bob_camarena

<p>As usual, you've done a great job. I'm really impressed with the quality of the current images taken on the old film.<br>

By the way, these would be photos of Boy Scout "Troop 137". The term "Pack" is applicable to Cub Scouts, which would have been younger boys in dark blue uniforms, not khaki.</p>

I don't know if it's possible with the F but it may be that the focusing screen is installed upside down. I did this myself with an EM that I disassembled for cleaning.

 

I, like others, would suspect the lens first.

Here's an update:

 

http://beijing2008.popphoto.com/2008/08/slr-cameras-not.html

I re-visited Zach's PopPhoto.com posting as suggested and the info is still somewhat vague in that the prohibition language lists "Any unauthorized professional photography equipment" under the heading "Restricted or Prohibited Items and Behaviours." Zach's initial take after talking with Olympic officials is that this would include SLRs and DSLRs which still seems to be the case so it sounds like it will be pretty unpredictable and possibly up to whoever is manning the gate when you enter, which isn't a risk I'm willing to take.

I'm sure there are many reasons to go. For me, it's simple, a family member is competing for the US team.

Regardless of what one thinks of China, there are athletes from all over the world for whom this is a

once-in-a-lifetime experience and I hope that it's a good one for them. I do have my fingers crossed that

China's efforts to reduce pollution will be successful.

I've been unable to find any independent corroboration of information given on Popular Photography's website

concerning SLRs and DSLRs being banned from Beijing Olympic venues except for those carried by "credentialed

photographers". Here's a <a href="http://beijing2008.popphoto.com/2008/07/slr-cameras-onl.html"> web page with the information</a>.

 

<p>

 

Does anyone have any information on this?

 

<p><b>Moderator: Discussion is on the issue of photographic equipment, not the government of China. Please post responses relevant to the question.</b>

I will be in Beijing for a week starting Aug 12. I was there in March on a tour but had no time to wander on my own but this time I will have more free time. We will be staying at the Xixi Friendship Hotel in the Xidan area, which I understand is a large shopping district frequented by locals. I'm hoping it is a good place for street photography. Can you tell me if this is the case and if you have any suggestions for photo/walking tours nearby?

Based on my experience with my local community colleges, you should learn a lot. I think that you'll be amazed at how fast your photography skills improve. I started taking photos as a hobby in 1964 and took my community college classes after I retired at 58. Not only did my skills improve but it was fun interacting with the other students, who ranged from college age to my age, classes.

If I were shooting with a view camera, working slowly and composing my image on a large-format ground glass, I

would expect that I would crop very rarely. With smaller formats, it's almost unavoidable, especially if when

making a traditional size print (8 x 10, 11 x 14, 16 x 20) since the proportions of your camera's format and the

print will almost always be different.

 

I have no philosophic problem with cropping other than the diminished image quality resulting from extreme

cropping. Personally (I shoot digital and 35mm), I try to crop as little as possible so as to maximize the

quality of the final product. In addition I generally let the image determine the proportions of my print rather

than be a slave to the traditional sizes.

If you still have a traditional camera store in your area, they often have a junk box full of nonfunctional lenses that they'll either sell cheap or give away.

I find that manual focus mode is the best for close-up work and for portraits.

Except for the tool photos, wouldn't you be better off with a scanner that can handle up to 12 x 12?

I prefer the traditional look of fiber-based glossy B&W paper dried matte. Its look is classic and kind of in between today's digital glossy and matte papers but without the texture found in most manufacturers' "pearl" papers.

 

The closest approximation I've used is Hahnemuhle's fineart pearl, which has minimal texture and comes close to the classic look. It's a very nice paper but it's comparatively expensive. I'd like to see the mainstream manufacturers such as Epson and HP come out with something similar at a price point comparable to their glossy and matte papers.

I bought an Argus C3 Geiss-modified camera with the Cintar 50mm f/2.8 lens on

ebay a couple of years ago. Neither the shutter nor the rangefinder worked

properly so it's been sitting on the shelf until last week when I finally got

around to fiddling with it after reading all I could find on the net. After the

judicious use of my jewelers screwdrivers and some lighter fluid on the shutter

leaves, all is working now (the rangefinder was the hard part). I'm quite proud

of myself since I think this is the first broken old camera that I've fiddled

with that I was actually able to fix.

 

My first test roll was a success except for some fogging when the back

accidentally started to come off when I was rewinding the film. The

twist-release for removing the back seems to be a bit vulnerable to loosening.

There's a reasonable amount of friction when it closes but it doesn't have any

sort of positive lock to it. Is that just the way it is or can it somehow be

tightened?

 

Here's one of my test shots, note fogging in upper left-hand corner.<div></div>

Once you're enrolled in the class at the community college, you can get Photoshop CS3 at a significant discount (under $300).

The term "25 day hike" is a bit vague. If it's a 25-day backpacking trip where you're going to be carrying all you food, clothes and camping equipment your needs will be far greater than if it's a 25 day guided "trek" with pack animals, Sherpas or some other means of carrying the bulk of your stuff. Most of the postings so far have addressed the former situation.

 

I'm wondering if you're asking about the latter situation since I would expect that someone contemplating a 25 day self-supported backpacking trip would be a bit more experienced than your question suggests.

 

Terrain and climate will also be determining factors.

 

A little clarification would help.

I enjoyed your article. Some of my first B&W 35mm photos were taken at the 1964 World's Fair with my Petri 7s after my freshman year in college. I got rid of the Petri somewhere along the way but ended up buying one on eBay just to have one in my collection. It wasn't the greatest camera in the world but it got me started in a great hobby. I replaced it a few years later with a Nikomat Ftn which I still have and which still works perfectly.

Loading 120 film onto a reel for processing is a bit different than 35mm, so be sure to practice with a scrap roll of film. Due to the wider width, it is susceptible to small fingernail-shaped creases that will ruin the frame so one needs to be particularly careful to not "crinkle" the film while loading.

They're not what you described as what you're looking for but I've found my local community college classes to be very good. In my area (Sacramento, CA), in addition to regular classes, some are short photo trips to Yosemite or the coast that involve a 3-day weekend plus a pre-trip and a post-trip meeting.

The best way to get the feedback you want is to either join a local photo group or take a class at your local community college. That will expose you to other photographers with opportunities to have your work critiqued and to also critique the work of others. In a class, you will get constructive feedback not only from the instructor but from other students. Photo.net and other online forums are great but there's no substitute for face-to-face contact and discussion with other photographers.

I can't answer your question, but I have two ideas that would give you bounce-flash capability.

 

1. Tape a piece of opaque, reflective material in front of your on-camera flash to reflect it upwards at whatever bounce angle you desire. Of course, there may not be enough power in your on-camera flash to make this feasible.

 

2. Use the same approach as #1 but only use the light from the on-camera flash to trigger an off-camera flash with an automatic trigger.

I agree, I'm seeing more and more magazine covers and photos that just scream "digital". I don't think it's the fault of the medium, it's just that they're overdoing it in post-processing.

Also, nikonians.org for your Nikon gear. They have an "I Want to Sell" forum.

Shay, you must have had an unfortunate experience with a photography course. My experience has been more in line with Hanna's even though some instructors were more effective than others.

I think Fredrik should have emphasized that the 1/focal length shutter speed is the slowest you should consider using if you're shooting hand-held. If you can, using a faster setting will reduce the effect of camera movement on your shot, thereby improving sharpness. Beginning photographers usually aren't the steadiest so shooting at faster speeds is advisable, I'd suggest 1/(2 x focal length).

 

Also, using a tripod whenever possible, will improve your shots, not only with respect to sharpness but composition as well, since it will slow you down a bit.

 

I've found that Ansel Adams' "The Camera" is very readable and as applicable today as it was when written. Even though it was written before digital the principles are the same. It's also satisfying to learn from one of the masters of photography.

 

If you have the time, consider taking a photography class or two at your local community college (many have evening classes). You'll learn more in one semester than you would in two or three years on your own.