dr._karl_hoppe

<p>Andy,<br> I downloaded the pdf. It looks like a fantastic book, I'm looking forward to reading it. Your Web site is very impressive and the shots are superb. Great job!</p>

<p>Andy,<br> Thanks for the link, that's wonderful, I'll read it. My photographic interests are mainly pictorial, nature, architecture, transportation (rail and marine). The only 'sports' photography I ever did was some boxing from ringside in the 1960's using a 4" x 5" Speed Graphic with cut film (Tri-X -- what else! -- pushed 2 stops). </p>

<p>Thanks to all for your input. Gear wise, I have a ton of Leica film cameras and Canon dSLR's. I was thinking of going totally minimalist and using my M7 with 50/2 'cron and Fuji X-tra 1600 colour film. (I normally would add a KB6 filter (80C) for the rotten lighting but I'll lose a stop.) I will be sitting next to the players' bench court side. (Flash is not an option as I've seen the refs excoriate anyone using flash, even threatening to remove them.) I may try the M7 for one game and then bring out the Canon 50D and dial it up to the highest ISO for another. I'm thinking that the 1600 X-tra will handle the lighting better than the digital sensor. Rather than relying on the TTL spot meter of the M7, I will take a reading before the game with my Weston Master V, maybe incident from centre court, and use that setting for the whole game. </p>

<p>A grand niece of mine is on a middle school basketball team, and her younger sister is on the cheerleading squad. I'm not much of a sports shooter. Can anyone recommend a good book devoted to photographing sports indoors? I'd like to capture some memorable images I can enlarge, have matted and framed, to present as gifts. </p>

<p>Sandy — I believe you always get more respect when you're dressed appropriately, regardless of one's height. I have a dear niece who lives in Greenwich Village—totally into photography and contemporary art—we get along fabulously, she's totally "retro," into shooting film, but looks like your typical "hipster"—tattoos, piercings. When I visit and we walk about, it's definitely the "odd couple"—I look like I walked off the set of the classic Rock Hudson, Liz Taylor epic, "Giant."</p> <p>I certainly miss the days when everyone dressed in their finest for travel. I love the western "flair"—can't tell you how many black-tie events over the decades I wore my chased silver cowboy boots, but everyone did in southern Arizona then (Tucson). I got to know a rather famous Arizona senator over the years and he encouraged me to explore photographically the Southwest, not its peoples as curiosities but as real people, who would become your friends.</p> <p>You encounter your fair share of d!ckheads in the TSA, but I always try to project an aura of friendliness, cooperation and "good ol' boy"-ism. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, so you tailor your demeanour to the situation. Anyway, can't wait till I get back to the Old Pueblo this summer.<br> </p>

<p>The Darkroom responded and, yes, they do handle b&w infrared 35mm film.</p>

<p>Sandy — I'm a retired astronomer and used to live in Arizona for quite awhile, so I still dress "western"—cowboy boots, jeans, cowboy shirt, 10-gallon hat. That I stand a good 6-foot-6 without my boots means I tower over these TSA guys. It gets tough but I put on the "good ol' boy" persona, but not obnoxious. I guess you have to just suck it up these days. My preference is for train travel, but long-distance rail travel leaves a lot to be desired, especially when compared to what Europe has. Air travel today is nothing like it was in the 1950s and 60s. I remember travellers getting dressed up to travel; coat and tie for men, dresses for the ladies with heels and hats. Now everyone looks like a slob, but way more comfortable.</p>

<p>Glenn,<br> Specifically, Rollei 400 infrared.</p>

<p>Thanks. Their Web site doesn't specify if they handle infrared, so I e-mailed them. I'll report back when I get an answer. I checked out their prices and they are NOT cheap!</p>

<p>Does anyone know of labs out there that process b&w infrared 35mm film? I checked with Dwayne's, where I've sent colour and b&w 35mm films for processing, but they won't handle b&w infrared.</p>

<p>Always give the TSA people the "fully monty": big smile, gregarious, happy, upbeat, "How ya'll doing today?" "Anything you want, ma'am, just tell me what to do," and on and on. I always tell them that a cousin of mine is a TSA agent in such-and-such a city, you guys and gals are unsung heroes in the war on terror, I admire what you do, etc., etc., etc. You literally kill them with kindness, cooperation and gratitude. It makes all the difference.</p> <p>That being said, I've extensively photographed the entire American Southwest for decades. It's hard not to find a photographically intriguing locale. My favourite area is Monument Valley. And definitely see it accompanied by a Navajo guide. They are unbelievably friendly and once you get to know them, the Navajo have a wicked sense of humour.</p> <p>Here's an exceedingly clichéd view from Monument Valley, but still one of my favourites, shot back in the 1980's.</p><div></div>

<p>Thanks for all the advice. Looks like the cheap Chinese filters are the way to go. I have to dig my old Weston Master V out for the metering, along with the trusty Tiltall tripod. If I get any decent results, I'll post a few in a new thread.</p>

<p>Sounds like I may have to use a Wratten No. 89B to get the results I remember from the old Kodak infrared films. I'm using Leica rangefinder cameras, so being opaque won't be a concern. I just have to locate an old series VI version.</p>

<p>Back in the day—50 years ago—I shot several rolls of the old Kodak IR135 infrared film with a red Wratten No. 25 (A) filter. The prints and negatives have long disappeared, but I recall getting some interesting landscape views. I see that Rollei makes a 35mm infrared film, rated at ISO 400/27°. I'm curious as to what anyone's experience has been. My old notes indicate that I shot the IR135 at ISO 10/11°, or 1/30 at ƒ/5·6 (for landscapes), then bracketed ±3 ƒ-stops, "just in case." I'm wondering how I should expose this Rollei IR stock. My interest is primarily landscape in daylight. Any thoughts? </p>

<p>Play it safe with the flash trigger voltage. Test it out with a meter to make sure you don't have a high-voltage version. I have a very late production model of the 283 and it tested at low voltage. Even in non-TTL mode, don't risk frying a Leica.</p>

<p>I briefly scanned The Darkroom and North Coast websites and it's not clear whether their digital prints are dry inkjet prints or whether they are wet printed on real photo paper. </p>

<p>Seems like it's time for me to check out The Darkroom and North Coast. I haven't had any disasters with Clark or Dwayne's, except some scratched negatives. But anything critical I schlepp into Manhattan to a professional lab -- better safe than sorry. </p>

<p>Since the local Costco stores stopped handling 35mm colour negative film, I have been using two labs: Dwayne's Photo Service in Parsons, Kan., and Clark Color Labs in Hampton Park, Md. For jobs of 5 or less rolls of 36-exposure 35mm film, Clark was generally cheaper; for more than 5 rolls, Dwayne's was cheaper, primarily on account of the shipping costs.</p> <p>A 36-exposure roll developed with a set of 4" x 6" prints from Clark is $6·50, and $3 per roll to burn a CD, plus return shipping charges of $2·50 per roll. Sending the rolls to Clark is free by way of prepaid mailers. So one roll comes to $12.</p> <p>Dwayne's price for that same 36-exposure roll with a set of 4" x 6" prints was $6·99, and $2·99 for the CD, plus return postage of $4·50 for the first roll, 50¢ for each additional roll. Thus one 36-exposure roll was $14·48, plus you have to pay the cost of shipping to the lab.</p> <p>So Dwayne's would be a good buy for 5 or more rolls on account of the shipping costs. Dwayne's scans are of a higher resolution — don't recall exactly the pixel count — and are printed on Fuji Crystal Archive paper, whereas Clark uses Kodak paper. I prefer the look of the Crystal Archive paper rather than Kodak's, but admittedly that's subjective.</p> <p>Because I prefer the Fuji paper, I sent 5 36-exposure rolls to Dwayne's. I received the e-mailed invoice and was surprised to learn that they jacked up their prices considerably. A single 36-exposure roll with a set of 4" x 6" prints is now $9 — an increase of 28¾ percent — but the CD only went up 1¢ to $3; the return postage, however, was increased from $4·50 a roll to $5, but additional rolls remain at 50¢ each.</p> <p>Thus my 5-roll order with Dwayne's is now $67, plus I had to pay $2·86 in postage shipping it out, a total of $69·86. Before their price increase, the total to Dwayne's would have been $56·40, plus $2·86 postage out, a total of $59·26 — an overall increase of 17·8 percent.</p> <p>That same order with Clark Color Labs would come to $62·40, but with no shipping costs out to the lab. So even with the higher shipping costs per roil of $2·50 each with Clark, they are now cheaper than Dwayne's. That 28¾-percent increase per roll on D&P negates the lower shipping costs with Dwayne's.</p> <p>I have to decide if the extra cost is worth it for the higher-res scans and Fuji Crystal Archive paper of Dwayne's. For simple family snaps, I don't think so. And for anything critical I can go into Manhattan to Luster Photo & Digital or The Color House. Also gives Uncle Karl an excuse to drop in on my grand niece, who lives in the East Village.</p> <p>Curious as to what labs others have been using and your experience with the pricing and quality.</p>

<p>ISO 1600 with my Tele-Elmarit 135/4 should let me shoot at 1/125th and above for close-up, tight shots, no? Or should I forget the film and just use my smart phone? Maybe the ƒ/2 'crons (35, 50 & 90) would make more sense, but I'm trying to lighten my load. The 90/2 Summicron is one hefty objective.</p>

<p>I'm attending tomorrow or Sunday (with my 9-year-old grand nephew) an indoor model train show where there will be many operating layouts of scale-model trains. (My wife is headed to Midtown Manhattan tomorrow with her niece and grand niece to Rockefeller Center, St Patrick's Cathedral and — most importantly! — the American Girl doll store on 5th Avenue; she will be using all the digital gear.)</p> <p>My thought is to use my M5 or M7 loaded with ISO 800 or 1600 Fuji colour print stock for the train show. I have no idea what the lighting will be like, but I'm assuming there will be a lot of sodium-vapour lighting or similar. I plan on taking my 28-35-50mm ƒ/4 Tri-Elmar ASPH and an old 135mm ƒ/4 Tele-Elmarit (for 'close-ups' of details of the layout). I will throw a Metz flash in the bag, though I'm not sure how useful that will be.</p> <p>Does anyone have any experience with photographing indoor scale-model train layouts? I have zero experience but would like to take some nice shots, other than on my smart phone.</p>

<p>I'm certainly no luddite -- I'm a retired astronomer -- but photography was way more fun 50 years ago.</p>

<p>I purchased a bottle of that multi-surface cleaner used for computers and other electronic gadgets. I wiped the lens barrel with it. I placed the affected small leather pouches in my garden window, which gets direct sunlight in the morning, to bake them. I then bought a bulk bag of desiccant packets. I'm going to reëvaluate my storage practices in light of this experience. I've been storing my gear the same way for 60 years, but only now had a nasty surprise—weird.</p>

<p>I recently went to retrieve a lens I haven't used in awhile, a 135mm ƒ/4 Tele-Elmar. I was shocked to find that the small chamois stored with the lens in a leather, velvet-lined Leitz case was damp with mildew and black spots. The chamois must have been wet when I put the lens away. The glass looks fine but, of course, there's a film on the barrel. I wiped that off with a soft cloth. The lens and the case smell of mildew. I was always taught that you put mildewed items in direct sunlight to bake out the mildew. I was wondering if there's anything else I should do for the lens and the case. In 60-plus years of storing my equipment, this has never happened. </p>

<p>@ Jimmy S.,</p> <p>I disagree. There were many good minilab processors out there. I used a local Costco until they gave up the ghost. The techs were attentive and took care of the equipment, the chemistry was changed (not left to wallow in filth), they tweaked the Noritsu minilab to your particular emulsion (knew how the set the channels), etc. They still D&P C-41 but stopped burning CDs when that machine bombed out; the suits refused to repair/replace it. (The wet prints on Fuji Crystal Archive paper are miles ahead of the inkjet prints at your local CVS.)</p> <p>I wouldn't look to Nietzsche much. He died a raving psychotic in the Basel lunatic asylum; not too surprising when you begin to think you are God! </p> <p> </p>

<p>Depressing, and even more so as my wife's family lost most of their retirement assets in Kodak's collapse. They were heavily into "old technology" blue chips: Kodak, Xerox, IBM, Polaroid, etc. -- they were devastated.</p>