affen_kot

<spoon falls to floor> that's disconcerting about the 4x5 compatability, but I appreciate the lesson in focal lenghts.

greets everyone. i just bought myself a 1952 Solida III medium

format with a Schneider Kreuznach Radionar 80mm/2.9 lens, from a

collector in hannover germany. now, this camera is in cherry shape,

but because it was fairly inexpensive, i would tear the lens out

with a spoon without a second thought if i could use that wide angle

Radionar on my cambo large format rig. problem is, i don't really

know much about trying out medium lenses on large format setups. i

suppose that i could gingerly unscrew it and test it out with the

larger camera, but i'm not even sure if i have a lensboard that's

been drilled to that circumference...whatever that measurement might

be.

 

now, i'm not going to hold anyone responsible for the

destruction/disassembly of a vintage camera that spent the better

part of it's life photographing the american sector of pre-1989

berlin... so as i ready the spoon... does anyone have some thoughts

on the matter? is the coverage enough on the radionar to go ahead

and drill a lens board for it, or will it restrict camera movements

too drastically? or will it even fill a 4x5 negative at all? i

would be using this for some wide open landscapes, and would most

likely not be setting up any large movements. any thoughts are much

appreciated. thanks in advance!

Many thanks for the thoughts. That's great advice to wrap everything and then pack it snugly. And i could use the terry cloth for bandages too.

 

-Adam

 

"If you came upon a man drowning and could either jump in and save him or photograph the event....what film would you use?"

greets everyone. with the summer (and summer shooting trips) nearly

here, i've come to the stark realization that my current gear bags

might not be able to take it another season.

considering that my itinerary this summer might inadvertently entail

motorcycle biffs (where my gear would be the buffer between a rather

large motorbike and the rather sturdy deutsche asphalt) at autobahn

rest stops, accidental droppage of gear from tuscan coastal cliffs,

or running - frantically clutching said gear - from civil upheaval

in northern greece, i'm thinking about purchasing a pelican 1400 to

strap to the back of whatever hog i end up renting.

 

so...my question stems from the fact that i am a little skeptical

about the foam that my N90 and N80 will be gently jostling around in

for some 3000 kilometers of highway and backroads. whereas yes, i

understand that the trips i've planned will incur some wear on my

equipment, i would still - call it pride of ownership or the fact

that photography is aesthetic by nature and i would like to keep my

photography tools aesthetically pleasing in form and finish - like

to make sure that this pelican foam will not among other things take

off what's left of the back door finish on my N90.

 

does anyone have any thoughts as to the abrasive/nonabrasive

properties of the pelican padding foam that comes with it's cases?

i've heard people mention that the foam is decent for long term

storage, but with constant vibration, the it brasses and sasses your

camera's finish a little bit. yes, my cameras are indeed plastic and

don't brass, but you get my point.

 

can anyone with pelican knowledge advise on or give examples of

taking the foam out on the open road? would you recommend a pelican

product for road trips, or would you recommend something else? many

thanks in advance for any thoughts!

thanks, guys, for the filter wisdom. i'm making some landscape shots up here in the alps tomorrow, and i'll try to post a decent "with 81a effect" and "w/out 81a" as soon as i develop them - for comparison's sake (although, due to the nature of the moose filter, they will consequently also be "with polarizer/without polarizer" shots as well). much appreciated!

i was wondering if anyone knows what affect, if any, an 81a

warming filter will have on black and white exposures (especially in

combination with a polarizer and an orange/yellow#8). i've gone to

mainly shooting B&W and would like to start using filters to enhance

the contrast, but i'd prefer to avoid buying another polarizing

filter, which consequently would mean continuing to use my "moose

filter" (for those unfamiliar with moose peterson's "moose filter" -

no, it doesn't filter out unsightly mooses from your nature shots;

it's a combo cirular polarizer/81a filter). if i must get a second

polarizer, so be it, but i'd like to be a little more informed

before i toss another 80 bucks in the ring.

 

like hinted to above, i would be using this moose filter in

combination with an orange or deep yellow filter. any thoughts from

those with more filter experience? should i mothball the moose in

exchange for a pure polarizer/orange set without the 81a...or is the

affect of the 81a inconsequential to black and white? thanks in

advance for any ideas.

high end gear of various flavors is coming within the reach of the ramen-noodle-eating enthusiasts. the two minute drill produced:

 

ebay item 3806631835

 

EOS 1v, used in excellent condition w/ booster

-buy it now price: $975

 

ebay item 3805575413 (sold today)

 

mint canon EOS 1N RS ...no reserve:

-average New online price hovering around $1700-1900

-sold tonight for $736.86

 

there will always be examples that don't support the digital swan dive theory (hence the "must feed my monkey" seller). but with some people definitely offloading gear such as that mentioned above, or like the F5 that i just ran across which has only seen 25 rolls of film ($900 mint, reserve met), at such low prices or without setting reserves, while at the same time explaining their decision to forego setting a reserve with replies like:

 

"Firstly its a film camera. Digital is now taking over. I don�t need it anymore I have ordered a 1D mark II which is 8.5 FPS," (from my main man 'mikey1610,' seller of the EOS 1N RS mentioned above)

 

or mr. x from chicago's

 

"Bought it to photograph newborn. Don't have use of it any more . I bought a video camera,"

 

...some correlations can be drawn, however unscientific. but whether digital migration is causing this phenomenae or not, i'm not questioning these photographers'/sellers' motives too stringently... i'm just trying to cull some information on whether this trend is going to continue into the near future, because i know a ramen-noodle-eating med student that could use an $800 booster enabled EOS 1V. long live fashion consumerism.

i've noticed lately a rash of ebay and other online sales, in

which either new, mint, or almost mint EOS 1v's and EOS 3's are

being sold off at astronomically low prices (nikon f5'S as well).

despite this, i've been hesitant to bid on or buy into some

particularly/supposedly sweet deals, because i'm suspect of these

savory low prices for such high-end gear, which if advertising is to

be believed, exhibited little to no wear (or was packaged new).

most sellers, when contacted, gave the same reason: "going digital

and need the cash," with the exception of one seller's "need to feed

the monkey." i personally believe in the addage that if a deal

seems too good to be true, then it probably is, especially in the

case of a two month old cherry EOS 1v that i just saw sell on ebay

for $655 USD - it did look pristine in the pictures though. most

likely only a handful of these sellers are running something

illegitimate, but enough to force me to buy from a certified

retailer/reconditioner (shops in town, Adorama, etc.).

 

...which brings me to my question: does anyone have any

thoughts/predictions/explanations on possible price fluctuations in

canon's film SLR products due to the fact that digital is gaining

more and more of a foothold, and many photographers are migrating

that way? additionally, are there marked seasonal pricing

differences in canon gear? i ask, because i've decided to make the

jump to a professional grade film SLR set-up, and i was wondering if

i should hold off for a few months (in the event that prices should

fall due to the digital migration or other factors), go ahead and

get my EOS 1v or similarly equipped body without delay (in the event

that prices spike in the summer months when people are usually going

on vacation...i don't really know), or do something that falls in

between the two extremes (a recommendation on a specific place to

look).

 

anyone have some thoughts on that topic? it would be most

appreciated, whereas my knowledge on the digital trend and its

effects on marketing is limited.

 

thanks, adam.....

i agree. having the camera out for a while is key. with friends, i've even encouraged them to play around with the camera themselves and snap some exposures (this practice however has a tight correlation with phantom "down the pants" shots that tend to surface during development).

on the other hand, if you take a strange liking to some of the gritty, back-alley effects that light leakage produces, possibly throw some parking meter money into a holga. the "ford pinto of the camera world" can teach one a lot about light streaking on 120 film.

you can use the 34 click rule, which should be good as well for 35mm film in your holga if you so choose to get that funkified. whereas there are no "rules" for a holga, besides taking the lens cap off (that is, unless you already have cut a hole in it or baked the lens to where it's warped and doesn't accept a cap), the guideline is: after loading the film to where you are happy that it is straight and tight, replace the back and then rotate the film advance knob 34 clicks. after 34 clicks, you should be safely in the area of number 1. after snapping a pic, then rotate the knob 34 more clicks, bringing you to number 2, and so on. this has worked for me, where i am more times than not getting 12 shots on a roll, and at the least, 11. this rule can be cirumnavigated if, as mentioned before, one observes the numbers that appear in the upper half of the little red viewing window at the back of the camera (for 6 by 6 format).

on the point of being taken seriously or not with a holga...i find that if i bring out my nikon in the presence of others (with the intention of using them as subjects), people start acting like they're doing a screen test for an upcoming quentin tarantino film, and i have to bide my time again until the opportunity for a candid shot resurfaces. but with the holga, which maybe doesn't have so much a 'disarming effect' as a 'lack of respect' effect on people, would-be subjects tend to remain candid and the result is a more natural looking scene. so in the case of not being taken seriously (like you're going to ask for a subject's approval of your equipment before you take a picture anyway. uh...excuse me, sir, do you like this camera?), carrying around a silly looking black mass made entirely of electrical tape can be a good thing if one is attempting to get non-posed shots with their holgster. it's all about the results, if you like what the holgness can produce, right?

hey, i just bought a star 28mm brand spankin new (a shop i buy from in canada found an old dusty shipment of still-boxed star d's, and your post sparked my curiosity), and i've asked them where the lens originally came from. i'll post back if i get an answer.

I agree with whoever said that only getting two exposures out of an entire roll can be a severe discouraging factor (and can lead to that vintage camera body becoming a dusty book end); because for lots of photography beginners who aren't able to take photography courses/don't have access to good photography guidance, learning by "research-trial-error-repeat" is the only option. So as for the F55, i bought one as a learner a while ago, and found it's programs to be pretty helpful in getting a feel for combining shutter-speeds and aperture settings. in retrospect, i should have bought an F80 (the F55 is not a beefy camera, and does feel somewhat flimsy, especially if you try to hook a telephoto lens of any substance to it), but it was a decent beginners tool for someone like myself, who needed to learn without the advantage of a tutor pointing out every time i mismatched my settings...and who needed the camera for quick candid shooting as well as set-up scenes. that said...anybody want a used F55?