bill_taylor2

<p>Interesting. Maybe I just got the wrong person on the phone. I might be able to do a personal stop next week. Face to face might make it seem more serious to them.<br>

I only picked Mar 21 for symbolic reasons. I guess tht is something else to ask about. Better or worse days. to be there.</p>

 

<p>Any Photo.net shooters interested in a shoot at the Descanso Gardens in late March? I just called them, the woman said the tulips are coming in and the lilacs will be in bloom. The recent rains have encouraged some nice growth.<br /> <br /> Lots of really nice plants there all year long, but spring is a good time to catch the newly budding blooms. If enough people commit to coming, we can even get a discount at the door.<br /> <br /> On the downside, they are not thrilled to see lots of equipment. Point and shoot is OK. But lots of large bags, reflectors, lights, tripods, etc. would cause them some heartburn, since they will be open to regular visitors during the day. Knowing who (likely) would be coming and what to expect would tend to minimize the shock. Personally I want to shoot large format, which means a tripod at least. More discussion will be needed.<br /> <br /> So, who is interested? I was thinking late March, say March 21, first day of spring. Plenty of warning, and if we do get rain it should be warm.<br /> <br /></p>

<p>Any large format shooters interested in a shoot at the Descanso Gardens in late March? I just called them, the woman said the tulips are coming in and the lilacs will be in bloom. The recent rains have encouraged some nice growth.</p>

<p>Lots of really nice plants there all year long, but spring is a good time to catch the newly budding blooms. If enough people commit to coming, we can even get a discount at the door.</p>

<p>On the downside, they are not thrilled to see lots of equipment. Point and shoot is OK. But lots of large bags, reflectors, lights, tripods, etc. would cause them some heartburn, since they will be open to regular visitors during the day. Knowing who (likely) would be coming and what to expect would tend to minimize the shock.</p>

<p>So, who is interested? I was thinking late March, say March 21, first day of spring. Plenty of warning, and if we do get rain it should be warm.</p>

 

<p>John-Paul, (and Ron),</p>

<p>For developing I use the Price Monotank. No longer made, but they pop up on the used market once in a while (I have two). Essentially a large ABS/Bakelite daylight tank for sheets on hangers. They will hold eight 4x5 sheets. About 60oz will cover the film, but I like 64oz, just to be sure. That still leaves enough headroom to rock the tank gently for agitation. You cannot invert it, since the lid does not attach. It just sits in a light tight groove along the top. Looking at it from the front, it is T-shaped, a lot like a film hanger.</p>

<p>Once the top is on, you just fill, agitate, and dump with the lights on, more or less as with a Patterson or other tank. Lift out for drying and you're done.</p>

 

<p>The Los Angeles Times just published an article they call their Ultimate Guide to Cruising California. OK the underlying truth of that might be debatable, but at least the places are scenic to go to. Just looking at it, I see it is a trip I've been daydreaming about for years. Maybe this spring I'll shake loose and go.<br>

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-trw-ultimateguide,0,5828281.special</p>

<p>And I challenge the rest of you, how about some pointers to good locations in your areas? Utah, Florida, Quebec, Sonora, Bavaria, NSW, Timbuktu, Tashkent?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>The definitive answer for me came from http://www.largeformatphotography.info/fstop.html.</p>

<p>I pretty much copied the rules and put them into my shooting notebook, right next to the zone definitions and recip failure tables. The short version: Stop down only as much as absolutely needed to get everything in. The amount of adjustment you need in order to focus the closest and the furthest dictates the optimum f-stop to avoid diffraction problems. When in doubt f22 - f32.</p>

<p>Of course, Stopping down, or opening up, for other reasons still has a place in "setting the mood' of a photo too.</p>

 

<p>You can drop off at Samy's in Pasadena. On Walnut, just east of Fair Oaks. They use an outlab. Or go to the Samy's in LA/Hollywood on Fairfax near Farmer's Market. Not terribly far from Freestyle.</p>

While we're at it... Are there any So Cal photo events geared for LF? We don't get much for fall color along

the coast, but the scenery is pretty nice (when it isn't burning). Beaches, Mountains, Parks, Lakes, they all

seem pretty photogenic.

 

Anyone know how amenable the LA Arboretum is? What's in bloom this time of year?

When I was working through my lens selection, two things came up: cost and coverage. I wanted to spend a reasonable amount on them, of course. But I wanted to exploit the range of the camera too. What I decided on was getting lenses with an approximately 2 to 1 angle of view ratios. So the effect of switching lenses was always about the same. In my case that worked out to 65mm, 90mm, 150mm, 210mm, 300mm. Then I just tried to find lenses in those sizes (or close to them) as cheaply as possible. Luckily, these are pretty common, so I didn't take too bad of a beating.

 

And I did end up getting some in sizes off from those mentioned. 135mm, 47mm (in a deep recessed board), 265mm. They were cheap and work well.

LA Times website Featured a YouTube video of an artist shooting huge direct to positives from a homemade Camera

Obscura. Watch the video and see how the big boys do it.

 

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/funny_pages_20/2008/09/bestcameraever.html

 

I can quibble with some of his technique, but a least he is out there shooting.

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/products/films/readyload/readyloadMain.jhtml?id=0.2.26.14.25&lc=en

 

Kodak is killing off four of the Readyload product line by the end of 2008. TMAX100, Portra 160VC, Ekta e100G

and e100VS.

 

The films are continuing, just the Readyload format is going.

There should be two sets of numbers there. They are the same "scale" but one set of numbers is larger than the other. They are used for setting the location of the front standard. When you set your lens in place, you set the standard at the number of the focal length, then lock it down. The large numbers are used when you extend the back out. Be sure to remember to compensate for recessed lensboards and telephoto lenses!

First, I think you need to decide how you want to do your compensation. Don't play with both film speed AND exposure. Pick one and stick to it. If your film is EI100, then set your meter there and leave it. Then throw your compensations into the aperture and time.

 

Second, you are shooting transparency. That means expose for the highlights. Are you saying you want the highlights to fall at Zone 6.5 ? Seems like you know the compensation from Zone 5 to 6.5, but have you considered the difference between the highlight and what the meter is telling you? And do you have a good feel for the latitude of this film?

 

So, measure the highlights, measure/estimate the scene tonal range, decide the compensation to give the highlight fall within the film's latitude, then meter the basic exposure. Then calculate compensation for filter factor and reciprocity failure. Then make the exposure. Easy!

I was quoted a basic CLA price of under $100 at Samy's. The shipping and insurance might take you up to that. But I think I'd take $100 as the fix/replace threshold number. Call around. Unless you feel the Compur is just irreparable, or you just really want some new glass.

BBC World Service just announced that Polaroid is cutting out production of

instant films. they ran a short piece on how instant has been in decline since

the advent of digital cameras. However, I just visited the Polaroid web site

and I do not find a Press release about it. So who to believe, Polaroid, or the

BBC?

 

I'll fully admit to not using instant films for previews. For what I shoot, I

feel I have enough visualization skills to take a chance on a few sheets of

film. But, I don't have thousands of dollars in advertising on the line when I

snap the shutter either.

David,

 

I got the generic ones at the photo shop. They are teflon coated I think. Not the braided silver kind. The grip part looks like a syringe plunger. A place for two fingers, and a good sized button for the thumb. The plunger lock can be a thumbscrew or ring lock. They both work, they both have problems. The part of the release that attaches to the lens should be as flexible as possible, especially if you are using a recessed lens board. Be sure to get one that is long enough. At least 8 - 12 inches. The length helps to prevent vibration from transmitting to the lens.

My feeling for lenses is basically to cover the extremes the camera can deal with. In other words, what is the shortest lens the camera can deal with easily, what is the longest, and how many steps do I want in between? My thinking was that each successive lens should cover about the same field of view ratio of the one before. To over simplify, say your shortest lens covers 90 degrees, then a middle length should cover 45, and the longest would cover 22.5. Being consistent like that makes pre-visualizing much easier when you feel the need to switch.

 

Real life isn't nearly that simple. It won't be nice 2 to 1 ratios, the perfect length may not be available, the cost may be prohibitive, etc. But it is a starting philosophy. On my Toyo 45A, I have 65mm, 90mm, 150mm, 210mm, and 300mm. Really a very standard mix overall.

 

For a dark cloth, as often as not I use two XXL t-shirts, one sewn inside the other, with the neck hole around the camera back. Quickloads are great but expensive. I use them for color when I'm not shooting roll film. Shutter release? Get one with a GOOD FINGER GRIP and easy to use (and release) locking device. For all of these: Practice, Practice, Practice. Fumbling in the field is no fun. You spend 10 minutes on the camera, then forget where your subject went.

 

Oh yes, for field work, get a good standard "kit" together and stick to it. I hate trying to move 3 packs with different things in them from the car to the subject and back. Especially when it is a significant walk. This also helps to prevent forgetting things you need but somehow moved from where you thought it should be.

Long term preservation:

 

If it is a question of preserving the remaining developer for a long time, the best bet is good quality bottles, preferably brown glass. With tight sealing tops.

 

Next, if you have canned air (I do NOT mean compressed air), Dust Off, dry nitrogen, something like that, give it a quick blast into the headspace above the stock solution then seal quickly. It displaces the oxygen in the air. Do this every time you open the stock bottle.

 

Third, when mixing, boil the water for a moment, then allow it to cool to mixing temperature. This displaces oxygen in the water. Do not splash when mixing. Add the powder carefully, or better, slowly add the water to the powder, again not splashing.

 

Fourth, if you can do the mixing in the same bottle you will store the stock solution in, then flush the bottle with the Dust Off before adding the powder and water. Again this minimizes contact with oxygen and adds to the life of the finished solution.

 

Standard precautions apply: don't break the glass, be careful around hot liquids, don't breathe the powders, wear eye protection, and toe protection, take your vitamins, etc.

OK, I want amend my answer. Are you trying to mix half a dry bag of developer into water to make fresh developer? Then definitely not. You can't tell how the powdered chemicals have separated, so you don't know what your finished developer will be. And you would have the same problem when you tried to mix the other half.

 

And what makes you believe you are exactly at "half" the bag? Even if you had a perfect blend of chemistry, you need the concentration of developer powder in water to be right.

 

Not worth it when you can do it right.

OK? For the developer, yes, but you need to adjust your development time (increase it). And use it right away (within a day or so of dilution). And do not attempt to reuse it (one shot development - use it, pour it out). In fact, if the developer has already been used multiple times at full strength, and THEN you dilute it, I would serious question how much development strength you have left. You might accidentally trip across exhaustion.

 

For the fixer, again, yes you could dilute it, but I'd strongly recommend against it. You want it full strength to dissolve the unexposed silver as quickly as possible. The only reason I'd consider it would be if I didn't have enough full strength to cover the film in some kind of emergency situation. If you dilute, your fix times will skyrocket. Double, triple, maybe more. Not recommended.

 

Personally I am a fan of D-76 diluted 1+3. This formula has been tested and published for many films and the results are widely available. And it make the developer go that much further ;)

 

Remember, dilute Only As Much As You Need, and do it right before you use it. Keep the stock solution bottled and sealed tight.

Dan,

 

**Warning**Danger** Money Sink Ahead!! Time Sink Ahead!! **Warning**Danger**

 

:-)

 

In general, the dark slide will be part of the film holder. The best example I've seen are the Fidelity / Lisco / Riteway / Regal variety. there may be other brands, but these are by far the most widely used. The dark slide should come with the holder. I've never seen them sold separately. It needs to seal securely and light tight all around, but also be easy and smooth to withdraw from and reinsert to the holder. If it scrapes or drags, you don't want it. Very difficult to fix, and a new one only costs about $40.

 

There should be two dark slides, one per side, for the holder. The whole holder goes into the camera back, then the dark slide is withdrawn for exposure. Turn the slide over, put the slide back, pull the holder out, turn it over, put it back, pull the second slide to get the second exposure, turn the dark slide over, reinsert it. Pull the holder out, it is ready for film processing. Turning the slide over is important to indicate what film has been exposed and what hasn't. The whole action of exposing one image is similar to the strokes of a four stroke engine.

15 boxes of 4x5 that is. Other sizes may be better off.

Freestyle has IR sheet film in stock but it is going fast. I called today and

the man said they were down to 15 boxes on hand. It may already be too late,

but if you want it, go for it NOW!

I placed my order today, it should be here within the week.

 

My question is about dilute develpment. I like to use D-76 1+3 one shot. The

Massive Development chart and the Maco film guide both show D-76/ID-11 stock,

but not dilute. Anyone got any clues ?

 

thanks

The edges look OK to me in the scan, but really you need to evaluate it by direct observation. Do the clear parts look truly clear, does the density in the numbers look "right"? You might want to look at another, known to be good, negative to compare.