gene_e._mccluney

This could be called "color crossover" where the light from two different sources are so far

apart in their color temperature that one cannot achieve a natural looking color balance.

Perhaps someone opened the outside door to the church during the time the

photographer was taking a rather longish time exposure under the tungsten light of the

church?

If you are consistently getting overexposure, even though your meter and camera are both

set to the same ISO, you just need to adjust your meter to another ISO until the reading on

the meter gives you the exposures you want, then it should be repeatable. Some digital

cameras don't factor ISO the same as film cameras do, and a Digital ISO of 100 will not be

identical to a film ISO of 100. Strange but true. You may need to set your flash meter at

ISO 200, or ISO 250 or so. Do trials, look at your histogram and work out what you need

to set your meter at to give you ideal exposures when your camera is set to ISO 100.

McCluney Photo

Rodinal in concentrate form keeps very, very well. You don't "have" to finish it on your

new Tri-X just because you have it. It is really not a recommended developer to extract

the best from Tri-X. Unless you like massive grain.

I gotta tell you, coming from my 30 years of activity in Commercial Photography, if you are

worried about the cost of running your lights for your shooting, then you are waaay off in

your pricing of this job. Any Commercial Photography job should have enough profit

margin built in to take into account all of the overhead expenses for the production of the

job and a nice profit for the photographer. You do a great dis-service to the photography

community by pricing your work so low as to not cover all your expenses, as well as a fair

profit.

McCluney Photo

Does the leasing include a service contract? I see no downside to leasing, if you are

constantly making money with the equipment in excess of the lease cost + materials.

McCluney Photo

There should be zero compatibility issues with using Leica/Voigtlander/Zeiss "M" mount

lenses on any "M" mount camera that adheres to the mount standard. The Leica and Zeiss

"M" mount cameras will give you slightly more accurate focusing due to longer rangefinder

base length, which should only be important on longer focal length lenses. While the

Zeiss lenses have 1/3 stop clicks on the aperture ring and the others don't, The practical

matter is that on any "M" mount lens, you can set the aperture anywhere in-between click

stops, so that is a moot point.

McCluney Photo

I have to say, that if everything is working just fine, either platform (Windows or Mac) will

be fine, but if you are having problems, fixing them on a Mac is much easier, and in my

experience there are fewer instances of problems to fix.

If your current computer seems to be struggling with Photoshop, perhaps you just don't

have enough ram. You should have at a minimum 1 gigabyte of RAM, and better if you

have more.

McCluney Photo

These are not "NEW" production of Agfa papers, rather they are newly cut stock from

master rolls produced before Agfa stopped production at the end of 2005. So, if you like

these papers before, get some now, as these are the same papers, and eventually the

stock will run out. New producton (by fotoimpex) may or may not resemble the Originals

still for sale.

McCluney Photo

I would think, if you are going to scan negatives then any color negatives in Photoshop

could be manipulated to simulate the look of cross processed color slide film, and you

could even write an action to accomplish this repeatedly if you are doing a lot of images.

McCluney Photo

If you can capture the full range from darkest to lightest tones with your scanner, then you

can easily manipulate the file in photoshop, however it sounds to me like your scanner is

"clipping" some tones at the extremes. In Nikonscan you have a visible histogram

showing the full tonal range of the image, when you do a prescan. You can move the

sliders outside the range of tones in the image, thus capturing everything on the film. If

your histogram goes off the scale, you adjust the gain slider up or down to bring the

image within the range of the scanner. In this way you capture the whole range of tones

on the negative. (I am speaking of scanning in greyscale mode). I suppose it is possible

that you have such a dense negative that it might be beyond the ability of the scanner to

capture, but I can't say for sure, as I have not seen your negatives. Once an image is

captured with the blacks and whites clipped....then there is very little you can do in

Photoshop to "bring back" detail that just isn't there. One thing for sure, you need to scan

in 16bit depth to preserve all the adjustment range possible. Then in photoshop, after

you make all your adjustments, convert to 8 bit.

McCluney Photo

They market photo related merchandise under the Agfa name. I'll bet that color negative

film is either stock from master rolls made prior to Agfa closing the coating plant, or it is

Ferrania sourced.

The company that makes the mini-labs and chemicals is real, though, and most Agfa

brand chemistry is now available again.

McCluney Photo

I'm shooting my project with three cameras (Leica "M") using lenses from 15mm to 35mm,

outside on location. I have to change lenses around on each camera for each shot, say if I

want to use the 15mm, I need to fit this to the camera carrying b/w film, then to the

cameras carrying color film. Taking and replacing a filter on the lens, as well as changing

out the lens for each and every shot is not going to happen in the limited time frame. I am

scanning my negs, not printing on photo paper. Therefore I wish to use a b/w film, ISO

100 that gives me the best sky tones without filters. I need to use ISO 100 to match the

color film stocks I am using, so I won't have any issues with exposure error due to me

forgetting to "compensate" for the different ISO's of different films between cameras.

Manufacturers do not "routinely" overrate the ISO of their films. The ISO is calibrated very

carefully, and emulsions are "tweaked" to conform with each batch.

Microdol-X is known for not giving full box speed. Most people that regularly use

Microdol-X rate their film at 1/2 box speed. Other developers give full box speed. (The

ISO as listed on the film box). 75F is not optimal for most developers, but is suggested

for Microdol-X 1+3 dilution to shorten up the developing time to a reasonable length.

You do not need to use a wash aid with b/w film.

You do not "need" to use an acetic acid stop bath, several fill and dump tanks of water will

work just as well.

You do not need to pre-soak your film in water unless you have a very short developing

time (like under 5 minutes). For a 20 minute developing time, the water presoak does

nothing.

Your fixing time depends on the fixer you use....see manufacturers recommendations.

It seems your "instructor" has devised a methodology that works for him, and he is trying

to impose this (without variation) on his students. While his methodology does work, bear

in mind that most award winning shots were developed using other developers, using a

different technique than the one he outlined in his class.

McCluney Photo

I have been shooting a lot of Agfa APX100 lately, and developing in Wd2d Pyro developer. I get good

tonality, however my sky tones are lighter than I would like. Prior to this current project I have shot

extensively with Neopan 400 in D-76 1+1, and I was getting better sky tones (darker) and more

definition in clouds. I am not using a filter, but I am shooting my outside subjects (bridges) with wide

angle lenses that on my color shots render the sky deep rich blue. My question is, do you think that

APX100 in 35mm has an over sensitivity to blue in comparison to other film choices? Thus rendering

large expanses of blue (such as deep blue skies) overly light?

I know I could use a yellow filter, however for my project I am shooting color slide and b/w at the same

time and for many shots I have to interchange lenses between cameras, and that would mean I would

have to constantly remove and replace the filter.

I am using APX100, because I also shoot an ISO100 E-6 film, and to save time hassle and error I need

to keep both emulsions at the same ISO. Meter once for all camera bodies.

McCluney Photo

To those who have suggested "switching to digital" well digital sensors get dust too, and

have to be cleaned, and often never completely come clean of all spots, so spotting is also

needed with digital captures.

I shoot both digital and film, and I process all my own film, E-6, C-41, B/W. I do not have

a significant issue with dust in any film scan with the glass carrier on my Nikon 9000ed.

Of course I get a teeny bit of dust, but it is minimal and takes just a few moments to clone

out. The key is doing your own film processing and sleeving and handling your negatives

very carefully, and cleaning your carrier and using compressed air on each frame scanned.

McCluney Photo

Your "simplified" process is what a lot of people use. However, you do not need to do a 5

minute wash inbetween the developer and fixer. Just three (or so) fills and dumps of the

developing tank would suffice. The time for washing the film after the fix is adequate if

you use a wash method that has plenty of flow, where the water changes completely out a

number of times.

McCluney Photo

Regarding the developing of any and all C-41 process color negative films. A responder

above was concerned that the operators of the equipment at Walgreens/Wal-Mart/Target/

etc. would have problems developing "odd" C-41 films. This is absolutely NOT an issue,

as ALL C-41 films are standardized at one processing time and can be processed

intermixed, at will. The C-41 process is fixed and unvariable. If the machines are set-up

and maintained correctly, with good chemistry, they can process ANY C-41 color negative

film equally. Of course poorly maintained equipment operated by untrained operators

may result in substandard negatives, but this is not focused on a particular film stock and

would affect any and all films run thru the processor. There is no film that poses any

special problems. Even b/w C-41 chromogenic films are processed exactly the same as

the color negative films. The film processing machines are not adjustable for different

films, and indeed do not need to be.

McCluney Photo

THE Zeiss-Ikon rangefinder "M" mount cameras are somewhat above the Voitglander

cameras and below the hand-finished quality of the Leica "M" cameras. They represent

good value.

McCluney Photo

These are great photos, from great old Cameras, but....I only see two "old boys" on the

web page, the TLR and the Plastic Camera. Is there supposed to be another one?

McCluney Photo

Normally the strobes you need for fashion are high output, extremely fast recycling, so

you don't have to wait, if the model goes through a series of poses in rapid succession.

No entry level (Under $1000) strobe will withstand the continuous use without

overheating, and in general they won't recycle fast enough for professional fashion.

McCluney Photo

The glass carriers are ALWAYS in short supply. Best bet is to get a vendor to order one for

you, and notify you when they get it. It may take six months. It did for me. I think they

make a batch of these probably once a year. I found a vendor that would order for me,

and then telephone me when it was in, and then I could pay for it and have it sent to me.

McCluney Photo

For the Kiev 6 or 60 cameras you need the "Pentacon 6" lens mount. If a lens is stated as

being in Exakta mount, this means for the 35mm Exakta SLR. For a brief period in the

1990's there was an Exakta 66 camera, but the lens mount was Pentacon 6. The Pentacon

medium format body was the basis for the Exakta 66 camera. Lens brands available in

Pentacon 6 mount were Schneider, East German Zeiss, Kiev (various names on individual

lenses) All in all a whole bundle of lenses.

McCluney Photo

It sounds to me from your last post, that you are frustrated with Silverfast as the scanning

software for your Microtek 120tf? That is why I suggested you try the "FREE" Microtek

scanning software as an alternative, which (as mentioned above) is a FREE download from

the Microtek website, has been updated and is full featured, and has a very easy to

understand user interface. You will have no problems "zeroing" in on individual frames,

the controls and adjustments are easy to figure out.

So, what I am asking you to do is to try the FREE Microtek scanning software for your

Microtek scanner, before you spend money on another scanner. The Microtek software

takes the place of the Silverfast software, you use one or the other. I have Silverfast for

two of my three Microtek scanners. I have to tell you in all cases I prefer the Microtek

scanner software in its newest versions. I have absolutely zero problems using Microteks

scanner software with my three Microtek scanners on my Dual G5 Macintosh. If you are

having problems using Microtek software on your G5, then you need to download the

newest version suitable to your OS, Pay careful attention to what version of OS-X you

have, 10.2, 10.3, etc. Also, try running the scanner software as a stand-alone program, as

well as the plug-in for photoshop.

McCluney Photo

If you have the standard Mamyia film back for your camera, there is a little tab on the top

back of the magazine, near the film advance lever, that you have to push to the left (I

think) to allow the advance lever to advance one frame. Are you pushing this? You push

this little tiny lever, and then advance the film, and it will stop on the next frame and lock

again. After your next exposure, push little lever, and operate advance lever to go to the

next frame, etc. Don't foget to recock shutter with big lever on side of camera. You can

(IIRC) advance film either before or after you recock shutter. Best to get into habit of

doing it one way only. Like take photo, advance film, recock camera. and stick with it.

McCluney Photo