ben_hutcherson

One last thing-there is only one common way to power the New F-1 via anything other than an internal battery. If you use the Ni-Cd pack on the motor drive, there is a cable which replaces the battery door and allows you to power the camera from the battery pack. These aren't super common, but do show up. Back about 10 years ago, I rebuilt a couple and sold them on Ebay. I have one I rebuilt for myself that's still going strong. I hate to make a C vs. N comparison and overall I consider the New F-1 a better camera than the contemporary F3, one thing I do have to give Nikon credit for is that the MD-4 for the F3 will automatically power the body when attached.

You're right. I just remember "blue tab" when I go looking for them.

The Yankee Clipper was my first tank. It's a bit crude, but I developed a fair bit of film in it. I picked up a second along the way, and still use it occasionally as I've found that I can wiggle it to intermediate positions that don't have a "notch" in the reel. I've developed 2x3 sheet film in the tank by doing that. Do not attempt to invert or even turn the tank sideways-it's light tight but not water tight. You have the agitation stick/thermometer(the thermometer is useless in my experience), which is fine for agitating. I liken Yankee darkroom products to Lee products in the world of reloading ammunition(if there's anyone else on here that enjoys both hobbies/practices). They're not the best built and sometimes use "strange" ways to accomplish things. They make an attractively priced 4x5 daylight loading tank, but it's agitated by rocking back and forth and from what I've read makes a mess. When I got into 4x5 I ended up with the new to the market SP455 tank, which is a 4-sheet daylight tank that's completely water tight and uses 16 oz. of solution. I've also been playing with the new Adox Scala lately using the published Ilford reversal process. This process requires light reversal and also uses a sulfuric acid/permanganate bleach. I don't want to put that in my good stainless tanks and reels(most of which are old Omegas and Nikkors), which is why I've been using the Yankee tanks. Since I can be a bit lazy in the darkroom, I yank the reel out of the tank and leave it under a halogen desk lamp(with occasional rotation and inversion) for an hour or two for the light reversal.

Fulltone Photo in Louisville will do full service C-41, E6, and B&W in 120 and 220. That may be too far for you(~2 hours), but it might be better than nothing if you're in a pinch. Get there early enough in the day and tell them that you need it that day, and they should be able to do it. I'd still find it hard to believe that there's not a lab in Indianapolis that can do it.

Thanks-the 40mm Nikkor-D is definitely looking appealing. In general, the S/S2/S2a/C lenses tend to be small since you don't have to haul the the focusing helical around with them. That's definitely appealing to me. I use 20s and 24mms in 35mm a lot, and while many 20mms have a large front element(both my nFD 2.8 and my pre-AI 3.5 take a 72mm filter) they are overall not that large or heavy. Of course, I'm also less likely to take my S2a or C out in the first place since the bodies are so darn heavy :) I'd be interested from hearing from anyone with the 40mm for the SQ. It wouldn't surprise me if it's similar in weight to the Hasselbad, but then I've never seen one in person. Prices for the Nikkor for the S-series are running $400-500 on Ebay, while I remember the last 40mm SQ mount KEH having being around $250. It sounds like the 38mm might be one of those "must have" lenses, but I can think of photo equipment I'd rather spend $2K on right now than one of those.

Not too long ago, this dyed-in-the-wool Canon guy picked up a Nikon F with the original Photomic finder. It has the external CdS cell, but is the later "push button" version rather than the "flag" version. In any case, the camera came with a 50mm 1.4, but I have a few other F-mount lenses. I'm a bit confused by the aperture indexing, though. Unlike my F2(DP-1) and Nikkormat FTn, the camera seems to just read the aperture correctly without having to twist the ring back and forth like I do on other cameras. I've checked it with a 55m f/3..5 and 28mm f/2.8, and it seems to read the apertures correctly on all of those lenses. In addition, the exposures are at least good enough on Tri-X. Am I missing something here? It seems strange that this earliest finder can read the aperture correctly without having to be "taught" while the later ones require it. The only real limitation I can find is that it won't go down to f/32 with my 55mm Micro.

I know that we can't(generally) get the kind of crazy wide lenses for medium format as we can get for 35mm, but I'd still like something that's as wide as I can realistically get. My current systems are the Bronica SQ(a) and the Bronica S2. I have the 50mm Nikkor lens for the S2a, but nothing other than an 80mm for the SQ. From what I've seen, the 40mm lens compatible with the SQ system seems readily available and affordable, although the 40mm Nikkor-D for the S2 isn't that much more expensive. Also, it seems that the widest available is the 38mm Zeiss for Hasselblads. Aside from needing Hasselblad equipment to use it, it seems that I'm looking at a lens that needs an external viewfinder and the like. So, I'm writing that one off. With that in mind, does anyone have any ideas on the two above options? I'm open to others if they are in the realm of being affordable, but am not inclined to invest in a new system now. Also, I'm not really interested in a 50mm since I already have access to one. Thanks, Ben

The New F-1 is fine with any discharge profile battery-it will meter and function correctly up until the battery no longer has enough power to activate the power/shutter release. Over the years, I've run my fair share of alkaline, silver, and lithium batteries in my New F-1. All of them work equally well, although I prefer the lithiums as the F-1 uses so little power that in my experience batteries tend to perish from age rather than use. Please note that this is only applicable to the New F-1(F-1N), not the original F-1(aka F-1 and F-1n). The original F-1s DO require a battery of the correct voltage with a stable discharge curve-in the old days this was a mercury battery. Now, you can have a zener diode installed to use silver oxide, use a Wein cell, or if you're a cheapskate like me you shove a #625 hearing aide battery(~$10 for 8) in the battery compartment and use it.

<p>Daniel,<br> <br />Here's a random thought on something to try that may or may not work. Try pulling the SA-21, opening it up, laying a film strip in it, and then trying to scan. I know that's a pain in the rear, but it might also tell you if there's at least some life in the SA-21. </p>