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jerry thirsty

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Posts posted by jerry thirsty

  1. For measuring small amounts of highly concentrated liquids (e.g. Rodinal, Photo-Flo), I've always preferred to use 5-10 mL plastic syringes instead of graduates. I mark on the side what chemical each is for, and never mix them up, so I don't have to get them super clean after each use. For other liquids I usually just use 500 mL kitchen liquid measuring cups; squat and wide, so they're easier to clean than a graduate (not as accurate, but in my experience it's fine for most film/paper developers or fixers).
  2. Mine had the same problem when I got it. I eventually got it freed up by jiggling it back and forth through the range that it would move, and gradually the range expanded. IIRC, it worked best to have the lens off, so I could put my thumb on the release lever while gripping all around the ring with fingertips. Don't try to hold the exposure compensation ring still; let it turn with the ISO ring. I've found the ISO ring is more likely to skip forward if both rings are moving.
  3. <p>The original ist D had poor ergonomics (I'm thinking of the tiny display and the 4-way controller). The ist DS was much better in that regard, and would be a good cheap entry point. You'll obviously get better low light performance with more recent models. A lot of the early K10Ds had banding issues that could pop up in certain situations (mine did); I never heard that there was a firmware fix. I would agree that the K-5 is an excellent camera if you're willing to drop a few hundred $$$, however it had sensor stain issues in the early production runs, so you need to do a little homework before buying.<br>

    http://photorumors.com/2011/01/26/pentax-acknowledges-k-5-sensor-issues-offers-a-fix-and-an-apology/<br>

    A K20D will cost about 1/2 as much as a K-5 and I don't think it had the banding problem of the K10D (different sensor IIRC). But I never used one, so YMMV.</p>

  4. I haven't used the Digibase kit yet, and I'm not sure if this is the answer to your problem, but: you really shouldn't be rinsing the film in water between the steps. They are designed to work in the order stated, with some cross-mixing from step to step. And yes you can use it for Ilford C41. Finally, if you're doing two reels with inversion agitation, then you need enough chemistry to cover them. If you are using a rotary process, then your tank instructions should tell you how much you need.
  5. <p>My memory is a little fuzzy, is EDU Ultra repackaged Fomapan? If you look at that combo there's a time for dilution F as well. Everything on MDC is best used as just a guideline; if you don't want to use continuous agitation then you could just try the same time without continuous and see how it works, or add 10-15% for a first trial.</p>
  6. <p>No more so than any photo that has the sun in the field of view. But as a general precaution, minimize the time with the lens cap off, and don't spend a lot of time staring in the viewfinder.</p>

    <p>Looking back at some pics I took of the partial eclipse 2 years ago, I see that I could sort of define the chunk taken out of the disk at ISO 200, F/32, 1/8000th second, with a thin layer of clouds across the sun. So you might be able to get there, depending on your weather conditions. A neutral density filter might help if you have one. If you're hoping to get the suns disk somewhat balanced with the foreground so that it's not all black, you'll have to wait until the sun is very close to the horizon, and hope there's a lot of haze to dim it (just like any sunset photo). Or composite multiple pics together.</p>

  7. When I was in your shoes, I started with a Mamiya RZ system, but it was too heavy/bulky for me to want to feel like taking anywhere. So I switched to a Bronica ETRSI with a 50/75/150 lens set. I especially like the 150/3.5 MC; gotten some very nice portraits with it. The meter in my AE prism is erratic so I carry a handheld meter, but no big deal. Prices on ETR system components seem quite low as well. You should be able to put together a decent kit for $500.
  8. If you spend some time digging around on Pentaxforums, it sounds like people either love it or hate it. And some people complain of having to try a few copies to find one without QC issues. Probably best do your research before deciding instead of basing anything on the other Limiteds reputation.
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