timothy_robson

Nikon might well respond to the introduction of Leica F-mount lenses by introducing a digital rangefinder of their own - perhaps a Digital SP or something similar (after all, they reintroduced limited editions of the S3 and SP more or less on a whim in the last ten years) with a reasonably complete assortment of lenses. They could offer those lenses with their own mount (preferably a new proprietary mount that they could license themselves, although the old Contax derived Nikon S-mount would be an option if nostalgia ruled), and they could offer them in M-mount as well, as they did with the old Leica thread mount fifty years ago. The most ardent Leicaphiles would sniff about the absence of that unquantifiable "Leica look", while the rest of us would buy a car with the money we saved on a basic set of lenses.

 

Leica needs to be very careful who they pick fights with. Nikon already wiped the floor with them once before, and it would be sad to see history repeat itself.

Sorry, I meant 1944, not 1994.

They did bomb Wetzlar, several times. The Americans bombed it 5 times in 1994 alone: May 28, July 20, September 19 and 22 and November 21, 1944.

Only the earliest Leica IIs had the plug in the back. The plug was intended for use on non-standardized Leica Is (Models A, B and C) and was (I believe) used to enable the technician to establish the correct back focus before the back focus distance was standardized in 1931. If you look at the pressure plate (with the shutter open and the lens off), you'll see that the plate has a hole which allows screwdriver access to the plug from the inside. The general assumption seems to be that the first IIs used up the remaining early body shells incorporating the plug. I have a '32 II with the plug, and a '34 II which (to the best of my recollection) doesn't have it.

I just resurrected an Epson 5500 which had been in storage for years and was clogged to the point that it was only able to print a single row of black (using the Epson test page). Lots of cleaning cycles, test prints (using purging files or similar), then more cleaning cycles. Persistence and most of a set of cartridges purged into the waste ink pads worked for me. Still... cost much less than a grand.

I doubt they'll be missed much. They did a lousy job marketing their products here (not that the US arm is much better in that regard) and their pricing structure in Canada was extortionate. Nowadays, it's so easy to order competitively priced product and obtain service from the States that there's no point wasting any time mourning the loss of Canadian distributors who spent years screwing their customers. Good riddance.

 

I haven't needed service from the outfit which inherited the Canadian repair service (Zoomtron), but I had no problem getting parts for my 7D from them. They answer at the toll free number posted on the website.

I passed through security at SFO's international terminal for a flight back to Canada just under two months ago. There are signs (I think I counted two), prominently displayed, advising travellers that they are entitled to request hand inspection of their film (with the usual notice that the x-ray machinery should not harm film under a certain speed). I requested hand inspection of a number of loose rolls of 120 and 220 film, and it was immediately, and very courteously, granted with no questions asked. I don't think the inspector had seen a lot of medium format film, but she asked another member of the crew how it should be dealt with, and he filled her in. They were very efficient, very professional and very friendly - much more so than the folks I've dealt with up here in "friendly" Canada.

 

In any event, I would suggest that you'll find the security staff more accommodating if you resist the urge to treat them like stormtroopers or harangue them about the evils of George Bush's "Amerika".

Yes. It should work with the AF/AFD as easily as it works with the manual focus bodies. The 50mm shift lens has a fully manual diaphragm, with no automatic stop-down mechanism. I think you still get focus confirmation, and believe that the AF cameras can meter, and provide automatic exposure, with the lens stopped down. (I've got the lens, but not the AF/AFD, so I have no means of confirming this.)

The Super and Pro cranks don't work with the M645/1000s/J models, but the crank for the 645E does:

 

http://www.macuserforums.com/webx?14@98.voJjayccob5.4@.1dcdfd14/0

 

KEH also has used original cranks in stock (look under "Miscellanous").

Nope. Apart from the lenses themselves, the only things compatible with both the Super/Pro and the 1000S are the inserts and the strap lugs (maybe the batteries too), and things like bellows, rotating mounts and the like.

I can vouch for the tech at Orion Photo-Technical in Calgary. Hasselblad trained, excellent work, quick turnaround, and a nice guy.

Cost is another factor you'll have to consider when you buy into a medium format system. Most medium format equipment is expensive, and the prices of additional lenses and accessories for the most prestigious 6x6 systems, Hasselblad and Rollei, can be jaw dropping, even if you're a professional and able to take advantage of tax writeoffs. You need to go in with a basic idea of the sort of equipment you'll need, and what it will cost to get the kit you're looking for in the different systems you're considering.

 

I bought into older Mamiya 645 gear because I liked the feel and handling of the equipment, found the 6x4.5 rectangular format more familiar than 6x6 coming from 35mm, and liked the idea of getting a few extra shots per roll of film. My older bodies, although not cutting edge, have all the features I need. Just as important, though, was the fact that bodies and lenses are readily available, at comparatively modest cost. Despite their affordability, I think my Mamiya lenses offer pretty outstanding performance, although the Zeiss optics of the other systems are by all accounts unsurpassed.

 

Given that you're interested in portrait photography, one option you might consider as an entry into 6x6, if you're so inclined, would be one of the Mamiya C22/220/33/330 series of twin lens reflex cameras. These are relatively inexpensive, and unlike other TLRs, offer lens interchangeability. They were very popular with wedding photographers in their day, and remain very useable and, I believe, serviceable. If you decide that square format is for you, you might then at some point decide to graduate to a Hasselblad or Rollei, but that's not the sort of investment you want to make on the strength of someone else's recommendation. One resource you should look at is Robert Monaghan's Medium Format Articles page at http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/index.html.