david_karp

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I read elsewhere that Kodak Readyloads were actually made by Polaroid. Polaroid is no longer going to be making film products, so the Readyload packaging equipment is going to disappear. No equipment - No Readyloads.

Something more like the late 19th century would be a Kodak 2d, Seneca, Agfa/Ansco, or similar 4x5.

In the USA these Cambos are known as the 45NX, 45N, or 45nX-II, depending on the features. Old versions were known as the SC, etc. Many of these are sold all the time on E-Bay. The prices are usually quite low. This is an excellent camera.

Calumet used to rent wooden Zone VI 8x10s. They are located on Highland in Hollywood. Samys might have something for you as well. They are on Fairfax.

Jim Andracki, Jim Andracki, and Jim Andracki, in that order.

Best Price/Quality relation: Older used Fujinon W series lenses with EBC coating. In my opinion these are plain excellent and usually available at very reasonable prices. The new CMW series has replaced these, so not being current, they are priced accordingly.

Jeff,

 

Contact Jim Andracki at Midwest Photo Exchange (MPEX.com). He is the best. He will give you good advice and their used equipment is wonderful. I have purchased a field camera and at least three lenses from him, plus a Nikon D70. He is honest, will advise you away from a camera he has in stock if he does not think it is right for you, and has very fair prices. In my opinion, he is awfully hard to beat. He is leaving for a buying trip outside of the country pretty soon, so I would call him pretty quick to get things started.

 

Dave

The Geronar is a triplet, and it is very sharp at the center of its image circle. If you intend to use a lot of movements, it is probably not the best choice. The more complicated design of the G-Claron will almost certainly give better performance at the edges of the circle. Also, as noted above, G-Clarons regularly sell for more than the Geronars. The G-Claron will be a better "deal." Of course, there are always lens to lens differences, and if the G-Claron was dropped or the elements knocked out of alignment, then it might perform worse than the Geronar. Make sure you have a return option, in case either lens is a dog.

The magnesium version is lighter. See http://www.largeformatphotography.info/calumet/calumetc8x10.html.

Here is Thornton's 2 bath formula, which I have used with Arista 400 (HP5+) and Arista 125 (FP4+) with results that I like very much:

 

BATH A

Water: 750 ml

Metol: 6.5 g

Sodium Sulfite: 80 g

Water to make 1L

 

BATH B

Water: 750 ml

Sodium Metaborate: 12g

Water to make 1L

 

I vary the formula a bit, and usually split the sodium sulfite evenly between the A and B baths.

 

Time is 4 minutes in each solution (5 minutes for sheet film). No wash between A and B. You can achieve + or minus development by varying the amount of sodium metaborate in the B bath: I think about 8 g/L for - and 20 g/L for +.

 

I think this is a great combination for landscape photography.

Jason,

 

If you are talking about a current-size Cambo adapter lensboard that will fit on a Cambo camera, I recently tried a Cambo to Technika adapter board on a C-1, and it did not fit.

I have the earlier version (a different design - 6 elements in 6 groups) that is marked Fujinon W, and uses 52mm filters. I think Fuji called this "NW" even though it is not labeled as such on the lens. See http://members.aol.com/subgallery/byfl.htm for more information on specs. It has a smaller image circle (198mm) than the CMW. It has the EBC coating. I love this lens. If not my favorite, it is one of my two favorite lenses. Every once in a while, I wish for a bigger image circle, but never wish for a bigger, heavier lens. If you want a lens that takes a smaller filter, look for a used version of this lens. Jim at Midwest Photo Exchange (www.mpex.com) usually has used Fujinon 125s in stock. I bought mine from him, and it looked brand new. If you think that the price of a new 125 CMW is reasonable, you will love the price of a used version of my lens.

Dave,

 

I just borrowed a friend's c-1 and could not figure out how to lock the rail in the up position. Thanks for solving the mystery.

Jason,

 

According to the review of the C1 at www.largeformatphotography.info, the green magnesium version weighs 14 pounds, and the aluminum version weighs 18 pounds.

To me, Diafine and HP5+ is a great combination. I have never seen anything like you have in your photos. What is your agitation regimen? I agitate for 10 seconds each minute, and I develop film for 4 minutes in A and 4 minutes in B. I tip the tank to the left, then the right, then away from me, and finally, a complete 360 degree spin back toward me. It takes about 10 seconds almost without fail.

Richard,

 

A few years ago, before Mrs. Adams died, all of the equipment was still in his house. This includes that big horizontal 8x10 enlarger. We were told that Alan Ross and John Sexton still used the old equipment to make reproduction prints for the Ansel Adams books. The publishing trust worked out of the house. Perhaps it is the owner of the house, and things are all still there.

Price issues aside, for most work, the Caltar II-E 210mm f/6.8 has plenty of movement for 4x5 and will cover 5x7. For such a simple design, the lens performs shockingly well. It is worth considering if you want something that is more portable than the larger, more complex 210s. If I was buying, however, I would not pay as much for one of these as for a 210mm with a more complex design.

Ralph,

 

If you decide to sell to a dealer, I would contact Jim at Midwest Photo Exchange. In my experience, if you describe your equipment to him accurately, he will give you a very fair price, and will not change it upon receipt of your goods. He is a pleasure to deal with.

Markus,

 

I have not yet used her services, but have heard good reviews of Carol Miller's work. 652-696-0759. She is at Flutot's Camera Repair in Whittier.

Thornton increased his formulat to 6.5g, but did indeed reduce the metol in his A bath because he felt the results with 7.5g metol were too contrasty. His formula also differs from D-23 in that it uses 80g per liter of sodium sulfite instead of 100g. I have not tested this out, but I bet that not much development (if any) takes place in the A bath of Thornton's formula. I have modified his formula by putting 40g/liter of sodium sulfite in the A bath, and 40g/liter of it in the B bath (similar to Vestal's divided D-76) and this also works very well.

I second Barry Thornton's formula. Before he passed away, I e-mailed him because the formulae on his website and in his book "the Edge of Darkness" were different. He told me that he changed to formula to 6.5g per liter of metol in the A bath since he published the formula on his website. This formula works great. If you want to give your film minus development, try 8g per liter of sodium metaborate in bath B. For plus development, try 20g per liter of sodium metaborate in the B bath. Normal, I believe, is 12g per liter.

Using Diafine with sheet film is not a problem. Agitate for ten seconds every minute in both A and B solutions. It works fine.

 

I used it with 4x5 until I started using Barry Thornton's metol 2 bath developer. Never had a problem with it. I developed film in stainless racks (1 up and 4 up) and in a slosher. I like the slosher the best. I changed to Thornton's because I could mix it myself, and because he gives formulae for varying the amount of accelerator in the b bat for + or - developement. This formula also works fine.

 

Some photographers like this stuff. Others don't. There is no right or wrong. Only opinion.

 

That's my opinion.

Call Calumet at their headquarters in the Chicago area and ask for Jose. He is their large format repair guy, and I am sure he will be able to help you. He is a nice guy, and has been very helpful to me in the past.

Thanks David. Best of luck to you.