victor4

I do understand what Q.G. de Bakker is saying. I don't know if Weston said same or not. However it makes a lot of sense.

If ones composition/vision is dependent on those components which are visible at a given size and upon enlargement additional components come into view then the composition may very well change.

Another thought... for certain types of photos one may well not care about detail and lack of grain etc., certain street scenes, 'fine art' portraiture and certain other 'fine art' representations.

I've watched peoples reactions to certain subjects at shows and sometimes they are content to sit back and just be absorbed by the piece as a whole.

Other times, especially with landscapes, they seem to first observe the overview then slowly get closer. The subject itself draws them in. Not to check for technical things such as resolution but because they now want to see more aspects of the scene. More detail. They are interested in the scene. A good thing perhaps.

With an impressionistic painting people are not going to get up close, but with a highly detailed painting of the same scene they probably will.

just my $.02 worth...:)

One of the reasons I have not yet tried 'Rollei' film is because of the box. If they have to give you a nice box to get you to buy the film then the film is probably not worth buying.

Why pretend its a fine cigar? Nobody I know sits around 'fondling film'. What are we supposed to do with it, put it open in a display case for guests to admire? Just more junk to toss. No thanks!

vic... :)

I've had several ?'s and have just been e-mailing as per their site... They respond very quickly, usually within 24 hours.

http://www.mamiya.com/customerservice.asp?id=3&id2=105

..."Personal Assistance from Mamiya...via E-mail"...

Go for it, maybe they will eventually get tired of wasting so much time and resume the user site.

Is there any difference between the older Mamiya 7 150 and the newer 7ii 150? I

noticed the boxes they come in are labeled either 7 or 7ii and was wondering

what the difference may be, if any.

I probably have the same question for the other lenses in the series as well,

in particular the 80. I already have a 43 and a 65.

Thanks! vic... :)

It very much depends on the individual. Many years ago I got a shot (35mm)hand held for 1 sec. that resulted in a not tack sharp but pretty good shot(believe it or not). About 4 years ago with a blad and a 180 lens wide open at about 1/15th it was tack sharp! Very lucky. Though it wasn't really worth the effort.

Nowadays I seem to have a rough time with the M7ii with anything under 1/60th. Just too shaky, too weak. Too bad. :) With a lot of luck can now do adequate sharpness at 1/30th. It does not matter if it's the 43mm or the 65mm. I don't have the 50 but maybe this will help anyhow.

Also if my hands were large instead of so small I would probably be able to hold the M7ii steadier. Maybe. Just guessing. With the Nikons I can still hold steadier for longer times, sometimes with luck down to 1/8th, if there is a wall nearby to lean against.

Bottom line is it depends on you:) I've lost about 30 lbs. of muscle in the last few months, and am getting quite feeble(illness). If you are strong and big then you may well hand hold for a much longer time.

A trick I learned years ago was to hyper-ventilate a wee bit just before the shot. A few quick deep breaths, then relax fully as you shoot. Then release the shutter just after your heart beats. Yes it does help.

vic... :)

Tim, what do you mean by machine prints? In other words...there are still a few places in the Milwaukee area that do non-optical machine prints. If you need optical machine prints that is another thing.

If you are not in the Milwaukee area let me know and I will get more specifics for you if you are still interested.

vic...

Elliot, yes it will allow you to photograph panoramics either vertically or horizontally. To see the caveat regarding working or not with the M7 look for the other single red asterisk (*) along the description further down the page.

If my understanding is correct about the M7 having its cable release socket on the right of the camera (as you are holding it in the normal shooting manner) then the bracket will work. It is when the cable release is on the left of the camera as with the M7ii that the bracket needs to be slightly and easily modified.

Hope this makes sense.

vic...

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Jaqd

Found it. Did not realize there were hidden forums herein. :)

I use the MC-L from RRS. It allows vertical as well as horizontal mounting.

They say it won't work with the M7 but I have the M7ii in which it does NOT work without modifying. The reason is the cable release socket is on the left of the camera on the M7ii. On the M7 the release socket is on the right of the camera thus no obstruction. If you do have the M7ii it is very easy to modify.

http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/universal/index.html

Scroll down on the above page to see more info on the fit etc.

vic... :)

"Pls check the NEWS about MACO IR 820c in this forum"

How do I do that??? How about a link? Please?

Thanks, vic... :)

This is what I've been using...

http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/universal/index.html#MCL

Allows for vertical and horizontal shots, along with access to all necessary camera components. Says does not work with M7 cable release but it should work with the M7 but not the M7ii. I have the M7ii and simply filed out a very very small area for the cable release and it has been wonderful.

Good luck! vic...

Call the client, tell them you are delighted they liked your work so much that they used it in their card. Ask them if there is any other photo work you could do for them, or perhaps for someone else they know. Do not mention your concerns at this point. Use it as an opportunity for more sales.

If their friend to whom they sent the card is also a very good friend of yours then it makes no sense whatsoever to 'go after' the client. It would only make your friend less friendly to you.

Let bygones be bygones, but turn it into a win-win situation for all.

Good Luck!

vic... :)

30+ years ago I must have been a much better photographer. Almost all my shots were keepers. Over the years as my skills improved and as I learned a thing or two the number of keepers dropped dramatically. I now realize that I am not a very good photographer at all, to the extent that I almost never show or post any of my personal work.

I have not printed any thing for a while but recently bought a scanner in the hope of working on a couple years backlog. Some of the recent work is a little bit interesting and have reviewed some of the old. I did find two or three that are a little bit interesting and when I figure out how to post them I will share.

my plugged .05 worth, vic... :)

Use any tripod. Put legs into thick plastic sleeves, make sure feet don't create leaks. 6 or 8 mil plastic sheeting from a building supply store will work, just cut off piece big enough to make your own bags. Wood blocks on feet or rubber feet help. Rubber bands or velcro strips hold plastic sleeves in place. Put into swamp. Rough compose. Level head deck first. Level head next. Then add camera. Enjoy.

For panning and stiching (if you eventually want)you need to pan the lens on its nodal point. Hasselblad has lens specific info on their site. Really Right Stuff has lots of appropriate panning gear, some inexpensive some not. They also have enough info on their site you may be able to come up with your own solution.

Happy shooting, vic... :)

I forgot to add the one downside of the 43 lens. For viewing it requires an extra viewfinder. You use the normal rangefinder for focusing. I have used the rangefinder for viewing with the 43 but don't yet feel I know where the limits are yet. The widest the rangfinder viewer shows is 65. One has to guess where the ends of the frame will be for use with the 50 or the 43. Since almost all my street work uses the 65 it has not been a problem except on rare occasion.

I've been considering adding a 2nd Mamiya body, would be a bit quicker than switching lenses. But it would also add more weight to the whole kit.

I believe the blad swc also requires a viewfinder but the swc can only be zone focused, unless you take off the back and attach a viewfinder or ground glass for each and every shot.

Good Luck, vic...

I have and have used the hasselblad 50, 80, 120 and 180 on the street(or any doumentary style work). The 50 and 180 are my favorites. The whole blad system is a bit cumbersome for street shooting. Hard to focus especially in low light. Noisy, and slow focusing.

I recently bought a Mamiya 7ii with a 43 and a 65 for street work. The Mamiya is much more usable for street work than the blad by far. It is very quiet. The blad attracts attention just from the sound, especially when working up close to the subject. Makes it more difficult to get a number of shots off without attracting attention.

The Mamiya 43, 50, 65 and 80 all have a minimum focusing distance of 1 meter. I have no problem with this distance as a minimum with either the 43 or the 60.

The Mamiya is easy and very quick to focus, the blad has to be zone focused before attempting the shot. In poor light the Mamiya wins hands down on this alone.

The Mamiya lenses are excellent! (as are the blads)

I carry the blad and the 180 along with the Mamiya 43 and 65. The Mamiya has no usable long lens so I use the blad. I put it all in a Lowepro mini-trecker and sling it over one shoulder.

When needing a square it is easy to crop down to the Blad size. When needing a 16x20 crop the blad cannot hold its own against the larger real estate of the Mamiya.

Unfortunately my health does not allow for much shooting anymore and when I do go out my wife usually carries the gear. She's just a wee bit of a thing and straps the pack on and is able to manage the weight without difficulty. This pack also has a tripod carrier but unless you are using a very light tripod I find it way too much to carry.

Hope this helps a bit.

Way to go!

Although I had been 'in' photography for many years, when I retired in 2000 I went back to school full time for photography courses. That enabled me to purchase a Hassy system at student prices. Nontheless it added up to a lot of money. Shortly thereafter the market changed and prices plummeted.

I don't know how much I currently have invested but my only real regret is not having bought a 250SA when it was available at student pricing, which for that lens at the time was under $3000 if I remember correctly.

Lauren, which lens do you have? Since you don't mention one in your list you probably got one with the 553. Hope you enjoy your gear.

vic... :)

Thanks for the response Elia. I am seriously considering getting 50 or so rolls from David Romano. He has been cutting down 70mm into 120 rolls for about $21 US a piece. He says he has the very last of HIE production and when this is gone its gone forever. HIE is much faster than the Rollei along with a higher IR range.

Problem is I don't have any experience with IR and am a bit leary about dumping a chunk of change into something that I may not really be able to do for much longer. (Health reasons)

vic...

http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/Times/D3200/d3200.html

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=004uGG

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=008X8q

Hope this helps...vic:)