theoldman

<p>good find. Joshua Cohen over in Colorado has a fine selection of films at very reasonable prices, and is very free with his good advice. Also he pointed me to a very fine developer in Denver, Reed Photo. Mail turnaround time was excellent and prices were very fair. You will have a lot of fun with your medium format. </p>

At risk of sneers from the high-end market, this is offered for the non-professional (fun) photographer who wants to try out MF without crunching their budget.

Some time ago, after digging out some *very* old MF negatives and printing them, I decided to get back into MF for some specialty fun. I was not disappointed, and here's how I did it "on the cheap":

eBay has a search engine that is second to none for folks who want to sell and buy camera gear. Please note that I *always* first check the vendor's satisfaction rating, the length of time the vendor has been on eBay, and how many items the vendor has satisfactorily sold. If all those items are *not* within high realms, I pass them by. Also, I only pay by MO or certified check, so that eliminates several choices also. With that out of the way, here is what my experience was like:

Several vendors had MF cameras for sale and I finally settled on a Voigtlander Besa-I. Contacted the seller with several questions which he quickly answered satisfactorily. Therefore I bid on the camera and won it for (approx) $85.US. Upon arrival, the camera was pristine in every way, exactly as the vendor had described.

It has a pristine Vascar 1:4.5/105 lens, shutter speeds from B-to-300, F=4.5-to-F=22, timed release, cable release and you can choose between 4x6 or 6x9 (either closeup or infinity for both sizes, giving you 4 choices) by turning a knurled wheel control to change the size of the exposure. Of course, that also changes the number of frames you get from a normal roll of film. If you cannot google a good pic of the Voigtlander Besa-I somewhere else, there is one on my website.

In a prior life, I had carried a Voigtlander 35mm through 9 years of SE Asia with great success. It has taken several hundred (maybe thousands, the slides fill a 2ftx2ft box and other negatives fill about half that much more) of photos and it still works fine today so I was not concerned about the name Voigtlander or quality.

Getting the 120 (color) film developed is a pro-lab job, but does not cost much more than any other film for the developing. Printing is a bit more pricy so I usually just get the negatives and scan them into my computer and only print the ones I want, leaving the others just as digital photos for future reference. (always backup on disc plus domain, hard drives sometime go south unexpectedly!)

So it is possible to experiment (and have fun) with MF without breaking the budget. I popped over to eBay just now and found at least several of these cameras for sale, some quite expensive of course, but others well under $100.US. I live in the US so only buy from US vendors simply because I don't want any hassels with customs on an imported item. Did that once with a persian carpet and really got stung by customs surcharges.

As with anything, you have to be careful what you buy, who you buy it from, and what the seller's conditions of sale are.

But that is quite another subject in itself.

Hope this might help someone who wants to try out MF but can't afford to learn how to spell Hasselblad the expensive way. ;-)

Amen to the last answer; sometimes in "Creative Zone" the flash will "sound like" it wants to extend but of course will not. And, of course, use of the onboard flash in "Creative Zone" is chosen by you; just lift it if you want a fill flash at shorter distances or to illuminate an object. In the Automatic Zone it will determine the need for flash and pop it up if required. If you don't want it to flash in automatic zone, just push it back down while holding the shutter button 1/2 way down and before firing the shot. If you received a manual with your Elan-7, memorize it. If not, maybe Canon will give you one, i haven't checked http://canon.com Have fun, burn lots of film, you have an excellent camera!

<p>Hello Chris, <br>and thanks for the explanation and the SD Development Site link. It was most interesting, and right on target for the subject and question. I had wondered if perhaps it was some kind of technology that would allow your own mark to be embedded into the photograph. Now that would be worth paying for at the shutter level, instead of having to do it later with expensive software.</p>

<p>Sounds like we're paying part of our purchase price because of music piracy concerns.</p>

<p>My only use for the card is the temporary storage of photos i take, to superimpose on the VHS movies i convert to Digital from Analog format. Guess we all pay for thievery of some kind, every time we purchase something, no matter what it is.</p>

<p>Appreciate the response from Hawaii (please excuse, can't remember the name right now) and i must admit that on a couple of occasions i did try to copy to a disk that had the overwrite-protection tab enabled. Even tried that once briefly with a smaller memory chip from another digital camera. But this was not overwrite protection, it was "copyright protection". Like in © or as in © or as in "registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, please don't steal my stuff".</p>

<p>Thanks again Chris, that was a good link.</p>

Went to buy a memory card for a Panasonic VHS Analog Movie/Digital

Photo camcorder. The Panasonic card says; "With Copyright Protection

Feature", where the others make no mention of those words or anything

close. Could someone tell me exactly what that term means, and how

it is utilized? Thanks.

Oh, OK, that's simple enough to understand. Thanks for the response, that seems to be a flash that would be adequate for all my needs.

Trying to choose a decent flash unit for Elan-7 without going too

seriously broke, since my photography is just a hobby. What does it

mean when the descriptive info on a flash unit says, among other

things: "(Guide No. 139'/42m at 50mm)"? Does it mean the flash is

good to 42meters with a 50mm lens? Doesn't sound probable, since it

would be difficult for even a good flashlight to illuminate a target

at 139-ft...

Echo the majority: fast lens and high-speed black and white film; nobody will know you're shooting. If you need closeup from the nosebleed section, you'll have to spend the bucks for (or rent) a prime IS telephoto lens for the day, and use maybe ISO400. Have used ISO-1600 B&W with a 300mm lens and gotten some keepers in difficult situations. A bit grainy for enlargement but what the hey. Your paper probably isn't going to print color anyway, right?

Regina;

If your Elan-7 did not come with a manual, you may find information on the canon.com site. This link:

http://www.usa.canon.com/html/contacts/litreq.html

has information on telephone and email source for USA customers. If you are elsewhere, go to their home page and choose your country then follow the links to the Elan-7/7e page, then the left navbar will have the literature link for your country language.

You're going to *love* your Elan-7!

Cheers.

i go with what NK and Hansley said: Just remember to isolate the midwound roll in a marked container with the frame number you are to go back to when you want to finish exposing it. Otherwise the roll will look just like a new one; the tail sticking out of the canister. "Then" ...remember to change the control function back so that subsequent finished rolls will have their tails inside the used canister. ;-)

Believe the manual that comes with the Finepix-2650 is rather complete, anyway that was my assessment. There is only one thing that is worth mentioning; when downloading pics from camera to PC it is good to use a card-reader or the recommended AC power source (which is required if you use the 2650 as a PC-Cam anyway...) because otherwise it eats up the AA batteries *very* fast. Besides, if the batteries deplete during download you would probably loose an image. What features are you having problems with?

I have used the Kenko 3x, works fine.

Obviously don't know *all* of them, but my choice was the Fuji FinePix 2650: Anywhere from the MSRP of $249 down to the $150-$180 range online, or like today (day after Thanksgiving) ShopKo for $99.99! ;-) What i like is the 3x-Optical, 2.5-digital zooms, the 9-section grid for composing, the intuitive controls and the lens cover. Choose from (approx) 96pixel on up to 2meg shots depending on the quality you want. Check it out at the many outlets (Google "FinePix 2650" for a bunch of outlets or just go to the FujiFilm website for some basic info. I found that all the feature writeups at both Fuji and the retailers did not cover all the tricks this camera can do. Don't particularly like the software that's bundled with it but then that's a small item since i can use other more intuitive programs already installed for another (8x-optical, zero-digital zoom) camera i've had for some time that won't focus closer than about 12-ft or so. This Fuji is not my primary camera, nor will any digital probably take that place away from my Canon anytime soon. But i do have one website that film costs have been eating my lunch and this piece will do the job nicely and save me a lot of time and film/processing costs.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

I have the Elan-7 with a bagfull of lenses out to 900mm and other tools the pros all say you have to have. The Elan-7 is a fine camera, capable of infinite user preferences and produces excellent results. "BUT"... You are describing a good camera and a bagfull of prime lenses that most intermediate photographers would envy. If your primary interest is trains and RR trappings, i can't think of much you don't already have the capability of capturing with good film. Rather than zoom in a bridge from a thousand yards, just walk over and get close enough to frame what you want and get good detail. For boxcar graffiti(sp) your 50mm f/1.8 can stop most trainyard/depot speeds and give you good resolution of the artwork. And when you can frame an engine with your f/1.8 you will get better resolution of the machinery than most zooms can give you.

But, if you insist on upgrading, you can send your present kit to me anyday! ;-)

If i were going to HK, and wanted to buy my camera there, and it was going to be a high-end camera, ... I'd probably stop into the HKPD, ask to see the Department photographer, and ask him (or her, whatever the case might be). But i'd be careful about asking for the "cheapest" store, they might be buying their stock from the kids who hang-out in the doorways. Just a thought. Whatever you do, make sure you keep the receipt for customs.

The service you get from any individual shop is directly proportional to how serious they are about customer satisfaction and their market-share in that locality. If the only way for them to make a sale good is to mention the fleeting span of mortal existence, then perhaps that's what works with them. Everyone has a different language. But a grinding, sand-feel to the zoom sounds like crap to me whether accompanied by whining sound or not. maybe they're peddling equipment that was used up by the employees then repackaged, who knows. None of my lenses make any noise whatsoever, and on manual focus they feel like they're riding on air, and they *don't* loose their focus when the lens is panned or elevated. I believe Canon does not make lenses with the idea of making a lot of noise in quiet environments.

Good question, same problem with shooting wildlife and outdoor scenes. One method has already been suggested; the clear trash bag. Another method is to take a large "baggie" that fits loosly over the entire camera, carefully cut a hole to accomodate the lens then carefully tape the edge of the hole to your hood. The hood protects to some degree the lens from raindrops, and the baggie protects the camera, just manage the controls by putting your hand into the open end of the baggie. If the rain is a torrent, your Nor'Wester hood and a top viewer can further protect the camera by holding it against your chest and leaning your hood out a bit. But if it gets that bad most people will go home.

The other method is to spend a couple thousand bucks for one of those fancy plastic housings with the controls on the housing and the camera inside. And you still have to keep the water off the viewing angle of the inside lens.....

A little over $300. at B&H. I always get fast delivery from them with no mistakes.

The best reason i know for the prime lenses is that you can often take photos with no flash. The difference between a f-2.4 or f-2.8 lens and the f-4 (approx, at lowest magnification of most zooms) is surprising. The cost of one of the above is not great compared to the gains in quality and ability to defeat gathering darkness at dusk or in low light indoors. I usually keep a modest zoom (35-135) on the body for the majority of shots, with longer zooms available. However, if i could only have one lens, it would be my prime. It can use low-speed film with good quality and then you can crop and enlarge what you want on developing.<div></div>

PuppyFace, bless you! That rewind problem has been irking me for a year now and even the dealer did not know the answer. If it worked for the others, it'll work for me next time, all i have to do is be in creative zone when i rewind. PTL! :)

My reasons for buying Canon for my Canon are simple: I am not a professional and i don't keep up with all the spiderweb info of what will fit what, but i know if i stick with the Canon store downtown everything will work together just fine and if the occasion arises where i have any complaints they'll make it right without any hassle or waiting on my part. On the other hand, my friends tell me that Tamron and a couple other firms make great after-market lenses for the Elan-7. A few days ago a dealer wanted to sell me a 1.4 extender for my Elan-7 and he claimed it would work just fine, AF and everything... But i found out later he didn't quite know for sure, and it would not have worked anyway. I don't get any guessing-games from my Canon dealer, and sticking with Canon for my Canon is my way of taking the easy way out. ;)

How about a variation of "sea-anchors"? Take some heavy canvas, make a shallow-bowl-shaped (the larger the better) piece held open by something like fibreglass or wooden dowling, and secure both sides and ends with line sufficient to withstand the rolling of the boat: One (at least) on the starboard side, one on the port side; when either side goes down so does the anchor go deeper into the water picking up a full load and staying open. Then when the boat starts to roll to the other side the vertical resistance of lifting the "anchor" (or "bag") thru the water slows and minimizes the roll of the craft when it's not under power, just floating or riding the hook. The only thing you have to do is build it so it stays open, and sinks readily when that side goes down so the lifting lines don't get any slack, maybe even have a vertical support to make sure it sinks to the limits of it's securing-lines. This is a vertical variation on the fisherman's horizontal "sea anchor" which slows down the horizontal drift of a fishing boat without power. The heavier the boat, the larger the anchors have to be in order to provide inertia sufficient to help stabilize the natural roll caused by passing waves.

I have the Elan-7 and have never had it misread the ISO values as long as there is DX-coded film in the camera. If not, of course, you would have to set the ISO manually which is a cinch with the Elan-7 anyway. Probably what you have heard complaints about is when someone takes a picture in a severe environment, bright snow, highly reflective water, etc, and the internal meter thinks the whole world is white, or that the blinding snow is the subject, then you would have to increase the F-stop value one or two, depending on the entire frame. But that is not a camera fault, it's a matter of getting used to your equipment. Anyway, that's MHO, for what it's worth.