photojim

No need to feel silly. I guarantee you someone else has had or will have your problem, so posting your solution is always worthwhile.

Which Nikon do you have?

 

The 135/2.8 AI or AI-S will have the widest compatibility. It will work on Nikons both old and new.

 

The non-AI will only work on older Nikons (although you can modify it to work on newer ones). But I'd recommend you avoid the non-AIs unless you are very familiar with what lenses work with which bodies.

Any fast film is sensitive to how it is stored. Cosmic rays will fog fast films, even if you freeze them. The only way to prevent this is to store the film deep underground. I read somewhere once that Kodak has underground storage in abandoned mines for this very reason.

 

I don't recall ever seeing bulk TMZ so I don't think it has ever been particularly popular. It is not exactly a standard-use film, although there is probably the odd person like you that finds it fits their photographic style really well. (I'm at the other extreme - I like slow films. :) )

You can get the non-AI lenses modified, too, so that they do meter couple with AI and AI-S bodies. Unless the lens is particularly collectible, you'll also be increasing the lens' value and preserving the body's value.

If you use your 135mm lens on this body, you'll set the aperture with the aperture ring - but you won't get metering, since your body requires electronic lens coupling to permit metering.

 

Higher-end bodies permit the use of the aperture ring. I don't use digital bodies so I can't tell you which ones. I'd guess that the D200 does and the D100 and D70 do not, and the D1 and D2 series bodies do. Google before you rely on this information.

 

The medium-end and higher bodies (both film and digital) have separate thumbwheels for aperture and shutter speed, so you can still change settings with the camera to your eye. I think the D40 and D50 only have one wheel, which makes it a little less convenient. This is one of the reasons why they cost less; the construction is simpler.

It doesn't have ED glass, so it's more likely to show colour fringing on a digital body than the 70-300 ED would. (Digital sensors are more sensitive to colour fringing than film is.)

 

I love my 75-300, but I don't shoot digital. It will work fine, but I can't comment at all on whether it works well on digital sensors. Sharpness is fine, range is good, build quality is good.

 

300mm f/5.6 is pretty slow though, and the magnification that Nikon's digital bodies create (via having a smaller sensor than 35mm film frames) means that you need an even faster shutter speed to use the lens successfully than you do with film, unless you are using a tripod. Think 1/500 sec. at the long end of the range. With a maximum aperture of f/5.6, that will require decent light.

None that I know of. The best way to get it is to get it shipped directly to you.

 

I get a big jug every year or so. It's expensive but it's worth it.

This is an ancient thread, but I thought it would be interesting to note that my PMK stock solution, which was three years old when I posted in 2003, is now seven years old and still works great.

 

I am, however, almost out of it. :)

 

I have just gotten 100 grams of pyrogallol and have all the other ingredients to mix up my next batch, and I'm confident it will still be good in 2014, at least... if I haven't used it up by then.

2 x MS76 or LR44. They are easily found. Camera stores, large department stores, specialty battery shops...

I just got an F5. It is really a much nicer camera to use than the F100 (which surprised me)... I can't comment on the F6, but a clean used F5 is under $500 US. They are an incredible bargain.

I seem to have invited 300' of this to my basement freezer. It develops nicely, even if it doesn't say Ilford Pan-F Plus along the margin. I develop it in PMK. I'm pretty happy for the price.

APUG (http://www.apug.org) is a great forum for those who are tired of the digital hype. If you shoot digital only, then you'll find it to be really boring. :)

 

http://www.lfphoto.info is a great forum for large format photography.

 

This site is pretty good. I've been using it a long time. I have to admit that I'm here a lot less frequently because of the preponderance of digital content (on the main page, film photography is even labelled as being nostalgic - I think that's a little excessive), but some of the forums are still of interest. I just skim this forum now; i used to read it pretty thoroughly.

 

We all have different interests, though. It'd be boring if everyone thought the same. I got an F5 really cheap because so many are going digital so it's not all bad. :)

Why don't you just use your F3HP in such situations?

 

As much as I love the F100, the F3HP is a great camera. You have both tools; use the best tool for the job. :)

As someone who owns an F70, F90, F90x, F100 and F5 (yes, too many - that's why the F90 is on the auction site today), I have a few ideas. Some of the comments above were excellent and will get you started.

 

The F100 kicks the F90 and F90x's butt. It isn't even close. That having been said, the F90 and F90x are huge value for the money. They sell for far too little given all their capabilities.

 

I've had good luck in cold weather with mine. Use lithium AA batteries, or get the anti-cold battery pack if you are going to shoot a lot in the cold. I haven't found it to be a big problem except when I was taking pictures of Comet Hyakutake in 1996 on a -23 C night. Time exposures in severe cold are hard on batteries.

 

The limitation on depth-of-field preview mode is not that serious. I shoot in M and A mode almost all the time. The F100's and F5's electronic DOF preview is nice because it requires a lot less force to press the button, but it's also very loud. (I actually have used DOF preview on my F100 to fool people into thinking I shot the camera when they wanted me to take their picture - it's that loud.)

 

The metering on both cameras is great - the F100 is theoretically better but I haven't noticed it to make much difference.

 

The compatibility with manual lenses is nice. It's a feature I use a lot.

 

The difference in functionality between the F90 and F90x is pretty minor. The most significant restriction is the lack of full compatibility of the F90 with the MB-10 vertical grip - the shutter release won't work.

 

The advantage of the F80 is its small size and weight. It also has great autofocus. I think it's a great body to complement an F90/F90x/F100 but not really a substitute for one.

 

The F70, incidentally, has a lot of the advantages of the F80 and a lot of the F90 and F90x too. It also sells for a pittance. It's worth considering. It has a peculiar user interface but those who have actually owned an F70 find that they get used to it pretty quickly. It seems much maligned, however, by those who have never used one.

I like it in PMK. PMK is a staining developer and, to be honest, the stain you get with Pan-F Plus is a little disappointing. However, the quality of the prints is outstanding. I've converted to using PMK exclusively when I use Pan-F Plus and I just ignore that the negatives look a little thin when I first look at them. They print gorgeously and that is what matters.

Another option is to get a modern camera that supports rear-curtain synch. A used F601, F70, or F90 won't cost you much and will do the job. The F801 probably will too.

 

I have a pair of FEs with MD-12s, among other bodies. When I travel to cities, they are the cameras I tend to take. I love them.

I had one of these for a few years and I really liked it. I sold it because I found it to be quite heavy and also not as wide as I would like. I use the 24-85/3.5-4.5G now.

 

If the range suits you, and you get a good sample (mine was good; many aren't, from what I read), it's a great lens. It sounds like it's a perfect match for you.

Another possibility is to check with a local battery shop and see if the cells you have can be rebuilt. If they can, the cost to get new rechargeable batteries is the cost to rebuild and it might not be that expensive. These cells tend to work best when you use them hard and kill them dead, and it sounds like you're using them well.

 

You want to get lithiums if you are going to use normal non-rechargeable cells though. The F5 is a battery-hungry machine. As a bonus, lithiums weigh noticeably less than alkaline cells. They are a lot more money though.

Other than what was posted above, the only other really useful thing in the instructions is the depth of field scale. There are online DOF calculators and scales that you can use instead, though.

 

The filter threads are 62mm. The hood is the HB-2, I believe (google to be sure :) ).

That's a little expensive for a 105/2.5 but not completely ridiculous.

 

Centre-weighted metering works fine with the F100 and manual Nikkors. You can also use the handheld meter as you guessed.

 

I use my 105/2.5 on my F100 quite a lot and I like it just fine.

You asked if the Ilford products are any good - they are. They aren't the same... but they're similar. They are better in some respects, I think. (Tri-X pushes better than HP5 Plus but I like HP5 better at ISO 400.)

 

You should try them soon so that you can decide if you can accept them as substitutes for the Kodak films.

I think Kodak D-76 or Ilford ID-11 (which are essentially identical) are the best starting point for a developer. PC-TEA may be great but I would never recommend to a beginner to make a developer from scratch. Try that later.

 

I use mine diluted 1:1 (or 1+1), i.e. equal parts stock solution (mixed up per the directions) and water.

 

You'll also need a fixer - Kodak or Ilford rapid fixer are fine. Powdered fixer is okay too but you have to fix for a lot longer.

 

You can get a stop bath if you want but I just use a one-minute rinse under running water the same temperature as the developer (I use 20 degrees).

 

As for sources, Henry's (http://www.henrys.com) is a good mail order shop in Toronto. Vistek (http://www.vistek.ca I believe) is in Toronto and Calgary. Don's Photo (http://www.donsphoto.com) will also do mail order if you phone in; they are in the three prairie provinces. If you want to order more obscure stuff, B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com) and Freestyle (http://www.freestylephoto.biz) both ship to Canada; I've used both of them.

Your theory is a good one, and it will be easy to verify. If the viewfinder is dark, look in the front of the lens. You should clearly see the aperture blades of the lens. Normally, if the lens is operating correctly, you will not see the blades while the lens is mounted because they will be fully open. (They only close when the camera is shooting an image, or if you use the depth-of-field preview lever, which your camera doesn't have.) When you remove the lens from the camera, the aperture blades will stop down so if you have trouble seeing them, dismount the lens and you will see what I mean.

 

Quantaray lenses aren't very good so if the lens is broken, it likely isn't worth the cost to repair. You can get a decent Nikon 70-210/4.5-5.6 autofocus lens for around $100 used. It's not a fast lens (although likely no worse than what you have), but it will be distinctly superior optically.

 

There is a chance that it is a problem with the camera, though. There is a lever in the camera that opens and closes the diaphragm. However, since the camera works fine with your 50, that makes this theory unlikely. Can you mount your Quantaray lens on another Nikon to see if the same problem happens? That way you can be certain.

Really old F100s had a lousy rewind fork that could crack. It is possible that yours might have this problem. If you gogle you can find some threads about the issue and at least one has photos. However, only the oldest F100s are affected by this problem. Nikon offered to replace the fork for free; since the F100 is now discontinued I doubt that the free repair still applies.

 

I don't know if this is your problem - but it's a possibility.

Could the mirror box foam be sticky? The mirror could simply be sticking to the foam.