Scott Ridgeway www.Scott

<p>The water bath recirculation pump on a recently purchased Jobo ATL-2 works for a few moments when the power is first turned on, and then quits. It might run for 5 seconds. I may work for 45 seconds. There doesn't seem to be any consistency. I have two other ATL-2's for parts, but don't know where to start. Any thoughts as to what might be happening?</p>

<p>Yes, there are cooling vents back there. Darn.</p>

<p>I just bought an Epson 7800. The manual tells me I need a minimum of 8 inches behind the printer stand. The back of the stand extends about 10 inches behind the printer. Besides plugging in a couple of cords, will I really need this much space behind the printer? Can I just push the stand up close to the wall without problem?</p>

<p>A few years ago, I travelled the country with a white cargo van filled with tons of equipment. I had two big magnetic signs made that read "Heaven Scent Diaper Service" and slapped them on the van whenever I left it unattended. Don't imagine that's practical for trailhead parking in a national park, though. </p>

<p>It's been twenty years since I've been to Denali. I remember that we chose the last two weeks of August and the first week of September because that when we were supposed to have the best chance of seeing the mountain. We did indeed see it for at least a few different days. It is truly spectacular.</p>

<p>I've been using the Ideesign Q-Top Quick Release system for the last several years, and absolutely love it. Unfortunately, they went out of business a few years ago. Since then, one of my biggest fears is that my tripod would be lost or stolen, and I'd never be able to replace the quick release system. This evening, I was poking around the web and discovered that Ideesign was back in business! Adorama has the Q-Top and plates in stock! Expensive but well worth it. For those of you who have been searching for extra plates, this is surely welcome news. I'm certainly glad they're back!</p>

<p>I'd go with the Mamiya 7/7II. It works very well for handheld portraits. Check out<br>

www.unposed.net</p>

<p>I can't resist...<br>

http://ScottRidgeway.net</p>

I have a lead on a Jobo 3000 automatic processor. Beore I buy it, I need to know if it's possible to capture the

spent chemistry

so that it doesn't go into the sewer? Anyone know?

Actually, the new (hoped for) Fuji 6x7 IS what I really want. I'm guessing I won't want to pay the asking price, though. If the new Fuji is affordable, I'll definitely own one. In the meantime, an older 645 will work just fine, I think.

Thanks, guys. Actually, a long time ago I used to own both the S and the W. Then I got a Mamiya 7II. Unless I'm going out specifically to shoot, though, it gets carried more that it gets used. I remember my old Fujis as being light and compact and thought that one or the other would make a great always-have camera. I just wanted to make sure the actual dimensions and my memory sorta matched. Thanks again for the help!

I have a Mamiya 7II that I try to carry everywhere. Unfortunately, it doesn't

always happen, so I'm sort of looking for something smaller and lighter for

those times when I doubt I'll really need a camera. I'm considering either the

Fuji GS645W or the GS645S. I've found weights for both cameras but have been

unable to locate the physical dimensions for them. Can anyone help?

The vertical alignment on my M7II is also off. I've always considered it a mild annoyance. It's never affected proper focusing that I could tell. Am I missing something?

I used to shoot with a Pentax 67. I now use a Mamiya 7II, and absolutely love it. That said, for what you're proposing, I'd go with the Pentax. For one, with the Mamiya, the lens protrudes into the viewfinder in the lower right corner a good bit. Secondly, it's not going to be nearly as easy, quick or forgivable to focus as a Leica. The Pentax would be a little better for this. As I said, I love the Mamiya, but I'd go with the P67 for this.

Jenny- I thought the same thing when I started seeing the suggestions for large format. The original poster surely knows that large format exists, but was asking about medium format (and mostly about two particular cameras.) It's an open forum, though, so whatever...

 

I used to shoot large format myself. My photography definitely improved when I moved to medium format. Why? I could afford to take risks with my work. When shooting large format, there is a big financial investment and big time investment with each shot. Risk taking gets expensive fast. So you follow "the rules" and get technically perfect but boring shots--or at least I did. That's not to say that there aren't some excellent large format photographers out there. There certainly are. But for most of us, smaller formats allow us to affordably experiment with compositions, lighting, etc. Sure, I throw away lots and lots of failures, but the keepers are exceptional.

 

Yes, large format is "best" if that means sharpest or if you really need those swings, shifts and tilts. For me, "best" is the camera that allows me to make the images that make me happy. For me, that used to be the P67. Now it's a Mamiya 7II.

I used the Pentax 6x7 for years. It is an excellent landscape camera. As others have said, though, it is heavy and requires a correspondingly heavy tripod. I use a Mamiya 7II now and am quite happy with it. Rangefinder focusing takes some faith and some getting used to. As much as I like the Mamiya 7II, I'd recommend that you rent or borrow one before making the commitment.

If I had $350 to spend, and I was going to be backpacking, I'd definitely go with carbon fiber. When I shot a Pentax 67, I had nearly as much tied up in tripods as I did in lenses. I've owned three different carbon fiber tripods, and they were well worth the money. Eventually I moved to a Mamiya 7 and black and white, and found I was using a tripod less and less. I couldn't justify the cost so I moved to the little Velbon, but it was far to flimsy. Then I bought the Slik Sprint Pro. It's right around two pounds, and it's surprisingly sturdy for its weight and size. If I were in your shoes, I'd go carbon fiber, but the Slik Sprint Pro ain't bad.

I can't imagine that shutter vibration will have any effect on 4-30 second exposures--especially at 30th.

We still don't know what lens she is using. If it's the 150mm, isn't it notoriously difficult to focus? I'm using the 65mm, and getting correct focus is a breeze. I used to own the 80mm. I don't remember it being difficult. I don't shoot wide open, though.

Your understanding of how to focus is correct. What lens are you using?

I only use the 65mm lens. I try not to shoot below 1/30th. If I'm braced against something solid, I'll try 1/15th.

I've looked at the specs at several sites for both the Slik Sprint and the

Sprint Pro Tripods. I know the Pro goes much lower to the ground. This can only

be accomplished with a short or nonexistent center column AND legs that spread

wider than usual. My question, though is about the regular Sprint model. Do the

legs also allow wider leg spread than most tripods? I don't need to go below

17.5 inches. I do like to be able to spread a leg or two out more than usual on

highly uneven terrain. I know the Pro version will work for me. Will the regular

Sprint?

The Ideesign quick release system was an excellent product. It's a shame they're no longer available.

Yep...I use it for everything. I only use the 65mm. I don't use ND grad or CPL filters. I do keep a protection filter on it as I don't use a lens cap.

 

Scott

Yes, the "quality" of your images will improve, if you define quality

as sharper. There are numerous disadvantages to using a

rangefinder camera, and especially this particular one,

compared to 35 SLR or digital, thoguh. The biggest

disadvantage fpr most is that you are very limited in your lens

choices (besides the expense of those choices.) All this said,

the Mamiya 7II is all I use.

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<a href=http://scottridgeway.net>ScottRidgeway.net</a>