bob_mcbob

I just received an M6 TTL from a fellow photo.net user. Overall, the camera is

in superb condition. Unfortunately, the shutter release has been acting up

since it arrived. After winding on, I have to firmly hold the release anywhere

between 2 and 5 times to get the shutter to fire. The number varies, based on

the shutter speed, camera orientation, and whether the back in open. I've

exercised it for a while at all shutter speeds, and it hasn't improved.

 

Another forum user told me fixing the problem would likely require a minor

adjustment to a component accessed through the baseplate. Has anyone else had

this problem? How much is it likely to cost?

 

I'm pretty miserable about it, since I bought the camera specially for a family

trip to England on Tuesday. Kindermann is actually about an hour from here, and

it was suggested I see if they would perform a walk-in repair. Since they're

closed all weekend, I won't be able to get in touch until Monday morning. Is it

likely they'll be able to accommodate me?

 

Also, before anyone asks, I have no doubt the camera worked before it was sent.

The user I bought it from has an extremely good reputation. I guess I just

lucked out...

That's the plan, Michael. I've used Pelican cases before, and like them a lot. It looks like the 1510 is designed to fit within carry-on restrictions (other than weight!). However, I don't fly very often, so it probably makes more sense to buy a "transport" backpack I might use on a more regular basis. I've been meaning to get a bag that can hold all my stuff, including the big zooms, as I only have a Lowepro Nova 3 right now.

 

I've decided that I definitely want to take the laptop and at least the 70-200, so I need to pick a backpack today. I'm pretty much down to a couple of bags. The Tamrac adventure 9 I mentioned before will only hold one large zoom, which bugs me since I quite like the design. The other bag is the Lowepro CompuTrekker, which will hold everything. I really like the look of the Vertex 200, but it's too large to take as carry-on on a lot of flights (both in dimensions and based on reports from other people). I am also going to order a little domke J-803 for day trips with a camera and lens or two. Any suggestions on inserts?

 

I'm a little worried about taking so much valuable equipment with me without insurance. I don't have homeowner's or renter's insurance, so I can't add my gear to a policy or anything like that.

Tom, it's a family trip, but we will be going to a lot of places with an emphasis on photography. I'll be staying with my grandparents for most of the time, so I don't have to worry about hotel rooms or travelling by car. I've been meaning to buy a bag that can hold all my gear, as I have no way of transporting the two big zooms other than then original Canon cases. This seems like an ideal time to pick up something.

 

There are two other options. I can buy an 85/1.8, ditch the big zooms, and try to cram everything into my LowePro Nova 3 (would be a very tight fit). What would I do with the laptop then? Air Canada allows you to take a laptop as a secondary item, but there's no guarantee I would be allowed to get on the return plane at Heathrow. The other option is doing the same thing, but trying to cram everything into a regular laptop case. I'm pretty sure I could do that with a bit of fiddling, but it would be messy.

Lots of votes for the CompuTrekker, huh?

Thanks Louise, that is very helpful. Everyone seems to be saying I shouldn't worry quite so much about the dimensions of the bag. I may end up just buying the Tamrac bag I mentioned, since it seems like a good size. It's also flexible, so I could probably squash it down if they were strict.

 

I'm surprised you were able to get away with the two pieces of carry-on. Air Canada does allow a laptop as a second piece of luggage, but the Heathrow web site says one piece quite clearly, and they have been fairly strict about things since the new security measures were put in place. It's too bad they will only be easing them after I get back!

 

Honestly, I don't think the teles would get a lot of use either, but they are my only lenses longer than 50mm. I would hate to get there and discover I wanted something longer. I will probably end up only taking one of them.

 

I think I will definitely be taking the laptop. I don't have any means of storing extra photos right now, so I would have to buy a portable storage device. I would also find it very frustrating to be there for three weeks without any way to review or work on photos, especially since I will have all that free time without the internet ;)

I'm going to be spending the holidays in England, and I need to find a camera

bag to lug all my stuff over there that can be taken as carry-on. To start,

here's a list of my gear:

<p>

Canon 40D w/BG-E2N<br>

Tokina 12-24/4<br>

Canon 50/1.8<br>

Canon 70-200/2.8 IS<br>

Canon 100-400/4.5-5.6 IS

<p>

Leica M6 TTL<br>

2 tiny lenses

<p>

15" ThinkPad

<p>

Other bits and pieces

<p>

I have been having a hard time deciding whether I actually want to take all this

stuff over. I'll probably take one of the two big zooms so I have some sort of

tele option available. I'll be staying with relatives, so leaving some or all of

the gear at the house during the daytime will not be a problem. I'll probably

take a separate smaller bag in my checked luggage so I don't have to lug

everything around.

<p>

I'm also undecided on the laptop -- they are living in the stone age and have no

computer or internet, but I would like to be able to copy and edit/review photos

while I'm there. Taking the laptop would also make dealing with storage much

less of an issue (I only have one 4GB CF card). I have no idea how I would get

the laptop over there if I didn't have a large laptop/camera bag. I think the

only option would be to put all my photo gear in a big laptop case, which would

preclude taking the grip and big zooms.

<p>

Someone suggested the Tamrac Adventure 9, which seems absolutely ideal.

Unfortunately, it appears to be slightly larger than either the Heathrow or Air

Canada carry-on restrictions:

<p>

Adventure 9: 20 x 13 x <b>11</b><br>

Air Canada: 21.5 x 15.5 x <b>9</b><br>

Heathrow: 22 x 17 x <b>10</b>

<p>

Are the outer dimensions of the bag flexible at all? Could I squash it 2" to fit

the Air Canada restriction? Can anyone suggest a different bag? Any thoughts on

which gear I should take with me?

Also, there's a much more detailed list <a href="http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1029&thread=25902855">here</a>.

These are B&H trade show specials. Do they ask you which show you attended if you place an order online?

I had a great reply all typed up, but my internet connection decided to go down before I could post it last night, and when I woke up this morning, Windows was in a knot and I had to reboot. Yay!

 

Anyhow, the gist of what I wanted to say is that I'm mainly interested in CF tripod legs, and preferably Gitzo. The issue I'm trying to resolve is whether I would be okay with the shorter tripod or should take the weight, dimensions, and possible stability hit with the 3540XLS. I am not terribly concerned about the difference in price (just annoyed).

 

I currently use an Arca Swiss Z1 ball head, which is 4" tall. My eye level is about 70.5", and the bottom of the 40D to the viewfinder is about 3-1/2". That gets me 4.7" below my eye level. I could add a leveling platform and get another 1 or 1-1/2", but that would increase the length of the 3530LSV to the 3540XLS' folded length. Tripod mounted lenses are actually another 1" below the bottom of the camera, bringing it to 3.7" (2.7" or less with platform).

 

No matter how you look at it, the 3530LSV will be below my eye level. I would really like to avoid having to permanently use a centre column. Obviously the 3540XLS would have none of these issues. Is there going to be a stability difference between the two?

 

It's too bad Gitzo no longer makes an equivalent for the G1348. At 66", it would be ideal, but it is discontinued and out of stock everywhere.

It looks like this is probably the best forum for tripod-related question...

 

I'm in the market for a new set of tripod legs, but all the regular Gitzo models

seem to be too short for me. I'm 6'4", and my eye level is about 70.5". Take

away 4" for the Arca Swiss head, 3.5" for the 40D (less if has a tripod-mounted

lens), and that gets me about 63" to have the tripod at eye level.

Unfortunately, the tallest regular Gitzo model is the 3530SLV, at 58.3". The

next model up is the 3540XLS, which is a 4 section "overhead" model that extends

all the way to 78". It's also 1.2" longer when folded, 0.3lbs heavier, and $100

more expensive. I *could* buy a model with a centre column and keep it

permanently extended 6", but that defeats the purpose of buying such an

expensive tripod to some extent.

 

Are there any other tall photographers here with an opinion on what to do? Do I

want to be stooping 5" all the time? Would I be okay with the shorter tripod? I

read a post on another site by a guy who's 6' tall and says a 58" tripod is 3"

too tall for him!

I heard back from Steve last night. He says he can't tell me whether he could fix the camera unless he sees it in person. If it requires any parts, it would have to go to Epson. Considering it would be around $100 for round trip shipping, plus any labour expenses (and this is assuming he could actually fix it), sending it to Japan is probably a better option (only $100 each way).

And for the sake of completeness, Nikon did eventually extend the warranty to 2 years on new D200s.

<i>

If the framelines are crooked you should get it repaired in the US, which will cost hardly any more, and will save the risk and time of sending it to Japan. The other possibility is that the sensor chip, rather than the frameline mask, is misaligned, in which case you will have to send it back.

</i>

<p>

I don't know where to try in the US. I e-mailed Steve's Camera, but they haven't got back to me yet. I think Epson USA charges over $500 for out-of-warranty repairs, so it would be cheaper to send it to Japan. I'm fairly certain the problem is only with the framelines -- they are tilted with respect to the edges of the frame and the sensor patch. I will check that the sensor is level before doing anything else, though.

<p>

<br>

<i>

Chris, try this. Via Google go to" Epson America, Inc. - Support: Product Selection - Drivers & Support." They have a page for cameras which will take you to the RD-1s. There can contact them by e-mail directly. They should be able to direct you to Epson, Japan.

</i>

<p>

I wish... I called Epson USA's R-D1 service line directly, and they didn't have a clue how to get in contact with Epson Japan. I was hoping they might be able to forward it to Japan for me (since I know they have to send some cameras there), but they wouldn't do that. I was able to find out much more information myself by checking Epson Japan's web site. Unfortunately, I don't speak Japanese well enough to deal with them over the phone if they can't speak English.

<p>

<br>

<i>

Try Stephen at CameraQuest. After all, it's Voigtlander Bessa and he can get the RF fixed.

</i>

<p>

He says they don't do any work on the R-D1. Don Goldberg won't touch it, either.

The problem is that the framelines are slightly crooked. They're not drastically out of line (maybe 3 degrees), but it's enough that everything comes out slightly crooked, and it bugs me every time I look in the viewfinder.

I was wondering if anyone here has had their R-D1/R-D1S serviced under warranty

by Epson Japan. I have an R-D1S a friend bought for me in Tokyo, and I need to

have it looked at, but I'm having a really hard time finding anyone to contact.

I have the Japanese support number, but I'd rather not try calling if at all

possible. I've been trying to find an e-mail address, but they don't appear to

use e-mail for this sort of thing.

 

I tried getting in touch with Epson USA to see if they could forward the camera

to Japan or give me any sort of contact info, but that was a dead end. I also

tried contacting "mastsuiyastore" on eBay to see if he could help at all, but he

didn't even reply.

 

It looks like I'll have to call the Japanese support number directly and hope I

can find someone who speaks English. Assuming I do manage to get through, do

they have any sort of system in place to service cameras sent from other

countries, or would I be better off sending it to a friend who could forward it

to them for me?

After playing with it over the weekend, I can say I'm *extremely* happy with the Z1. It is wonderfully smooth in operation, and I'm not the least bit concerned about it flopping over. It's also rock solid and stays put exactly where I leave it. The Wimberley P20 is also excellent, though the safety stops don't work with the Z1. I haven't had a chance to try the P5, but I'm sure I will be similarly impressed.

 

Now to order the Gitzo legs! :)

Wow, my question certainly generated quite a lot of discussion! I hope this is helpful for other people in a similar situation in the future. I actually decided to backtrack on my previous comment and order the Z1 SP with my B&H stuff. I also got two Wimberley plates (P20 and P5). All my new goodies should be here tomorrow afternoon, so I will add my impressions of the Z1 to the thread some time this weekend. Thanks for all the useful commentary, everyone!

Wow, there is certainly a lot of love for the BH-55 here! I think I will just order my stuff from B&H and place an order with RRS some time next month for a BH-55 and a couple of plates.

Honestly, I think I am drawn to the BH-55 because it looks flashy and is the latest and greatest. Obviously it's a superb ball head, and I appreciate the lower height and double cutouts. I also really like their lever release clamp. It's a tough choice. I'm placing an order from B&H tonight, so I will have to spend some more time thinking about it.

I've been leaning towards the Z1 because it has such a great reputation. I like the idea of the elliptical ball that makes things smoother as you tilt the head around. I also like the fact that it's a lot cheaper than the BH-55. I'd probably get the $455 clamp-style BH-55 if I were going to buy one, so the price difference is fairly significant. However, I do want to make sure I get the "best" I can right now, because this is hopefully going to last me for a good long time.

I'd like to get a new tripod head, but I'm having a really hard time deciding

between the Z1 and BH-55. Both would be fine for my needs (100-400 is the

largest lens I'll be using right now). I like the Z1's elliptical ball, but a

lot of well-regarded pros seem to suggest the BH-55 as the "best" ball head.

 

I also need to get some quick release plates, and I've been debating between

Wimberley and RRS. In particular, I'm not sure whether to get a camera-specific

plate for the BG-E2, plate for the bare camera, or universal plate. The

Wimberley P5 seems to resist twisting with friction alone, so I am kind of wary

of choosing it. Is the BG-E2 strong enough to use in portrait mode?

 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Based on your web site (which is mis-spelled in your profile), I assume you're located in the US. Neither lens costs as much as you say, so you might want to take that into consideration. The IS version is $1700, and the non-IS is $1140.

"The D3 will be available in November, at around US$5000."

I just got a new R-D1s and this post practically made me crap myself until I realized it was the same camera :)

lol?