ilkka_lindblom

After some more research it seems that custom function 2, release priority AF, is just what I need, ie it makes the camera not care of what it thinks the focus situation is when you press the shutter release.

Hello

 

I have recently started using a F5 I have in my possession. I bought a 50/1.4

lens for it. I used the custom settings to disable autofocus activation on the

shutter release, and reassigned the ae lock function there- this matches the

functionality of my manual focus cameras. Of course I have to press the af-on

button to get focus, but I mainly shoot rocks, plants, relatives and other such

immobile objects, so it doesn't matter.

 

However there's a problem where, especially in low light conditions, the camera

will not go off, probably because it thinks it's out of focus. Seemingly, the

camera will only go off if the led on the upper right is green. Often, when

shooting in low light or at a black object, the green light will not light up,

but only the two red leds will blink very quickly- even when the focus is more

or less correct. Pushing the af-on button will not change the focus, the camera

just probably is confused somehow. This even happens if I first press af-on,

then while keeping it depressed press the shutter release.

 

Is there anything I can do here? I'm used to my cameras working when I press

the release, so this is a very irritating feature of this otherwise nice body.

Thanks to everyone for the good advice, "burping" the lid indeed makes it considerably less leaking. And about the steel reels, after practicing a lot like I said, I got my films on them with little trouble, even though I had to make my own "hook section" in the end to attach the film to the clip, as these tmax rolls only have a piece of tape in their ends. So that was some scissor work in the dark there.

 

On the other hand I did manage to develop with the stopper and stop with the developer, so all my films were ruined, but that's a different story. And I hope I've learnt my lesson now about not letting your concentration down for even one minute.

In fact my problem is just that, I have more than two dozen films from the past couple of weeks waiting for development, so I will definitely want to use the whole capacity.

Up to now I have been developing my films with a single reel plastic

tank. That however got to be a hugely time-consuming, so I went to the

store, and asked for a three-reel plastic tank. They didn't have any,

but they had just marked down a never used five-reel stainless steel

tank that had been sitting on the shelf for years, from $120 to $10.

So I got that. It had no instructions or any other papers with it, but

the tag said it is a "Kenro" brand tank, also it says "made in japan"

in the bottom and on the reels. It has a brushed metal finish, in case

anyone recognizes the type.

 

I did search the boards for information on steel reel usage, and after

hours of practice with eyes open and closed I have the loading just

about down. But I have other questions of the tank.

 

It has only three basic parts. The vessel itself, a plastic lid with a

smaller light-tight hole in it, and a thin metal rod around which the

reels are put. The tank is about 10cm higher than the five reels

together, and there is no part that would keep the reels in place like

in my small paterson tank. Is this right? If yes, how much liquids

should I put in it? Fill it completely I guess? That would be 1400ml.

Or only so the reels are covered? This is what I did with the small

tank.

 

I tried out agitation by filling it with water, and I noticed the lid

is not completely water-tight. Not that it leaks a lot, but some drops

do get out. Also it has no threads or anything, so I have to keep it

down quite firmly when I turn the thing upside down, like I have done

with my paterson tank. Is this the right way to agitate a tank like

this? I guess the drops that escape will not matter much in 1400ml,

but it could be messy. Also as the reels do not fill the tank

completely, they will smash up and down if I agitate like I do with

the paterson.

 

It's not really a catastrophy if this tank turns out to be a bunch of

crap, it was only $10 and I got five nice reels too, but I'm anxious

to get some developing done, so advise, please.

EMU is the european monetary union. Basically the euro area. Inside the euro area you can buy and sell most things without paying any extra costs. For example the UK is a member of the EU but is not in the euro area. Same goes for Sweden.

 

The biggest problem with ordering from b+h would be the shipping costs, about $50, more for larger orders. This I think is strange as I have received rather heavy packages from ebay merchants for $20 postage.

 

And yes, I do know what "50% more" and "100% more" mean. Where I wrote "50%+ more", I meant, "upwards from 50% more", where the 50% minimum referred to the prices in german mail order stores that I did not specify in numbers.

I live in Finland, inside the EMU area, and am having problems

locating affordable bulk film.

 

Comparison:

 

In the US mail order photography stores, both Tri-X and T-max are

available for well under $30 / 100 feet. However, shipping costs are

generally high and larger orders will be caught by the customs, as

they are from outside the EMU.

 

In the corner store, 30 meters of similar film costs over $60.

Obscene.

 

Most German mail order outlets have cheap film, but seemingly not much

bulk film. I bet somewhere in Europe there is a store with good

selection and reasonable prices, but I have not been able to locate

one.

 

So, fellow Europeans especially, can you point me to some source? Or

is it just a fact of life that film costs 50%+ more here than in the

US?

Well, I have now re-washed again, this time spending even more time on it. We shall see what came of it when I get to the scanner.

 

Thanks to everyone for help.

I was developing a bunch of tmax 400 films today, and even though the

chemistry side of things went trough with passable results, it seems

that I forgot to wash one roll after fixing. So after it had hung

until dry, the film was full of spots and wide horizontal streaks.

 

I tried putting it back on the spool and troughly washing with water,

which did help somewhat, but I think I can still see some of the

streaks.

 

I did search the forums for film cleaning and found some results, but

it did not become quite clear what I should do in this exact

situation, should I reapply some of the process chemicals? Exactly

like I did when developing or some other way? Or should I try soaking

the film for a longer time? It's not exactly a priceless film, but if

there is any chance of getting it clean, I would appreciate it.

Well, I have now received my T-90. Found a rather reasonable one on

ebay that turned out to be in near-perfect condition. So I'm quite

pleased about that.

 

However, I have been thinking it would be beneficial to have exposure

data automatically stored somewhere, similar to digicam exif tags.

With a camera of this age I believe the only option is to have a data

back. There are two for the T90, the other, "memory back", I think

does save this data (Even on the film? How?), but this back is

apparently rare.

 

Now, the more common back, "command back", has some sophisticated

timing features, but can it save data somehow? What exactly does it do

besides timer functions?

 

And of course, if anyone can point me to a memory back for sale,

please do so.

Oh well, I will confirm results when I get the film developed.

I'm sorry if this is a faq but here goes..

 

I have a ae-1p body. Recently I was out taking pictures, and I noticed

that the shutter speeds "sounded" long in contrast to what I had

chosen on the dial. Say I shot with 1/250s, there was a delay in the

clicking of the shutter and mirror which sounded more like 1/8s.

 

After shooting a couple of rolls, the camera stopped working; battery

dead. I had not replaced it for over a year. Camera worked fine with

new battery.

 

Now the question is, can a weak battery cause the shutter to work

slower? My understanding of the mechanism is that the mirror and the

shutter are moved by the springs I load when I advance the film, and

not by eletricity. If this indeed is normal, how often should I

replace the battery to make sure I don't overexpose my pictures?

Well then, any other tips, besides being really careful, to protect the lens from damage?

 

Also, is there any fd lens which would take this filter I now have sitting around? It seems that canon is not making one.

Well now that I have just posted this, of course I realize that I confused things, 84mm would definitely not be the right size, as even the 82mm is too big. So probably the 84 refers to the lens cover size. However, I'm pretty sure 77mm, the closest smaller standard size, would be too small. So still, does anyone have further info on this?

I have recently acquired a canon fdn 300/4 lens. This lens has a small

compartment near the camera end where one can insert different filters

of a special mount. However, I have been known to fumble with things

in the past, so I wanted to buy a filter to the business end to

protect the glass. I measured the opening, which has threads, and

determined it must be 82mm. Then I bought a second hand 82mm filter,

and well, it's about 1-2mm too big for the lens. Researching further,

I notice that mir.com.my says the lens has a "C-84" cap. However, I am

unable to locate a 84mm filter for sale. What gives?