joe_hodge

At least it wasn’t some obscure code I’m not hip enough to follow :) Or a stroke while you were typing - that wouldn’t be good either.

I've got to admit I'm stumped - does this mean something?

So I recently picked up my first MF outfit from Ebay, and after destroying a few rolls of film, I'm pretty sure I ended up with a bad back. Essentially, the film is not advancing properly while shooting. What I'm seeing: after loading, the counter advances properly to "1" when shooting, the crank turns easily once and stops crank unlocks & turns after releasing the shutter... ...but the frame counter does not move most of the time. If I crank & shoot enough, it will occasionally advance to "2" or "3" developing the film shown many exposures on each of the first two frames, and clear film after that I have confirmed that the ME lever is in the correct position, and that the retractable gear moves in & out as expected. What really confuses me is that when I turn the crank ON THE BODY, the film advance crank ON THE BACK turns each and every time, but popping the back clearly shows that the film is not advancing. With the back off the camera, advancing the film with the crank ON THE BACK advances the film as expected, as does moving the gear on the back as if it were coupled to the body gear. I'm guessing that the film advance crank on the back is not directly coupled to the take up spool, which is why I can see the crank on the back turn without the film actually advancing. I've tries/tested this with two spools of film and probably another 10+ times with just the backing paper, and the behavior is at least consistent. I've also read the manual several times and watched more YouTube videos that I care to remember to be sure that I'm not loading the film incorrectly. So my question: could this be something I am doing wrong? I don't have another back to test with, but I'd like to eliminate as much user error as possible before paying for servicing, and I'm not confident enough to open it up myself.

Some very nice pictures, although the fisheye view in the first one isn't to my taste. Was that an intentional choice, and if so, can I ask why/what appeals about it to you? Also, another view of DC, looking towards the Navy Yard waterfront from across the river:

I take the 'fix for twice the time needed to clear the leader' approach, and discard the fixer when the fixing time hits 10 minutes. It's been reliable and I get quite a bit of use out of a batch of fixer (stored in brown glass in between uses). Agitation as described by rodeo_joe|1.

I've just pulled the trigger on an SQ-A w/AE prism finder, 80/2.8, and a 120 back. I'm not the biggest Ebay fan, but it looks very clean in pictures and I've got a 30-day return window. Fun fact - apparently Ebay charges sales tax now! Thanks for all the replies, and I'll put up a sample soonish, assuming everything works acceptably.

Yeah, I’m keeping an eye on Ebay. It’s not my first choice, but it does seem to have eaten the market. I know I’m asking for a unicorn, but I’ll find something eventually. I don’t know a thing about TLRs, so that’s my reading for tonight.

I appreciate all of the replies. I priced out a Bronica SQ kit at KEH, just as a sanity check, and here is what I found: SQ-B body (EX), waist-level finder (EX), non-AE prism finder (EX), 80/2.8 PS lens (EX), 120 back (BGN) = $650 Stepping up to an SQ-A body is another $100, and I don't think I care about the differences. I'm assuming that I don't need to budget for a CLA buying from KEH, so this doesn't sound too far out of my budget, but I'm not happy that the only back they have is in BGN condition, since the back seems to be the problematic part of the SQ system. I see a lot more 220 than120 backs on *bay - how compatible is a 220 back with 120 film?

After many years of shooting 35mm, I’m interested in giving MF a try, but I don’t have a huge budget. Most of what I shoot is landscape or other static subjects, but usually while out on long walks, so being able to shoot handheld is a priority, although I’ll brace against whatever is handy when I can. I’ve been looking at a few inexpensive options: Fuji G/GL690 - pro: by all accounts well made with excellent optics, big 6x9 negative con: old and generally heavily used, parts & repair difficult to find and expensive Kiev 60 - pro: readily available, cheap, and can be had pre-tuned from Arax, Hartblei, etc,; good optics also availble con: reputedly hit-or-miss build quality and reliability even when tuned Bronica SQ - pro: a better camera than the Kiev, better parts/service availability than the Fuji (I think) con: may not actually be practical for handheld shooting No worries about developing or printing - I’ll be shooting B&W and developing my own and have ready access to a darkroom equipped to print either size neg. What I’m really wondering is if either of these is worth sinking ~$500 in to, or if I need to wait & save until I can afford something a bit better? As always, I know that gear is not my limiting factor :) This is a hobby for me, and I’d just like to see what I can do with a bigger negative - possibly 20x24 enlargements?

This has been sold.

Bumping this down to $125, including shipping.

Clean and fully-functional 40D body, with shutter count of 6511. Also includes battery, charger, remote shutter release and several CF cards. I mostly shoot film, so even though I've had this for years, it's lightly used. Please post any questions to this thread. I'll be on vacation until 1 April, so I won't be able to ship before then, but I'll watch this thread and respond. Price is $150 including shipping via UPS Ground, continental US only. Payment via Paypal please.

Reasonable, but sometimes the problem is that I want a new toy! Since this is a hobby for me, I just accept that GAS is part of the fun. OTOH, since I'm not a collector, I fund it by reselling as much as I can (outside my core EOS system) once I've had my fun.

For some context, I've recently upgraded from a 40D to an M5 mirrorless, and as part of preparing the 40D for sale, I checked the shutter count. It only has 6511 actuations! That may be an extreme example since I mainly shoot film, but I bet there are plenty of cameras of that age out there that have shutters with lots of life left in them.

The site is still up, and fairly interesting: Kodak HC-110 Developer - Unofficial Resource Page Not all of the links work, but it was an interesting read.

If you’ve got the budget, the Leica M10-D is probably as close as you’ll find: Leica M10-D // Leica M-System // Photography - Leica Camera AG OK, its not an SLR, and it does take a battery, but the working controls are all analog, and there’s no LCD.

On a recent trip to the darkroom, ended up sharing the space with another photographer who accidentally brought his film developer instead of his paper developer, and decided to try developing his prints in HC110 1:31. Just for the fun of it, I decided to give it a try also. I worked up a good print using the Polymax-T that I normally use, and then make a second otherwise identical print processed in the HC110. What I found: The HC110 required almost exactly twice the time as Polymax-T to develop good blacks The resulting print was flatter, and had an almost soft-focus look Overall, the print in HC110 is quite acceptable. I don't see myself using it intentionally, but I was pleasantly surprised by the result. Polymax-T: HC110:

I wasn't anticipating this: "I have a 17- 35 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 but want to travel much lighter...". If you want much lighter, the 24-85 f/3.5-4.5 is OK, especially on a crop-frame where you're only using the center of the image circle. I have one, and I'll be happy to send it to you in a straight trade for either of your heavy f/2.8 zooms :) Seriously, I still think a 60D and 18-135 STM is probably the way to go for what you want. Cheaper: the old 28-135 IS USM is first-gen IS, but it works fairly well.

What sort of a trip, and how important is the photography aspect? I'd consider a less expensive body like the 60D, and be sure to put a decent lens on it. For general walking-around, either the 18-135 IS (USM or STM version, not the original) or even the older 18-135 IS USM, and buy the appropriate lens hood. Either one will give you a useful range, decent image quality, and stabilization. Buy memory cards new. If the photography aspect of the trip is more important, consider a better lens rather than a better body. The 70-200/f4 L can be had at a reasonable price, and will help more than more megapixels. (ex., Canon EF 70-200mm 70-200 mm F/4 L F4 F/4L IS USM Lens - Sharp Lens | eBay) Of course, if you have a more specific photographic goal, different recommendations may apply.

EOS630, 20/2.8

Tri-X @1600

To close this out, I did decide to go with the M5 deal. Ultimately, I enjoyed my time with it on loan and being able to buy it together with the adapter at a great price made it easier. It also helps that I have small hands, so the ergonomics work for me. I appreciate all the feedback - it helped clarify my thinking a lot.

Some interesting ideas for further testing here, but I'm probably not going to follow through on most of them. The only question I'm really trying to answer is "Would the M5 be a meaningful interim upgrade for me until I'm ready to upgrade my whole system?" Keeping in mind: I'm primarily a B&W film photographer I'm not shooting action I share my lenses between my film & digital bodies, so I'm not going to buy into another system right now My unhappiness is with softness with the 40D From what I'm seeing, I'm comfortable that the M5 will drop in to my existing system and address my issue. At $450 with the EF/EFM adapter included, it also seems economical.

Adding Tri-X, scanned @2700DPI: A different FOV, since I shot this without moving the tripod.

Very preliminary - the weather was poor today, so I had to shoot indoors. Here are samples from the 40D and M5. Both shots: EF 50 1.4 1/60th @ F3.5 on a tripod RAW, processed in Lightroom: treatment B&W, similar degree of sharpening This is an ~1000 pixel crop from center frame - no scaling. I considered using an equivalent FOV to adjust for the different density of the sensor, but I think this show per-pixel sharpness better. 40D: M5: I have an opinion, but I'm going to keep it to myself for now. Tri-X@320 in HC110 coming tomorrow after the film dries.