jerry_plemons1

<p>I shoot 35mm and 120 Tri-X and process in D-76, usually in a 1:1 dilution. After the emultions have been fixed, I use a hypo remover, "Hustler Rapid Bath Hypo Remover" for 30 seconds before the final wash cycle. The Hypro Remover concentrate is diluted 4 ounces per 1 gallon of water. I have always assumed that this is a one-shot usage and is discarded after each roll of film is treated, the same as D-76 1:1 is not reused.<br>

Since the stuff is pretty expensive, can Hypo Remover be used more than once?<br>

Is this product (Hustler Rapid Bath) pretty good? Any recommendations for a different brand of hypo remover?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your answers and comments.<br>

Jerrry</p>

Gil,

 

Thanks. This is exactly what I was looking for.

 

Jerry

Because I scan Leica negatives with it on a regular basis. I asssumed that other Leica users may have this scanner and may have had repairs done.

My Minolta scanner will no longer autofocus and I can't seem to get the manual

focus as sharp as the autofocus used to. Any ideas as to where I might be able

to get this unit repaired?

 

Thanks, Jerry

John,

 

I agree with Dave. I use the Epson 2400 with the K3 inks. It is far better for black & white prints than the Canon s9000 I was using. The i9900 and Pro9000 may be better. I could never get a good B&W print from s9000. My only complaint about the Epson 2400 is that the inks are expensive. At retail $14.95 per cartridge and 8 cartridges, it is a bit expensive to operate, but the results are worth it for the quality of prints it makes.

 

Media Street makes a continuous ink system (CIS) that is less expensive for heavy duty printing, but my local camera shop guys tell me that you have to print something almost every day to keep the system from clogging.

 

Still, I really like the Epson 2400 and Epson Premium Luster Pro paper. I can send you a sample if you would like one.

 

Jerry

Jim,

 

That is exactly the meter I had. All worked as the manual described, except no matter what ASA setting or shutter speed the needle pointed to, the shutter in the camera would fire and stay open for the 2 seconds - indicating to me that the camera was not receiving the shutter speed signal from the prism. The camera acted as if the prism was turned off all the time.

 

After describing my situation to KEH, we decided I should return the meter.

 

Jerry

John,

 

Unfortunately, my meter doesn't look like the one on page 41. It looks more like the attched image. My suspician is that either the meter is defective or my camera needs repair.

 

Jerry<div></div>

John,

 

The problem is - there is no shutterspeed dial on this finder. There are only two controls. A dial to set the film ISO/ASA and the Off/On switch. I guess you could count the white button as a third, which is supposed to turn the meter on for a bit, then turn itself off. As far as I can tell, it doesn't do anything. There is also no control to set the highest shutter speed either. No matter what I try, if the meter is attached to the camera - either turned off or turned on, when I fire the shutter, the shutter opens for about a full second, then closes. No amount of fiddling with the ISO dial, the On/Off dial, or the white button changes what the camera does.

 

If I change the camera's shutter speed dial from the red dot to one of the shutter speeds or B, the meter goes to the Off condition.

 

When I had the PD meter, the meter worked fine. It was just that dark horizontal line in the viewfinder that was unacceptable. Since the PD meter worked, I assumed that my camera was ok and that the problem is either with the meter, or I just don't know how to make it work.

 

I hope someone with experience with this animal will respond and tell me what I'm doing wrong - or tell me that either the camera needs repair or the meter needs to go back to KEH.

 

Jerry

I got my AE Meter today. It is an AE meter (see pictures) and it fits my 1000s

(according to KEH). There is no shutter speed dial so it is am aperture-

priority meter. And according to my downloaded 1000s manual, this isn?t a PD

or PD S or CdS meter. There's no mention of this meter prism.

 

The meter seems to be functional, but when I fire the shutter, the shutter

stays open for what sounds like 1 second, no matter what shutter speed the

meter needle is point to. The Internal display in the meter is at the top of

the view finder and is in shutter speeds so I expected the camera shutter to be

set to the speed the needle shows. I have the camera speed dial set on the

round red o. If I move it off that setting, the meter shuts off. As you can

see in the attached photo, there is no battery compartment, so I assume it

isn?t a CdS type meter. There is a white button in the middle of the off-on

switch. Any idea what it is supposed to do. As far as I can tell, it doesn?t

do anything. KEH listed it as an AE Meter for the 645 and the 1000s. The

sales person I spoke to (after returning a defective PD prism) said it was for

the 1000s camera. I?m beginning to think I?m snake-bit on metered prisms.

 

What do I need to do to make the camera understand the prism meter? Am doing

something wrong, is this the wrong meter for this camera and did KEH mess me up

again? Any assistance would be MOST appreciated.

 

Jerry<div></div>

Calvin,

 

Your recommendation is well taken. I returned the PD Prism to KEH and for a little more, purchased an AE Prism Finder.

 

Thanks all for the explanations and advice.

 

Jerry

They have three or four "conditions" at KEH. LN Like New, EX Excellent, BGN Bargin, and Ugly. This item was EX. I just sent them an email concerning the issue. Had I know it had a dark line in the finder, I would have selected another finder. I believe they have a good return policy. It is just irritating to order something and it not be what I expected - plus the hassle of returning the unwanted item.

 

If indeed "all" of these 645 prisms show separation lines at some point, I suppose I can live with it. The finder wasn't all that expensive. I just find it difficult to believe "all" of Mamiya's 645 prisms have this defect.

 

Jerry

I just answered my own question, I think. A photo.net search turned up a note string indicating that this line is due to separation of elements in the prism and that all prisms like mine will show some separation sooner or later. One responder said unless it was really bad, just live with it. Responders went on to say that Mamiya doesn't repair these either. Returning mine to KEH and requesting another one would eventually result in the same separation lines.

 

This is annoying, but certainly not tragic. I would have expected the vendor (KEH) to have had a "condition" statement that there was some separation in the prism elements, but I don't remember seeing any. If any of you more experienced Mamiya PD/PDs Prism users have other guidance, please let me know.

 

Thanks, Jerry

My PD viewfinder finally arrived today and I have a burning question to which I

sure hope there is a positive answer.

 

This meter is a PD, not a PD S, which means the shutter speed only goes to

1/500; however, I was told that this Metered Prism would work fine on my Mamiya

1000s. I don't mind not having the 1/1000 on the meter since I don't plan to

use that speed much, if at all.

 

The issue is: There is a dark gray horizontal line (actually two thin

horizontal lines close together) which shows up in the prism as I look through

the viewfinder when not attached to the camera. When attached to the camera

(645 1000s), the dark horizontal lines appear just above the outer center

focusing circle.

 

The PD Prism/meter seems to function fine other than this minor annoyance.

 

Am I doing something wrong or have I been led astray?

 

Thanks in advance for your assistance. I am really a beginner with this camera.

 

Jerry

jplemons3@tx.rr.com

I think I solved the problem. Further checks seemed to lead me to believe the focusing screen was not seated proiberly. I think things are ok in that department now.

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

Jerry

Thanks, John. I don't think I want the S version. You seem pretty happy with the standard C version. I'm just wondering if I should try for an N vs. the C version. While I only have one sample of a Mamiya lens, the 80mm f2.8 C, I'm concerned about sharpness. As I commented in the 645 forum, I may have an alignment issue. The further I stop down the lens, the better the "apparent" sharpness - which would compensate with DOF for the alignment error. Than again, I may have a not-so-good sample of this focal length.

 

Is there a "recommended" repair shop for the older Mamiya cameras, like my 1000s?

 

Thanks, Jerry

I had asked in an earlier post what the N designation was for on Mamiya lenses

and received a prompt replay that it meant the lens was a later version with

better coating. As I look on the bay at 55mm lenses, I see some designated

with an S.

 

What does the S designation mean?

 

Thanks for your assistance.

 

Jerry

Here are the close-ups of the charts. While I can't claim to be a pro technical guy at this, I have been doing photography with film since 1957 and digital for the last 5 years or so. As an ol-timer at 64, I do wear glasses.

 

One item that Jeff mentioned may be the culprit - the focusing screen may not be seated properly - or it may need adjusting.

 

Your thoughts......Jerry<div></div>

I don't usually resort to doing lens tests unless there is a problem. This time, I think there may be. I set up my USAF lens test charts on the wall with the camera about 7 feet away. I wasn't interested in lines per millimeter so the distance did't really matter. I was just interested in what the "relative" results would be for each f/stop. Naturally, with charts this small, none of the images would look spectacularlly sharp. The next post will have close ups of the f/stop comparison.<div></div>

I've been doing some shooting with my new acquisition - a Mamiya 645 1000s with

an 80mm f2.8 C lens. I'm using T-Max 100 and D76 1:1. While the results at

f/stops 5.6 and above are pretty good, f2.8 is really, really soft and mushy.

The subjects (regular around the house items - not lens charts) are all shot

using a heavy tripod, with mirror lockup and self-timer.

 

Is softness at f2.8 common with this lens?

 

Could this camera need a focus alignment?

 

If I want to shoot some "available light" Tri-X at 2.8, should I consider

the "N" version of this lens or the f1.9 or is there a better alternative,

e.g., the macro?

 

I have purchased a Mamiya 150mm f4 lens. When it arrives, I can test it on

similar subjects to see if it is also soft wide open.

 

I just want a reasonably sharp "normal" lens at f2.8. I use Leica Summicron

and Canon L lenses and expected the 645 to perform better at f2.8 than it seems

to be doing. I can post some samples if that would help.

 

Your guidance is appreciated.

 

Jerry

Nice image, John. Thanks for posting. I too am curious about the N versus the C versions of this lens.

 

Thanks, Jerry

All,

 

I received my Mamiya 645 1000s with 80mm f2.8 lens and am very happy with the

purchase and the resulting images. I have a some questions for you more

experienced forum folks.

 

1. What does the "N" designation mean on some of Mamiya's lenses?

 

2. What is the difference between the 150mm f4.0 C "portrait" lens and the

150mm f3.5 N lens - other than the obvious .5 f/stop?

 

3. Is it appropriate to post images in this form similar to how Leica

Rangefinder forum users post? Just curious. Is there a better place to share

images taken with the 645 format cameras that like-minded 645 readers would

like to see and comment on and/or critique?

 

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

 

Jerry Plemons

jplemons3@tx.rr.com

Well, I took the plunge and purchased a Mamiya 645 1000s off the bay. I comes

with a waist-level finder. I'd like to add an AE finder. KEH has one which is

listed for the "m645" as "PD PRISM (M645)". Will the work with the 1000s?

 

KEH also lists a "AE PRISM (M645, 1000S)" which is a bit more expensive - I'm

assuming that it is the CD version. I remember reading one note in this forum

that someone recommended the PD over the CD because it was easier to use. I

think I'd rather have the PD, but your experienced advice would be most

appreciated.

 

1. Will the "PD PRISM (M645)" work on the 1000s?

2. Would you recommend the CD version over the PD?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Jerry Plemons

jplemons3@tx.rr.com

Thanks for the lineage. This helps a great deal. Much appreciated.

Mamiya 645 lineage(Category:Mamiya 645)

I am interested in purchasing a film-based Mamiya 645 camera. Is there a

lineage somewhere, i.e., first model to latest, so I can determine where the

various models fit. The Mamiya 645 1000s looks attractive and I'd like to keep

the price down to something I can affort - around $300+. There seem to be quite

a few offerings in that neighborhood on the large auction site for Mamiya 645

cameras. I just don't know what's what.

 

I typically shoot a Leica & Bessa R2 35mm film-based cameras for enjoyment and

a Canon 20D for studio type work. I have a broken Kowa Six that no one wants to

repair and thought of getting another body on the "bay", but it is such an old

dog that I'd rather go with something a little more modern and serviceable. I

really like working with film for my own enjoyment, thus the interest in the

645 - and the larger format the 645 offers.

 

Thanks in advance for your advice and guidance.

 

Jerry Plemons

jplemons3@tx.rr.com

OK, Maria, I'll quit.