dave_powell1

Just a little correction to a couple earlier statements! Nikon's lens-registration distance is among the largest (if not THE largest) of all SLRs! (Interestingly, the registration distance for the very compact Olympus-OM SLRs is almost the same as Nikon's.) For this reason, many mechanical, non-optical, adapters have been built to mount Nikon lenses on almost any other manufacturer's body. And universal mounts already exist to an extent...in the old T-1 and Adaptall lines. The lenses for these mounts have an even larger registration distance than Nikon's, to allow them to work on any camera (with a suitable lens-to-body adapter). The T-1 mount especially, can still be used to put film lenses on different dSLR manufacturers' bodies, as long as one is ready to enjoy reduced automation!

Hi Doug,

 

Wish I'd been out there for it! I come out from Boston each year, to visit family out at the Portage Valley retirement community. Missed the event this year, though!

Hey... Taunting Gene (or anyone else who looks that tough with an f/6.8 Chicco around his neck) might be severely hazardous to one's health!

 

(I've been away...need to catch up on Gene's posts!)

Canon also offered an FL 58/1.2 lens that tends to be a bit soft on its own. That might be another option. One recently closed on eBay for $119. Since you are using an EOS-mount camera, I believe you could also attach it (and set aperture and shutter speed manually).

Hi Andy,

 

I have the same camera. It's a beaut...and takes great photos. I especially like the fact that the aperture and shutter-speed rings interlock, and allow you to choose equivalent combinations with a quick turn.

 

I believe the lens elements are in two groups...one behind the shutter blades, and one in front. The one in front of the blades does unscrew (it's mounted on butter-smooth brass threads). So you can get at the blades when it's removed. The elements behind the blades seem to be removable from inside the camera, but I haven't tried that. So using any kind of cleaner on the blades may present a risk of getting it on the elements behind them...and call for a trickly cleaning op, with the aperture maxed and opened using Bulb.

 

But I haven't had the courage to try that as well, since the blades are sharp and potentially easily damaged if the aperture closes during the cleaning.

 

I have semi-successfully used the technique already mentioned of exercising the shutter (did it on a sticky Contarex). And warming the camera first under a light bulb also seemed to help loosen things up. So maybe that's a good first plan!

Thanks John! I'll be working on them again this weekend, and will post some as soon as possible!

 

Sincerely,

 

Dave

Who needs a LensBaby!

Hi everyone,

 

I know that the Fiji FinePix f31fd is available converted for shooting infrared.

But has anyone tried shooting IR with the unconverted model? Due to its fairly

minimal low-light noise, I'm curious!

 

Thanks!

 

Dave

Hi John,

 

For what it's worth, I tested a more recent Samsung NV model, and the low-light noise was pretty extensive. I just purchased a wonderful Fuji FinePix f31fd on Amazon, shot 1500 images with it in Ireland, and am amazed at its quality (including at ISO 1600 and even 3200, in extremely low-light conditions).

 

I'm currently weeding through all my Ireland photos...and should post a couple low-light examples when I get to them! One was of a bulb-illuminated waterfall in a cave beneath the Burren, and the other was a night-harbor scene in Portmagee.

 

I've read that the Fuji fXX series (up to the f31fd, but not after) enjoys this great low-light performance because they have both a fairly large sensor and a fairly low MP rating (the f31fd is about 6MP). It's also been said occasionally that they use slight blurring to reduce noise. My images looked pretty darned sharp, though.

 

But I did notice another possible explanation. When I viewed my images in PhotoShop, the histograms for the ones shot at ISO 1600 and 3200 appear to be shifted toward the right. This would move them away from the usual "home of digital noise" on the left. And when I tweak the histogram back toward the left...a lot of blue blotchy noise does appear.

 

But to paraphrase the old doctor joke: "If shifting the histogram to the left looks worse...then DON't DO IT! The ISO 1600 and 3200 images straight from the f31fd camera have proven to be amazing.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dave

Also check the FAQ link at the following site for great tips about buying lenses for Nikon's film and digital cameras:

 

http://www.moosepeterson.com/home.html

 

Moose Peterson is a legend in the Nikon world. He also wrote the "Nikon Guide," a jam-packed review and description of Nikon equipment, including his professional opinions about all of the lenses Nikon ever made for their film cameras (up to the publishing date). It's worth buying if you're interested in Nikon, and can find the book in the photo stores or on the web. --Dave

I haven't used them yet, but a couple of my exhibiting photo friends say that Natural Color (in Boston) does good work at a very reasonable price. I'm considering giving them a try, but has anyone else had experience with them? They are one of several labs mentioned in the following thread:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00CvjY&tag=

 

And many of them probably also work over the web. --Dave

Dave M's right-on about the Argus C-3! I didn't mention it in this thread becuse a friend GAVE me his father's C-3 kit. But since Dave brought it up, I'll add my experience with the first test roll I put through mine. When I had it printed at the local pro shop, the manager asked what camera I'd used...he'd never seen such clear, sharp, detailed images before, even from his Hassey customers (or so he said).

 

The store manager actually had a shelf of old broken cameras near the counter, so I pulled down his own C-3 and handed it to him. He just stared at it...couldn't believe it. And we then proceeded to determine that his unit was functional. Its shutter-cocking lever just turned in the opposite of the usual direction.

 

But his high appraisal of the images was correct. In the prints, I could see the outlines of individual leaves in the trees 2 miles away at the horizon! If you go to the Argus collector sites, you will also notice that the C-3 often produces richly saturated colors with entirely their own "look." --Dave P

Returning to the digital realm...This weekend, I remembered another thing that I really liked about the Lumix FZ-30's EVF. Right after I bought the camera, I was sitting in the kitchen and zoomed the lens focal point out thru the screen door into the back yard. As I did the EVF showed me (crystal clear and rock solid) when the cells in the screening were in exact focus...and I could similarly follow the sharpest focus point in the grass, as it moved away from me and up the back hill. A very good EVF...even for my aging 58-year-old eyes.

 

Now, if the camera had just been able to do digital infrared, I would have kept it. But I couldn't even SEE the light-enhanced EVF image when I was shooting through a Tiffen 87 filter. Crying shame.

Just found another option...maybe not one of "the best" MF folders...but certainly no slouch. It's the Agfa Ventura Super 6x6, with Solinar lens.

Oh yes to the Nikon FE...wonderful videfinder. The Canon FT-QL also has/had an amazing finder. I once tried pointing it at a smoking candle, and I could see when the smoke was in focus!

Great idea Robert...I'm going to try it. Many Thanks!!! And Ralf, I do indeed have enough room in my changing bag...it's a big one!

I checked my camera again this weekend, and the little switch on the back does more than just remind one whether the internal flaps are set to 4.5x6...it also activates little sliders inside the viewfinder that change its view to 4.5x6 as well!

 

Dave

Many Thanks for the ideas and links! --Dave

Lightning strikes twice! At a yard sale last year, I found exactly the same camera as Jim's--Bakelite, Solinar 90/4.5 lens, Compur-Rapid, 1/500 sec, deco styling, 6x6, same red numerals on the front of the lens. Still works a treat, too.

 

Jim, you may want to check something else as well. My unit has a metal flap in each film chamber that can flip out and around, to convert the camera to 4.5x6. It also has a little slider at the top of the back, which you can set as a reminder of the negative-size selection. The flaps are not spring-loaded, but they still seem to settle so snugly against the box around the light path, that they could be overlooked.

 

P.S. At first, I thought that "Jsolette" was some kind of mis-stamp in the leather... Guess not!

 

Dave

Oh, yes!

Hi Lili,

 

Oh...just for the heck of it!

 

Thanks for also mentioning the green window tape-over...I had to do that too. But when I tried using the sensing pawl to count perforations, I found that it did not always catch on each hole. But maybe I should revisit that...it would certainly be more accurate than counting quarter turns of the winding knob. (Fortunately, I'm a very patient fellow...a virtue when tinkering with old cameras!)

 

Dave

I'd have to say that the biggest bang I've received for a retail (non-used) camera purchase was the 35mm Ansco Super Memar that I snagged back in the '60s at Cord Camera in Columbus, Ohio. (It was the American-market version of the Agfa Super Silette.)

 

While the camera's body plating was none too thick, and now shows some wear and rub-through, its 6-element Solagon f/2 lens can still produce knockout images if I don't point it into the light. No metering or autofocus either. Sunny-16 and Hyperfocal Focusing turn it into a point-and-shoot.

 

Another nice feature is that the speed and aperture rings interlock when set, and allow me to select many equivalent alternative exposures with a simple turn of the combined ring. It's still a high-quality street shooter. Believe it cost me about $40 back then...down from $60. In today's dollars...well...my head hurts too much right now to figure it out!

Maybe this area is TOO classic, but has anyone found a light-weight fabric or

material that works well as a light-tight "bag bellows"?

 

Also, I looked for a "Repair" forum for posting this, but couldn't find one.

If one exists, is it a "sub" to another forum?

 

Many Thanks!

 

Dave

I decided to rummage through my medium-format drawer drawer last night, and I found a couple additional cameras you may want to look into. One (an American-market version of an Agfa European model) is the beautiful, deco Ansco Titan 6x6, with anastigmat lens.

 

And you've heard of the Isolette but I have a down-market plastic version, called the "Jsolette." It does, however, have a nice Solinar lens that goes down to 1/500 second (at least, one could expect that speed when it was new). Can't use it yet like I have the Titan, since the Jsolette's bellows is paper, and none to light- tight right now!

Don't know whay I didn't try respooling like this before! To date, I've been removing entire strips of 35mm from their canisters and dark-bag loading them into my Bantam 4.5. With a square mask over the film plane (and careful attantion to the amount of winding between each frame), I'm able to get up to 40 very nice images on a 36-exposure roll (great lens). Did find, though, that the metal spring strips in the film compartments scratched the emulsion...so I also covered their edges with black electrical tape.

 

But winding the 35mm stock with new backing paper onto 828 spools is certainly worth a try!