dave_cattell1

<p>Personally I would recommend you definitely get a MF system. The break from 35mm format does wonders for opening up your creativity, especially if you try a square format. Since I did it I am much more aware of the boundaries of the viewfinder.<br>

I don't think it matter too much which one you get.<br>

You could get an EOS film body too of course, as they're so cheap.<br>

Dave.</p>

Chris,

Five years ago I travelled continuously for 6 months, through South America and other places. I took Nikon F100,

FM3a, 20mm, 50mm, 28-105mm, 300mm f4, 80-200 f2.8 through the usual backpacking places like hostels etc... I kept

them fairly hidden for security and had no problems. I regularly posted the film back to England, directly to a

lab I had spoken to before and they processed it and a large box was waiting when I got back home. I had no

problems posting stuff from remote towns and villages.

 

Now I am planning on doing a similar thing with similar lenses but with digital bodies (probably 2 again). BUT I

know that I will eat storage quickly, so I am currently wondering how to deal with storage and power. If you

start considering battery chargers, extra storage, maybe even a laptop, things start to get really HEAVY. I am

contemplating taking the FM3a again as backup. One thing is fairly sure, you will (or could choose to) regularly

pass through reasonably touristy places where there will be internet cafes where you can burn DVDs and send

copies of images back home. Checkout Lonely Planet guides for that.

 

As mentioned above, a biiig risk on a long trip is that a film camera may start failing and you may not know this

until you get back. But then on the other hand digital is more sensitive to water.

 

Either way be sure you like and know using your system before you go anywhere.

 

Happy travels.

 

Dave.

In Sf itself I know of:

Newlab 5th and Bryant do pretty much everything colour,

Chromeworks 2nd and Bryant E6 mostly,

Bay Photographic lab, 746 Arguello do B&W,

http://gammasf.com/ do B&W,

http://www.oscarsphotolab.net/ for everything (used to be just B&W),

http://robyncolor.com/

 

I can recommend Newlab and Bay, not used the others.

 

Dave.

I use the tank in daylight and do not see any unevenness - even with development times around 7 minutes. I do tend to include the 30sec emptying in the dev time. I also just do a simple inversion every 30secs.

I am interested that alot of you mentioned glass continaers. One of the reasons I went for a tin in the first place was the understanding that the container needed to be light tight as well as air tight. Is this important or do you just keep your glass bottles in dark cupboards?

Thanks for confirming my suspicions. The main thing is that I stopped before using it on

negs from an excellent trip to the Arizona desert.

 

Guess I'd better pay a bit more for the photo specific plastic bottles.

Dave.

After years of using liquid developers I've been trying D76/ID11, for

the first time I've mixed my own stock from powder. So there's the

problem of storing it.

 

I bought a pair of metal paint tins - nice and light tight and air

tight. After a few days the originally shiny metal inside of the tin

had a dark grey deposit. The rest of the solution looks fine. After a

week it looks about the same.

 

The question is: Should I still have confidence in this stock

solution? Is a metal tin a good place to store developer?

 

No, there has never been any paint in them.

 

Your expertise appreciated.

 

Dave.

Grant,

 

You might be interested to know that if you go to google and ask about white balance and sunset like I just did, this is one of the first useful answers!

 

Dave.

There is also www.raykophoto.com in San Francisco.

 

They have alot of space.

 

Dave.

A slightly different angle...

 

At the Natural History museum in London the Wildlife photographer of the year is (still?) on. There is a huge predominance of Japanese glass. Over the years I've seen a couple of Leica (SLRs) or Rollei (MF). That strongly suggests the 'German permium' is not paid by many producing superb photos.

 

Dave.

LE is Limited Edition isn't it...

 

Straight from Adobe.com....

 

Adobe Photoshop CS Upgrade

To install upgrade successfully, you will need a licensed version of Photoshop 7.0 or earlier on the same platform as this purchase.

NOTE:Upgrade does not apply to Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Album, Photoshop Limited Edition, or PhotoDeluxe licensed users.

Depends very much on what you want to do.

 

I recently went backpacking around the world for 8 months. 2 months in Nepal and Thailand with an FM3a, 20mm f2.8, 28-105, and 180mm. Had a 2 month break back home then set out with FM3a, F100, 20mm f2.8, 28-105, 80-200 f2.8 (non-AFS), 300 f4 AFS, 1.4x TC, and CF tripod with BH1 ballhead. All bodies and lenses hidden in a standard day pack. In that 6 months I went to Argentina, Antartica, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Africa. I concentrated on remote places in these countries.

 

Most of the time I used buses, trains and planes. I rented cars for 2 weeks in total. I found that I could manage this weight fine. You can often leave stuff in places such as hostels and hotels or lockers.

 

Now of course I wish I had taken some Medium format stuff too. ;-)

 

I'm definitely glad I took the 80-200 rather than the 180 on the longer part of my trip.

 

Dave.

I have the Uni-Loc 1600 and it is very unusual. When you undo that centre bolt you'd better be holding your camera firmly as the whole things goes loose in one go! This actually isn't as bad as it sounds - you quickly get used to holding the camera to do anything. It actually has the advantage that when you come to move around, you can release all the legs in one go lift the whole thing up, the legs will fall together and you can walk off quickly to the next spot.

 

You can't beat that design for flexibility. The legs are capable of going to any angle independently - they can even point upwards. They are very quick to place. Also they handle being placed in mud/water as the upper leg tubes go inside the lower ones so you don't get mud inside.

 

The Uni-Loc version can be reconfigured with a allen key into various combinations such as a monopod.

 

Disadvantages: heavy (made of steel), tendency to vibrate easily (steel is springy).

 

Dave.

I went to Antartica with 35mm - Now I need to go back.

 

For me it was the most wonderful place I've ever been. I've seen places like Scotland, Alaska, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Kauai, Iceland, Nepal, Kenya, Utah, Arizona.... So I've seen a few of the best.

 

The ONLY reason I carried only 35mm was because I was travelling on for 6 months. I now wish I'd taken either my MF or even large format to Antartica.

 

Take as big a negative as you can manage. A Mamiya 7 is probably the best/lightest way. You don't want to overload yourself with weight too much for the Zodiacs - the crew will look after you, we still had one lass who fell in, but a MF kit would be fine. Once you have the weight on the ship it will no longer be an issue - but do watch the weight restrictions of the airlines - those in the US do tend to be more relaxed on this.

 

35mm for wildlife and MF for landscapes, in this combo an M7 would be great (with 43mm, 80 and 150). You can get fairly close to penguins - the limit of around 15 feet(?) is human imposed. You may want an MF setup that allows the use of 220 - you'll burn film like crazy.

 

Definitely get used to the kit before you go. Cold temps and gloves are not conducive to learning something new.

 

Main thing is to have a wonderful time.

Dave.

An attempt to give a more useful answer (I've used both systems and don't either is perfect)...

 

Neither is clearly better but they are different and you'll have to choose which factors are more important. There are of course system differences too, so you have to make the choice there too. There's more of a choice of Canon AF lenses, but then there's alot of manual focus lenses still available in Nikon. Canon still has more silent wave/USM and vibration reduction lenses. Nikon has more wider angle lenses for digital (10, 12mm). I often find I prefer the feel of Nikon lenses. Then again the lens bayonet goes anti-clockwise to lock, I hate that.

 

As far as these particular bodies go...

 

The D70 is a very responsive camera, way quicker than the 10D to be ready to take a picture. To me the 10D is much more likely to miss the action, and it feels more like a digital camera. That buffer keeps the D70 going nicely. The kit lens with the D70 is a real bargain. The auto ISO feature is very handy - it can help get a picture you might otherwise miss completely.

 

The 10D is definitely better built with its magnesium body, and of course mirror lockup is a major plus. You will be able to get less noisy pictures with the 10D - but will you notice this in practice?

 

I'm sure you'd be peased with either camera. Try them out.

 

Dave.

Here's my comparison list I put together when deciding between the two systems:

 

Rollei v. Hasselblad 50x

 

Pro Hasselblad: No reliance on power, lighter, smaller, more elegant, can

maintain EV value when adjusting shutter speed or aperture (grip on lens a

little awkward), Zeiss 250mm superachromat, newer 80mm f2.8, huge 2nd hand

market, easier to rent, less plastic, T shutter setting, quieter film wind,

mechanical cable release, more digital back availability

 

Pro 600x: Added choice of (generally faster) schneider lenses, wider lens

choice, auto floating elements, coupled metering/exposure, metering in body,

1/3 stops on lenses and shutters, electronic lens coupling, built in dark

slide, film inserts, instant return mirror, autowind, film speed set on backs,

more space around ground glass, Zeiss 1000mm, easier multiple exposure, action

grip, TTL flash, chunky knobs, PQS lenses give 1/1000s, no need to hold shutter

release for speeds around 1/2s, no unjamming tool available or needed, rotating 645

back, manual focus lenses compatible with autofocus bodies

 

I went for Rollei in the end, although sometimes the battery dependence and weight annoys me.

 

Dave.

Tom,

 

I had a similar problem a while ago, see the discussion at http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0047s2

 

At the bottom you'll see the problem for me was that one of the film packets left its metal end clip in the holder. Once that was removed 100% reliability followed.

 

Dave.

A few more points for you to consider since I made the switch from Canon (EOS RT & Elan) to Nikon (F100 & FM3a). Most of my EOS stuff was stolen and the insurance gave me the opportunity to try something different.

 

It's all about your preferences and goals, neither is perfect but either system is great.

 

My main reason for trying Nikon was to be able to have both manual and AF bodies that use the same lenses. I often find a manual body much nicer to use, especially when working with a tripod.

 

My opinions...

 

Some things I like about the Nikons: I can turn it on as I pick it up with one hand, the system feels more solid especially the lenses,

 

Some things I don't like about the Nikons: anti-clockwise turn to mount lens (everything else including Canon, bottle tops etc... does it the other way) - drives me nuts, mechanical lens links unreliable, MF/AF switch unreliable, solidity/weight/heft is not the same as reliability, the flash system is wonderful, AA batteries on F100, my lenses won't fit the EOS 1Ds

 

Some things I liked about the Canons: Large fully electronic lens mount - reliable and fast to use, light, mirror lock-up on cheaper bodies, USM everywhere, very reliable

 

Some things I didn't like about the Canons: plasticy feel to some lenses and bodies, on/off combined with mode setting, 2CR5 batteries

 

Dave.

That belkin gadget looks nice, and it will let you store your files on your iPod. It's a shame though that it's another $99, and another piece of junk to carry with you. Effectively $99 just for a cable.

IPod Will NOT work for this!!!

 

I am pretty certain that the iPod will not connect directly to your digital camera, unfortunately. One of the devices on a USB bus needs to be a master (like a PC), both the iPod and camera are slaves, so they'll just sit there waiting for each other. If one of the devices is a USB OTG (on the go) device, then it should work.

 

It's a shame that USB isn't peer-to-peer like Firewire. If they're both Firewire then you're sorted.

 

Dave.

Brian,

 

I have used the Horseman 6x12 on a Canham DLC45. It works fine. I use it fairly rarely, but still don't make too many mistakes. A good sign. It is well made - the face plate that meets the camera back is solid, yet the whole thing isn't too heavy. The controls and loading technique are straight forward.

 

The wind-on is a fairly light 2-stroke operation, there's a small interlock lever to release the wind for the next shot and a frame counter. The dark slide is loose and available for losing easily.

 

Dave.

I did switch 2 years ago as my EOS stuff was stolen and I wanted a system with a MF body and an AF body. I bought F100 and FM3a. The grass is always greener and neither is perfect, so I'll list the Pros of each "side""

 

Pro EOS:

More IS lenses, more USM lenses, more AF lens choice, lighter bodies, often lighter lenses, Mirror lockup/prefire on lower end bodies, lens mount twists clockwise to lock, simple lens line-up (no af-i, af-s, incompatibilities etc)

 

Pro Nikon:

Can use AF and MF bodies with same lenses, more lenses in total (including MF), more solid feel (note: this isn't necessarily the same as being tougher), Depth used for flash metering - this is great, F100 has on switch around shutter rleease - can turn on as lifting camera, lenses feel nicer for MF.

 

I boils down to what you prefer - try them out.

 

Dave.

Cham,

 

I have the FM3a as a backup to my F100. A wonderful combination, for tripod work I much prefer it to the F100. It's so simple that with it on a tripod I could focus, set the timer for a couple of seconds and hit the shutter release almost in a continuous motion. With the F100 you have to change a bunch of modes etc... and then you forget they're like that.

 

Also in (my) tests, for what they're worth, on a lightish tripod the FM3a produced much sharper pics with a 300mm f4. It could be focus accuracy v. autofocus, but my impression was that it was less vibration.

 

I took those bodies with 6 lenses on a 8 month round-the-world-trip and found it a great combo. I used the FM3a mostly for landscapes that weren't moving too quickly.

 

Also the shutter will never stop on you whatever happens to the battery. I bought the 45mm sister lens though and don't like it - too fiddly.

 

Let us know what you get,

Dave.

THE SOLUTION

 

Thanks for all the responses, very helpful as usual.

 

Accordingly I got myself a small cross head screwdriver and pulled the holder apart. Sure enough I found a clip from the end of an old sheet lodged in there. Once I'd removed it the whole things works 100% reliably, at least for the 10000000 samples I took this evening.

 

The difference is remarkable. I found that previously the film could be pulled out of the end of the holder without using the release, now it is impossible to without activating the release. So I have every confidence I will spot it happening again - but then I guess I should spot when a clip gets left behind anyway.

 

So my confidence in the system is now fully restored.

 

Thanks for the help,

Dave.

Hiya,

 

I'm pretty sure that this is a problem not yet discussed here as I

just did a quick search.

 

Just got back from the E6 lab to check out my Provia 100s and Velvias

from a trip to Utah to find that 13 sheets of film were totally

unexposed. All from Quickload packets and used in a quickload holder.

 

I sacrificed another fresh sheet to play with my holder to try and

figure out the whether it is something to do with the holder I have.

Sure enough I find if I follow the directions on the back of the

holder I NEARLY ALWAYS pull the whole packet back out of the end of

the holder when I'm trying the leave the film behind/exposed (step 2).

The only way that I can find to get close to 100% reliability is by

only holding the very top right of the film packet. Certainly if I

hold it how Fuji indicate then I'll never expose any film.

 

So my question is (are):

1. Does anyone else have this problem - All I hear on this forum is

that the system is 100% reliable.

2. Is there a good way to tell when the film is not out of the packet

(I think I can almost tell by the thickness and stiffness of the end

sticking out of the holder.

3. Anyone any solutions for this??

4. Have I damaged my holder? It was pretty cold in Utah so wearing

gloves may have meant I pulled too hard sometimes.

 

Looking forward to hearing your experiences...

 

Dave