veit schenk

On the positive side: I find the shutter quieter than the already quiet M6 shutter. AE is useful for quick from the hip shooting and/or rapid changes of lighting.

On the negative side: the batteries go very quickly on mine, I've left it on accidentally twice now and both times the batteries were gone within a couple of days. (doesn't seem to have an auto-off???)

most annoying: the DX/exposure compensation dial on the back is very loose and is locked by a small pin that needs to be pushed in in order to rotate the dial. When the camera is in a leather camera case, that little pin is pushed in all the time and the dial is free to rotate to random values.

anybody want to swap a mint M7 for an MP?;-)

Veit

Dear all, (my apologies if you receive this multiple times, I'm

posting to a small number of relevant forums)<BR><BR>

Michael A Smith and Paula Chamlee (http://www.michaelandpaula.com)

have offered to conduct one of their Vision&Technique workshop in

the UK from the 29th-31st of August 03 provided there is sufficient

interest (we need 8 participants for a workshop).<BR>

Below a quick summary of what the workshop is about, for a full

description, please see their website (the link to workshops, then

Vision&Technique)<BR>

The purpose of this workshop is to help you make better photographs,

and through doing that, to experience personal growth. And if you

already make beautiful photographs, but find that you don�t do so

consistently, then this workshop is for you.<BR>

We intend this to be the definitive workshop for black and white

photography. Even though this is only a weekend workshop, everything

will be covered including developing film by inspection, printing,

and proper use of the camera in a way that encourages creative

vision. All technical matters will be discussed as a function of

vision.<BR><BR>

The workshop will most likely take place in Oxford, a nice central

location, easy to reach from most parts of the country. If there is

sufficient interest, I will provide links to local accommodation,

end of August is before the start of University term, so there

should be plenty of accommodation available.<BR>

Cost: The cost for the workshop is slightly higher than the one

quoted on their website, due to the fact that the flight over to the

UK adds to the cost (divided by 8 participants it shouldn't be too

painful though). A rough estimate is in the region of US$700<BR>

So, if you are interested please let me know asap.<BR>

Regards<BR>

Veit

G'day everyone,<BR>

thanks for your input. I finally (lots of headscratching) got a Shen-Hao and spent the money I 'saved' (well, that's the argument presented to my wife;-) on a Schneider SS110XL. <BR>

will post pictures as soon as I manage unfogged, unscratched 4x5s...<BR>

Veit

thanks everyone. <BR>

Doug, I can see all the landmarks on the screen perfectly (had a look without the WLF what I needed to see, then checked through the magnifier), so it really is that the case that the Hi-D screen is too 'fine' for my liking. I emailed Bill and he has 4 different screens, here is what he wrote:<BR>

I make four screens for your 6008:<BR>

<BR>

(1) - HI-LUX Brilliant Matte - very bright, contrasty, all matte screen - $140.00<BR>

<BR>

(2) - HI-LUX Micro/Split RF - 6 mm diameter split image rangefinder in the center, surrounded by a 10.5 mm diameter

microprism collar, surrounded by a very bright, contrasty, matte field - $235.00<BR>

<BR>

(3) - HI-LUX Microprism - 10.5 mm diameter microprism spot, surrounded by a very bright, contrasty, matte field - $235.00<BR>

(4) - HI-LUX Split RF - 6 mm diameter split image rangefinder in the center, surrounded by a very bright, contrasty,

matte field - $235.00<BR>

<BR>

All of the above available (a) without lines, (b) with crop lines, © with a grid.

<BR>

Number 2 seems to duplicate my Bronica screen, so that's what I'll go for.<BR>

Thanks again<BR>

Veit<BR>

PS: any idea why I need to insert HTML < BR > to get some kind of formatting even when selecting 'the above text is plain text'???

Hi<BR>

does anyone have problems focussing on a Rollei 6008i hi-D screen

(through the magnifier) when wearing glasses? The reason I'm asking

is because the standard magnifier has -0.5 diopters (rather than

being 'neutral', i.e. 0), so I'm wondering whether this interferes

with my glasses (-1.75 diopters). When focussing, the image

doesn't 'pop' into focus and quite often (apart from really

contrasty situations) quite a wide range of distances 'looks' to be

in focus (only when checking with the split-wedge I can tell where

exactly to focus).<BR> I don't have this problem on my Bronica SQAi

standard focussing screen where the image snaps into focus no

problem.<BR>

Is the Rollei focussing screen with micro-prism at the centre any

better?<BR>

The main reason I'm considering changing to Rollei is that I'd like

to photograph my kids, i.e. I need to be able to focus quickly (and

using the split-wedge isn't exactly practical either...)<BR>

any comments would be appreciated<BR>

Veit

Hi<BR>

I'm toying with the idea of getting into LF and before buying, I'd

like to try it out. I'm thinking of renting, but, since I haven't

used LF before, it might be more effective to attend an introductory

LF workshop. Is anybody aware of such workshops/courses/... in the

UK?<BR>

Thanks<BR>

Veit

Hi,<BR>

thank you very much for your input, very much appreciated.<BR>

- the reason I didn't include (foldable) field cameras in my list is that a) I'm mostly interested in wide (in the future probably wider than 90mm) and from what I gather on the net, mono-rails might be better suited to wide applications, b) here in the UK I find windy/rough conditions more often than I like (again, user reviews suggest mono-rails might be more sturdy) and c) the main reason for considering LF is that for my obscure (read: artistic;-) shots I might need substantial movements (close focus and large tilt) (but: I will try both, field and mono-rail)<BR>

- Bob, thanks for suggesting the Kardan M. Do you have any more information? (it isn't listed on the linhof-site). What is the difference between the Kardan M and Kardan E? What are their weights?<BR>

- Randy, I didn't include the Sinars because of the reason you state, the pricy upgrades<BR><BR>

right, rental time. Any UK readers out there who could recommend a shop in the south of England where I can rent/play with LF cameras? (I'm based in Oxford, easy access to London)<BR>

Cheers<BR>

Veit

Dear LFers,<BR>

having been 'convinced' by your responses to a previous post that I

should give LF (4x5 format) a go, I'm planning to rent and compare a

few systems, and would appreciate your input regarding which ones I

should play with to get the best overview of what's out there. (see

below for what my current choice would be as a result of a week's

pouring over photo.net and largeformatphotography.info)<BR>

Eventually, if I like it, I have the following constraints:<BR><BR>

- my budget for a camera would be somewhere in the $1000-$1300

range. Lenses extra.<BR>

- needs to be mounted on my Manfrotto 441 with Manfrotto ProBall

308RC (can't really afford a new tripod or super-pro head)<BR>

- my photographic style is 'wide(ish) and/or close(ish)', mostly

nature (I love dead trees...) and *occasionally* landscapes, I do

like to get close though, within a few inches of leaves, mosses,

rust etc to get abstract shots (how important are geared

adjustments ?)<BR>

- lens-wise, I'd probably start with a 90mm as widest and 210/250ish

as longest, BUT may at some point be tempted to go a little (not

much) wider for those rare visits to proper mountains. If I don't

have to change bellows, all the better<BR>

- may potentially want to use a 6x7/6x9 roll-film back (only have a

6x7 enlarger at the moment)<BR>

- light(ish) weight would be a bonus (reflected in choice below;-)

<BR>

- I'm based in the UK, but happy to buy in the US,

reliability/ruggedness would be good though, so I don't have to send

it off too often<BR><BR>

so, my current selection would be (in no particular order)<BR>

- Toho 45FX: bit limited for 90mm or wider? what about spares (not

so widespread, only Japan and US?)<BR>

- Arca-swiss discovery (can't find any drawbacks?)<BR>

- Cambo Explorer (Cadet in the US), uses centre-tilt, good or bad

for nature?<BR>

- Gowland 4x5 all moves, lightweight, cheapish, but centre-tilt?

rigidity (compared to e.g. AS discovery), no gearing?<BR><BR>

So, to repeat my initial question: what camera would you recommend I

should rent/play with keeping in mind that in the end I might end up

getting one of the above (or very similar) cameras. And, what lenses

would you recommend I rent to get a good feel for what LF has to

offer (initially my budget for the entire system would be about

$2000, camera+90mm, a few film-holders, and all the other small bits

(fresnel, darkcloth, etc))<BR>

any thoughts (on all the question marks above) would be greatly

appreciated<BR><BR>

Veit

Thanks everyone for your answers, I'm now 'convinced' that I should give LF a try, I'll rent a few models to see how I like it. Expect lots of questions....<BR>

Thanks again<BR>

Veit

Hi,<BR>

(I'm posting this to the MF group as well, apologies if you receive

this twice) <BR><BR>

I would like to add shift/tilt capability to my Bronica SQA system,

although I'm mainly after tilt-functionality -- I just love

those 'sharpness from big foreground object to infinity' images. (at

the moment I extend the tripod until the foreground is sharp,

meaning that the fungus down there doesn't exactly impress too much)

<BR><BR>

I don't want negatives larger than 6x7 (limit of enlarger) and I'm

pretty happy with the SQA, so unless the following is simply stupid

I'd rather stick to it and not swap it for an SL66 system...:

<BR><BR>

My idea is to build a small mono-rail (I have access to our

engineering workshops at university) which takes my Bronica backs,

one back with a 6x6 ground-glass for focussing, the other backs with

film, i.e. film- and focus-plane should be identical. I'm not sure

what the image-circle of the PS-50 is, but it's likely I'm going to

have to buy a dedicated LF lens. (after reading several

reviews/accounts of LF-DIYers, I am aware that it will involve weeks

or even months of fiddling and finding parts, should be fun,

something to do in the coming winter months;-)<BR>

The main thing I'd get out of it are a) I'd build my own camera and

b) I can re-use the Bronica backs I already have<BR><BR>

so, my questions are:<BR>

<BR>- has anyone done something similar?<BR>

- any general thoughts/hints/tips/pointers to sites on web<BR>

- any recommendations regarding LF lens? I'd probably get the

equivalent of a 50mm in 6x6 first, maybe an 80 or 100 later. Since

the negative is fairly small compared to say 4x5, would I have to

get the latest (made for digital) LF lenses? (mostly used for B&W)

<BR>

any comments would be appreciated<BR>

Cheers<BR>

Veit

Hi,<BR>

(I'm posting this to the LF group as well, apologies if you receive

this twice) <BR><BR>

I would like to add shift/tilt capability to my Bronica SQA system,

although I'm mainly after tilt-functionality -- I just love

those 'sharpness from big foreground object to infinity' images. (at

the moment I extend the tripod until the foreground is sharp,

meaning that the fungus down there doesn't exactly impress too much)

<BR><BR>

I don't want negatives larger than 6x7 (limit of enlarger) and I'm

pretty happy with the SQA, so unless the following is simply stupid

I'd rather stick to it and not swap it for an SL66 system...:

<BR><BR>

My idea is to build a small mono-rail (I have access to our

engineering workshops at university) which takes my Bronica backs,

one back with a 6x6 ground-glass for focussing, the other backs with

film, i.e. film- and focus-plane should be identical. I'm not sure

what the image-circle of the PS-50 is, but it's likely I'm going to

have to buy a dedicated LF lens. (after reading several

reviews/accounts of LF-DIYers, I am aware that it will involve weeks

or even months of fiddling and finding parts, should be fun,

something to do in the coming winter months;-)<BR><BR>

so, my questions are:<BR>

<BR>- has anyone done something similar?<BR>

- any general thoughts/hints/tips/pointers to sites on web<BR>

- any recommendations regarding LF lens? I'd probably get the

equivalent of a 50mm in 6x6 first, maybe an 80 or 100 later. Since

the negative is fairly small compared to say 4x5, would I have to

get the latest (made for digital) LF lenses? (mostly used for B&W)

<BR>

- what do SL66 users think? is the inbuilt tilt-capability enough

for big fungus and trees in background to be in focus?<BR><BR>

any comments would be appreciated<BR>

Cheers<BR>

Veit

thanks for the answers, I have now 'twisted' it back so that the two white markings are aligned. Took some pictures with the markings 2mm apart, this definitely affects focus quite noticeably. Will shoot some more now after aligning and hopefully it'll be back to normal.

<br>

Regards

<br>

Veit

Hi,

I just had a weird thing develop on my summicron-35, the whole

barrel which contains the optics (including aperture ring) came

loose (unscrewed) from the lens-outer (the bit with the lens-mount

and focussing-tab) -- a bit like the 135 where you can use the lens-

unit for Visoflex. This was under normal shooting-conditions, I

can't remember knocking it against anything. Anyway, the main

question is: can I fix it by simply screwing it back in until the

white focus-'arrow' and the white dash on the aperture ring line up

(without turning too hard it stops about 2mm before lining up) or

does it need to go for a service?

any responses would be greatly appreciated

Regards

Veit

PS: I'm new to photo.net, so wasn't sure which category to select,

would 'service' have been more appropriate?