kumba

There are excellent maps with everything photo-related in Japan/Tokyo at <a href="http://photojpn.org/news/modules.php?set_albumName=maptokyo&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php">PhotoGuide Japan/PhotoMaps</a>. These can help you quite a lot. I would suggest you to focus on Ginza area, especially at one of the Lemon Camera shops. I found that big chain photostores like Yodobashi, BicBic... have the highest prices and amusing loud jingles. The much mentioned Lucky camera at Shinjuku is worth a visit but there are more interesting shops at Ginza. You can find an excellent M6TTL for lower prices that you are looking for.

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Have a good time there. It's a wonderful city in a wonderful country.

Nice photographs, Brian. I'm sure you can compose very good series out of this theme.

Regarding Fuji B&W. Try that Neopan 400 with Rodinal 1+50 and 10sec agitation every 2 mins. Wonderful.

Maybe the oil in your Summitar is dry and blocks the iris leaves from moving at some point. The aperture ring of my 1948 example was completely stuck-up. As I read somewhere, I used cotton swab carefully dipped in lighter fluid (don't let the cotton tip to be saturated with fluid, wipe it of some paper tissue before touching that nice lens), and slowly wiped it several times around the seam between the aperture ring and the non-rotating front metal part. Eventually, the ring became loose and moving it became more and more easy. The idea is to soften the dried gunk in your lens with tiny ammount of lighter fluid acting as a thinner. I didn't noticed any sign of vapours forming on the inner glass surfaces as this Summitar is still perfect, except, of course, the sliding barrel :)

Cheers,

Hmm, Prague. Beautiful city. Having spent several enjoyable months studying there during the year 2000, I can only guess that this is the (entrance of the) Old Royal Pallace.

best,