robert_kramer

You can't go wrong with B&H or Adorama, but also check out 17th Street Photo as well. They had the best deal on the D70 when I bought mine last month (compared to the other reputable dealers I trust). Great service and very reputable. I can highly recommend them, based on my experience with them.

Thanks Andreas!

 

I know what you mean about advise on the internet. Before I bought my D70, all the user comments on the various forums pretty much had me convinced I would rarely if ever see the moire effect. But it reared its ugly head the first weekend I had the camera!

 

I will check out the software you mentioned.

 

Bob

Andreas,

 

Any recommendations on a good RAW converter? I just bought a D70, and want to shoot RAW. How about Photoshop CS2?

 

Thanks,

 

Bob

"I don't see anything wrong with the choice of the D2X since it's Nikon's smallest digital body that has a remote chance of obtaining sharp street pics in terms of focus. Believe me, I've done this a lot with the D70 and the body is totally inadequate, although it is small."

 

Illka, can you elaborate on the focus problems with a D70? I am thinking about getting one for urban street photos, and would like to here what the problems are with the D70.

 

Thanks!

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. They are a big help!

Hello,

 

I have about decided I need to go ahead and get a digital SLR, and the

350D looks like the best of the less expensive options. One question

I have though, having not used a canon camera since my F1 back in the

'70s, is which wide angle lens should I get?

 

I will be shooting a lot of architectural subjects with the camera,

and will definitely need at least a 28mm (35mm equivilent)focal length

lens. Also the least amount of barrel distortion would be preferred

due to the straight lines of the building I want to photograph.

 

How do the new digital lenses stack up in this regard? Is the kit

EF-S 18-55mm lens offered adequate for my needs? This lens is so

inexpensive that I wonder how well it performs. How about the EF-S

17-85mm? Does anyone know if it handles distortion and flair well

enough to justify spending the additional $450 for this lens? The

EF-S 10-22mm lens is also tempting, but I wonder about distortion when

using a lens this wide.

 

I would appreciate any thoughts you guys might have who have used

these lenses.

 

Thanks!

I have both the 90mm and 180mm lenses you mention, that I use on my Leicaflex. They are good lenses, and the bokeh is outstanding. The 180mm is a great travel lens, since it is so small and light. They aren't going to blow people away in terms of sharpness (like a 35mm asph. summicron will), but man, is that bokeh nice! I should mention that I use the 180mm mostly wide open (it is a bit slow).

 

I can't comment on the other lenses, as I don't use zooms. Hope that helps.

 

Bob

I recently bought a Bronica ETRSi camera, and am hoping you can help

me some questions about the various extension tubes for this camera.

I want to do some macro work, mainly flowers and insects, as well as

photograph small hummingbirds with a longer (200mm or 250mm)lens. I

understand the longer lenses don't focus particularly close, so I am

assuming an extension tube would be required to get close to a full

frame shot of a hummingbird.

 

Can you guys suggest which of the three tubes would work best for

these purposes? I don't really understand the tables in the manual

that indicate the focussing range for the various PE lenses with the

tubes. I don't think I need something that will focus down to 1:1,

just need to get somewhat closer than the lenses without tubes will

allow.

 

Thanks for your help!

A Sekonic 308b will certianly help with checking your flash output. BTW, interior shots often look best if the exterior seen through a window is about one stop overexposed relative to the interior exposure. YMMV, of course.

 

The diffuculty with your M6 is that you are limited to 1/50 second shutter speed, so use a slow speed film or else you may severely overexpose the exterior light.

 

Bob

Just ran across this thread so I thought I would throw in my data as well. I'm 49 now, bought my first Leica, a DS M3 with 2.8 50mm Elmar lens for $300 in 1981 when I was 26. I have never bought new Leica equipment.

Can anyone tell me if the lens hood for the Bronica 75mm EII lens

will fit the 75mm PE lens? Both appear to have the same filter

diameter, but I have gotten conflicting info on the hood

compatability. Thanks!

Thanks a lot for all the responses. They are much appreciated! I may just go the rangefinder route, as most of my 35mm stuff is done with rangefinder cameras, so it is something I am certainly used to. But there is something very appealing about ground glass waist level viewing in medium format for me. I think I will rent both a mamiya 6 or 7, and a 6x6 SLR for a weekend and give them both a test drive.

 

Oh yeah, and I will definitely keep the Rollei TLR. I love that camera... just wish it had a 60 or 50mm lens on it.

 

Anyway, thanks again.

 

Bob

On a whim, last year I picked up a Rollei TLR and have become quite

addicted to this camera in particular and the medium format in

general. I am loving the results from those big negatives! The

thing is, I am wanting to get beyond some of the limitations of the

fixed lens camera. I love using wide angle lenses, and it appears

the cost of a Rollei-wide is WAY beyond all reason. So I am trying

to decide between an SLR or one of the rangefinder 6x6 or 645 cameras.

 

I am somewhat drawn to the SLR cameras, but after handling a few in a

local shop, I wonder how useable they are for hand-held photography.

My style of photography for the most part does not involve a tripod,

so I was hoping you all could offer some insights. How slow a

shutter speed can you get away with a 6x6 or 645 SLR when hand held?

Are certain brands better with dampening vibrations at slow shutter

speeds than others? How about an older focal plane shutter SLR vs. a

newer leaf shutter model (the older Bronicas in particular seem guite

reasonably priced, but I bet they kick like a mule)? In the past I

have heard people comment that a 'Blad is just about useless if not

on a tripod, so I am a little concerned.

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

Bob Kramer

As someone mentioned, this *is* a Leica list, so my suggestion is a

Leicaflex SL with a 60mm Elmarit Macro lens. They don't get much

less fiddly than an SL, and in terms of build quality it is the M3 of

SLRs. This would be a great botanical close-up kit that won't break

the bank.

ANY black paint camera has a far nicer finish than a black anodized

chrome finish camera. If I had the bucks, and was choosing between

the two you are suggesting, I would go for the black paint LHSA

camera everytime.

 

<p>

 

And IMO there is nothing wrong with enjoying the beauty of a camera

as a piece of industrial art. Just don't get so carried away that

you never shoot with it! :-)

Just one thought to add. If you get an SLR, resist the urge to use

any automatic exposure features, and find a camera that has a spot

metering mode. A good in camera spot meter will teach you a lot

about how to evaluate light levels to enhance your photographic

ability. The best thing I did when I was a young 17 year old

photographer was to dump my averaging light meter camera for one that

used a spot meter.

 

<p>

 

Just my $0.02 worth.

Thanks guys! I appreciate your help on this. I didn't really think

much about a hood cap for this lens until I got a 35mm asph 'cron,

and really got used to just putting the cap on the hood. Anyway,

thanks again for the info.

Greetings! I have a dumb question I need some help with. I have a 50mm Summicron, second to the latest design, with the separate lens hood. This hood can be reversed on the lens for compact carry, but the lens cap will not fit on the shade. Is there a separate lens cap designed to fit on the reversed hood? Thanks for your help!

That collapsable summicron is a 1950's design lens. Get something

more recent and you will be happier. You should be able to get a

current or next to latest design summicron for about $500 US. If

that is too much, go for one of those cosina/voigtlander screw mount

50mm lenses, which I think are only about $350 US new, and quite

sharp.

 

<p>

 

Get your camera from someone reputable! Ebay is a real roll of the

dice, IMO. I find the best deals are from repair people, who seem to

always have a camera or two for sale (and the cameras have always

just received a CLA, as an added benefit). The camera you looked at

is not a good deal if the slow speeds are sticking. You would need

to budget another $200 or so for a CLA. As the other fellow pointed

out, for this money you might as well buy an M6 new. Good luck!

From my experience, mirror slap alone makes a good rangefinder better

in low light than just about any SLR. YMMV, of course. With the

high rangefinder magnification, lack of rangefinder flare, and the

superior shutter brake, my personal favorite low light camera is an

M3.

Rangefinder cameras live and breath for low light situations. That

is one of the things they are good at. With a fast lens you can

easily shoot indoors at night without a flash.

 

<p>

 

The IIIf is a finicky little affair that isn't all that user

friendly. A beginner should avoid them. Unless you buy an M6 (which

has a built-in light meter), you will need to buy a handheld meter.

You will have to transfer the settings from the meter to the camera

manually. For a good user M3 (body only) expect to pay around $900

minimum, plus another $500 - $650 for a used f2.0 50mm current design

lens.

 

<p>

 

Make sure you get your hands on one before you buy to make sure this

is really the route you want to take. That's a lot of cash to lay

down if you aren't absolutely sure this is the camera design for you.

I have a watson loader that I use all the time. Never had a problem

with it. I reuse my cassettes 4 times only (put a tick mark on the

cassette each time it is used), so as not to run the risk of

scratches from the reused felt light trap on the cassette. I see

some people think these loaders are the devil, but they work great

for me.

I tested a 135mm Elmarit-R last year that had bokeh almost just like

your shot. Really nasty and harsh, so I returned the lens. I was

thinking about maybe getting the 180mm f/3.4, but not any more!

Thanks for posting the shot.

I think you answered your own question. Shoot some slides and see

what they look like. I don't know if the exposure is really all

*that* critical. I shoot slides with my M3 and M4 cameras all the

time (using a handheld incident light meter).

 

<p>

 

Regards,

Jack, a lens with goggles is easier to carry in your bag, becuase

they are attached to the lens. That way, you don't have to go

digging in your bag for an aux. finder if you want to use the lens.

And you can focus and compose at the same time while looking in only

one veiwfinder.

 

<p>

 

But having said the above, I will say I once owned a 35mm summaron

lens with the goggles (bought it to use on my M3), and I absolutely

hated that lens. Actually I didn't hate the lens as much as I hated

those damn goggles! The view was very distorted with a lot of

curvature to the field of view. I found this distortion to be

extremely distracting and annoying, and it didn't help with critical

focusing either.

 

<p>

 

Since the lens itself wasn't all that great a performer anyway, I

ended up selling it.