capocheny

Pico diGoliardi , sep 01, 2006; 07:54 a.m.

The use of multiple pops to get the correct exposure will entail that your camera is stable,

stable, stable. But, it also means that your flash unit will work fine!

And of course, there's subject movement but perhaps he does still lifes, or maybe he can

build steel braces to hold people still. I rather like the translucent eyelid look (what

happens with long people exposures.)

Multiple pops? To add four stops, he will have to pop 16 times. Three stops, 9 times.

Rather painfull. :)

.

Hi Pico,

Absolutely... it IS a pita! No doubt about it but it means he can still use his Alien Bees with

his LF gear. I'm simply answering the question he asked. :)

With still life subjects... no problems. Even with my Balcar 3200s... I've had to resort to this

on occasion. :(

But, the outcome was perfect! :)

With human subjects... yup, I'm sure it's a definite challenge! Can't argue with you there

because that's not a subject matter I photograph. :)

Cheers

Matthew,

Your Alien Bees will be fine with your Toyo 45aII. The type of camera (monorail or field

camera) has nothing to do with whether your flash will work with it or not.

The important thing is what shutter you're using with your lens elements. Copal shutters

will work fine. And, of course, what Dan stated is absolutely correct.

With regards to the output of your Alien Bees... yes, it is true that, often times, you'll be

working with smaller apertures. However, this isn't an issue if you're willing to do multiple

pops. And, get yourself a meter such as the Minolta Flashmeter III, a Sekonic 508, etc.

The use of multiple pops to get the correct exposure will entail that your camera is stable,

stable, stable. But, it also means that your flash unit will work fine!

I'd suggest you get yourself a good book on flash photography and proceed from there! :)

Good luck.

Cheers

Frank,

For film, I'd take Provia 100 any day of the week. Velvia tends to be great in lower contrast

situations. Or, at least, the older Velvia 50 did!

I've not used Velvia 100... so I won't comment on it.

BTW, don't look for QuickLoads in Canada... Fuji Films doesn't bring them in! :(

Cheers

Hi Poravich,

Both the Linhof and Sinar systems are very well built (technically) and will enable you to do

whatever you want. They ARE both expandable systems and, therefore, you can start off

with a basic system and grow from there.

Personally, I use a Sinar and can only speak to this particular system. If I want to expand

my Sinar X to a P2... there's no problems whatsoever.

Regarding the F1, and P2... the P2 is the most complex (and heaviest) of the 2 cameras.

IMHO, the F1 is slightly over-priced but not terribly so. It will depend on the condition of

the camera itself and the lenses. The lenses shouldn't cost you more than about $1200 for

all three. The F1 isn't worth $1,050. You should be able to pick up a nice clean F2 for that

price these days. The F2 is a bit more stable than the F1.

As for the P2, prices have also come down a bit on these cameras. You should check out

ebay for past sales just to make sure. However, the "value" of the package price you've

quoted will depend on what lenses are included... and their condition.

Since I do a lot of studio shooting... I'd pick up the P2 before picking up the others. If it's a

private sale, don't hesitate to negotiate with the seller. I think it's a tad bit high.

But, this is just my opinion. :)

Cheers

Hi Pramodh,

Richard Ritter is a well-respected LF camera repair technician and is well known for his

capabilities and competencies.

The video is well worth the $$$s mate!

Cheers

Hi Matt,

"I'd consider a right-angle finder attachment for that type of macro shot. Much better for

critical focusing!"

Yes, that would work equally well but Swann was asking about the waist level finder and

didn't make reference to the right-angle finder. I simply answered the question asked.

The choice between a right-anlge finder and the waist level finder is essentially a matter of

personal choice. I had both and found they were quite useful in very similar circumstances.

Having said that... I enjoyed the functionality of both finders and wouldn't hesitate in

recommending either if Swann enjoys the type of photography described in my posting. :)

Too many toys!

Cheers

Danny,

If you'll just pick up the phone and call a reputable seller... they'll be able to help you with

the D200. Either that or email them.

I'd highly recommend MidWest Photo Exchange (http://www.mpex.com/) The large format

community regularly deals with Jim (jim@mpex.com) and he's as honest as the day is long!

Truly a great guy to deal with.

.

Aaron,

Having a great day are we? :)

Life is far too short to get worked up over trivial matters such as whether someone uses

Google or not! Besides, Google doesn't contain updated information on whether a

particular camera happens to be in stock or not.

Anyway, I hope your day gets better! :)

Cheers

Swann,

The answer depends on what kind of photography you do. Do you do any low-to-the-

ground macro type shots? For example, close-ups of mushrooms in the forest?

I had a waist level finder for the F3 back years and years ago. And, no, it wasn't that

difficult to use! Yes, a waist level finder on the Blad is bigger and very nice to use but, just

think, if you're shooting the kind of image that I described above, can you imagine trying

to look through the regular viewfinder behind the camera on your stomach?

So, I'll say... it CAN be very, very useful (as is the case with ANY other accessory) in the

right situation!

Cheers

Joel,

The biggest gift you can give yourself is the instruction manual AND shoot, shoot, shoot!

Don't be afraid to experiment with the camera... and to make a few mistakes along the

way.

But, I've gotta ask you a question, "Why do you assume that the manual isn't gonna do it?"

You haven't even gotten the camera in your hand yet (and, therefore, the manual) and you

feel it isn't gonna do it???

Surprise yourself... go through the manual and then follow it up by buying one of the 3rd

party manuals if you think you need further explanation/clarification.

Good luck... have fun!

Cheers

Alec,

Why don't you contact Tim at www.LensN2shutter.com and tell him what you're looking

for. He mounted a 19" RDA into a Copal 3 shutter for me at a very, very reasonable cost.

Nice job 2! :)

And, he has quite a number of barrel-mounted lenses that he can mount into a shutter at

your request.

Cheers

Thanks Andrew!

Eh!

Cheers

Oscar,

Many users on the Leica forum would suggest you just leave things as they are since (for

whatever reason) they think a battered, scratched, and well-used camera is a sign of a

"real" photographer! :) LOL, they'd probably even suggest you bang it around a bit more if

it looks even remotely new!

Anyway, the use of automotive paint is a good way to go. A Sharpie is fine for small and

inconspicuous areas but tends to wipe off in a relative short time frame. An alternative is

to fill in the blemished area with a Sharpie and let it dry. Follow this up with multiple, thin

layers of lacquer. Use a fine, fine brush and take your time with the build-up to avoid

blobs.

Dave,

The MN-2 Nicads are especially useful in situations where you need the maximum speed

of a motor-drive such as the MD4. Are you finding you get max speed with the batteries

you're using? And, I agree with you 100% about NOT using regular alkaline batteries.

I've just gotten my mitts on a mint condition F3T-HP with MD4 again. I use to shoot with

a couple of these years and years ago. Great cameras and, IMHO, it's still the absolute

nicest ergonomical fit to MY hand. Then came the old Leica R3 with motor drive and hand-

grip. :)

Anyway, are the MN-2 Nicads and rechargers still available? And, does anyone know who

might have some in stock?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Cheers

Gib,

The Nikkor 90 SW F8 is a great lens... but the Fujinon 90 f8 is also pretty decent and can

be had for a song on the bay these days!

Cheers

Hi Richard, Brian,

Yup... the get together is still on as per the dates that Brian mentioned.

We're still in the throws of scouting locations to shoot at.

More info will be sent out in the next day or two.

Richard, send me an email for more info.

Cheers

Robin,

The Mini Trekker AW is pretty protective of the gear inside so it should be pretty safe

inside a good hard case outer-shell. I'd suggest one of the Pelikan cases since they're

designed for rugged wear and tear.

I would also suggest that you check with your home insurer... you might want to add a

rider onto the policy that covers all of your camera gear. This isn't going to be inexpensive

but it's well worth the additional expense if only for peace of mind.

Make sure it covers the "replacemnt cost" of your gear for both theft and damage. You'll

be okay.

Cheers

Brian,

Try:

Sinar Bron Imaging

17 Progress St.,

Edison, NJ 08820

Telephone: 800.456.0203

http://www.sinarbron.com

Hope that helps.

Cheers

Richard,

Send me your email address and I'll fire you off a pdf file on this meter...

I don't use the multi-mode so I can't give you much info on it.

It's a great meter though. :)

Cheers

Sunil,

Absolutely NO truth in that statement...

Cheers

Robert,

I'd recommend that you ask someone at Robert White for advice on finding a competent

and reputable service technician.

http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/large.htm

I'm sure they'd be able to suggest someone to you. :)

Cheers

Having worked in a camera store on weekends for the majority of my high school years,

there were many photographers who brought in their Linhof Technikas for either trade or

repair. The Technikardan was also "the talk of the town" in those days.

At that time, I shot mostly Hasselblad and didn't know anything about 4x5, much less 5x7

or 8x10. The only thing I DID know was that photographers using the Zone System often

used these cameras.

So, one day, the Sinar rep came in and we began talking about what these cameras were

used for and their capabilities. The long and short of it was that he loaned me a P2 with a

set of Broncolor studio lights. I took my first lf image with that set of equipment in 1983.

I then went on a hiatus and didn't use lf for many, many years. One day, I decided I needed

to slow my life down a bit. I ended up buying a Sinar X and an F2 through the bay. Great

cameras!

Since that time, I've gotten Dorffs in both 5x7 and 8x10 formats. The 8x10 is as large as I

expect to go.

When you first see a proprly exposed LF transparency on the light box... you'll KNOW it's

the way to go! And, I knew I was definitely a lf person when I bought my first lf camera and

saw the results!

Haven't looked back since!

Give it a go, Larry... you'll become one of us soon enough! :)

Cheers

Hi Richard,

And, ole Dagor77 is a GREAT guy to deal with too!

Paraphrasing what the Joker said of Batmans' crime fighting accessories... "Where does he

get all those neat toys/gadgets???"

Cheers

Allen,

Buying a camera from an individual does NOT necessarily mean that it's stolen OR a gray

market camera. People DO receive cameras as gifts and perhaps, in this case, the camera

is simply not wanted by the receiver. The person may simply be in need of funds. Who

knows what the sellers motivation is. This isn't to say that the other posters may not be

correct... but, IMHO, it's best to ascertain the facts before jumping to conclusions!

That said, in the majority of situations, simply looking at the camera box may not tell you

whether it's a gray market camera, or not. And, for that matter, even if a camera IS a gray

market camera there CAN be a warranty attached to it. For example, B&H Photo out of New

York carries both gray market cameras AND cameras imported through the US distributor.

[if you look on their website... they distinguish between the two types of cameras.] In the

case of the US distributed camera, under warranty situations, the camera is shipped back

to the distributors for warranty service. Under a gray market situation, the camera is sent

back to B&H Photo and it is "they" who are responsible for a repair under a warranty

situation. In other words, they assume the role as the importer and distributor of the item.

Under both of these situations where there is a defect within a specified time frame, the

service will/may be provided under warranty. The question is just a matter of "who" will

provide the warranty service.

In your situation, the prudent thing is to ascertain whether the camera has been stolen, or

not. Having the police do a search can help determine this. Some departments will do this

for you... and some won't.

The other thing you can do is to contact the distributor and ask them the pertinent

questions about the serial number on the camera you're looking to buy. They'll be able to

tell you whether it's one of "their" cameras or whether it's a gray market product. Again,

YMMV and it'll certainly depend on the distributor.

Lastly, if I were in your shoes, I'd be very tempted to ask the seller for a receipt issued by

the original seller. Who knows? The seller of the camera might have been given a receipt

by the original seller of the "bunch of other gear." All you can do is ask and see what the

response is!

Stranger things have happened in the land of the midnight sun!

Whatever the case... protect yourself by doing your due diligence!

Cheers

JG,

Sorry to hear about your woes. If I were in your shoes... I'd spend a few bucks, hire a

lawyer, and go after Ron for either a full refund and interest, or the holders. It's incredible

that there are so many people allowed to get away with this crap!

I've just had a situation with another individual and, after having our corporate attorneys

take a look at the situation... the job got done!

It's time the LF community take these people/companies to task and not accept these

kinds of activities! I'm just amazed that a lawsuit hasn't been filed... (or, perhaps, there

has been!)

As for an alternative supplier of holders, try:

http://www.filmholders.com/

I think they're awfully busy though so you may have to wait for production and delivery of

holders in your size... unless he has some in stock. We'll keep our fingers crossed for you.

Good luck. :)

Cheers

Another great book in addition to the Stone book is one by Jack Dykinga called, "Large

Format Nature Photography."

The really great thing about this book is that he shows the movements used in obtaining a

certain shot. Then, he shows the resulting image.

You can buy them on the bay for a pretty minimal amount. Just do a search and you'll

probably find a bunch of them offered!

Good luck...

Cheers

Jack,

I seem to recall that somebody had listed one of these Anniversary lenses on the bay

awhile back. But, I don't recall what it sold for or, if in fact, it even sold.

Try doing a "completed transactions" search and perhaps it'll show up.

Cheers