tonyk

This old thread helped me recently when I lost the lever to my pre-1999 3021, so I'm giving some back with an alternative fix.

Unfortunately, even after sourcing and receiving a new lever (from manfrottospares.com), the center column could not get as tight it should. When I opened up the top cover of my tripod, I discovered that my "lock pin" which is the crescent shaped plastic that gets pushed into the center column was broken.

I couldn't simply replace it as the old lever mechanism has a single spiral that mated with the back of the "lock pin". The new lock pins available now doesn't have anything on the back to mate to the single spiral of the locking bolt mechanism so turning the lever does nothing to push the lock pin against the center column.

I sourced the following parts: 1/4" Draw bolt (used to join countertops, I'm using only the threaded rectangular piece); a 1/4" ratchet lever bolt (used for woodworking/drill press clamps); a piece of high density polypropylene I hand shaped (with a 1-1/4" hole saw and a molding cutter/fixture), and misc parts that include a washer & spring.

Check out the attached pictures. Hope this helps someone in a pinch.

What a coincidence! I just received my used (as opposed to your new) 80-200 2.8 ED lens yesterday as well. Mine is the older non D, no tripod collar, non AF-S, non-all crinkle paint version. I mounted it to my F4s and it felt it belongs there. On my D200, the lens makes the camera feel small.

With the D200, I was immediately able to take pictures of coupons stuck on the refrigerator door under fluorescent lights (hand held, no less). Under high magnification, I am able to read every single word clearly. No focus problems and any reservations I had about not having a tripod collar are now gone (now that I've tried it out). I don't even think the focus is particularly slow (feels much faster than my Sigma 400mm f5.6).

Anyways, the 80-200mm f2.8 non-VR lens has got to be one of the best deals out there today.

tk

Looks like the "Quick Release QR Plate Weifeng Tripod for 6223 & 6232" auction plates work with some filing of the base after the removal of the metal pieces screwed onto two of the four sides (to make the base flat). The base "square" was a little big, so it had to be filed down too on each of the four sides. Other than that, it's aluminum and easy to file down. It eventually fits, so that's that.

Thanks.

Tony

Re: "You might try Slik or Cullman (or others) to see if their plates work. This one looked like a Cullman."

Duane, thanks for the insight. I looked it up and found an auction for one that looks like it might work. Here is the info:

Quick Release QR Plate Weifeng Tripod for 6223 & 6232

I've ordered it. Hope it works.

Thanks.

Tony

Unfortunately, the plate mount is exactly the same on both heads. There is a protrusion on the top of the body (on the head) that dictates the orientation of the plate/mount. So, the head itself determines where the plate and mount goes.

The older quick release plates I'm talking about (and looking for) are grey in color and has the ability to mount in all 4 directions (almost looks like half a pyramid down there with a square that is tapered up in 4 sides to allow mounting on 4 sides).

Thanks.

Tony

Greetings. I have an older 3265 Grip head with the release lever on the left

side of the head (when the grip handle is pointing out) on my main tripod.

This head came with a gray colored quick release plate, that allows mounting

onto the head at any direction on the head.

I recently upgraded my travel tripod with a new 3265 head and it came with a

different quick release plate (3157N) and the release lever is on the back side

of the head. This new plate has arrows on the bottom showing where the lens

points. So now, when I use the new plate on the old tripod, I have to loosen

it from the camera and change the mounting orientation 90 degrees. This

defeats the whole purpose of standardizing on a quick release system.

The only solution I can think of is buying some of the older style quick

release plates that allows mounting in any direction.

Anyone have any clue where to get those?

And yes, I've tried to taking the plate mount off the head and re-orienting

them, but apparently, the head itself if directional and will not change.

Thanks in advance.

Tony

I have 2 of the older style photomessenger bags that look a lot less "space-suit-like". I have the small and medium sizes:

http://www.amazon.com/Tamrac-Photo-Messenger-Camera-Black/dp/B00004X10J/sr=8-12/qid=1160765454/ref=sr_1_12/102-7746178-0029764?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

and

http://www.amazon.com/Tamrac-Photo-Messenger-Camera-Olive/dp/B00004X10H/sr=8-10/qid=1160765468/ref=sr_1_10/102-7746178-0029764?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

Good: I took off the black stripe on the bags with the "Tamrac" name on it. They look like regular messenger bags. The medium sized one can hold an SLR with lens, 2 lenses, and a Leica M6 with 50mm and one other lens. The small one is good for the SLR with a couple of lenses. What I like about them is the fact that they are slim and don't look like camera bags.

Bad: The flap is not zippered down. There's a single buckle that holds the top flap closed. On a trip to Hong Kong, with pickpockets everywhere, I ended up using my wife's LowePro Lynx LX-160. Now that bag really looks like any other cheap shoulder non-camera bag, and is zippered. Too bad those are no longer made.

tk

If a folder is what you want...

Have you tried a Polaroid 180 land camera with 665 film? It yields not only a polaroid print, but an actual negative that can be used for enlargements. As I recall from the last time I use one, the lenses were pretty sharp on these pro cameras (180, 190, 195).

Just a thought.

tk

Here's the one I got recently from CitiBank:

From: "CITIBANK" <gopinath@citicards.com>

To: XXXXXXXX

Subject: Citi email Veerification - XXXXXXXX

Dear Online-Citibank Members,

This email was sennt by the Citibank-Online serevr to veerify your e-mail

address. You must ctlmpeoe this psrcoes by clicking on the link

below and enteering in the smmall window your Citi Debit

full Card number and CARD PIN that you use on Atm.

That is done for your prcoettion -F- becaurse some of our memebrs no

leognr have accses to their email adsedsres and we must verify it.

To veerify your e-mail addres and akcess your OnlineCitibank account, klick on

the link bellow. If nothing hapneps when you click on the link -r copy

and pastte the link into the adress bar of your web browser.

http://www.citibank.com/?n0Kc8MFkApoiEH09IPKB9DFPTo0guMeTMZ6WMKhmcHHPnHZ7yJ

THnny6NzmtlBb9Bt6n4m

The name in the return address makes it look like it came from India(?). Anyway, another clue to it's origin could be that every other word is misspelled. Citibank was vaguely interested in this when I called them...

Could this be another by-product of exporting our software work off to other countries? But then again, I'm sure there are tons of domestic scams similar to this.

tk

Sorry to say it, but if you can't figure it out by looking at the camera, it may be a little out of your league to do this type of repair work.

Having said that...

Open the back and look inside at the rear lens element. You should see the that with the correct tool, you can easily unscrew the rear element from there.

Good luck.

tk

The $90 L-208 would be fine for outdoor (reflected light) and portraiture (incident light) as a bare minimum. In fact, it's so small, I tend to just carry it around my neck and leave all my other more costly (and larger) meters at home. It also has a shoe mount if you decide to mount it like a flash on the camera. Gossen also just came out with a really small meter (like the 208, but with a digital display?).

Good luck.

tk

Why not carry a handheld meter? An Ambient/Incident light meter such as a Gossen Luna Pro, or even the small and affordable Sekonic Twinmate 208-L is what I use. Good luck.

tk

Your pictures are only as good as the processing and printing. You were pretty particular about using only Kodak HD400 film, so why not get the best processing available? AIM (formerly A&I) has reasonable prices and good turn-around times, and I believe there is a branch in Pasadena. Besides, it'll probably cost as much as Ritz's One Hour Photo processing. You can also go to Samy's in Pasadena, but they outsource most of the serious stuff (B/W, 120, 220, large prints, etc).

tk

Here is an example of an all-around setup for about $500:

Mamiya C220 with waist level finder (with or without neck strap), 80mm f2.8 late chrome or black lens with lens shade, Mamiya triggerless grip/flash-bracket, paramender, and a good light meter (like a Sekonic Twinmate 208).

I'll tell you why...

The C220 is lighter than the C330 (simpler and less expensive, with seperate cocking of shutter / film advance, no parallax correction on the screen - which is what the paramender is for). The C220 is also newer than the C33 (which is heavier and does not take 220 film like the C220/C330 without a different back). The small Sekonic meter is both a reflective and ambient light meter that is small enough to wear around your neck and still be comfortable. The Mamiya TLR is unique in that it has a bellows that allows for extreme close-ups requiring you to be inches away from the subject (paramender is required for this type of work). With the grip/bracket, this TLR is very usable out in the field. You don't even need a neck strap with this setup (the grip has a leather strap that goes around your grip hand), and best of all, the bracket itself has a tripod screw underneath, so you don't have to remove it to mount it on a tripod.

You'd be hard pressed to find a medium format system with a f2.8 lens that can do everything the above system can do for around $500.

Put in some 400 speed b/w film and push it to 800 speed and it would a great available light camera (skip using flash).

But if you want to use a flash, get a Vivitar 283 or 285 and it should be powerful enough to use as a fill flash in direct sunlight (flash sync at ALL speeds with any Mamiya TLR lens!!!).

tk

I have both. Unfortunately, it is the real prism that has the silvering come off on multiple faces. Strange enough they were stored under the same conditions and only the prism got damaged.

Thanks for the replies.

tk

Can any repair shop or specialized optics vendor re-silver the prism

on a finder? If so, who? I have an old Mamiya TLR prism that looks

like it needs to be completely re-silvered (corrosion of the existing

mirror finish). Would this be so expensive that I shouldn't even try?

Thanks in advance.

tk

In what condition was your mirror? The old TLRs sometimes had problems with the top-of-the-glass silvered mirrors. People who don't know better ruin many a camera, trying to wipe it clean. If it's not your screen, check the mirror underneath.

tk

Lowepro has just discontinued a perfect hip pouch for a Leica sized camera. The LowePro Camera Pocket is cheap and perfect for keeping your Leica at the ready and close to your body. All you need then is a wrist strap and you're set. When I travel light, I carry in it: Leica M6 with 50mm Summilux/cron, Hexar Flash, and a CV 15mm with viewfinder. It all fits in this little bag.

You can find a picture of it here:

http://www.hotbuyselectronics.com/lowepro_camera_pocket.htm

tk

Not much more to say. Everyone is right and everyone is wrong. It's really up to you and what you expect to get out of the system.

Personally, I like the bigger film, the low resale value (used systems are priced very competitively, so you'd get a good deal), relatively small package of the MF rangefinder system, and the ability to flash synch at all speeds (up to 1/500 sec). I recently did a Sunset Wedding photoshoot at the beach, and 1) The bigger negative was a plus (the BW pics were great... so much details on the wedding dress), 2) flash synch at 1/500@ f22 with a Metz 60CT-1 (to darken the background one stop, while the people are right on made the picture look like it was shot in a studio with a background) and 3) The fact that it was quite a hike down a cliff for the location chosen by the B/G, so the lighter medium format rangefinder system of at least two bodies and several lenses, was a big plus compared to a similarly equipped MF SLR system.

Works for me. Does it work for you? Only you can answer that.

tk

Although indoor studio light type of photography is not really my cup of tea (I shoot outdoor weddings on location), I have done it once on a shoestring budget, when I did our own family portrait in front of our Christmas tree.

Main Light: Metz 60CT-1 with custom-made bounce card.

Side lights (left and right): Vivitar 285HV with shoe slave adapter on the wide angle setting.

Back light: Vivitar 285HV with Omnibounce diffuser pointed straight up with shoe slave adapter.

You will need stands for all of them, and/or a good imagination to somehow place your flashes in the right place (tape, placed on mantle, whatever).

You can put all the flashes on Auto at f16, take flash meter readings for confirmation, take test shots with Polaroid and/or digital (if you digital has manual settings), then adjust flashes, and/or camera exposure accordingly.

Depending on how much flash you use and how much ambient light is available, you can darken the background or even it out. Careful with flash placement, as they can spotlight certain aspects of the picture (like using one of the 285HV flashes in telephoto mode). These may or maynot show up in Polaroid or even digi test shots (especially when viewed on the camera's little screen).

As you already know, try to place all the flash units as close to the subjects as possible, as these little flashes are not very powerful.

Good luck.

tk

My condolences for your loss.

As an aside, I can share my experience with crime in Milan.

About 5 years ago, I was in Milan for business and decided to walk to where the "The Last Supper" was housed. On the way there my partner and I were confronted by 4 guys (3 of them in a car and one on the street). The one guy flashes a badge, tells me that they are policemen and that I'm going to be searched for drugs. Well, this is my first time in Italy, and I have no idea what's going on, so, next thing I know, I'm being searched. The guy is thorough. He pats me down, then asks if I have any weapons, etc. Then somehow, he finds my wallet and starts going through it (sniffs it, etc). My partner starts to get suspicious at this point and snatches his wallet from the guy's hands. He then gets in the back passenger seat of the car with 3 other guys in it and for whatever reason (maybe because he still had my wallet and passport) I jump head first into his open passenger window. The car starts to go and I'm being dragged down those not-so-easy-to-walk-all-day-on Italian cobble stone streets. After 5 or so feet, I manage to wrestle my passport and wallet out of his hands, while the guy is busy taking cash out of my wallet. Then all of a sudden, I fell out of the car. I tumbled to a halt, got up and was $200 poorer, but managed to get back my passport, and my wallet (with the rest of my money in different compartments).

I was all bruised up. The corner of my Zippo lighter in my pant pocket was scraped to the brass, but strange enough, I found no holes in my pants.

We continued our walk, saw the Last Supper, and on our way back (two blocks from the US Embassy, no less!), some other guys tried the same mugging scam on us! Well... this time this new group had a 5th member, who stops people in the streets, asking for directions from his map, while his partner(s) sneaks up on us, demanding to search us. Well, as soon as he flashes his fake badge, I kicked him, slap his badge onto the ground and both my partner and myself started screaming and yelling, while walking towards the middle of the street, into traffic (drawing attention). The two guys got into the car (with 3 other guys in it) and left. I should've went back and picked up the fake badge, but felt lucky enough not to be victimized again. They probably thought we were rich Asian tourists or something.

I'm planning to go back to Italy one day (it's really a beautiful country, but I've learned my lesson the hard way: Always be aware and alert. Both incidences happened in broad daylight, when being mugged was the last thing on my mind. Surprisingly enough, nothing happened to me wandering the streets of Milan and Florence at night till dawn all alone.

Go figure.

TonyK

I've used Fuji's MS100-1000 slide film at 800-1000 and I didn't like the results at all. I lost contrast to the point where the blacks were no longer black. Truly dreadful. It's not so bad at 200 or 400.

TonyK

John,

The angle and pose of your subject is perfect. I wouldn't change anything. If you moved around a bit, you might not have gotten the same impact as you did in this portrait. What you can try to do is ask the subject to sit still and bracket your shots using different angles (while moving around to avoid the bike?), but, it's hit and miss. Also when doing that, you might miss "the moment". I'm glad you are enjoying the M2. I just finished a roll this weekend (with a Hexar RF), but due to really old liquid B/W developer (which I thought was still good), I lost the whole roll! Ahhhhh! Good thing I didn't finish the roll in the backup camera (M6).

TonyK

John, the DOF is fine. I like it the way it is, but the bicycle...

Looking at the thumbnail (small picture, like looking from afar), it's not a distraction at all, but when I look at the largest version of this picture and I could only see part of the shot at a time (which is like getting closer to the photograph and studying just one part of it, like your subject's face), then the bicycle distracts my attention sightly from the subject's face, just because it is directly behind him on the same 2D level as his face.

You wouldn't happen to have bolt cutters with you that day (to cut the chain locking the bike)?

TonyK

Good way to test out the camera/lens, John. I liked the portrait of a "Fellow Leica User in town". He looks a little defiant in his left arm gesture and his brow is furrowed, even though his hat shades his face.

Anyways, is this color print film (you mentioned Kodak Photo CD)?

TonyK