jeff_schneider

As a kid in the '60's, nobobody in my family could afford anything but a Kodak instamatic. I really cared nothing about photography until, as a graduate student, I needed to learn a little to document my studies.

 

In 1989 I bought a Pentax K-1000. I loved doing everything manually. Shortly after, I read Ivor Matanle's wonderful book, Collecting and Using Classic Cameras, and later, his SLR book. I bought a Contaflex SLR, then, over the years, *many* other 35mm SLRs and lenses from the '60's and '70's.

 

Now I have a huge collection of 35mm and 645 equipment. I'm about 75% collector, 25% photographer, but actually use every item in my collection. I guess part of the attraction of the classics is enjoying fine instruments that were priced so completely out of my reach as a teenager that I could't dream of owning them.

Best for portraits that I've used are:

 

F2 w/105 2.5 AI

 

D200 w/50 1.4 AI

 

But...I'm very much an amateur. My equipment is almost never the limiting factor in my photography.

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I did not switch back to Nikon (never gave up on them), but did delay buying any DSLR until this one came along. I didn't want to spend my money on anything that couldn't use my extensive collection of AI lenses. The controls being so similar to thoses of a film camera, with commonly used settings accessible by buttons vs. menus, also made me less aprehensive about going digital. So far, (after getting the banding issue resolved), I'm very pleased with the images it produces.

It is possible to use an in-camera meter while also taking a minute to consider the light, composition, etc. I sure enjoy using AI lenses on my D200 that way.

 

That said, I think Nikon made the right marketing decision by leaving the D50 without an AI metering tab. Most D50s IMO will probably never be used with anything other than the kit lens; adding AI metering capability would have pushed up the cost and reduced sales. Maybe it would have made sense to put it on the D70, but I wonder really how many of us dinosaurs there are who still have a lot of manual focus glass.

I could have afforded a DSLR long ago (because I live in a tiny condo, drive a cheap car, and my daughter is grown up now), but I waited for the D200. I have a big investment in old Nikon manual focus cameras and lenses. With the D200, these lenses are truly useful. Not so with the D70/D50, which can't meter with them. If you have some old AI lenses that you'd like to keep using, why not save up for the D200? The ergonomics of the D200 are great too, even for an old F2 shooter like me.

 

All that aside, life is short. The D50, D70, and D200 are all capable of producing great results. IMO, if you don't care about AI lens compatibility, just buy whatever one you like and can afford, and get out and enjoy taking digital pictures ASAP.

The serial number is engraved on the back of the camera. The date code is printed in the film chamber, where the cassette goes.

I've recently moved from the suburbs into Chicago, Uptown

neighborhood. Does anyone care to recommend a good place for 120 film

processing in Uptown, the Loop, or maybe even Rogers Parka

 

In the past, I've taken film to PJ's in Glen Ellyn, and Reliable Photo

in Skokie, but these are no longer very convenient for me.

 

Any suggestions re. processing by mail would also be welcome.

 

Thanks in advance.

I was seeing banding in interior shots that included (even relatively small areas) of blown out highlights from a lamp. In that situation, most of the mid-tone areas in the photo would show really obvious stripes at any magnification over 50% (this is type 2 banding, right?). There was also type 1 banding, i.e., stripes emanating from the blown out area, much longer than just a few pixels.

 

If a calibration can eliminate all but minor type 1 banding, I'll be completely satisfied. The D200 is certainly a pleasure to use.

My D200 (S/N 300XXX) has type 1 and type 2 banding. I sent a sample

jpg to Nikon USA tech support. Within an hour, they responded,

recommending that I send the camera to a service center for "testing".

No mention of what the cause of the problem or the fix might be, just

"send it in". So I have.

 

Does anyone know if Nikon has an "official" procedure for fixing the

banding problem? Tech support at least seems to recognize the problem.

I think interest in film will hit bottom soon, with nobody but hobbyists buying it anymore. After that, it will become "cool", and have a small but permanent and enthusiastic following. I'm keeping all my film gear, but buying digital, too.

I would pay that for a truly mint example. Mine is not quite mint, and I will never sell it.

What you see is normal.

Why switch? I have a huge 35mm and medium format collection, and I plan to keep and use it all, albeit a little less as I now also use digital.

 

I bought my first digital P&S a couple of years ago. I'm buying my first DSLR now (Nikon D200). I've wanted one for some time, but this is the first "affordable" one that can use the nice old manual focus Nikon glass I already have, and produce image quality better than 35mm, maybe better than medium format.

 

While I'm really excited by the D200, I still love playing with my Bronicas, for example, and don't plan to get rid of them, or practically any of my other film gear.

The scratch gives it character. Savor it. There's nothing more sterile or useless than a "mint" condition camera.

You've got it figured out.

 

The mode (red dot) between M and A is off.

 

The AEII button should do the same thing as depressing the shutter button half way - it should show you the recommended (M) or selected (A) shutter speed.

 

Enjoy.

I use a Bronica ETRSi with many different 120 & 220 backs. The film is always tight when I take it out. I put it in a black plastic can (you can buy these from Porter's) immediately after unloading & sealing the tape, for extra safety.

 

It seems that many of us amateurs are discovering MF (but not without problems) now that the used gear is so inexpensive.

I'd like to get a new piece if it's still available and not too expensive. The back is the earliest type (single latch). The S/N is M5262264.

Is repair of the dark slide baffle something I can do myself?

I think one of my backs may have light leaks. I've found orange

streaks on two recent E-6 films.

 

On the first film, there are vertical light streaks in the same area

on each of the first 3 frames. The streaks are entirely within the

frames (why?), and look something like lens flare.

 

On the second film, there are two frames in the middle of the roll

that have horizontal streaks, in the same area in each frame, that

extend to the edge of the film (i.e., outside the frames).

 

Has anyone here experienced ETR back light leaks? It seems this back

must have light leaks in at least two places. Can anyone advise me

where to look for the problem?

I bought a kit with 3 sheets of self-adhesive foam from Micro Tools several years ago. I've used it to replace mirror foam on several cameras, and still have a lot left. I really don't like messing with any kind of solvent, so I've never used any to remove the old foam - I've always been able to gently scrape it off well enough for the new foam adhesive to stick securely.

 

Replacing mirror foam is easiest with cameras that have removable prisms and screens (not the FG) - then there's no risk of dropping the gooey decayed foam onto the screen, from which it is difficult to remove without leaving a mark.

 

I would advise DIY only if you are a collector and plan to replace foam on a number of cameras, or if your budget is so tight that the $30 you save (by DYI vs. having a repairer do it) is important. And, if you have the money, I would recommend a CLA for any camera old enough to have decayed foam.

As I said, if it's shutter bounce, it may only be noticeable at one or a few shutter speeds, and probably not at all when using flash. I don't know about your camera in particular, but I think most modern SLRs have metal bladed vertically travelling shutter curtains. A vertically travelling curtain with bounce would make the dark band you see running across the long direction of the exposure.

 

When you develop film yourself, do you get the dark band on EVERY exposure?

Oops-I should have written "does NOT actually lock". Obviously you understood what I meant.

 

You're right that the rewind button can have a tendency to pop back up during rewinding. When you push it down, I think you may also have to turn it CCW very slightly to get it to stay down securely.

 

Merry Christmas!

IIRC, the rewind crank does actually lock on the shaft unless the rewind button is depressed. Are you pressing the rewind button (near the shutter button on the top plate) before trying to rewind?

 

I'm not sure what this feature accomplishes, except perhaps to prevent damage to camera & film if the rewind crank gets caught on something when you are using a motor drive.