lacy_dillard

<p>It looks as if Robert Schultze of Photo.net has linked to his own blog in <a href="../website-creation-forum/00U6ik">this</a> post which does exactly what I mention above .. attaching photos to his "photos" page to set up a thumbnail gallery. It's simple, and it does work, but are there any other options?</p>

<p>I'm back at Photo.net after a long vacation. I'm working on developing a professionally oriented blog/portfolio with WordPress. I like how the entries are formatted (the gallery function works well) but I haven't figured out a way to incorporate a streamlined gallery into the blog. As it stands, I don't have the funds to pay for a pro-design or hosting for a linked flash gallery etc so I'm working on a pretty limited scale. All of my searching on blog help sites has turned up very little in the way of free work-arounds for galleries in blogs .. any ideas or links? I'd appreciate any comments or feedback you all have!</p>

<p>You can see the general format of the site at <a href="http://laceyelainedillard.wordpress.com" target="new">laceyelainedillard.wordpress.com</a> including a link to the page I'd like a gallery to fit into.</p>

<p>The only idea that's popped into my head so far is to make separate files (even of photos already posted on the blog) with a watermark, and then to attach them directly to the "Portfolio" page in order to get a framed gallery just like the examples on the blog area.</p>

I thought the same thing until I tried the strap out at a local camera shop. How I

understand it, the double strap bolt on the right side of the body is made to use two

straps at once: a neck strap and the powder drive grip strap. I think that Mamiya's neck

strap somehow allows you to clip onto the lower part of the bolt leaving the top exposed

for the grip strap. The Op/Tech clips sit on top, probably making the use of the grip strap

impossible.

 

I don't have a drive grip, much less the strap, so I'm just speculating. I've also never used

the Super or the TL and they may have totally different strap bolts for all I know. Hope

this helps though ..

I love Op/Tech USA's <a href="http://www.optechusa.com/product/detail/?

PRODUCT_ID=46&PRODUCT_SUB_ID=&CATEGORY_ID=4" target="new">Super Pro</a>

strap. You need clip design B for your Mamiya. I use it on my 645 Pro, and the Pro Loop

style on my larger MF. They really take the weight off your neck and still remain

comfortable (even with the non-slip texture). Very much worth $20. I bought mine locally

but B+H carries them too. Also, try wearing the strap across one shoulder with the

camera low above your hip. Comfortable for long periods of time and, depending on your

frame, you may be able to maneuver your camera as normal.<BR><BR>

 

By the way, I just bought a Koni Omega (a big 6x7 rangefinder w/ grip) and it makes the

Mamiya feel like a 35mm :)

I really like the sheep photograph. That composition really works for it. I would buy it if I saw it for sale. The electric plant looks good, but doesn't quite stand up to the sheep. The same composition seems a bit dull here. Anyway .. love the sheep. Also, I love the Philip K. Dick reference! He's one of my favorite authors .. the titles really add to the photos (for me anyway :)!

I'm also curious about this ...

David: That's a pretty grim assessment. I just got a 645 Pro a week ago, and I'm loving it. I ran multiple tests with my back and the spacing and flatness are very good. Maybe I got lucky. How many film backs have you had issues with? When I go looking for a 2nd back I'll try to watch for this problem.

 

As for the thread, sorry I can't comment. I've only used the 645 Pro and very little at that :)

I found NPZ easier to scan than NPH, but NPC is better than both. My NPC scans are perfect every time, and the color is always beautiful. What I've really had trouble scanning is Kodak 400UC. It just doesn't work for me. Also .. I think that NPH and NPZ both scan better if they're slightly overexposed, but I've yet to do any testing.

 

I'd love to try Provia 100F, but I hear you about the cost. I'm spending $15 a week on developing, and that's a lot for a student. I'm so glad that negs are only $2.50!

If needed, I can record and post an MP3 of this awful noise, haha! I can't believe that such a terrible sound could be normal, but it's always possible .. I feel like I'm damaging the camera everytime I cock the shutter.

I don't know why I didn't think of this before, but I cocked the shutter without the film-back on. I'm amazed! I read information on the Mamiya 645 cameras for weeks and never found anything about the advance/cocking sounding awful. Is this unusual? It's rough and there's a jarring snap at the end of the turn. I also ran another roll of film through it but this time with a Fuji "easy loading" spool on the take-up side. I got a spacing irregularity again. I get 15 frames and the breaks are even but one skipped up 1.5 inches. I've cleaned every roller I can get to and everything I can see looks clean ..

I see that leak at the top of the frame on many Holga photos and I've always assumed that it came from the ill-fitting back. Have you tried taping around the entire back or flocking the inside? I can't tell that the area on the right is a leak honestly. I really like that photograph by the way.

Thanks, Chauncey, but both sides of the insert click when inserting (I've been practicing so that I don't ruin any film :). Could it have more to do with the gears in the magazine?

I picked up a 120 film back on eBay and finally got my 645 Pro body

and finder from KEH today. I suspected a film spacing problem so I

ran an old roll of film through the back while tracing each frame

through the body with the shutter on B. No spacing problems, but the

advance is very very rough. Not only it is difficult to turn the

crank, but it seems to snap as it reaches the end of the advance and

sometimes slips and rotates past that point. Is this a film back

problem? The body looks great (Excellent + condition) and I trust

KEH.com far more than I trust the eBay seller (I was already surprised

by the physical condition of the magazine). Anyone have this issue

before?

Robert - I just did nearly the same, but I went for the Pro body in Ex+ condition instead. I also picked up the bargain finder :) I'll be getting both on Monday. I purchased a 120 back on eBay (cheap at a total of 86USD), but I'm sort of having issues with the seller and worried that the back might have a spacing problem. I wish I'd gone with KEH for a bit more money! Have you already received yours? Maybe you can tell me how "bargain" a bargain finder is :)

Actually the Mamiya 645 Super, Pro, and Pro TL can use leaf-shutter lenses and take a polaroid back. Just thought I'd throw that out haha. I hope you find what you need, Tim.

I remembered something I'd read on a Kiev website about checking frame spacing by running film through without the darkslide and marking the frame edges with a marker. The back shot 15 frames, as it's supposed to, and most of the spacing varied from 3/8 to 1/2 of an inch. One space skipped up to over an inch. Is this a big issue .. a mechanical error that will get worse? It's possible that the leader wasn't secure right? I'll have my body and finder on Monday, but won't have a lens to test with until late next week (maybe). I'll wait until I get a good test and then either leave positive feedback (with the note about condition) or contact the seller and ask for a refund.

Frank, you're exactly right. I probably did just want him to <i>know that I knew</i>. Plus a bit of "You're lucky I'm not a stickler for things like this, or we'd have a problem!" but that's almost the same. It was snarky and I shouldn't have sent that email. Thanks for making me feel foolish. It's no longer an issue, but if I'm ever in this situation again I'll handle it differently.

I contacted the seller letting him know that I had gotten the film back and I'm happy with it, but that it wasn't in the condition that I expected. I thought I was civil:

 

"Well, I got the film back today. The insert and gears are clean and it's functioning well as far as I can tell. However, there's a lot of light scratching all over the magazine and a couple good ones on one side. I'm not too upset by this .. I got a great deal, and I'm looking forward to using the back, but it is not "mint". I'll be leaving positive feedback (packed well, shipped fast, good item) but I am going to note that the item wasn't mint. If this had been a camera body or lens I might have been surprised/angry at the condition. Film backs get beat up. I understand that. I also understand that putting "mint" in your auction gets you a better price. I thought I'd mention this before leaving feedback, but in general I'm quite happy with my purchase. Thanks!"

 

The reply:

 

"I said mint not brand new. I take great care of my gear and that back had very little film thought it. There is allot of junk equipment that is sold on ebay and this back is in great condition."

 

Hrmph .. so great means mint now? I'm not going to push this, but I thought that you all might be interested in what the seller had to say. Maybe I was a bit snappy? I'm far too sarcastic to be let loose on the internet.

Thanks everyone. I may mention in the feedback that the film back wasn't as good as expected, but probably still leave positive feedback. He did package it well and ship quickly, and the back is still perfectly usable. For the price I paid, it's still a great deal WITH the scratching. Also, I have very little feedback and I don't particularly want a negative. This is probably not the way feedback was meant to work, but eh .. what are you gonna do?

I'm putting together a Mamiya 645 Pro kit, and I bought a "mint" 120

film back (not sure if it's Pro or a Super back) on eBay. I got a

great deal on it (86USD including shipping). I received the back

today and it's not mint. There's a good amount of slight scratching

all over the magazine and a couple good dings. The insert is clean.

I don't have a body to test it on, but it seems quite functional with

clean gears, no sticky or loose feeling parts. On KEH.com "excellent"

Super backs go for $110 I don't really mind it's condition but the

seller did list it as "mint". Opinions? Opinions other than "never

buy on eBay" :) I haven't emailed the seller yet, by the way.

Derek: That's a beautiful site, but I couldn't get past the the main menu without impulsively closing it down (my speakers are set up for audio recording and very complicated to turn off). For those of you considering sound integrated into your galleries, PLEASE give anyone browsing the site the option of turning it off. What sounds wonderful to you may really grate someone else's nerves.

<a href="http://www.amyshutt.com/">amy shutt</a><br><br>

 

I've been watching her for a few years, and I think her latest web design is really great. It's a bit overrated right now, but I do love the streamlined flash look. I'm generally not a fan of pop-up windows. I also like galleries organized by year .. it lets you look more easily at the progress of the artist, i think. If a website contains commercial and more private work, I like them to be separate.

I use a flatbed scanner, so I keep mine in strips of four frames. It just makes them easier to scan for me. I'm using Print File sheets and a binder right now, but planning on moving up to archival paper sleeves and boxes for permanent storage. I've only got about 30 rolls of 120 right now, but the more I shoot, the more I think about how I'll be storing and filing them.

 

As for weeding out the bad shots on the roll, I usually like three or four out of the twelve, so I just keep them all. I also like to go back and re-shoot unsuccessful subjects, so looking at my mistakes frequently helps me.

I gave in and bought a flash (a Vivitar 2800) which I'm hoping to use

for both indoor fill, and low-light concert photography. I went over

the directions and searched for fill-flash tutorials, but eventually

decided to shoot a roll and try to decipher the results. I'm using a

Kiev 60 which has a 1/30 max sync speed, and the film was Portra 100T

(tungsten balanced). I rushed home to scan the film, and it took me

two shots to notice the problem ..<br><br>

<img src="http://www.iamadot.org/pictures/lacy/1107.jpg"><br><br>

As for the photo in general, the flash seemed to work pretty well.

Picture it at four o'clock just out of the frame. I don't know what's

going on with the blue reflection on her sleeve .. from the stove

hood? My problem is the very left edge of the frame where there is a

part of the shot underexposed. I honestly didn't notice this until I

opened the tif in Photoshop.<br><br>

<img src="http://www.iamadot.org/pictures/lacy/1108.jpg"><br><br>

Excuse this! It's not a very good shot, and normally I wouldn't show

it to anyone, but the underexposed area is back and even more apparent

here. It turns out that the entire roll is like this other than the

very first shot. I remember taking them at 1/30 but I could have made

a mistake. I'm planing on trying another roll tomorrow but at 1/15,

1/30 and 1/60. I hope that I just accidentally moved the shutter to

1/60, but the exposures look the same to me.

The lab I get my film done at uses a Noritsu processor, Kodak chemicals and Kodak Royal paper. Also, I had a look back over my negatives and none of the shots up on the webpage were done with UC or VC. One is from a roll of Portra 800 (similar to VC? I haven't tried it) and everything else was with NPH. I really ought to go back and re-scan those negatives anyway .. I've learned how to better use my scanner since then and I'm sure it would make a difference in their appearance for the better. Maybe I have strange standards when judging film (though I can't imagine what they would be), but honestly I've liked the performance of Fuji better. It's possible that it's based less on scientific fact, and more on personal preference :)