michael_sherck

I need to make a lens board for a Kodak 2D 8x10 camera. I don't

actually have the camera so I can't measure for myself. If someone

could please measure the outside dimensions and thickness of their

Kodak 2D lens board, I'd greatly appreciate it. Please let me know if

there's a taper where the lens board slides into it's slot. Thanks!

Mike

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone: I've checked with Jack's and the places I know of in Indianapolis and can't find anyone who rents view cameras.

Mike

This is *very* long shot but... if anyone knows of a place I can rent

an 8x10 camera and a few holders in the South Bend - Mishawaka -

Elkhart (Indiana) or Niles - Edwardsburg (Michigan) area, please drop

me an e-mail. This is mostly a query to see if anyone who has one

wants to rent it out for next weekend, as I know of no large-format

stores in this area, let alone a place to rent one. Still, if you're

a studio looking to make some extra beer money or someone who doesn't

need yours for the weekend, I'd appreciate hearing from you. Thanks!

Mike

My very first darkroom was, in fact, a corner of a detached garage. I screwed some brackets and a shelf to the wall, blacked out the window in the entry door with aluminum foil, and went to work. Awful, awful place: dusty, dirty, no running water, and if someone pulled into the driveway with their lights on it fogged whatever I was working on. I carried water out to the garage in a 5-gallon camping tote and emptied it into a large plastic bucket. Temperature was never "right" (heck, it wasn't even steady!) and I was so glad to move into a loft upstairs even though this now meant that I had to carry the water up a flight of steps.

Once we bought a house I constructed a "real" darkroom in the basement. Hot and cold running water, constant temperatures, a dust problem I can keep up with. Sheer luxury! Small, but after working in the garage for a year this is heaven.

You can make a garage work, but you'll need some determination. Good luck!

Mike

Azo is as good as any other paper for a beginner, but it is more expensive than most enlarging papers. I believe that the reason most Azo users are more experienced is that as a beginner you are unlikely to fully appreciate the extended tonal scale and other unique properties of Azo (particularly when using an Amidol developer.) In my observation, people migrate to Azo in Amidol after a period of learning to use, and then becoming frustrated with, enlarging papers -- not because enlarging papers are bad, but rather because they don't give the results some people prefer.

Note that this isn't meant to disparage enlarging papers. They are perfectly fine and in capable hands produce lovely prints. Azo is just different: once you've seen a number of enlarged prints made on enlarging paper, contact prints made on enlarging paper, and then contact prints made on Azo (preferably with Amidol as the developer,) then you will have the information you need to help determine whether Azo is a tool you want to use, for the prints you want to make. It's the old Platinum/Silver paper debate all over again -- there is no better or worse, just different and everything ultimately boils down to what you personally prefer.

I'm sure the advice you've received so far is excellent, but I thought I'd put my own experience in, just because it's a little bit contrary.

I have 127mm, 190mm, 250mm and 300mm for my 4x5. The 190mm and the 127mm see the most use, followed by the 250mm and the 300mm, in that order. The 190 is an older, single-coated lens (as are all of my lenses,) -- an Ilex Paragon. 150mm is, for me, just a touch on the wide side. I could live with 210mm but find that my 190mm fits the same situations and helps me avoid "crowding the edges" as I sometimes tend to do.

For what it's worth, in 35mm the Minolta 58mm f/1.2 is my all-time favorite lens, followed by 35mm and 85mm. For 6x4.5 an 80mm lens suits me about as well as any lens can. Best of luck in making your decision!

Mike

Photography, especially large format, takes up most of my 'spare' time. Otherwise, astronomy (using and making telescopes,) computers ('recreational programming'), model rocketry, and trying to finish my BS, a couple of courses at a time. I'm also our family's primary cook and I read whenever I have the chance.

Mike

I use an old B&J, which is a sturdy camera but rather heavy and well-

worn. I'm looking at various modern lightweight 4x5 cameras to

replace it with, including the Shen-Hao, Toyo 45CF, and Tachihara

(more expensive cameras are out of my price range.) Most of my

lenses are older, heavier lenses weighing more than a pound. Will I

encounter problems using these heavy lenses with a lightweight camera

(and secondarily, are the lensboards of these cameras capable of

holding a large shutter, such as an Ilex #3?)

I'm most concerned that having a lens weighing a significant portion

of the camera's weight will make the front standard unstable,

or 'floppy', or causing difficulties when using front movements such

as rise or tilt, particularly at long extensions. For example, I

have a 12" Ilex which I really like, but for most of these double-

extension cameras I'll have to cantilever the front standard out an

inch or two to focus it closer than infinity and I'm concerned that

doing that with a heavy lens will collapse the front mechanism.

Any advice anyone can give would be greatly appreciated. Please note

that a more expensive camera or new lenses is out of the question,

financially. Thanks!

Mike

I use the same combination for a B&J 5x7 (about 8 lbs, more with lens and holder.) Works fine for me.

Mike

I can't see how a posting inviting participants to a free workshop, or for that matter just someone wondering if there are any other LF photographers in their neighborhood, would violate a 'no commerce' ban. If money isn't exchanged (in some form) then I don't think it's commerce.

As to the forum's purpose -- conversation about equipment, technique, and esthetics is all well and good but the potential range of topics related to large format photography is vast. As moderator, do you really want to spend your time trying to decide whether a thread explaining to a new LF photographer about the differences between composing a shot with a 4x5 vs. 35mm is topical or not? How about a thread giving the URL for the new website of a famous LF photographer? How about for a non-famous one?

Perhaps the real question is how well message "subject" corresponds to the thread's content. It's very easy to ignore a thread on a topic I'm not interested in. Those darn transmogrifying threads, which evolve into something quite different from the Subject, can be more difficult, I know.

I guess the real question here is, how much active control do the moderators feel happy with exercising? Good luck to you!

Mike

Elkhart, Indiana. About halfway across the top of the state, on the Michigan border. 200 km from anywhere. Quiet, dull, and very flat.

Mike

Just remember that a #5 shutter is huge compared to the little Copal 0 and 1 shutters so common today. Small wooden field camera lensboards may be too small to hold a #5 shutter. Also, they're heavy. 'Way heavy. That said, I have an old Bausch & Lomb 10" tessar type lens in a funky #5 self cocking shutter. Since I use an almost equally ancient B&J 5x7 camera with a 4x5 back, the large shutter isn't a problem for me. Good luck!

Mike

For myself, I find that going out to photograph with other photographers is very illuminating, refreshing, invigorating, and so on. I try to get out with the Midwest large format group as often as I can and I believe that not only has my photography improved by associating with these great people, I also have greater interest in photography as a result of it. And I've made some fine friends, too. If you're anywhere near Indiana/Illinois/Michigan/Ohio/Kentucky, feel free to join us some time. If you're too far away, see if there's a group near you. And if you can't find another LF photographer to shoot with, you ought to be able to find someone. Maybe an afternoon shooting 35mm candid portraits or something will help.

Mike

I've had problems with every delivery service I've tried. None of them appear to be able to do their jobs consistently well. Out of all of them, however, UPS is the one I'll never ever use again. They don't just lose stuff -- they actively destroy it. I've had boxes shipped UPS which looked like they were delivered by dropping them from the airplane. I've had boxes delivered which appeared to have been set on fire. I've had boxes delivered by UPS which appeared to have been shredded.

Out of all of them, US Postal Service Priority Mail, with delivery confirmation, seems to work the best most of the time. Yes, they've lost packages -- but not as many as the others have. Yes, sometimes it takes longer, but after three years of sending stuff around the country, most of the time it makes it there. And insurance claims, when they do screw it up, are paid promptly. Just another facet of the business which UPS seems to be unable to perform.

And as for tales of chasing FedEx drivers down the street because they didn't even knock before sticking the "attempted delivery" card in the door -- the door was open, music was playing, the dogs were barking, and there were two cars in the driveway, you *^%$!~ jackass! The next time I'm chasing you down with a Taser! :)

Mike

The Ilex shutter is very simple inside and easy to work on, but I have no idea where to get parts for it, especially the little torsion springs that are so important to its operation. I've disassembled and repaired one of these, a #3 Universal, recently, by using needle-nosed pliers to bend the arms on one of the springs out, giving it more power.

My shutter has two escapements, one for low speeds (1-1/10 sec.) and another one for high speeds. T and B settings are worked by a different set of levers on the opposite side of the shutter. The face plate is held on by two tiny screws (ok, all of the screws in this shutter were tiny!) and just lifts off. The shutter speed setting ring is underneath and just lifts off as well. Note how it controls shutter speeds by moving the tops of small levers that poke through holes and slots in the plate. Under that is a cast cover plate held in place by three screws. Once these screws are undone it just lifts off, exposing the interior of the shutter. You can still cock and fire the shutter with the cover plates off, which is a great help in figuring out how things work inside.

You can probably repair this thing if you take things one step at a time and make yourself lots of little sketches showing how all the parts line up before you disassemble them. You won't have to take all the insides apart to work on the slow-speed mechanism, but you should watch the shutter in operation until you thoroughly understand how all the parts work together. The only tricky part involves two very tiny torsion springs set against the back of the shutter, which work together to move a lever controlling the iris blades. Note carefully where these springs attach because you have to get them back in exactly the same configuration for things to work again. It sounds a lot more difficult than it really is: just be observant, especially of the tiny torsion springs whose legs can be hard to see because they are so thin, and make lots of drawings showing where things go. With good lighting and a jeweler's screwdriver, you should be all set.

Remember that Ilex shutters were designed to fire dry: they need no libricant of any kind!

Good luck!

Mike Sherck

Truely excellent work! Thanks for bringing him to my attention. I wish I could afford one of his prints: they're superb.

Mike

I have to add my endorsement of the Gralab 300 timer. My darkroom measures about 5x5, more or less, and the timer sits on a shelf about 8" deep overlooking the side of the room where the trays go. I prop an old work print in front of the timer while I'm unloading film, but as soon as the film is in the tray I push the paper aside and start the timer. Never had a problem with fog.

Mike

What answered the question for me was one darkroom session. I bought a box of Azo and some Amidol, then processed a couple of 4x5 negatives three ways: contact printed on Azo developed in Amidol, contact printed on Azo with Dektol, and then sliightly enlarged onto my favorite enlarging paper (Forte) processed in Dektol.

That's all it took. Azo in Dektol was... unpleasant. Forte is a lovely paper. But Azo and Amidol -- I could feel my brain expanding. If I can ever afford it, 8x10 is my next step, contact printed onto Azo developed in Amidol. Yes, one can do fine work enlarging negatives. It's done every day and I still do quite a bit of that myself. But contact prints on Azo, it's like being in love for the first time again. I want to dance!

:)

Mike

Just what the world needs: another 4x5 camera with 12" of bellows. *sigh*

Mike

Ya know, I'm not sure I feel safe enough with just bleach banned. I mean, terrorists can use all kinds of dangerous chemicals. Sulfuric acid, anyone? How about real strong lye? Sulpher, that's a good one. Very dangerous, and stinky too.

What about black powder? It explodes, you know, and it's all over the place. Sure, it would take a lot of time to disassemble enough pistol, rifle, or shotgun shells to make a really big bomb, but what else do terrorists have but time? It's not like they're worried about a 9-to-5 job or career or anything.

Wait a minute...tens of thousands of people are killed every year in and by automobiles! We kill more of each other every month than all of the Americans killed by terrorists put together. Maybe cars and trucks ought to be banned.

Hey -- I saw a movie once where a guy was killed by being hit in the head with a hammer. Lots of tools are dangerous. I for one would feel a lot safer if tools were banned.

But, of course, the first tool was a rock... maybe we all ought to be carefully wrapped in cotton padding and stowed away in some deep cave somewhere. I'm sure we'd be safe then. :)

Mike

I don't know if this qualifies as 'pre-conceived' or not but I will often be prompted to go out with my camera in response to some particular condition I have noticed. For instance, cloud formations after a storm can often be very dramatic: I may see the clouds and give in to the impulse to make photographs under those conditions.

Or I may remember some particularly interesting object and notice a certain quality of light which impells me to go and photograph that object.

Often I will return to places I've photographed before, not looking for a particular picture but with the feeling that I haven't finished with it yet, that I haven't received all it has to give.

Of course, I have also had the experience of returning to a particular photograph I've made before, because of some technical flaw in the previous negative, or because in looking at a proof I've realized that there are more or better possibilities there.

I don't recall visualizing a particular photograph and then going out to look for it, outside of the above conditions.

Mike

<i>how spooky it is to stand in these swamps (at least for those of us from "up north")</i><P>

Mr. Butcher has been one of my favorite photographers for some years now, and his web site is especially interesting compared to most photographers' web sites. There's a lot of information packed in there, not just technical dribbles about film and shutter speeds and stuff.<P>

Still, one thing I've always wonderered about which perhaps someone here with appropriate experience can address... how <i>do</i> you stand in swamp water up to your arm pits, with 'gators and water moccasins and God knows what other kinds of creepy-crawly things skittering around you? How do you concentrate on making pictures, as opposed to wondering where that big ol' gator you saw a few minutes ago has gotten off to now? Does your heart thump every time something brushes against your submerged leg?<P>

Shuddering readers want to know. :)<P>

Mike

Many thanks to everyone who offered advice here: I kinda took the bull by the horns so to speak and disassembled the shutter after dinner tonight. Briefly, cleaning with alcohol didn't fix it so I fired it (as well as it could be fired, which wasn't very well at all,) watching all the little levers and gears, until I thought I understood how it was supposed to work. Then I took it apart (more apart?) It is fortunate that Ilex shutters are<Br><li>A. basic enough that my simple little mind could get wrapped around it, and<li>B. it is assembled in such a way that you can take some of it apart and the rest will still work, sorta. That is a big help in understanding how all the little pieces go together.<P>

I guess this was just a well-worn shutter. One little stamped arm that hangs down from an upper rotating plate and engages in a slot in a lower plate wasn't disengaging properly when the shutter was fired so I took a look at it. There was a bit of metal burr along one edge and I filed it smooth with the file in my Leatherman. Then the spring which is released by the shutter and moves the ratchet triggering the clockwork escapement wasn't strong enough to make the clockwork go, so I bent it out a bit. It took several tries to get both the tension right as well as the gears on the cocking lever at the right place in their little cog to make things go, but in the end it worked out all right. The shutter fires crisply.<P>

Of course, I have no idea whether the shutter speeds are close to the design but I didn't touch the clockwork escapement, so at least I did no greater harm there. And, for some reason, 'B' and 'T' don't work, the shutter firing "instantaneously" on both settings. I can always use the press focus button for 'T', though, and trip the shutter at the end of the exposure, so that's no big deal. Still, I may go back in tomorrow night and see if I can figure that one out.<P>

Again, thanks a million to everyone who responded here. I may or may not have done the bright thing in the long run (I figure most repairmen charge extra if the customer has tried to fix it first -- I would!) and when I get some money of course I'll have it fixed properly, but at least for now I can use this 7 1/2" Ilex Paragon and that was the whole point, anyway. Cheers!<P>

Mike Sherck

I have an old Ilex lens in Ilex #3 Universal shutter which needs

assistance; the aperture blades do not close completely when the

shutter is fired and don't return to open afterward unless one pulls

the shutter lever up with a fingernail. I'd like to use the lens but,

at the moment, have absolutely *no* spare cash to have a real repair

person fix it.

Assuming that I can get the shutter apart far enough to get to the

inner workings, I've heard that lighter fluid makes a decent cleaning

agent and that Ilex shutters don't need any kind of lubrication. You

can see where I'm going here.

Is this a workable idea, or am I more likely to end up with tiny bits

of leftover shutter parts appearing in odd corners of my desk for the

next couple of years? If you've tried this yourself, I'd appreciate

hearing from you.

Mike