timbowles

Well, I tested some wooden film holders I bought, and I only have a couple with

light leaks that would affect the photo. They seem to all have a tiny little

slit leak right in the bottom corner where the flap meets the body of the holder

though. Perhap the darkslides were not pushed all the way in? (I'd expect the

whole bottom of the film to be affected though, and this is not the case)

 

The "bad" leaks are all along the bottom of the holder, either in the corners or

along the bottom itself. I can see how some hockey tape would fix the leak along

the bottom, but what do I do about the corners? I can't see where the light

would be coming from. How are these usually fixed, while leaving the flap mobile

and not adding any material to the face of the holder (which would thereby cause

an uneven interface with the camera back)?

 

Thanks,

Tim

Considering the run-around Kodak gives its film community, No.

Does anybody have a source in Canada, or know if Kodak is going to be doing

another run on EIR?

I do my own B&W printing only- color chemicals are pretty much the way of the dodo in Canada, and pretty toxic. I have just recently taken the plunge into printing, but have only done 8X10's so far. I can go to beyond 16X20 with my enlarger, but once you get that high, chemical volumes, trays, etc add cost and complexity. I am planning a 16X20 of an image for a christmas present, but luckily right now I can do it at the darkroom course I'm taking (saves me the hassles mentioned). I keep my wet printing to my 'artsy fartsy' stuff, and scan my color to print on a Canon Pixma. My printer can only do up to 8X10s, so I don't know how far I could push the scanned image. I've been told that 12X18 is definitely doable with this scanner, and from the results I've seen so far, I'd agree. I'll maybe have to do a crop equivalent and print an 8X10- hadn't considered that before.....

To add to the above posts:

I don't like changing bags for anything other than loading the film, as it gets hot, sweaty, and sticky in there. Loading film onto a reel in one of those things could drive you crazy and put you off the whole thing entirely.

 

I disagree that you need to be printing to determine contrast/etc. That can all be done by a lab- you just need to ensure the film is properly exposed giving good densities. In my opinion, this is alot trickier than developing film, which is basically cookbook. I do not claim to be anything other than a novice, but I've been doing this without printing so far, and you can check out my results- I have a couple posted here on my page.

 

Both the above points relate in part to how you are loading your film- this has to be done in complete darkness, which I assumed you were doing in my first post. If you can load the film, you can load the tank.

 

BTW, I'm using TMax diluted 1:4 in distilled water for 6 min, inverting once per minute at 68 deg F. This is a recommendation I got on APUG.org and seems to be working ok so far, but I'm not satisfied yet. This is definitely a work in progress, as you will see for your self. I'm finding exposure rated at iso200 a bit hot for this technique, and will have to adjust a bit. higher iso gives you less burnt out highlights, but tends to increase grain. The search goes on, but it's fun. I will have to try Ronald's recipe. I have heard D76 is also suitable for this film ,and not many are. Something else you should know is that this emulsion is particularly fragile- you have to treat it like a china doll until it is fixed (the 3rd chemical you use when developing).

I have the Nikon V ED (for 35mm) and really like it. I also shoot FP4+, Velvia, Astia and Superia Reala. The scanner is accurate for all but the color neg film.

So far I am still using film, and am really enjoying my darkroom. I have the Nikon VED and use Fuji slide film which scans quite nicely (color neg film is tricky to scan). I'm not going to re-start the endless debate over darkroom being as much a form of manipulation as using photoshop, but my philosophy prefers the 'honesty' of film, as I really don't like over-PS'd images. My set-up is much cheaper than the digital equivalent, as already stated by others (although it's the lens that makes the photo, not the camera).

 

This being said, I also enjoy dabbling in photoshop and see the instant results with digital a boone- I plan on getting a dSLR eventually to *add* to my kit, not to replace it. Each has their purpose, you just have to decide what your end goal is. If it's just to take shots to be able to get them onto the web, and have no personal preference, obviously go digital. The lower end bodies are getting pretty cheap- closing in on the price of the scanner. Keep in mind that for archival purposes you can't beat film. Like one poster here, I had considered scanning all my film for 'protection', but after researching how long the media is reliable (avg 5 years), I stopped wasting my time. People who are serious about digital archiving seem to have multiple HUGE hard-drives.

Hi Jan:

 

You don't need any "experience" with darkrooms if you're just developing film. Just get a developing tank and accessories, and use the dark room/changing bag that you are using to load the film into your camera to load the film onto the developing reel. It's cheap, rewarding and really easy once you find your recipe and technique, which can be found all over the web.

 

Tim

I just got my own Mat124 the other week. I also just got into developing my own film and making contact prints because of it (it's easier and cheaper than you think). I have to support what Randy just said. I use FP4+ in Ilfosol and even as a beginner I'm getting great results that I love. p.s. If you haven't discovered APUG.org yet, check it out.

 

Tim

Hi Wayne- I have both the Elan 7e and EOS 3. Both are great cameras with their own ups and downs. The Elan is small and quiet, and has most features most people use commonly. It lacks the spot meter and the superior autofocus points of the 3 however. The 3 is large, heavy and noisy. These don't bother me, and having to go back to the Elan on a recent shoot (the 3 was loaded with film for another project) was a bit of a pain. The full, bright viewfinder, the added AF points and the spot meter grow on you quickly. For the price you can get a 3 for on ebay in Exc+ cond, I'd go with that.

Thanks everyone- I'll definitely look into KEH rather than B&H for used stuff. I've been watching ebay as well, but I feel that stuff goes too high on ebay due to bidding frenzy.

Hi all- this is just a follow-up to a previous question:

 

I was looking through the used equipment at B&H and noticed some

pretty nice prices for EOS 3 bodies with a rating of "9". I know that

B&H has a great reputation, but I have always been nervous about

buying used photo or electronic equipment- too many fragile parts and

such (I've had problems before). Also, living in Canada, any warranty

they would have is a bit of a pain- I'd have to send the camera back

down. Has anybody had experience buying used equipment there? If so,

are you happy with their rating system not being exaggerated? Would a

rating of "9" be likely to indicate "problem-free"? Thanks again for

any advice.

Thanks for all the great advice! The last big ticket item I bought from the U.S. was a subwoofer, and was charged tax and duty so I was expecting it for the camera gear as well. I would be saving more now than I first thought!

 

It looks as thought the way to go is U.S. parcel mail then (it's also the cheapest method they send by).

Thanks guys- you were a big help. I had always wondered what IMP/ grey market items were as well.

Thanks Rob- I feel kind of silly- I was looking under the 'Foreign Customers' Dept and didn't think to look in the 'Sales' Dept. I guess I'm not as foreign as everybody tells me ;-)

 

I'm wondering if I have to contact Canon US or Canada directly regarding the warranty issue...

Hi- this is in response to a few posts I've read about unethical web

stores (especially in New York). I'm in Canada and don't often buy

from the U.S. (border and warranty hassels). My question is twofold:

 

1) B&H appears to have a very good reputation, but on advice from

other posters I attempted contact via email proir to a purchase- I

cannot find an email address on the site. The site I found via google

is: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ Is this the correct site, and does

anybody know the email address?

 

2) Does Canon U.S. honor warranties if the product is shipped to

Canada? For warranty work, do I have to send the item back to the

U.S., or will the warranty be honored by Canon Canada?

 

Thank you very much for any advice. (Sorry if it's not very EOS-

related)

also "Photography" by Phil Davies, I believe now in its 7th edition. It was my 1st book as the text a university course I took.

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