laura_conant

<p>I just got off the phone with epson tech support and they informed me that the motherboard on my R1400 printer needs to be replaced which is going to cost more than just buying a new one. So, I need a new printer. It appears that my options are 1) buy a new 1400, or 2) upgrade to a 2880 for twice the price. Since I already have a full set of ink for the 1400 I'm inclined to go that route, but if the ink for the 2880 is less per ml, then I might as well cut my losses now. I do a high volume of printing in color for clients, and for b+w I have a darkroom. So is the 2880 worth 2x as much as the 1400? And for that matter how does the 1900 compare? Thanks for your help.</p>

Bruce and Frank, I do agree with you that control is very important. It seems like a never ending journey sometimes

trying to get there, and believe me, I'm working on it.

 

The reason I asked the question in the first place though, is because I'm under the impression that different films have

different characteristics and lend themselves more easily to retaining highlight and shadow detail, or some are just

sharper than others. For example, I've heard that Tri-X has a long toe and is therefore difficult to get shadow detail out

of. What I'm looking for is a film whose characteristics I can work WITH rather than AGAINST. I guess I worded the

original question wrong.

 

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I hadn't really considered slower film. The project that I'm thinking of doing is a lot different

than the portraits on my blog though. I think for the lighting I'm anticipating a 400 speed film might be more appropriate. Like I said, grain

is really not much of an issue.

 

Thanks again.

I've spent hours searching and reading these forums, and they've been helpful, but also confusing. I'm pretty sure about what I want in a

film/developer combo. In order of importance:

1. Highlight detail. The photos I intend to make have a lot of whites and high key colors and it's very important to separate them,

especially in outdoor, somewhat contrasty light.

2. Good tonal range in the midtones. Again separation is key (but not TOO much contrast).

3. Sharpness. Like they say, the devil's in the details.

4. Shadow detail. This would be nice to have in addition to #1, but if I have to sacrifice, then so be it.

 

Grain isn't too much of an issue since I shoot 6x6, and if all of the above come with some grain, then so be it, the other things are more

important to me.

 

So far, I've shot a lot of TMAX 400 developed in D-76, but I haven't been too impressed with it; the midtones tend to get a bit muddy, and

the negatives have been somewhat difficult to print. I recently moved onto Delta 400 in D-76, which so far seems great, but I've also

accidently pushed to 800 (the meter was improperly set) so it's probably more contrasty than if it had been properly exposed, but the

highlights are great. I've read conflicting things about it's contrast, some say that it has more than hp5+, for example, some say less. I

also noticed in the tech data that it is far more sensitive to light at either end of the visible spectrum; how does this translate visually in a

photograph? I intend to experiment more with it, but I'm also curious to know about other films in the 400 speed range. HP5+, Neopan

400, or anything that I've missed; and also what developers you would recommend.

 

I'm very well aware that I can probably get what I want with just about any film, it's just a matter of how and what I develop it in. But, that

said, I'm sure that there are some film/developer combos that will make it EASIER to achieve all those things than others. And for what

it's worth, the negatives will be printed with a condenser enlarger, so ultimately what I'm looking for is something that will make it easier for

me to make a print with all of the above criteria.

 

Thanks for helping.

Mike, I had this exact same problem- called nikon tech, they told me it was impossible, but I did a little fiddling and got it to work. I have

the AS-15 adapter, but I would imagine it would work with the wein as well. In the manual mode, hit 'menu' and in the 'flash control' option

set it to 'built-in off'. Then, back in shooting mode, set the flash mode to force the flash, I think they call it 'fill' mode in the menu. That

should work. I use this set-up the same way you intend to. I shoot film with a Hasselblad, but I use the Nikon to proof the lighting just to

make sure I get it right every time for the client. Good Luck!

..interesting suggestions, thank you everyone. I think I'm going to try a push on cap and see how that works. I know I could get a dedicated cap at KEH for about $10, but I refuse to pay their flat $13 shipping charge for something that shouldn't cost more than a dollar or two to mail.

Hi folks,

I have a Hasselblad 80mm C lens, and since the dedicated bay 50 lens caps are

so difficult to find/expensive, I figured I can just get a pretty standard

snap on or push on lens cover. The only problem is that I can't figure out if

the actual diameter is 55 or 52mm (0r 58)? I've looked in Wildi's book, and

all over this forum, but I've come up empty handed. And I live in the boonies

so I can't exactly hop down the road to the camera store to try them on for

size. If anyone can tell me once and for all what size cap would fit I would

greatly appreciate it.

Thanks, Laura

wow, thanks a bunch guys. That's certainly a lot more information than I was able to

figure out on my own. I was thinking about selling it because my husband and I are

moving this coming spring, but I guess I'll have to give it more thought. I didn't realize it

was that old.

right side

left side

back view

Hi folks. I found this camera at a flea market last year, but I still can't figure out for the life of me what

exactly it is or when it was made. The only obvious thing that I have figured to call it is a Voigtlander

Perkeo, but then I found out that there is a "I" and "II" version, and I'm not sure which one it is, or

neither. I know it takes 127 film, and is suprisingly small. The lady who sold it to me didn't even know

it was a camera becuase she couldn't figure out how to open it. The lens says "Voigtlander Anastigmat

Skopar 1:3.5, F=5.5cm No 817867." Also if anyone knows how much it might be worth, I would be

interested to know. I've heard a wide range of estimates, but since nobody really know what camera

this is in the first place, I don't really consider them reliable numbers. I've included some pictures so

you can see it for yourself. Thanks for your help!

jeepers!, I didn't realize this was such an active forum. Anyways, I read up on the

Hasselblad check to spec $99 program, and here's what I found. Body: align mirror and

body, clean inside and out, check for other problems; Lens: check focus and shutter

speeds, clean; Back: check film flatness and spacing, clean inside and out. For $30 more

they will replace the light traps and the foil in the magazine, and for $60 more they will

replace the main spring in the lens. And, if they find any other problems, they discount

the labor %20. Now from what I understand, a CLA is supposed to mean clean, lube, and

adjust, and this seems to be more or less what Hasselblad is offering for less than a third

of what it would cost elsewhere, even with the $90 worth of extras if they were necessary.

If I am mistaken about what's supposed to be included in a CLA, by all means please tell

me. I would think that no matter where you go, repairs would be extra. So in my opinion,

it seems like a pretty good deal, even if you have to pay for shipping.

Hi all,

I'm in the market for a used 500cm, 80mm cf lens and an A12 back. I've done quite a bit of research

and I'm prepared to spend up to $1000 on the whole deal, but I've had some not so great experiences

in the past buying used gear, and for this much money I want to make absolutely sure I do it right. I

know KEH has good reviews from a lot of people on this forum, but I'm still on the bench about it

(although the whole outfit for $700 bargain grade is quite enticing). I've also considered buying from

David Odess based on his reputation here, but his prices are higher than most. It is worth it? I would

consider his eqipment to be CLA included, whereas from KEH I would probably end up spending $300+

on a CLA anyway. I really don't know too much about how to go about this, these have been my

thoughts so far. Any advice or recomendations would be greatly appreciated. BTW, I know ebay might

be a good place to look, but I've had some horrible experiences in the past (I know it wouldn't be the

same seller, but still), and therefore refuse to even consider it. Thanks for all your help.

-Laura

My Grandfather died over the summer, and my family has been cleaning

stuff out and recently found this lens, and since I'm the only

photographer in the family they gave it to me. The inner ring is

marked: Carl Zeiss Jena Nr 1560309 Tessar f:4.5 f=10.5cm. It's

mounted in a compur shutter, and from what I can tell the speeds are

way off, but otherwise it's in pretty good shape (just needs a little

dusting off). It also appears to be uncoated. So, I'm curious:

about when was this lens made? how much is it worth? what's is the

little red dot in between the f/11 and f/16 settings for? will it

work on my super graphic if I get a lensboard that fits? where can I

get the shutter fixed, and about how much will it cost? I'm fairly

new to LF, the super graphic I have came with a 127mm lens and I

don't know much about lenses for LF at all (i.e. image circles and

focus distances etc.). Thanks for all your help.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I actually used to have a stylus epic and I used it a great deal when I worked at a summer camp, but it died when it got run over by a truck. I loved the little thing but I haven't been able to justify buying another one. The one thing I missed when I was using it was being able to manually control everything. That's the reason I got the OM-1 in the first place. The photos I take on that trip (if it happens, I'm waiting for grant money) are going to be used in my senior thesis exhibition, so I want to be able to photograph the way I'm used to, and have complete control even if it means carrying a little extra weight. Quality is also the reason I would consider an f/2 over f/2.8 (from what I read the f/2 is sharper and of course it helps that it's fast).

BTW about an hour ago my dad found an old lens he had that fits the OM mount. It's a Sakar 28-70 f/3.5-4.5 brand new in the box, does anyone know anything about this lens? It's pretty big, but if it's sharp, I guess I don't even need to worry about a new lens.

Thanks for all your help so far.

The reason I could only carry one lens is that it's a backpacking trip, and when you're walking everywhere with everything on your back, weight matters and so does bulk. I carried the 50 f/1.8 on the last trip which was also a backpacking trip, and I got frustrated with it which is why I'm asking for suggestions for something that's a bit wider that could also be useful as a primary lens. I've had my eye on the 28 f/2 for a while, but compared to the 28 f/2.8 and 35 f/2.8 it's a bit expensive and also bulkier, but I'm willing to deal with the extra weight if it means I don't have to carry a flash. I suppose I _could_ take the 50 with me, but it would live in my pack whereas I carry the camera on my hipbelt, so I doubt that it would get much use if I had to take off my pack every time I wanted to change lenses. I'm also a bit of a minimalist and when I'm on backpacking trip I like to streamline everything and I hate fussing with equipment (of any sort) when there's a million other things to see and do. I strongly believe that the stuff you take should be useful to you when you're travelling, but it shouldn't become obstrusive and get in the way (i.e. when you have too much and always have to think about what to do with it and where to put it).

So, hypothetical situation (which is probably going to become real):

You're traveling for two months, and you can only take one body and

one lens. No flash, filters, or accessories. You need to be able to

shoot indoors (such as old churches, mom's basement, or concert

halls), and you also want to be able to shoot landscapes, and

portraits to some extent, more like landscapes with identifiable

people in them I guess. What do you take? I currently have an OM-1

and a 50 f/1.8, but I found that after using it intensively for 4

months, I find the angle of view too narrow for the shots I want to

take. So, what lens would you take in this situation?

So I just picked up this little flash for 10 euros at a shop by my

apartment, and I can't figure out for the life of me what the guide

number is. I tried searching for it on the net but I couldn't find

anything. If anyone has any info on it I would greatly appreciate

it. The guy at the store said the GN was around 20, but I'm not sure

if he knew what I was talking about because I don't know if the word

for 'guide number' is the same in french. 20 sounds ridiculously

low. Ok, thanks for any help!

what you should do is light the background separately from the subject and underexpose the background by however many stops is necessarry. This way it doesn't matter if the background is black, white, or pink, just as long as you underexpose it sufficiently. The easiest way to do this is to aim one light at the background and then set up some sort of barrier to block that light from the subject. Then set up another light to use on the subject. When you meter, if the subject requires f/16, for example, the the background (assuming that it is a dark color) should be around f/8 or lower. Hope that helps.

Ok, I realize this is a silly question, but I figure I'll ask

anyways. I don't know a whole lot about camera mounted flash

systems, and I was wondering if it is possible to fire the flash

without it being on a camera or synced to the camera in any way. Now

that I think about it, I'm probably going to want to use it on the

camera as well, and given that I don't know the first thing about

this, can anyone recommend a good (preferably cheap!) flash that

would work well on an OM-1 w/a 50mm f/1.8 lens (this is the only lens

I have so don't worry about making accomodations for different focal

lengths, and I don't plan on buying any others).

Thank you all for your input. I am very anxious to go out and start shooting with this camera and am currently working on finding film (not so easy in Paris!). To be perfectly honest, I'm kind of excited that the 105 tessar won't cover the whole image area, especially if I have at least one lens that does. I can make images in the Atget and Pictorialist tradition around Paris, or create fish-eye esque perscpective that has that wonderfully voyeristic quality about it. At any rate, I appreciate your help because at least now I won't be surprised the first time I develop negs.

Hello all. I just purchased a super graphic that came with a Kodak

Ektar 127mm/4.7 lens (serial #. EO 1554), and a Carl Zeiss Ikon

10.5cm/4.5 Tessar lens (serial #. 1560309). I am interested to know

more about the quality and capability of these lenses as well as any

limitations they have. Any information that you could provide would

be of great interest to me. Thanks for your help!

I am currently a student in Paris for the year and am looking to do

lots of LF photography here, however I have heard rumors and horror

stories about ridiculous tripod laws and people having their

equipiment taken away. My question is; What exactly are the rules

for using a tripod in Paris? and if I need a permission, where do I

get it? Thanks for your help.

I recently stumbled across this site http://www.waltuch.com, from a search for tachihara on google and I was wondering if anyone has heard of this dealer before or knows what they're prices are (they're not listed). I think the ebony model of the tachihara is particularly sexy ;) Thanks for any help.

A few thoughts:

 

The Linhof seems incredibly attractive, however it is very expensive (even used) and from the looks of it the MPP cameras that I've seen are almost identical, and at $300, are much more attractive than $800+ that I've seen for the linhof. Also keep in mind that it is likely that I will have to buy a lens as well. Any thoughts on the MPP vs. Linhof or more importantly, the tachihara? I realize that the tachihara would cost more (than the MPP), however it is a beautiful camera, and I already know how to use it.

 

I currently own a Yashica Mat 124, and while 6x6 can be fun to work with, I find it incredibly frustrating because as soon as I start working with the negs, I find myself jonesing for 4x5 or larger. It's also a different way of working. One of the reasons I like large format so much is that I have to SLOW DOWN and I can take the time to think about things and what I'm photographing. There's nothing like that bonding moment with the camera under the dark cloth. It also makes me seriously consider what is worth photographing. That being said, is anybody interested in a nice Yashica (the money will be donated to the *Laura needs a 4x5* fund)?

 

I didn't realize that large format photography was so male dominated. The only LF class I ever took was all girls except 2 guys. The estrogen quotient in that class was WAY too high.

 

And Jason, how is it that you're in high school and already into 8x10? When I was in high school the only photo class were 'intro' and 'intermediate' with no mention of any other format at all. I got so incredibly frustrated with the complete lack of any worthwhile classes (photo or otherwise) that I just dropped out after 10th grade. Damn glad I did too. I worked with a photographer over that summer, which is how I got into large format, and then up and when to academic/photo nirvana (aka COLLEGE)the next fall, and got my hands on any and all equipment and processes that were available. The nice thing about this situation is that, until now, I could experiment and use pretty much whatever I wanted without having to pay for it. So, point being, good on ya for getting your head out of the high school gutter and your hands on an 8x10.

 

Thank you James for all the useful information. It will certainly make my life a whole lot easier. I plan on stopping in there tomorrow to see what they have (or don't have) and life will be all the better if I can find a camera there because I won't have to pay shipping and customs taxes etc.

 

Thank you all for your input. It has been incredibly useful and interesting (my professors are useless in light of everything that you all have mentioned) and is very much appreciated.