astral

<p>Good point about the C330 and C330F screens Marc, thanks. I'll enquire more closely about the specifics of the camera on offer. </p>

<p>My aim is to separate close-up or foreground, subjects (e.g. people or street furniture) from the background environment, whilst maintaining a smooth dissolve into the distantce. That would be easier with a 180mm lens, although working distances and d-o-f can be a limitation there. Still, the option to add a longer lens would be a <em>big</em> bonus, hence me considering the C330 system. It won't break the bank either.</p>

<p>The frozen lake, Dirk, is my sort of (rural) landscape; it's a fine photo, thanks for posting it and for the comments from you and Marc about the WLF. Most of my work is done with a tripod nowadays - often with low viewpoints - so prism finders (etc) can be an inconvenience.</p>

<p>I'm still looking around the web for photos that demonstrate the 55mm's character, but for the time being at least, I'll assume that its 'bokeh' might be a non-critical issue compared to the other qualities of the C330 system. There's enough time before I need to to decide whether to buy.</p>

<p>Thanks for the input.</p>

<p>Thanks Marc and Frank. I must have had a bad link to Graham Patterson's (old?) website - it works now. It seems that the S version is the better model regarding interchangeable screens. </p>

<p>I agree with the concerns about film and processing, though I have a freezer full of 120 film which I must get some value from. My 6x6 cameras, especially my Rollei T, Automat/MX and Autocord, all have 75mm lenses or thereabouts: a wider lens is desirable for cityscapes. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, people on Flickr rarely mention the apertures used, so it is difficult to judge the characteristics of the 55mm at various apertures at middle distances. Some photos exhibit smooth o-o-f rendition, but others are a bit distracting. I believe there are different versions too, which may have differing characteristics.</p>

<p>I know the seller quite well, and the warranty is basically 'money back if there are problems'.</p>

<p>I am interested in buying a Mamiya C330 with 80mm f2.8 and 55mm f4.5 lenses, and have been "Googling" for info. without much success. Many potentially helpful websites appear now to have disappeared, and broken links are commonplace. So, I have a few questions about specific points:<br>

<br />Firstly: as as a spectacle wearer, eye-relief is always an issue for me (especially with my Rollei T and Automat): is the C300 screen any easier to focus?<br /><br />Secondly: I have seen images taken with the 80mm which have exceptionally smooth out-of-focus rendition ('bokeh'). Is the 55mm similar in character, given that rather more correction for spherical abberations (etc) is needed with that focal length and the max. aperture is f4.5?<br /><br /><br />I have a 3 day reserve on a C330 'F', with 80mm and 55mm 'Blue Dot' lenses, at a price of GBP/£320 (with warranty). That is cheaper than a 'blad with two lenses, and it gives a wider angle (55mm) than my Rolleis; so, it is rather tempting. (£320 is my limit).<br /><br />Advice on these issues, and observations on the C330 will be very helpful. My main subject matter is principally landscapes and architecture. Thank you.</p>

<p>I use a R5, R6 and R7 - the only issue was the shutter dial coming loose on one of them, but it screwed back ok. My R5 gobbles batteries because it has no positive on-off switching. Most R glass that an be used on dslrs is now very expensive in the UK compared to a few years ago, making the R system somewhat unappealing to new users. Hence prices of bodies (here) are holding steady, or even falling a bit.</p>

<p>In the UK contact CRR in Luton for first class work.<br>

<a href="http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Leica/">http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Leica/</a></p>

<p>Personal imports <em>posted</em> from outside the EU to the UK are liable to Value Added Tax if the value is over £34 (IIRC) in value. The VAT rate is 20%; additionally, 'clearing' or handling fees are charged by the carrier - around £11-13 per parcel. Buying low value items from outside the EU is pretty uneconomic, but even higher value items can become uneconomic too. Gifts are indeed slightly different, and also are not as rigorously checked by Customs here and they are when posted or couriered.</p>

<p>According to the Leica Pocket Book (7th Ed) the chrome version 5cm f3.5 Elmar was introduced in c.1933 and production of the nickel version stopped in 1936.</p>

<p>I have very little interest in the Olympics, but I am astonished by some aspects of the organisation and the draconian terms and conditions that have applied to ticket sales and, now, to photography.</p>

<p>In regard to photography, the IOC clearly want to 'own' or control everything about the Olympics experience, right down to when and where spectators can break wind. The obsession about "banning" people from sharing their photos (they must only be for "<em>private use</em>" and taken only with a 'simple' camera) means that, ostensibly, the only photographs that will exist in the public's shared experience of the 2012 Olympics will be the official ones. That seems more like the climate one would imagine to have surrounded the Berlin 1936 Olympics, not those in London in 2012. I just find it very distasteful.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Of course, it is the sponsors' money that allows Olympics organisers to indulge in hubris.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/photo-news/538998/olympics-bosses-crack-down-on-spectator-camera-gear">Olympics organisers "crackdown" on types of cameras permitted at venues . . . (link). </a><br /> And an update<br /> <a href="http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/photo-news/539002/olympic-photography-rules-were-a-typo">Here. . . </a><br /> Total disarray!</p>

<p> </p>

<p>David - "<em>Draconian" might be an understatement.</em></p>

<p>Special legislation for the London Olympics places a whole raft of restrictions on visitors, spectators, and businesses in the UK until the end of the year. In particular, Terms and Conditions of entry to events could potentially have significant effects for many spectators who have not fully complied. The restrictions on clothing, cameras, food, and a host of other petty restrictions are beyond reason and in some cases beyong belief.</p>

<p>Further, security preparations for the Olympics are - at present - a shambles. And we don't know if the fiasco of security staff not being recruited in sufficient numbers, resulting in the increased use of police and military personnel, will make matters rather easier or even more restrictive.</p>

<p>If you are coming to the Olympics please read this:<br>

<a href="http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/photo-news/538956/olympic-chiefs-don-t-bring-any-detachable-lens-camera-to-wembley">http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/photo-news/538956/olympic-chiefs-don-t-bring-any-detachable-lens-camera-to-wembley</a></p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hmmm, I'm, not keen on any (more) 'new-fangled' features on an M-x digital camera. I have recently purchased an M9 and I find that I really have to try to forget that it is a digital camera and just use it like any other Leica M. For the first week or so I was preoccupied with getting everything just <em>tickety-boo</em> - like reviewing images (on the barely adequate screen) and twiddling all sorts of setups, of which there are few compared to a dslr. It was getting in the way of taking photos.</p>

<p>Then I just started using it as a regular M camera: zone focus, manually setting aperture and shutter speed, etc. A weight was lifted - I now treat it as if it's an M7 but with unlimited free film and super-fast deveoping. If I want the features of a dslr I use a dslr: in fact, I now use the M9 'back to back' with a Lumix G3 which is often set in 'idiot-mode'. I am in complete control of the M9, and the Lumix does whatever it likes :-)</p>

<p>I was skeptical of the M8/M9 rather purist design philosophy at first, wanting evaluative metering and a few fancy 'modern' functions, but after using the M9 I can see the benefits of the <em>keep it simple</em> approach. I'm not convinced that adding any more features to an M10 would be the best of both worlds; it might be an unhappy marriage.</p>

<p>Now, if we were to consider an <em>R10</em> with lots of modern-day dslr feaures (notwithstanding that a Leica AF slr lens is <em>pie-in-the-sky</em>), well, I <em>would</em> be very interested . . .</p>

<p>.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I agree wholeheartedly with Rick - check the batteries and use the freshest you can get. One of my T90s is very fussy about batteries - it doesn't like some low power and undercharged Ni-MH cells; another one is much less fussy. </p>

<p>I have a similar problem with a T90. I suggest that you firstcheck whether you can see <em>any</em> information at all on the viewfinder right hand side lcd display when selecting various modes and functions. If some features do display, then I suggest you work systematically through the various button presses and mode options on the camera until you understand just how all of them interact. You may then "see the light" :-) The T90 can seem a little quirky at first.</p>

<p>Of course it could be the button that has dirt affecting the connection with the circuit board - especially if other functions do display on the lcd. The remedy is not an easy one and involves dismantling the camera - see below.</p>

<p>If nothing at all appears on the right hand side lcd display it <em>suggests</em> that the display has lost electrical contact with the underlying circuit board which is connected via a conductive rubber strip connector. These can fail and stubbornly refuse to be cleaned or repaired. However, this is not really an easy fix and involves dismantling the camera, which I cannot heartily recommend: the inside of a T90 is packed with electronics that were not intended to be serviced and which are certainly not for the faint-hearted.</p>

<p>Tut tut. I truly meant to type H<em>a</em>y-on-Wye . . though maybe it should be<em> Way-too-High,</em> in reference to the 'book fairy' shops there . .</p>

<p>Roberto, it sounds like you enjoyed the hunt, and those items should provide plenty of entertainment. Sadly, it seems increasingly unlikely that any of the major charity / thrift shop chains (in the UK) have really good stuff nowadays; it is usually sent off for 'professional' valuation and is then sold some other way, rather than in-store. Small local and community charities can be a better hunting ground, but often they accept rather more mediocre items as donations. Good luck on future expeditions.</p>

<p>The 85mm f1.9 Super Takumar is a fine lens for portraits. However, it's price has been grossly inflated by sellers who "unintentionally" confuse it with the 85mm f1.8 <em>SMC</em> Takumar which IIRC is a tad sharper, and rather more flare resistant. Unfortunately, both are now commanding quite silly prices. As an alternative to the 85mm Taks, I'd happily recommend either the 105mm Takumar in either Super or SMC versions.</p>

<p>Yes, David, secondhand bookshops were once natural subjects for some irreverent humour as well as cheap-ish sources of interesting (if rather musty) books. However, they are fast disappearing, to be superseded by charity/thrift shops where the better books are sometimes 'creamed off' and sold elsewhere, or are overpriced as bookshop tradition demands. Also, the excentric owners have now largely been replaced by volunteers who have little knowledge of the books they sell.</p>

<p>One secondhand bookseller I met was named Plantagenet Somerset Fry (a one-time host - or contestant, I forget - on 'University Challenge' on BBC TV) and the author of a very readable, pivately published, book on the AD61 Revolt (Boudicca). He sported the obligatory polka-dot dicky-bow and white blazer and knew ~ probably had read ~ every book in his shop. He was of a breed that has almost totally expired, except in odd, timewarped, <em>Whicker Man</em> sorts of places like in Hey-on-Wye , or who live-on as caricatures in movies.</p>

<p>Nowadays, classic photography books of enduring interest do seem to all been snapped up by other people, never me. In particular, keep looking for the classic compendia of good photographs by leading photographers, but haven't seen one in years. Ho hum.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Wow, such a historic camera for £5! It has to be worth ooooh, about fifty pence. Unfortunately, it is a Russian copy of a Leica which may not be as old as you imagine. It is quite likely that it has been artificially aged to look as if it was liberated form some hapless soldier in the 1940s. With or without some major cleaning it could be a conversation piece, though its future as a working camera or heirloom is gravely in doubt.</p>

<p>I commend the book <em>The Secondhand and Antiquarian Bookshops in Britain</em> to anyone interested in books ~ if you can get hold of one for less than an arm, leg, or other anatomical appendage. It is known to the cognoscenti as <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driff_Field">Drif's Guide</a></strong>.</p>

<p>It is a (very) critical guide to a type of bookshop that has now almost completely disappeared from Britain's high streets and, latterly, its shady back streets. It is notable in that it includes scathing condemnations of the excesses of the antiquarian (and collector's) bookshops and their owners, many of whom are described as "Book Fairies", meaning they have no concept of the real world or work, etc. Also, "Book Fairies" are owners who have a shop in which nothing is actually for sale, unless the customer is also a "Book Fairy" and duly obsequious. Secondhand booksellers loathed the book's critiques and observations on prices and owners attitudes.</p>

<p>I have a copy somewhere and consider selling it - for just £14,775 - to the first Book Fairy to bring the cash in hand and grovel convincingly: fore-knowledge of the entire book's contents is a pre-requisite for the purchase.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>It's the "monochrome" edition, obviously!</p>

<p>I've seen memory cards and similar low value items listed at ridiculous prices on Amazon UK (and eBay): maybe they are exclusively for the extreme Leica nuts. That said, you can buy the Hove Leica Pocket Book cheaper than Amazon's (lowest) price from a couple of photo and bookshops - <em>if</em> they actually have left any in stock, that is.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>A Nikkormat FT2 would be my top choice, provided the meter is fully functional and not 'twitchy'; or an FT3. They have a top panel meter window which is good for setting up the exposure at waist/tripod level, say for portraiture and macro work and for candid/street photography - and there is mirror lock-up. I have several Nikkormats (FTN, FT2, FT3) and all are reliable and dependable. Occasionally their meters can be a little 'twitchy', but all of mine settle down after a little use. The location of the shutter speed ring around the lens mount is (for me) another significant plus point. Finally, an AR2 soft release makes the Nikkormats (and F/F2) quite slick and 'responsive' cameras to use.</p>

<p>Of the F2 models, the F2SB and F2AS are ones to look for, but they are not cheap. However F2s can be completely overhauled by Sover Wong (pnet member). With a meter head attached the F2 is a bulky camera, but still more streamlined than the original Photomic F, etc. Original Nikon F models in good working order are very nice, but <em>reputedly</em> they are now becoming rather more difficult to keep going if parts are needed. Possibly the F versions should be considered as 'nostalgia purchases' compared to the F2? Both the F and F2 models with plain prisms are hard to find and generally a bit expensive. When in good order they are certainly solid dependable work horses.</p>

<p>A key advantage of the F/F2 over the Nikkormat FTN/FT2/FT3 is the extended shutter speed range which is in part stepless. Also, F2AS and F2SB meter heads have a wider EV range than the Nikkormats' meters. These are, however, relatively small advantages in everyday use.</p>

<p>I bought my latest F2 only a few weeks ago, but was tempted to buy yet another FT2 at a camera fair today . . "enough is enough" however . . . don't get hooked :-)</p>

<p>Try Ed Trzoska of Euro Photographic Services, 150 Harrowgate Drive, Leicester, LE4 3GP, England. Telephone +44 116 267 4247. Ed specialises in vintage cameras, most notably Zeiss and Rollei, and is very well known to classic camera collectors in the UK - he does most of my 'classic' repairs and overhauls. I have an email address somewhere, I'll look for it</p>

<p>Depending on the countries involved, there may be no tax or duty payable when (re-)importing cameras repaired overseas. This is <em>generally</em> the case <em>within</em> the EU, but elsewhere may be quite different. It is worth checking with 'the authorities" as the rules can be a bit complicated.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Well done. Nice little cameras, although in my experience somewhat let down by the quality of film processing, apart from the limitation of the tiny negative. My best shots were taken using Agfa CT18 which on 110 had grain the size of golf balls, which gave a rather pleasant effect. I still have some Spanish 'Negra' B&W film in my freezer which I'd like to use some day (although it is now probably pretty awful).</p>

<p> </p>