gavin martin

Well I'm pretty sure that my Blad could stop a bullet if the old reflexes were quick enough. I have a bit of travel coming up so I may test things before I do any serious photographic travel.

 

First thoughts that spring to mind are . . Don't keep film in cameras & backs as you go through the airports & be ready to open things & fire shutters.

 

I travel regularly with electronics components & systems (nearly got arrested in Romania when they thought I was an Arms Dealer . . but that's another story), I'm often asked to open boxes & turn items on so I guess it will be the same policy for cameras. Odds on most airport security won't give a hoot though.

It is true, the faster the film, the more sensitive it will be to x-rays.

 

All airports differ in their machines, policies & x-ray syrengths. Lots of airports have upgraded the x-ray machines for hold baggage in the wake of the recent terrorist activities of the last few years.

 

Always take film in your hand luggage, those xrays are much weaker.

 

Also, the hold baggage in most western airports is scanned automatically by machines now. The machine passes the baggage once & then, if it see's something it is not sure about, it passes it back through with a much stronger X-ray - this will ruin film.

 

I've travelled with rolls of film that have been x-rayed many times in my carry on baggage & not had a problem.

 

Best advice, take precautions where you can :)

 

Gavin

 

www.urban-landscapes.co.uk

I used to use a very handy program called Extensis Portfolio a while back. Not sure if that's still the top choice but it used to be fantastic at cataloging & searching all file types, giving thumbnail & all that.

 

Gavin

I've been a pro photoshop user for about 10 years as I work in the creative biz.

 

I must say that having used it for the bulk of my photographic & design work, I wouldn't compare it to most other programs (PSP, etc). It really is way beyond. The high end features really do make it shine, as do all of the customisable & tweakable bits for settings, brushes & tolerances. A lot of users probably don't touch the sides when it comes to it & the lite version will contain all the bits that most people need. The full version, whilst expensive, is worth every penny if you are using it to it's full extent.

 

open & honest

 

Gavin

 

www.urban-landscapes.co.uk

I find that the convenience & flexibility given by my Hasselblad system far out-weigh the compact, plus side of a TLR.

 

Given the choice, which I am as I have both, I take the Hasselblad out every time.

 

Gavin

 

www.urban-landscapes.co.uk

Don't get bogged down in all the detail & advice. Velvia works just fine rated at 50. The colours will be very strong & the detail pin sharp. It's always worth bracketing a good shot just to be sure. A decent light meter should be a part of your kit as standard I would imagine. Don't underestimate how much you may need to rely on a tripod using a 50 film. Finally, for those times when ISO 50 just wont cut it, use Provia 100 or 400.

 

I'm a B+W man myself & have a 500CM & keep a CF 80mm T* as my standard lens . . I do believe though that some things just have to be seen in colour. Using Velvia with your kit, the colour & detail will make you grin from ear to ear.

 

Most of all, don't forget to enjoy yourself.

 

Happy trails

 

Gavin

 

www.urban-landscapes.co.uk

Whilst the C330 is a good camera, I would not recommend it as a starter. Reason being sheer size & weight, this is not something you can just pop in a bag or wander around with all day in your hand (it's more of a studio TLR).

 

I do think that it's best to start people with fully manual cameras (medium format or 35mm) as you learn so much more & develop very quickly into a skilled photographer. I've used this route with friends who wanted to take it up as a hobby & they could probably run rings around many 'pro's'.

 

If you do want to get them started on medium format (why not, costs are higher but the quality's great & the gear's generally very good) then perhaps a Yashica 124G (has a built in lightmeter that's pretty acurate for average scenes) or a good Rollei (more expensive) would be a better TLR. Smaller, lighter, good lenses & easy to get extra's for.

 

Better still, perhaps a system camera that they can add to as they progress like an old Bronica ETRS? That's the camera that most photographic students start on. Great second hand bargains to be found too!

 

I hope this helps guide your decision.

 

Gavin

 

P.S. Don't forget the lightmeter!

I use a manfrotto with Magnesium head. Good weight compromise & very sturdy for my Hasselblad 500CM. I've fitted a hasselblad quick release to the tripod which really is a worthwhile investment. If you have the cash to sped £300 on the carbon fibre model it's a benefit but otherwise you can easily wander around for the day with a full hassy kit + the manfrotto on your back. Other benefit is that it works from about 8cm off of the ground up to super high & on all sort of odd placements due to the leg set up.

 

Avoid cheap tripds like the plague! Anything with a plastic head will bend (wonky horizons) and will most likely fall apart. Buy a good one once & that's the only one you'll ever have to buy.

 

Gavin

I moved to Medium Format a few years back, driven by a love of the quality & everything involved. Having worked with large transparencies in agencies for years it's just not the same using 35mm for my personal work.

 

I have a few different cameras but without a doubt my workhorse is a hasselblad 500CM kit. I shoot everything & anything, not just portraits, not just landscapes, not just street scenes. Snowy mountain peaks, rainy new york streets & searingly hot deserts. Therefor I needed a fully manual & fully mechanical kit. Batteries are no use 3700 metres up at minus 40.

 

I've found the kit to be perfect for my needs. I can change the backs to swap films mid roll. The lenses are pin sharp & give great results. Enlargements can be huge due to the fine detail & the kit goes & goes in any conditions. I've always liked the 6x6 format & have never found it limiting, you can easily crop to portrait or landscape from it (there's a lot of film there to crop into). The added bonus is that I don't have to rotate the camera between portrait & landscape. My average kit carried comes in at a useable weight. The final bonus is that it's a very comprehensive system with lots of add-ons & everythings backwards & forwards compatible.

 

Second hand equipment is readily available & you can pick up real bargains on systems if you shop around.

 

Gavin

No bronzing on the Canon i950 as the inks are different. I also have an i9100 for proofs in the studio . . . doesn't match up quality wise to the i950. If yo only need A$ go dor the i950. Interms of print quality it's top. Once profiled with the rest of your kit colour matching from screen is very good indeed!

I've had my hasselblad out & about in various conditions & can't say that I've had the problem so far, lots of differences in the transport mechanism from the Bronica though. Are you sure it's not coming from the processing? Or perhaps even dust? Failing that you can look into various was of dealing with the static including standard technicians grounding equipment(most high spec computer shops will stock) or even treatments for some of the camera parts.

 

Good luck on your quest & please post the results here, I'd be interested in hearing more.

 

Gavin

Given the choice of 6x45's on the market I would have thought a bronica ETRS/ETRSi would provide a better all-rounder & starter kit.

Go for the Bronica SQA system for a cheap SLR 6x6. That gives you options on interchangeable backs & lenses! Costs more . . . but does more. Otherwise, I'd consider buying a replacement rather than repairing. Cost vs. future reliability?

 

Otherwise an old 500CM Hassy kit will not set you back too much cash & they're great cameras

Basically, it tells you the frame number from the film backing

If you're looking for a versatile MF system, Hasselblad's are great & the 6x6 format means that you do not have to rotate the camera between portrait & landscape. Trust me this can be a sourse of annoyance. Second hand kit is cheap as anything as people are upgrading to new versions or dumping kit on ebay to finance their Digital SLR's. Extra's backs, lenses & bits are easy to come by second hand for good prices as opposed to new & generally the Hasselblad kit runs & runs for thousands of years without too many glitches. Lenses are a little pricey as most contain shutters but the Glass is pin sharp and is some of the finest money can buy. Flash Sync at all speeds!! :)

 

Otherwise RZ6x7 is a favourite. Large & heavy (wouldn't want to be lugging one through the mountains for 3 days) but a great kit & again, has a good market for parts. Plenty of lenses & options to cover everything. The back rotates too so you don't have to turn the camera.

 

Finally Bronica SQAi. 6x6 again, a cheaper alternative to the Hasselblad if only buying brand new, has plenty of usefull features like TTL Flash & spotmetering prisms. Good kit, never actually owned one though so I couldn't comment on it's long term use.

 

Some people will call me a snob or a fool but I love the Hasselblad system. Everything's compatible with everything & the kit's of top quality. I can't say a bad word about it so far.

 

Hope this offers some help.

 

Gavin

 

www.urban-landscapes.co.uk

I've used Sekinic meters for a while & find them perfect for every situation. Couldn't comment on the others as I've had no need to buy them :)

 

Gavin

I have Hasselblad Polaroid 100 back.

 

To load the back, insert the film pack & leave the black tab hanging over the edge. Do not try to slide anything between the rollers, that will be taken care of automatically when you go to develop your first exposure. When removing your exposed film, all you should need to do is firmly but smoothly pull the leader of the film through the rollers. If the images are not being developed correctly then your rollers are damaged.

 

all the best

 

Gavin

 

www.urban-landscapes.co.uk

I've used good quality CDR's for years & have had no worries, my company also uses them to archive extremely valuable work. Basically, don't buy the cheap stuff, look after them & store them well, don't stick labels to them . . . they will last ages, I have some that have seen light use for a decade now and run just fine.

 

Lastly . . . . I always have my negs as a backup as I still shoot to film & still have my darkroom. However I do 90% of my work digitally as the time saved allows me to get through hundreds more negatives than I would otherwise have time for.

 

There will be a better system soon as we are in between archiving technologies. In a couple of years it will all be on 20 gig RAM cartridges . . . that are fragile to electric pulses . . . when oh when will it end!?

 

Gavin

You can image to film at very high resolutions. We used to do this as part of the bureau services at my agency in London. Imaging from Mac through a purpose built Dalim camera on to 35mm E6 that could then be used or interneg'ed to other films. We have, however (along with most other companies), decommissioned the camera, along with the whole photographic department as the need for this is none existent these days. A great shame.

 

We had to break up the huge Rostrum camera and throw it in a skip. The 10x8 enlarger was given away, the rest of the darkroom was dumped . . . Most pro labs here will not work over a 5x4 neg size now.

 

If there is enough people to club together & justify the work I may consider doing a run of imaging, if the camera still works!

 

Gavin

I have just replaced the light traps on 2 backs as 1 was rotten & the other was rather old. When the trap is faulty it will cause irregular fogging depending on how much ambient light there is around you & how long that frame of film is lined up ready to shoot.

 

The parts needed cost me £4 and the job takes a couple of minutes per back. Don't send it to Hasselblad as they will charge a fortune to do the job & it's so simple.

Medium format negs will need less enlargement due to the much larger neg. You'll get better prints than you would from the 35mm as you can achieve much larger scans.

I would develop a film as soon as possible before continuing to shoot more film. This is always a good idea to test any new camera you purchase. Secondly I would speak to the person you got it from or get it to a good dealer who can advise you of what needs to be done.

 

Gavin

I agree that you can mark out a 6x6 area onto your ground glass & use that as your working area when composing. Another solution would be masking the film back. I know some other 6x7 systems allow for masks to be placed over the film back to shield the neg & effectively crop the exposure area (persoanlly I'd just shoot 6x7 & crop).

 

Otherwise buy a cheap old Hasselblad next time you have the cash

 

Gavin

I use a 308 myself & have never had problems with it. Very good little meters. I must admit, I've not used grey card when metering, therefore I cannot advise on the method. Technically it should work.

 

I will often take a couple of readings depending on my subject, directly from the scene. Usually just metering once, directly from a midtone. Another option is to meter the highs, lows & midtones & work out your best exposure.

 

Personally, I'd dispense with the card. If in doubt, when shooting a landscape for example, point the meter forwards & slightly down (so as to avoid metering the sky too much), with the chip exposed & take a reading. The angle of the meter is wide enough to give you an averaged reading for your exposure.

 

You might try bracketing shots too, to give you that safety margin. half or a whole stop either way will guarantee that you are getting your shots until you settle in with the meter & become used to using it & know it's results.

 

Hope this helps

 

Gavin

What's the big issue with ICE. Get a can of air & spray the negative clean before you scan it. Then you can spot the scan in photoshop with the cloning tool in minutes if there is any dust left on.

 

soooo much simpler & it seems it will improve the scan time by a fair bit too.

 

Gavin