christopher_engeler

I assume you mean the new 50mm/f1.4 Summilux-M ASPH. They are in very limited supply. Only ten were allocated for the US market initially (July-August), I understand, and these have apparently sold out already. I have one but have yet to finish my roll of film. I am sure more will be coming to this continent.

I think Leica should resurrect the R6.2 (perhaps slightly updated) as an anniversary body. It embodies the traditional high-quality SLR design and is more compact than the R8/9, complementing these well. Just like the MP vis-a-vis the M7.

I went digital in 1992 with the Kodak Photo CD system. I am glad I started early, it has saved me a lot of time scanning old slides. For travel I am 100% film, around home and family digital wins by about 60:40. I will still be using film for many, many years and scanning (with autofeeder for slides and entire negative rolls).

Manh, do you or anybody else on this forum have experience with the Rollei Sonnar lens? Perhaps a comparison with the Minolta/Leitz 40mm/f2.0? Just curious, I don't think a lot of these have sold because of the very high kit price (compared with the plain Voigtlander R2).

The 1/3N (CR1/3N) lithium battery is the same size and voltage as

two silver cells (MS76, LR44, AG13). Can I use this instead of the

two batteries. I am thinking longevity, storage, no risk of leak. I

have a number of semi-retired F2 cameras. Also, since I have these

other cameras as well, would the 1/3N Lithium battery be useable in

Pentax LX, Pentax Super Program, Minolta X-700?

Erik: To generalize, yes, I am interested in a comparison of autofocus with traditional rangfinders (Leica, etc.). Most modern AF SLR's no longer give you the choice of using the split-image screen for focus confirmation, so you have to trust the AF completely.

I often wonder what the technical limitation of the autofocus sensor

array is with high-speed lenses. How does this compare with a

rangefinder camera? Specifically, has anybody had experience with the

new AF-S VR Nikkor 200mm F/2G IF-ED? There is not a lot of room for

focus error with such shallow depth of field.

The classic Nikon "street camera": the brand new Nikon S3 2000 rangefinder.

Thanks to all above! I have decided to go for the 100m f4.0 MD Rokkor, leaving open the possibility of a 85mm purchase later. KEH has a couple of nice ones in inventory right now. For me the macro is a bit more versatile. I already have a VC 90mm APO-Lanthar for Pentax K which I like very much, so I wanted to try something else. The ideal compromise between macro and speed appears to be the Olympus OM 90mm/f2.0 which is an excellent lens (on top of that, you can use OM lenses on Canon EOS with an adapter). Too bad no other manufacturer filled this gap, forcing us to buy two lenses (a fast portrait with shallow depth of field and a macro lens). Weight was also a consideration in my decision. The Sigma closeout lens was tempting, but I passed. For now my lightweight Minolta travelling set will be a CLE with VC 28mm/3.5, some other tiny VC lenses, a Minolta X-700 with 50mm/f1.7 and this 100mm MD Macro. For flash I have a Metz system which I can share between these two cameras; adapters are much cheaper than buying a new flash for every system.

I am new to Minolta MD circles, having recently purchased a X-700 to

complement my CLE. I am interested in using this more in the short to

medium telephoto range (85-135mm) and need advice. As an addition to

the rangefinder camera (which typically has a 28mm lens on it), a

macro 100mm lens would also be a consideration. Searching for highest

quality in the Minolta range, what do you recommend? Or should I get

a new Voigtlander 90mm/3.5 Apo-Lanthar lens instead

(www.cosina.co.jp)? How do these lenses compare with Nikon, Canon,

etc.?

I am sorry for responding to this thread so late. I suggest you also take a look at the following vendor which will be of interest to you:

www.micro-tools.com

They sell a variety of laquer touch-up paints. In black you have the choice of flat vs. glossy finishes. They also carry a variety of other esoteric parts and tools for camera repair and restoration.

I just finished a yearlong projet scanning about 5000 Kodachromes from the 1960's to mid-eighties. It's not that I mistrust the longevity of the emuulsion, but the digital storage and printing is much more convenient. I found that I had to tweak the color cast somewhat differently than for E6 slides, but once I had that figured out (with Silverfast on a Nikon scanner with batch feeder), colors were as vivid as new. In fact, it was easy to make colors as vivid as any of the high-saturation films today. I had some problems with the automatic feeder but tweaked that to acceptable reliablity. The main thing about scanning Kodachrome is the inabilty to use IR-based dust/scratch elimination software. I had to use compressed air on both sides of each slide and still the results were not completely artifact-free. I am glad the family album project is over, though!

Chris: You are wrong about no new lenses: Cosina-Voigtlander has a new line of deluxe primes with unique specs: 40mm/2.0 aspherical, 90mm and 180mm apochromatics with close-focus ability, and a superb but heavy 125mm/2.5 apochromatic. These, with a few of the best original OM lenses should be able to give you everything you need. And then, when you add a Canon EOS system, just buy an adapter for these lenses. This is the best of both worlds!!

 

reference: www.cosina.co.jp and www.cameraquest.com

Frank: The AT-1 was intended as a downgraded model to the AE-1. It used the more traditional CdS photo cell whereas all other A-series cameras used the Silicon cell. This resulted in a smaller range of sensitivity from EV +3 to +18 compared with the AE-1, slower response to light, and "memory effect". It is not advised to use the Lithium version battery in the AT-1. The FTbN was still a strong presence at the time in 1977 when the AT-1 was introduced. The FTbN had a shutter speed indicator in the viewfinder and was quite a bit heavier, as it was related to the F-1/EF fully metal-bodied cameras. The AE-1 itself was also a downgrade from the very expensive EF camera (the Canon EF was the first silicon photocell camera, first shutter-priority automated Canon SLR, displayed shutter speeds and aperture readings, mechanical/electronic hybrid shutter with speeds selectable to 30 seconds!!! - now nicknamed the "Black Beauty"). I hope this helps!

Should be technically possible, but has anybody heard of such an

adapter? I have the OM-EOS adapter and the combination is one of my

favorites. But since I also love my T90 set, such an adapter would be

nice to find.

I have unsuccessfuly bid in a previous auction. Very professional web site and pictures, easy to bid. Prices in Europe seem higher than here, at least for the cameras I was interested in (older Canon). If I ever get around to selling from my collection, this may be a great outlet.

Thank you all for your suggestions! I got many more responses than I had imagined. I will refer her to the varied advice in this column and photo.net in general. Then we'll go from there. Thanks for the inspiration, -Christopher

My neighbor's 17-year old foreign exchange student from Japan is

beginning to express the Japanese gene for love of photography. She

has taken some really nice photos with point and shoot type cameras.

We would like to get her started in the right direction and I was

consulted because of my (excessive) camera collecting. In my opinion,

the best teaching tool available would be a digital SLR, but that is

out of here reach for now. A film-based SLR would therefore be my

recommendation, and here we have many very attractive options:

a) I would advise against an "orphaned" system such as Canon FD or

Minolta becasue of the steady drop of digital SLR prices which will,

sooner or later, become obtainable even on a student's budget.

b) That leaves us with used or new Pentax or Nikon manual focus, or

Canon EOS Rebel. I would suggest a manual focus body, preferably new

with warranty and this leads me to the Pentax ZX-M. Is that a good

choice? It is such an inexpensive camera that I'd rather see her get

a new one with warranty rather than preowned.

c) Lens: I'd say no to a kit lens or zoom, but would suggest one or

two primes: 50mm/35 or 28mm/ and a short telephoto lens (for

portraits which she has a good eye for). Or should it be a kit lens

and one prime or two to three inexpensive primes.

Budget: let's try to stay below $300 for all of this.

Price survey: ZX-M $190 for 50mm/f2.0 kit, $210 with 35-80mm zoom

lens kit.

Thanks for your input!

I own a couple of Olympus Zuiko telephoto lenses which are considered

among the best in their class, the 90mm/2.0 macro and the 250mm/2.0

Super-Tele. My question regards the use of a 1.4x or 2x teleconverter

for these lenses. Should I get an Olympus tele-converter and place it

on the lens or an EOS converter between the OM-EOS adapter and the EOS

body? Does it make a difference? I would prefer to buy a Canon

converter. What about use on a digital camera? The additional

increases the reach of these lenses even more. Are there micro-lens

sensor issues with these lenses (with and without tele-converter)?<div></div>

I would get the 80-200/4 L lens. It was a relatively late addition and the optics and performance are worldclass. Check out the MTF curves:

http://www.canonfd.com/1984fd_l_lensesbrochure/pages/p680-200%204L%20MTF_jpg.htm

This lens also has Macro capability which is convenient (the newer EF 70-200/4 USM for autofocus doesn't). I got three of these because it is harder to find than the others. and I just checked KEH: they have two in EXC condition, both at $349. Now that is a steal! You will need to get a 58mm hood (original BT-58, or perhaps a screw-on metal hood from eBay).

Lens speed is actually f2.8, sorry.

I have had some difficulty metering TTL with this lens. I was only

partially saved by the exposure latitude of the negative film I was

using at the time. Since then I have switched to about 90%

transparency use. This was a couple years ago and I think with an AE-

1P or an A-1. Now I'd like to try this again. Olympus recommends

doing the stop-down metering in neutral position - no shift - with

their lens/camera combination. Is this the same with Canon? Also,

will I be better off using a T90 with this lens in aperture-priority

auto mode, lens shifted or not? Any suggestions? I plan to try this

lens with my T90 next but would love to hear recommendations with

other FD cameras. Thanks!

This is one of the alltime great 35mm cameras, I own three. I too would love to see Pentax run another limited batch of these. But they would have to be priced right. The limited series LX-2000 was 1000 cameras at more than twice the price of the last LX (330,000 yen compared with 150,000 yen). What price would you pay, Sandeha? LX-2000's are extremely hard to get in this country as most were bought up by collectors in Japan. I was fortunate to acquire an LX-2000 a few months ago, but uncertain if/when I will ever use it (it cost more than a Leica!). It's BEAUTIFUL, though.

There are a few OM mount lenses for which there is no parallel in the Canon EF stable. I have used these on my Digital Rebel using the adapter. They are: Zuiko 90mm/2.0 macro, Voigtlander 40mm/2.0 ASPH in OM mount, Voigtlander 180mm/4.0 APO close-focus in OM mount. Manual focus with macro lenses is still the way to go for a lot of my photography so these lenses fit in quite well alongside some "L" glass I own (17-40mm, 70-200mm/4.0). One of my favorite compact combinations is an OM-4ti and a Digital Rebel in the bag with some of these lenses which I can use on BOTH. Check out www.cameraquest.com for info on these superb new primes!

I have had great dealings with Winston Lowe. He specializes ONLY in A-series cameras and has a reliable technician working for him. He turns around quickly and has done several cameras for me. Price is usually unbeatable, perhaps around $50-60 for a simple lubrication and seal replacement. I have not had any major repairs done but he is the man to ask. Also check out the Canon FD information and forum at:

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/SLRs/a1/index.htm

You can post your question there as well. Here is his eMail: winclowe@yahoo.com