ever tried to use one of

these and met with frustration, I've found out why. After several

poorly focused rolls I finally took a ground glass to the film plane

to check and calibrate it. I found absolutely no discernable

difference from the closest to the furthest focus setting. At around

fifteen feet is where it stayed, whether set at six feet or infinity.

This, I suspect, was an attempt to get rid of a bunch of prime lenses

by trying to pass them off as varifocal lenses. It should be noted

that though it's permanently set at fifteen feet, it's killer sharp

at that distance.

I just got myself a Voightlander Bessa II. It's pretty nice. But it has

no filters, lens hood, or (it seems) any way of putting one on. (i.e.

threads are too shallow to be of use, and the mm. is a mystery)

Can anyone please tell me if there were kits or sets of such

items, I would like to have a starting point for my search. It's so

sharp without them, I can't imagine what just a lens hood would

do for it. A Polarizer would be my first wish. Thanks. s_kander.