john lehman, college alask

Vivitar 285 or similar

Such caps were made at one time -- I have them for my Bolex body and lenses. Older camera stores which have not sold off their old parts inventory on Ebay may still have some.

While Dick Tope would go back to Alaska, as an Alaska resident I would remind you that April 15th to mid-May is still winter here outside of Los Anchorage, and most of the back country is still snowbound until about June 1. Bring klyster for your cross country skiing :-)

Fairly recently within a couple of days of each other, at least two of us tried to take the same model Gitzo carbon fiber tripod through security at the same airport for the same airline -- I was allowed to and he wasn't. So even if you are told that it is OK, you are probably safest assuming that it isn't. Perhaps outside of the US security is more consistent :-)

I got back from India last weekend; no one looks at cameras, etc anymore if you are on a tourist visa and not Indian (before 1991 the rules were much stricter). In the US, I filled out the appropriate US Customs form the first time I went abroad in 1970, but in 70+ trips since then have not bothered. No US customs agent has ever asked about my camera gear.

After 37 years of international travel to 40+ countries (I got back from India last night; I'll take a different bag next time) and with a garage full of camera bags, I am still looking for the rights answer. Haven't found it yet :-) My wife tells me there is no such thing as a perfect bag.

There is a two person German rail pass for foreigners which you can buy in Germany -- we got the 5 day version for 200-some Euros last spring. It's good for all classes of trains.

I use a 285 which I bought about 10 years ago on a Powershot s5is -- it is the one which takes an SB-6 external supply (the older ones took an sb-4). Both of my 285s test under 12 volts trigger voltage with a multimeter. YMMV of course.

It is also worth considering that many "memories" about what people did during WWII seem to become enhanced over the years. Now that I have his military files, I find that some of the things which my late father told my sister and me he did are contradicted by written records (and much did happen that he didn't tell us). The post-war Leicas and Rolleis which regularly appear on $bay with stories from heirs about their capture in 1944-45 would seem to indicate that this is not an isolated case.

FWIW, in 1970 I spent a year in Asia with a Spotmatic outfit (35mm, 55mm and 135mm). When I went back two years later, I took a Rollei 35 instead. For the next 20 years, the only travel camera I took was the Rollei, and I took it or the 35S I replaced it with on most trips where I wasn't doing photography for work until three years ago when I went to digital for professional reasons. If I still used film, the 35S would still be my favorite travel camera (and I have a closet full of Rolleiflexes, Nikons and Leicas, so this is not due to lack of alternatives).

 

YMMV of course.

At least you are coming at one of the best times for the northern lights :-)

Denali Park in October is open to dogsleds, snowmachines and skiers; the road in and all regular services are closed. There may be some outfitters who do winter tours. The Denali Highway will be closed for the winter in a couple of weeks. You can get gas in Cantwell and Healy.

 

In Fairbanks, we get our first lasting snowfall about October 10. Days are short, but you don't have to get up very early for sunrise :-) It is usually sunny, but light levels are getting low. Animals will be hard to find, since hunting season in September will have driven the survivors away from the roads. If you walk trails, you should see them, especially around dawn. The White Mountain ridge trail up to Wickersham Dome about 45 miles north of town may still be open, but will be very icy.

Michael, I have my doubts about the "How old are we really test" -- it gives me a "real age" of 32.4 although I turn 56 in a few weeks. When I was in my early 30's, I had a LOT more get-up-and-go, and not just in the way referred to in the thread title ;-)

We live just outside of Fairbanks. Most years, tundra colors around the Arctic Circle and in Denali Park and Kluane/St. Elias in the Yukon (where we prefer to go) peak about the first of September +/- a week. Lower areas peak about a week later. This year the colors in Fairbanks are about a week late; the tundra is perfect today, but many of the leaves are still green (whereas most years at this time they are several days past the point of all turning yellow). The Denali highway is usually at its peak the 1st week of September, but often good for another week or so.

 

Weather problems vary with the year. In 1992 (or maybe 1991) Fairbanks got almost 2 feet of snow the first week of September -- the leaves were all on the trees and we lost power for 2 weeks. OTOH, last year it was in the 70's the first week of October. This has been an unusually warm year -- we may go 5 months without running the furnace, whereas some years we go less than 2.

 

Next year may be completely different of course :-)

The bus driver was correct -- usually the last week of August and the first week of September are best. I haven't been down to the park recently, but live a couple hours north of it, southwest of Fairbanks. We (and the park) have had a very sunny and warm August. Here, the trees just started turning today, and the tundra earlier in the week -- this is almost a week later than usual. Because of the lower altitude, we are usually 10 days to 2 weeks later than the park in terms of colors, so my guess is that the colors should still be good there at least thru next week. I could see Denali on my way to work today, but the intervening mountains blocked any view of the surrounding colors.

Hate to rain on the parade, but while the factories may have been taken from the Germans, the workmanship was Soviet. I have owned four different FSU cameras (I still have a FED-5) and more lenses -- some were excellent and some were terrible. Lenses (like the 35mm Jupiter) which others have reported to be excellent I found so bad that 4x6 prints were obviously unsharp. The problem is not the design but the variability. If you get a good one, they are great. Unfortunately, many are not so good.

 

My favorite example was when a Zorki literally sprang apart when I was taking pictures of a visiting Russian group. They all laughed and told me (in Russian) that I should have used a good German camera instead of "Soviet sh*t" (their words).

 

YMMV of course :-)

Stuart's comment on the sharpness of the 35mm Jupiter 12 points out a major issue with FSU lenses: variability. The one I had was easily the least sharp lens I have ever owned -- even at 4x6 print size. It did (just) meet its official specs on resolution.

I used to buy quite a bit from Brooklyn Camera Exchange. Don't know if they still have a physical store, but they are still on the web

I've used an FM10 as backup for my FE2 for years and it has never given me any problems. Camera bodies are much less important than lenses. The price is right, so I would go for it. If you decide later you need a better lens, either the 50mm 1.8 or the better 1.4 are very good.

Most camera repair folks can adjust it to use a silver oxide 625 battery, which is readily available. The latest silver oxide battery in mine has lasted about 5 years -- YMMV of course. The adjustment cost $25 about 10 years ago.

Smaller apertures give you greater DOF, and at the same time loss of sharpness due to diffraction. No way around it -- short of getting the laws of physics repealed (possible only for Leica users). That's one of the many reasons why personal skill is more important than equipment -- you have to learn what the tradeoffs are for a given image and chose what works best. Try different combinations and decide what you think looks best.

While Joseph's no trace camping advice is good, there is no need to be overly paranoid about the "perish" part. My wife and I live in Central Alaska; we have been hiking and camping in bear territory (both black and grizzly) for over 30 years and have encountered a few bears over that time (including while walking to work). We stopped carrying guns years ago, do not carry pepper spray, cook a few meters from our tent rather than the recommended 100-500 meters and have always ignored the BS about how women should not camp in bear country. Personally, I would worry more about camping in a KOA or other commercial campground full of people than about bears. So long as you keep your food outside of your tent and don't eat bacon or salmon in bed, there is not much to worry about :-)

If you are going to be in a national park, most campsites have a rack to hang packs. Otherwise use a tree. Bring the rope -- it only weighs a little.

 

If you are camping above treeline (e.g. the Yukon or here in Alaska), bear-proof containers for food are a good idea.

 

Back in the days when tents had guy-ropes, my wife and I had a bear run into one and collapse our tent on a trip in the Canadian Rockies.

Two good boutique hotels on Post Street near Union Square: the Andrews and the Fitzgerald. Everyplace you would want to go except Napa is within walking distance. No connection with either hotel except as a satisfied regular customer for 25 years.

First of all, airplane windows are not always clean and clear :-( A large aperture will minimize problems with the window, although it will always adversely impact clarity. Secondly, there is a lot of haze, pollution, and mist in the air. In the American midwest for example, aerial visibility is almost never more than 10 km, and usually less. There was a good reason why black and white aerial photography was usually done in infrared or with a strong red or orange filter. For Digital work, try a 2A or 1B haze filter and a good lens hood.