medform-norm

HI Tim

thanks for taking the time to write such an extensive and knowledgeable reply. I have already been looking for a UV filter in my stash and was adviced a 81A color correction filter by someone else. I don't ever use flash so I'll have to solve this another way. Also, I have done some experimenting in the mean time and found that if I rate the film at ISO125 and overexpose 1/2 stop + develop at 90 sec, results are more pleasing, although yellow tones are not rendered well enough. I will try your method too, i.e rate at 100 ISO and shorten dev.time + use UV filter. Will check out your tip for Apollo filters later. I hope they have some kind of dealership in Europe, which is where I am based. Or find (by magic) a UV filter that fits the odd screw-in filter size of the Pola 180: 44.5mm or 1 3/4 inch.

Hi all,

 

Last Sunday we took out two Polaroid cameras for a pre-project test. One was

loaded with 690 Film, fresh from a sealed pack. On the pack in large bright

letters it said ISO100, so that is how I said my light meter. Now most photos

came out looking like they were overdeveloped with a strong cyan cast, which is

odd as we followed the specified dev time of 90 seconds for temps between 21-40

degrees Celcius. Today I checked Polaroids website to see if I should shorten

dev time in hot weather or make an exposure correction and found to my great

surprise that this film is rated at 125ASA and not at 100ASA. Which could

account partly for the overdeveloped look. Checked the camera's shutter speeds

and these are all perfect. So it must be something with the film/dev

combination. Before I completely ruin another pack, can anyone give me a

recommendation how to avoid this cyan cast, preferable someone who's shot this

specific film in similar circumstances? What I think needs be done is to shorten

dev. time to 60 secs or underexpose 1/2 stop, like it says in the specs for the

669 film. Or do both at the same time.

 

And while we're on the topic of Polaroid films: anyone ever used the 'new' 125i

or the Ultraviolet version with security marks only to be seen under UV-light.

What do these marks look like, I wonder.

 

TIA for reactions,

Norm

We just bought a Cambo 8x10 SC last week and are surprised to find it by far not as heavy or bulky in real life as they are normally said to be. Together with the rather heavy tripod it weighs 12 kg without lens and can still be carried around. (We're awaiting a light tripod, but are not sure it will be steady enough, if it will be, weight will be reduced to 8 kg). My better half can even make a short run with the combination (although looking a bit odd at the same time). We haven't taken in out yet, but hope to do so soon. That being said, we're not planning on hiking with it, as we have other gear for that. Cambo's can be had for ridiculously low prices, maybe because they have the reputation of being heavy and bulky. Take advantage of that and spend the money you save on film instead. Especially when you're a starter in the 8x10 league.

Ay, Dimitri, perhaps you want to explain how you think to improve

on the Pecoflex? As a Pecoflex owner, I'd be interested to know.

BTW, my Pecoflex came with a 4x5" adapter made by Plaubel -

so for me no need for a Toyo style back. In fact, the adapter is

quite light in weight as it has no ground glass (don't need one

either, it's an SLR after all). Perhaps you care for a pic of this

part? Or is your back nearly finished, in which case my offer

would be, as we say in Holland, mustard after dinner.

We considered for a very short while to add a back tilt to the

Pecoflex housing, but quickly decided that it was no use.

We made a kind of simple recessed lensboard, by shaping an

adapter that fits behind the front standard. Ah, and another good

thing: we found a wide angle bellows for it, the real thing! Very

useful. I can recommend that as an improvement.

 

Cheers, Norm

Congratulations new owners of a fine camera. I have the sister

of it, the Pecoflex. Parts are hard to get. I strongly advise calling

Plaubel and asking for reference material and a copy of whatever

is in their archives on this camera. They sent me a bunch of stuff

for the Pecoflex, including a parts list from 1965 with numbers of

the parts you'll be wanting. Plus they might still have the

impossible to find cable release, I bought one from them last

month for a very fair price.

 

My Pecoflex came with an adapter that allows me to use normal

internation style backs with roll film holders, sheet film AND pola

backs. It doesn't have a number on it, but Plaubel will know what

it is. So you might want to hunt one of those down instead of the

Pola back.

 

Enjoy your cameras!

There's a Dutch photog who's been using this technique for ten

years at least (and many before him no doubt) by name of Frank

van der Salm and I saw work by a Danish guy on Joergs weblog

last year as well. I knew Barbieri's work, although hadn't seen

his latest - very nice!

If you like model work, check out Oliver Bobergs work as well

(put his name in Google image search). He makes real models

that can't be told from real life easily. I met him once, he's a nice

guy too.

Good to see an interest in this type of work here, although as

with anything, the technique shouldn't just become a magic trick

used appropriately and inappropriately alike. That would tire

easily.

Hi Ray,

 

what we think may be at the root of all trouble is this: unsound

construction of the 126 film cassette. The 126 film is backed by

paper and there is no way of re-tightening the film inside the

cassette the way one does with 35 mm cameras or even

medium format ones. Both ends are loos-ish and film tension

gives way easily. Plus the cassettes are not always made to a

100% perfection: a slight difference in the plastic pressure plate

thingummy in the back may cause the film to shift out of focus.

The film transport sensor in cheaper cameras is so roughly

made, it pushes slightly against the film plane, causing unflat

film. Also: changing weather conditions can cause the paper

backing to expand or shrink. This will affect the position of the

film and your shot will be slightly unsharp.

 

All in all, there are a zillion reasons why film flatness could be an

issue in 126 cameras. It's a bit of a hit and miss game, really,

you could get lucky and have a very sharp shot.

 

But perhaps someone else can step forward and offer another

explanation of what you're experiencing.

 

It's really a pity we are so busy right now, otherwise we could do

some more serious experimenting on the conversion of our

Rollei and report our findings back here.

Hi Ray,

 

that's good news for all US users.

 

About film flatness: I did not understand from your post if Wal

Mart was making contact prints of the negs or enlargements. For

if it's contact prints you experience sharpness issues with, it

might be because the negs have not been pressed flat enough

against the base board.

 

If it's prints, then the problem must be in the cassette. I don't

think the 126 is the best for keeping film flat - one more reason

to convert the camera to 35 mm!

 

Best wishes, Norm

I've been wondering about this for a while now. We got a Welta

Watson type 9x12 camera + coupled rangefinder a while ago

and it's nearly ready for a first outing. Of course I can use the

rangefinder, but I was wondering how exactly to use the wire

sports finder. It roughly resembles the sports finder on your

camera (shapewise). But when I look through mine, I don't quite

know how to 'appreciate' the image it frames and how to make a

decent composition. What area is still on the neg and what falls

off? Or is this kind of finder just a simple aid to get the main

subject in the middle of the composition - and what's on the

edges doesn't matter anyway?

 

You seem to have some experience - and otherwise Ole might

now (hi Ole!) - and maybe you'd care to share it with me and the

rest of the community? I'd be more than pleased.

 

Cheers, medform-norm

<P>Okay, here goes: our sketchy and ambitious plan for Rollei

SL26 mod to 35mm film. </P>

 

<P><B>Part A: Asa sensing</B>. <BR>

The Rollei SL26 automatically senses the speed of the film. A

great feature you'd want to keep. What are we talking about?

Open

up the camera and locate a small slit right above the film plane

masking unit. Inside this slit resides a small silvery lever that

moves left to right (you see this when moving the back door to

and fro). Now take a look at the middle bit of a 126 film cassette

(the front side that goes face down into the camera). On the top

you will notice a small slot on the rim of the cassette. The width

of this slot varies according to the film speed. The small metal

sensor 'feels' where the slot is and so 'knows' which film speed

to adapt to. <BR>

Our plan is to collect as many different cassettes (old &

used) and use this middle part as an ASA-sensing insert in the

camera. The 126 cassettes can be spliced easily, coming apart

in two pieces. It is the front piece with the slot info that we'd

preserve. We'd hack off the side wings of the cassette, leaving

us a squarish bit of plastic that neatly falls into the camera.

It performs several functions:</P>

 

<P>-it tells the camera the ASA<BR>

-it protects the film from the sharp edges of the film plane

unit<BR>

-it will provide space to hide a lever we need to construct for

another purpose</P>

 

<P><B>Part B: Modifying the 35mm film cartridge</B><BR>

Modern 35mm film cartridges are too large to fit inside the SL26

film chamber. Therefore, you'll need to saw away the top of every

film roll. This shouldn't be too hard or tedious. To make the

film transportable, once loaded inside the camera, you'll need

to construct a replica of the top right part of the original 126

cassette - by this we mean the revolving plastic bit. Have no

clue yet how or from what material to make it, but Norman says

it shouldn't be a huge problem. Perhaps you could use a

winding

spool from a cheap donor 35mm camera. What you want to end

up

with is a flat insert for the top of the sawed off 35 mm film

cartridge. Ideally, you'd click this on top of your spool and

place the spool in the film chamber - the 'new' top should

connect

with the film advance lever pins inside the film chamber.</P>

 

<P><B>Part C: Creating a take up spool & winding

mechanism.</B><BR>

Find an old-fashioned metal 35mm film cartridge. The kind you

can take apart and fill at home. Leica used them, as well as Agfa

and other brands. Hama still sells'em. Modify it to fit inside

the left film chamber of the camera like you did with the other

film cartridge. On the bottom side of the SL26 body a film

winding

knob needs to be constructed. This involves drilling a (small)

hole in the SL26 body for the winding knob's axis. We expect to

take the winding knob and other needed parts from another

donor

camera - Pentacon F, Contax D or whatever is lying around dead

& useless.<BR>

If this all works well, you'd have a winding mechanism that

allows

you to pre-wind the film into the metal cartridge in the left

chamber. When in use, the film will be re-wound onto the

original

spool that you'll bring to the lab.</P>

 

<P><B>Part D: Modifying the original film transport

mechanism.</B><BR>

This is a very hard nut to crack. We haven't yet come up with

the perfect solution. We haven't opened the top of the camera

either to take a look at the mechanics of the film transporting

system. That might eventually change the plan we have

now.<BR>

The troublemaker is a small pin located near the top of film

plane.

In the original design, this pin falls into the typical perforation

pattern of the 126 type film. If this pin is pushed in, you cannot

fire the shutter. If the pin is in outward position, you cannot

advance the film transport lever. The pin regulates both film

transport and the shutter at the same time. Brilliant construction,

but difficult to deal with in our particular case. What we're

considering now, is to make a small push bottom on the bottom

of the camera. This button is connected to a self-constructed

lever mechanism that moves in front off or away from this nasty

little pin. In short, something that will function as a functional

place-holder for the 126 film perforation.</P>

 

<P>Another work-around solution is to make this regulating pin

smaller and less high, so it fits into the perforation of the

35mm film. Because the 35mm film has more perforations,

you'd

need to make more film-advance movements with the film lever

to

transport the film over the desired distance. You could do this

by putting on a lens cap and covering the TTL prism and

advancing/firing

the film a number of times (say three or four). Norman says it's

an option, but not one he'd like to work with. </P>

 

<P><B>Part E: Construction of a pressure plate and making the

back window black.</B><BR>

This job is very easy, - one you'd might want to save for these

moments when you need some relief from the more difficult

tasks.

The originally clear plastic back of the camera needs to be

darkened.

Perhaps a bit of light seal foam will do the job splendidly. A

small pressure plate can easily be constructed from a bit of

sheet

metal. Instead of a pressure plate spring Norman thinks he can

use a type of rubbery foam - perhaps from an old Teva shoe, or

something else that is black, bubbly, rubbery and very likely

to be found somewhere on the street (if your name is Norman).

Otherwise, try a company like Micro-Tools.</P>

 

<P><B>Part F: Battery on/off switch.</B> <BR>

We wondered about this. Rollei seemed to have forgotten a

battery

switch on the SL26. Why? Now it seems your batteries will be

drained

in no time, while it should be so easy to make a small current

switch. It would be an improvement on the original design.</P>

 

<P>Note: As the 35mm is slightly narrower than the original 126

format, the bottom part of the 35mm will be exposed too, so part

of the image will be on the perforated edge of the film. Some

people think this is charming, otherwise you could maybe mask

this bit off.</P>

 

<P>We'd like to stress these are mere plans. If someone can

come

up with a more elegant and time-effective solution, we'd be

happy

to be notified. I realise I haven't described all the little details

involved in the modification. Pictures would have been a great

help, but (again) we have had no time for that yet. Maybe later.

Hi Fernando,

the plan is still sketchy - and not that simple either. I'll need

some time to put it into words. Bear with me, I might have time

somewhere this week. It could be interesting for you, but you

must not be afraid of doing some camera hacks! (Or find

someone who does it for you )

Regards, Norman

Ah, the two of you seemed so lonely in your praise of the SL26

that I thought 'let's make a small contribution to this thread'! We

too like the Rollei SL26 and have one camera w/ standard lens,

hoping to get the other two lenses somewhere in this year.

 

Haven't tried the camera yet, because we are thinking of

modifying it to take normal 35mm film. This would broaden the

range of films one could use - including B&W! We also will try to

keep the auto-sensing of the film speed. It will be quite a

complicated operation, alltogether, but we are making a plan

slowly how to go about it. Luckily, our patient is not on intensive

care & in need of speedy operation, so we can take our time.

 

What would be the easiest solution by far, is to make

self-loading cassettes inclusiding the paper-backed 35 mm

film. Perhaps JandC will start making them, if we manage to

start a trend for 126 cams!

 

Is anybody else planning on a likewise operation? If so, let's

exchange ideas?

Try mr. Zgonjanin in M�nich - he can be reached at

www.service-bronica.de. He can repair older Linhofs (like my

220 RS) and just might have access to an original manual or

knows where it is available.

 

You might need a translator, unless you speak german or

serbo-croat.

We just found out there is a German "Mr. Umbach", at least,

someone who can repair Linhof 220 and has parts for it. Only

this man is not German (they all sailed across the great great

sea to become famous repair men over there), but he comes

from former Yugoslavia (that's where the Germans imported

people from when all good camera repair men had left). His

name is Mr. Zgonjanin, and this is his website:

 

http://www.service-bronica.de

 

(obviously, he does Bronica as well)

 

I know he speaks German, as we have spoken on the phone,

but I know not if he speak English or French. His daughter might

be able to help out there.

 

He was highly recommended to us by the Belgian representative

for Linhof. Mr. Zgonjanin is the last Linhof 220 trained repairman

working at the Linhof head office in Munich. I called Linhof and of

course they could not help with spare parts, but gave me the

phone number of Mr. Zgonjanin without any hesitation.

 

Mr. Zgonjanin told me he has access to all spare parts that are

left of the Linhof 220 since he still works for Linhof. He has

offered to send us an exploded view of the camera, if necessary.

When we spoke on the phone about a rather complicated

technical issue that we wanted to solve/repair, we had the

impression this man knows his cameras inside out. He was at

the time repairing five more Linhof 220's, so other people might

have found out about him as well.

 

I wanted to share this with the photo.net community, as it is very

difficult for us stranded in Europe (even more so than in the

States), to find people who still want and who still can repair our

medform gear.