soonchunglim

<p>Depends on how much free time and money you have. Paying $34 per roll is pretty crazy to me. I live in Queens and shoot about as much as you. I use L&I labs on 23rd St in Manhattan for processing C41 and E6 and they do a pretty decent job. At $8 per roll for processing it's pretty ok. B&W I process at home. And then I scan the film at home with an Epson 700. Scanning takes about an hour per 35mm roll and 30min per 120 roll.<br>

If you can find one of those mom and pop minilabs that do both 35mm and 120 film on their machines you might be able to save a few bucks. I used to go to one on Essex and Hester St, and they charge $6 per roll. Scanning is an extra $5 on their Fuji scanner and you can ask for 2400dpi scans. <br>

PrintspaceNYC does processing for about $5 per roll but they don't scan. They do have an Imacon that you can rent.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I had the same problem with my VC 21mm finder which is identical to yours. Just get some good quality jewelers' screwdrivers and open the thing up. The screws are tight and as long as you push in hard with your screwdriver you won't damage the screw head. Remember to protect your hands. After you get the finder open, just tweak the frame lines straight and close the thing up. The finder's lens elements all sit in slots and can't be screwed up. When you are closing the thing up and tightening the screws, be careful to run them in their original threads or you risk cracking the housing. Use only your thumb and forefinger to turn the screwdriver until you are sure the screw is running straight. Have fun! </p>

<p> 22nd street between 5th and 6th Ave has 2 labs (L & I, and CRC), both are quite good and charge a little less than LTI. they are easy to reach by subway and next to Madison Square Park where you can get really good burgers. Along the same stretch of 22nd Street you will also find two photo equipment stores, Calumet and Fotocare, in case you need film or gadgets.<br>

You can also try Sunshine Color lab on West 31st Street between 6th and & 7th Ave.</p>

 

I definitely had a problem with Photo-Flo residue left on my plastic reels before I learnt to rinse them very

carefully after each use. Once you let the residue dry onto the plastic reels it's almost impossible to get it

off. I used Kodak Photo-Flo and Paterson type plastic reels, with the small tabs at the film's entry point. And

the amt of Photo-Flo I used was very small, just a tiny drop per 2-reel tank.

 

In places with very high humidity ( I used to live in Singapore, RH 90% most days), the residue will be sticky

and will cause your film to catch and wrinkle in the reel as they are being loaded. Extremely frustrating.

I'm not trying to be disparaging or cynical but it's *Burma* you're going to. You probably know Burma's been hit by a massive typhoon which killed tens of thousands of people. Hope you've already got your visa.

 

Even in relatively good times in Burma, you're unlikely to find the large amounts of clean water you need to process your film. Tap water, if available, will also be much warmer (in the 80s) and contain more sediment than you're likely used to. You should be prepared to deal with that.

 

The sunlight in that part of the world is often harsh even if the sky is cloudy and atmosphere often a little hazy with humidity or pollution. Bring film you're very familiar with so at least you can adapt to local lighting conditions. Don't forget your light meter.

 

It's probably much better to bring your film home to be processed, clearly marked for whatever exposure or at least prepare for that. And don't expect to find a photo lab equipped to process with anything more than a minilab.

 

If you have the equipment, shooting medium format might be easier logistically. Roll film is easier to store and less likely to be tampered with by suspicious custom officials.

Mackenzie Color Lab? It's in Brooklyn, but not too far out. And they don't do E6.

 

http://mackenziecolor.com/

Hi,

 

 

What sort of flash brackets are out there for the Rolleiflex TLR and what

electronic pieces do I need to set up remote flash capabilities?

 

Intended use: semi-formal portraits, mostly indoors at receptions and dinners,

most often against a plain white background.

 

many thanks,

sc

Prints from a minilab type machine or larger sizes? What size print?

 

For prints larger than 8x10,

 

PrintSpace does very good prints and has very good prices if you can prepare your own digital files.

 

Adorama also is very cheap. They only print from uploaded files.

 

Lots of minilabs (eg. Sammy Photo, Essex St and Hester St)can do good small prints but the above 2 are the cheapest I've found for large prints.

Thanks v much, Derek and Dennis. That's great information. I certainly didn't know about the different way the spacers were arranged.

 

Many thanks

sc

Hi there

 

hope everyone's having a great weekend. I'm looking for a rear door/ cover for

my Rolleiflex 3.5F TLR. The one on my camera now has got cracks around the top

hinge.

 

Would film doors/ covers from any other Rolleiflex TLR fit?

 

Incidentally, if you have got a spare you want to sell, or know where I might

find one please contact me at limsoonchung@yahoo.com

 

 

Many thanks,

sc

There's always the usual suspects like Flatiron and L&I but I would encourage you or anyone else to try smaller places like Print Space on 151W 19th St between 6th and 7th on the 8th floor. They run rental darkrooms as well as c-print and C-41 developing services. http://www.printspacenyc.com/pricelist/

 

or Mackenzie Color Labs in Brooklyn if you need E-6 developing. I've not used them but they seem like nice people.

http://mackenziecolor.com/Site/FILM%20PROCESSING.html

 

cheers

Yes, Sammy's does medium format work as well. $5/roll to develop 120, and $1 to scan each frame. Not the cheapest but quick turnaround. Scans are on those commercial flatbeds that minilabs use, not some fancy drum or Imacon scanner. Scan quality is quite good. Specify you need high res scans (i think the max on their machine is 2400dpi).

Hi Pamela

 

there's this minilab on Essex St at Hester St called Sammy's Photo that charges $1 to scan a strip of 35mm film. It's Chinese owned and friendly. You can specify the resolution up to 2400dpi or just tell him what size print you need. I can't recall what he charges for prints but he's not that expensive and does good work.

Take the F to Delancey or East Broadway.

 

cheers,

sc

VC21/4

Hi there,

 

hope this is not too OT. Hoping for the collective wisdom of list members who also own the Rollei 35 S.

 

I have a Rollei 35 S that has a slight wobble in the lens cell. Not the chrome tube/ lens housing which

slides out. That's very firm. It's the lens cell that has a very slight wobble, about 1mm left to right, when

it's moved gently by the focusing ring.

 

Is this normal?

 

I've had the camera for some years but just observd this, pobably because I don't use it too frequently. I'd

appreciate any comment.

 

many thanks,

sc

For anyone interested,

 

World Trade Photo in Manhattan has a Focomat IIC on sale for $1500 (15 benjamins?). Not sure if the

enlarger is complete or working. It does come with 2 lenses.

The shop is closing and lots of stuff are on discount. It's located on the NE corner of the site where the

former World Trade Centre stood.

 

I'm not related to the shop in any way. Just happened to pass by and was happy to see the IIC for the

first time. Check it out if you haven't seen one in the flesh.

 

sc

i have the GA 645 and sometimes experience the same problem. the AF doesn't do well

when there's a what i call a "depth perception problem" eg a low contrast scene with large

areas of similiar tones that fills the whole frame, or a grill like your window where the

background is also quite bright and the AF mechanism goes back and forth between the

foreground and background.

my solution is to present the camera with a big obvious target. in a shot like yours i'd try

to focus on the edges between the grill and the window sill or wall, and then reframing for

the shot.

well done. these are very good pictures, craig.

just a couple of ideas:

 

with a light box, compare your negatives from the first 5 contact sheets that looked great

to those recent negatives that produced dull contact sheets. you might find that the later

negs were not fixed adequately or were inadequately developed leading to lower contrast.

look for overall milky cast for underfixing.

 

or maybe, when you made those first 5 sets of great looking contact sheets, your enlarger

was set to give higher contrast than when you made your later contact sheets. make

contact sheets with negatives from both sets, making sure the enlarger is at the same

setting and compare them.

hey Ivan,

 

I've bought the closeout film from various Duane Reades around Manhattan in the past

month and the results have been good. I shot the Fuji Superia 400 I bought at ISO200.

 

sc

Crumpler has a few sizes of photog's shoulder bags that are quite handy. I have the one-

size-up from the smallest model that is just nice for my Rollei TLR, and is also perfect for

a leica M with 2 lenses. if you get the larger size you can bring the TLR plus your m3 and

one lens, plus film.

same with my MP but it gives up at below freezing temps, around -5deg C . just b4 it

conks out the meter also loses sensitivity and recommends overexposure by 1/2 stop or

so. anything above freezing it's ok.

Hi,

 

I've a FUJI GA 645 in need of some servicing. There's some problem with the rotating

toggle knob and the camera needs a lube job.

 

Does anyone know a good shop or repair person to send the GS645 to for servicing?

 

There's a horror story about Frank Marshman from last year...

 

many thanks,

sc

I'm from Singapore. If you don't feel safe using WU, you can ask the buyer to get an

International Bank Draft from the Post Offices in Singapore. It's like a money order, and the

buyer pays cash to buy it from the PO. Or transfer money directly into your bank account,

or send you cash via international courier. I've done all of those but nothing beats Paypal

for convenience.

 

Whatever it is, send the goods after you've made sure you've been paid.

 

Singapore is a great little country and while I wouldn't rule out scammers living there,

most Singaporeans are pretty honest to deal with.

 

best,

sc

Hi Ian,

 

the used camera stores in the Peninsula Plaza area are quite well stocked in used Leica

gear. In addition to the three or 4 located in Peninsula Shopping Centre and Peninsula

Plaza, there's one more at the basement of the Adelphi across the road. This last one has

the best gear but is priced for collectors.

 

Prices are generally high and selection of bodies and lenses isn't too deep, but if you know

what you want and are well versed in technical aspects you may find a nice deal on what

you need. Bargain!

 

Take the subway to City Hall station, the shops are all 5 minutes walk away and clustered

around a cross junction.

 

In addition, there's a Singapore based website for photo stuff with a classifieds section,

called www.clubsnap.org, where Leica fondlers occasionally put up their overpriced Leica

bits for sale.

 

 

sc