harry_pluta5

<p>I had an RZ67 and for portrait work I just loved it. In the studio it simply had no peers. But once I walked out the door I wanted something lighter and would end up shooting 35mm or going the other extreme and take out the 4x5. </p>

<p>Then the electrical gremlins started. My life changed and I came to a point where I stopped doing portrait work and sold the RZ. </p>

<p>Time passed, I shot a lot of digital, and then earlier this year I purchased a 20 something year old Hassy. The feel of using this camera is just a joy and the chromes are as sharp as anything I have ever shot. I find myself grabbing it when I go out.</p>

<p>Hard choice, good luck!</p>

<p>I agree with Chris. I have been shooting some 1991 Tri-X and I lowered it one stop and added 10ml of Edwal Orthizite (sp?) to it. The Edwal removes the fog nicely and the one stop of speed adds the denisty back.</p>

<p>Love the old Tri-X!</p>

<p>Ken,</p>

<p>I just ordered the 42215 AcuteMat screen. This is the one with the split rangefinder in the middle that is surrounded with a microprism circle. I find the microprism really helpful when doing macro work or when using a longer, slower lense.</p>

<p>Enjoy, -Harry</p>

<p>If you have access to a digital camera some of the learning curve can be accelerated by using it ina a totally manual mode. Even my wifes little Canon P&S allows me to set the ASA, shutter speed / aperature combination manually. </p>

<p>I taught my youngest how to visualize what would come out on film this way. Now you don't get to stop down your aperature to see DoF, but at least you can tell what the changes did to your exposure once you snap your digi picture. She also learned how to compose a picture using the Zone system by using a spot meter to figure out her zone values and then setting the camera manually.</p>

<p>Now when she shoots film she is much more likely to have correctly exposed negatives each time she goes out. THis gives her a great deal of confidence and allows her to focus more on composition.</p>

<p>Very nice work. The last one is quite interesting. If I may suggest, next time hang some black velvet material behind the image which will totally black out the mirror except where the tooth paste is. You might enjoy that as well.</p>

<p>With the old holders are you using wood or plastic? After years of dealing with occasional light leaks I finally broke down and bought a dozen newer plastic ones an could not be happier.</p>

<p>Enjoy,<br>

Harry</p>

<p>I am also pretty new to the Hassy, but have shot MF on and off for a while now. I am really enjoying my bellows ( the twin cable one ) and the meter prism. I did cheat and picked up a Keiv TTL/Spot meter, but hey it seems to work just fine.</p>

<p>My next purchase will be a Maxwell screen with the micro-prism in the middle, I have never been a fan of split image as one side always drops out when it gets a bit dim.</p>

<p>Finally I use three backs. If I am on my bike I load one with 400ASA B/W, one with 100ASA B/W, and one loaded with E100VS or Velvia. That way if I am not sure of what I am going to do with a shot I can capture it on all three and decide later which to print.</p>

<p>If I am doing my Ansel Adams imitation I load one as a +1, one as a normal, and one as a -1 so that I can process via the zone system. It is almost as easy as using sheet film.</p>

<p>-Harry</p>

<p>Bruce,</p>

<p>I recently purchased some frozen, vintage Tri-X which expired in 1997. The other day I exposed the first roll as a test. I developed in HC-110 solution H for 14 minutes, with two inversions each minute for the first three minutes.</p>

<p>There is noticable fogging, but man the images are solid gold! Just beautiful grain, and that classic Tri-X color rendition. As per the gentleman I bought it from on the next roll I will add some Edwal Orthazite to the developer. He used 20 mg at dilution B, so I will start with half that at dilution H.</p>

<p>If this clears the film, and it did for him, I scored a great little stash of classic Tri-X.</p>

<p>Best, Harry</p>

<p>Thanks all,</p>

<p>Bruce, years ago I had it to a point where I could load 35mm most of the time on a steel reel. But I don't think I ever got 120 to load right and that is what I am shooting these days. Old dogs and new tricks, you know how that goes, lol.</p>

<p>I do like your idea of using some 4: PVCS pipe. That may be the hot ticket!</p>

<p>Best, -Harry</p>

<p>Thanks all,</p>

<p>Bruce, years ago I had it to a point where I could load 35mm most of the time on a steel reel. But I don't think I ever got 120 to load right and that is what I am shooting these days. Old dogs and new tricks, you know how that goes, lol.</p>

<p>I do like your idea of using some 4: PVCS pipe. That may be the hot ticket!</p>

<p>Best, -Harry</p>

<p>I bought my RZ67 new from Robert White and even with duty and taxes they were the best around. Good people, knowledgeable, and very fast shipping. I highly recommend them.</p>

<p>I also bought quite a few lenses from KEH over the years and even their bargain rated pieces have been excellent.</p>

<p>Hope this helps,<br>

Harry</p>

<p>I just picked up an older film washer. The opening for the reel is 3 1/2" wide, unfortunatly my old Jobo 1000 reel is a shade over 3 1/2" wide!</p>

<p>Can anyone tell me if there plastic reels are under 3 1/2"? </p>

<p>I'll state the obvious up front, I know a steel reel will fit, but, I never got the knack of metal reels and at this point in my life do not want to spend the time learning so I am looking for a newer Jobo or a Paterson, or.....</p>

<p>Thanks,<br>

Harry</p>

<p>Roman,</p>

<p>I developed my first roll of B/W from my "new" 500C/M last night. I have not done any EI testing, so my exposures were a little off, but even under a loupe the negatives are amazing. The shots were taken with a 50mm C and a 150mm C T* lens and I am just in love with this machine.</p>

<p>I did "cheat" and bought a Keiv TTL/Spot prism, but for $38.00us I couldn't say no.</p>

<p>Enjoy your new tool, it will last you a lifetime. -Harry</p>

<p>Ok, I made some progress today. I took the 45 apart and reseated all the chips, after that XP recognised it during boot up. So now the scsi card works, the scanner is seen by the scsi card, but none of the software sees it.</p>

<p>VueScan works fine with the V500 scanner, but does not see this one. I think I have a problem with the driver, but I cannot find where PolaColor is putting the drivers when it installs itself. Does anyone know where Polacolor puts the SprintScan 45 drivers and what they are called? </p>

<p>I am so close I can feel it. Just ned to get over this last hurdle.</p>

<p><br />Thanks all,<br>

Harry</p>

<p>All interesting perspectives. I also think that what we are seeing is the closet kings coming out. I picked up a 500CM that was very well maintained, was definitly not a pro's camera, for the price of one of my DLSR lenses. One thing about film, a well maintained 35 year old Hasselblad and lens is still a great camera capable of amazing pictures, how many 10 year old DSLRs are still around? And of those how many produce a picture you would be willing to blow up to even 5x7?</p>

<p>Speaking of 5x7, I still have a pair of Kodak 5x7s view cameras from the turn of the century, (the last one!), and they will still produce a landscape image that will beat anything a digital can do. The thing is when I take that camera out I really have to think and utilize all the skills I built over almost 40 years of photography to make one good image. An image that I will not know is good for several hours after I have taken it. With the digital I can just shoot away and if I load a 4 gig card I am bound to have one that is acceptable.</p>

<p>Finally as a boomer I am at the point where I want my life to slow down a little. Taking a nice long ride on the bike, finding some scenic spot out in the country side, setting up, composing that one shot, that is a nice way to catch my breath. Matter of fact I may just go out and do it tomorrow!</p>

<p>I used to adjust the contrast by the grade of paper I used and developing time. Then I started using polycontrast paper and a dichro head to get the same level of control. </p>

<p>I love the film process for shooting and creating negatives, but digital printing does make life a lot easier. I will be doing a lot of testing this summer to see if I can get a good Tri-X look from a digital print. If not I will be resurrecting the darkroom once again so I can do wet prints.</p>

<p>There is an old saying that you will never see a Harley parked outside of a shrinks office. I am thinking we could expand that to include a hobbiest photographer's car as well. In my case I load the camera on the back of the Harley and have the best of both worlds. </p>

<p>What me worry!</p>

<p>The only camera I have ever purchased new was an RZ from Robert White in England. It was a magnificent beast, but a bit too large for a carry around. I agree that you really need to go over the manual carefully.</p>

<p>I can also vouch for KEH, I have purchased a lot of gear from them over the years and the two times I was unhappy with a purchase they took the items back with no hassle at all.</p>

<p>Good luck, -H</p>

<p>Aaron,</p>

<p>I began my photographic journey along with my best friend with his grandmother's Yashicamat during the "Summer of Love", I was a battelion photographer in the Army, and still I was way older then you before I began seriously thinking about my "style". As others have said you are way in front of that curve! I am at a point where I can appreciate an Ansel Adams print, and I have read all his books and have the notepads that spell out the different EI's I have for various films and formats. That is all good. My Dad used to say you have to know the rules to really be able to break them.</p>

<p>However, the last 5 years have found me going through my body of work and the photographs I like the best are not the ones that are techinically proficiant, but rather the ones where I was trying to "say" something with my work. After a lot of years shooting digital I have just gone back to film and the first thing I did was find 30 rolls of the old Tri-X, ( bless you Mr. Nistico! ) I know what I want to shoot ( and what it needs to "say" ) and I already know what I want it to look like and I know that the older Tri-X emulsion will get me there. I am so energized by it that it is not even funny.</p>

<p>Not long ago a friend of mine put together a series of shots of the interiors of public bathrooms at a famous amusment park in Florida. He started it as a lark, yet the images are strangely compelling. To me that is the heart of photography. And if your high contrast images help you tell the story you want then they are the correct images.</p>

<p>Ok this is pretty long. To answer your original question. To me the label Low Brow is used by people trying to justify the time they have spent learning something. If your images support your vision, and that vision represents a heart felt response to life, then they are as valid as an Ansel Adams or Imogen Cunnignham print.</p>

<p>Good light to you, -H</p>

<p>I've been told by a certified HB repair man that the springs and most other shutter parts are still avaiable, however glass is getting hard to find.</p>

<p>I have a chrome 50mm C that is fantastic, and a black 150mm C T* that is also a workhorse. I would not hesitate to buy a C lense, but would certainly jump on a CF for the same, or at least close money.</p>

<p>I have heard tell that there is a significant difference in the 60mm between the C and CF, guess I will hold out for one of those.</p>

<p>After you have completed your rinse, soak the film in a bath of distilled water before hanging it to dry. Most of the spots you see are the result of hard contaminates in your water.</p>

<p>I hope this helps,<br>

Harry</p>

<p>I've lived in Phoenix on and off fover the last 50 years and I have seen 115+ days. Some of those attics get REALLY hot.</p>

<p>Having said that, I would still try it. As others have pointed out it's 100 ft of a great film.</p>

<p>I will be in Orange middle of March, I would be happy to take it off your hands if you don't want to try it!</p>

<p>Les,</p>

<p>I will download and try VueScan this weekend, was planning on purchasing it once I got the scanner working anyhow.</p>

<p>The scanner is not showing up at all. The scsi card is there and show ok, but it is just not seeing the scanner.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>Les,</p>

<p>I am using a Adaptec 29160N card. The drivers are the latest from the Adaptec site specificlyu for this card and XT version 5.1.2600.5512. One thing I was wondering about is that this is an Ultra 160 card. Does the SCSI interface on the SprintScan run at that speed?</p>

<p>I looked for a new cable at work, but we don't have any. I am wondering if I should try installing this on my Vista 64 machine. Unfortunatly getting the machine out of it's cabinet and putting in the card will turn into an all day job.</p>

<p>Thoughts, Harry</p>

<p>I recently picked up a Polaroid SprintScan 45 and Adaptec SCSI card. They were reportedly working when they were pulled out, but I am having problems getting them working at home. I have downloaded the latest XP drivers for the card from Adaptec and it seems to load just fine. On boot I get the SCSI loading screen and the ASPI Info program says the card is working fine. But when I shut off the computer, turn the scanner on first, and then restart the computer, the SCSI card does not recognize that the scanner is there.</p>

<p>Any help would be really appreciated at this point.</p>

<p>I have the V500 and it is great for doing a single 6x6 or 6x7 at a time if they are intended for 8x10 or smaller prints. I have used a Polaroid Multi 45 in the past and am now setting it up again for use with my "new" Hasselblad 500cm. I used SilverFast in the past but this time I am going to move to VueScan as it works well on 64 bit Windows platform. Also please keep in mind, when you get to the massive size scans that are possible, you had better have a fast computer with a lot of memory that can handle processing them.</p>

<p>One of the shocks I had going back into medium format was the price of film. Keep in mind that you will pay $3.00 to $6.00 per roll. At 6x6 that is 12 shots or 25 to 50 cents a shot plus developing. After shooting digital it is an adjustment and does make a digital back a bit more attractive. The up side is it is like large format, the cost per shot will force you to really think before you trip the shutter.</p>

<p>I did have a Mamiya RZ at one time and it is a wonderful camera on a tripod, not so much so hand held. I picked an older Hasselblad, a 1985 model, as it has many, many years of life left in it and the lenses and almost all of the accessories are interchangeable within the V series of cameras. For under $700 I was able to find a body, three lenses, and a film back. I still need to add a meter of some sort, either in the finder or a handheld, and a second film back so I can switch between B&W and color in mid roll. But I should end up with a pretty nice outfit for right around $1,000.</p>

<p> Whatever you decide to do, enjoy! - Harry</p>

<p> </p>