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The LX is a phenomenal camera sold by a manufacturer whom every retailer I know has found

impossible to deal with. I love my Horseman to death, but they have an ever-shifting product

line, and each and every part seems to be on the verge of being discontinued at a given time.

The Sinar equipment is well made, but more importantly it is well supported by its

manufacturer, and will likely continue to be for some time. The geared Horseman cameras

are a joy to use (and I prefer their's to the european style), but if something goes wrong you'll

likely be on your own, and it's something I'd discuss with a retailer you trust before you make

a final decision.

I don't have exact price information conveniently at hand. Megaperls charges a little more

than B&H on items that are carried by US distributors, but often carry items that are less-

costly alternatives to US products (the Fuji instant films instead of Polaroid stock, for

instance) or manage to stock things the big US stores are sold out of for long stretches

(the Fuji instants come to mind again).

The fact that local Phoenix stores can be outpriced with international shipping included

isn't really very hard. B&H outprices my local stores by as much as 50% on some items.

The point I was making, though, is that Dirk will go the extra mile and find me camera

parts and accessories that have no US distribution (such as bits for the discontinued Fuji

GX680 series) and has gotten me film in a crunch faster than B&H could get it back in

stock without any special shipping options. If I needed a particular film stock in a

particular size (as Paul does), I can't imagine asking anyone else.

Hope this answers your question.

If it's availible for regular retail in Japan, Dirk @ Megaperls (http://www.unicircuits.com/

shop/index.php) can get it for you. He's on vacation for the majorty of July, if I recall

correctly, but I'd drop him a line and he'll likely respond when (or even before) he gets back.

Unless, it occurs to me now, that's what you meant by "Pearl in Japan", in which case I'd still

place the order. He's found plenty of special order stock for me, he's cheaper than the local

Phoenix "pro" shop, and he's a whole lot nicer as well.

If you're willing to vary your setup a bit, I have found that black velvet swallows an enormous

amount of light even with spill. Also, you can get it cheap (I got mine in the clearance bin at

JoAnn Fabrics). I find paper easy to over-light but hard to under-light.

I love the 1.4. It's my main shooting lens. Since I knew I'd use a 50mm 75% of the time on

an SLR, I tested these pretty extensively, and I saw a significant difference optically

between it and the 1.8 (particularly in light fall-off and the weird pentagon sparkles on the

cheaper lens, though it *does* have less barrell distortion). But...

I've had THREE copies of the 1.4, the first two lasting less than a month each (again, that

focusing mechanism). The last one has been good since I got it, and has seen far more

action. I haven't had this problem on the 20 or the 200 (both newer I believe), so I'm

hoping this is an issue that'll be solved with a new model. Still, I think Canon's quality

control is startlingly bad. My experience doesn't appear to be unique.

The serial number is on very rear plate of the lens, facing the mirror. You need to remove

the lens from the camera mount to see it. If your retailer will swap it, I'd give it a try, but I

understand your frustration entirely. Good luck either way.

Scanned film currently has more "sharpness" than digital capture, but that sharpness

comes at a cost of more noise and less-smooth gradations. It's a matter of opinion how

much of that sharpness holds detail. I'm sure you'll herar plenty of those opinions. Just

about every book on digital photography that I've seen has insisted that adding

"sharpening" in Photoshop is a necessary part of the printing process. With digital, there's

no question that you have to do the job of the processing lab and the printer, and if you

don't your results suffer.

I no longer shoot 35mm film because my 5D seems to do the job so much better than

small-format negatives. I still shoot 120 and 4x5 film because they appear (in features

and fidelity )to outperform the 5D handily (at 6x6 and above). At the moment, I suspect

you won't find a digicam that does the job of a film SLR for less about $1500 (probably

beginning at the 30D or D200) and to exceed film they start at around $2500 and go

steeply up from there. These prices will have plummeted in the next year or two, but

beating film is currently an expensive proposition.

Well, I may have spoken too soon. Matt at Robert White says they're having a terrible time

getting Horseman goods in a timely fashion, so it appears to be a Komamura global problem.

That's sad.

If you have the money for an LX but don't need an affordable digital SLR back, it's probably

worth checking out some other manufacturers for the camera body, or taking a look at the

Toyo VX125 (which resembles the Sinar cameras and is worlds nicer than the GX model).

Horseman didn't cancel the "L" line, they changed US distributors. The LE (manual) and LX

(geared) are still very much in production, as is some mid-range hybrid (the LS, I think it's

called). I'd recommend purchasing them from Robert White (UK) or Phootos (NL), who

both have excellent pricing and service.

Horseman *did* cancel their line of viewers, including the folding reflex model that was so

popular to adapt to other manufacturer's cameras. As such, the line is a little light in the

accessory department. Many of the Sinar accessories clip to the "L" cameras, but a lot of

them are more expensive than the LE is, and in many cases you'd do better with some

cheaper good (like Toyo) and an adapter.

The Toyo allows for a little more tripod flexibility, and a nice rotating back that I miss, but

the LX has much better build quality than the Toyo and a more solid design, I believe, that

wins out for me. It's a good value, and a nice bridge between low-end and high-ticket

manufacturers.

Yes. The AE metering is terrible w/ MLU. But the good news is: The AE metering is terrible

anyway. Just my opinion, but I'd save the $1000-2000 you might spend on the AE Finder and

instead buy a handheld meter (and maybe another camera with what you save). The Fuji

meter just isn't "smart" enough to be worth what it costs, and if you brighten the viewfinder

in any way the meter will be way off as well. Masking tape and a ball-point pen keep me

from having to ever "calculate" the bellows factor, though I'd like a more cosmetic solution

eventually, and with that taken care of the rest is a snap with my Sekonic.

The GX680III uses a 'universal' back, which takes 120 and 220 film cassettes, instead of

separate backs for each. I prefer this, personally.

The AE options on all three series leave a lot to be desired, IMHO, though they're useful

enough if you don't need MLU and are willing to bracket.

The 'III' series has an exorbitantly priced AC adapter which prevents the camera from

'sleeping' (which is needed for use with a digital back), but will run off 3 CR123A cells

forever if you're using film. I prefer this to the earlier models.

Fuji's old data sheet is cached by Google, and lists the features new with the third model:

http://tinyurl.com/ove7z.

Finally it may still be possible to get a GX680III from an authorized dealer (some had

back-stock when it was discontinued), which would give you a 1-year warranty, while the

other models are only availible used.

The Horseman 45HD is a little smaller, basically a folding graphic style. It's lighter than

the FA and lacks rear movements. It's also about half the price. I have one, and I like it

well enough. It's quite good with the Fuji Instant pack films, where you can load 10 shots

at a time.

Fotoman (http://www.fotomancamera.com/products.html) are debuting their 4x5 point-

and-shoot in a couple of weeks, as well. It will retail for $795, I believe, and includes a

helical mount for the lens of your choice. If you don't need movements at all, it may be

ideal. It's certainly the smallest 4x5 I've seen "open".

Hope this helps.

The Rollei 6008AF is probably the nicest medium-format camera I've held in my hands. I

do not own one. I wish I did, just to shoot portraits, and I'm sure I wouldn't regret it for a

second. Now the bad news if you're buying in the USA...

Rollei products are now distributed in the United States by DSM, an american venture of

Komamura Corp (http://www.komamura.co.jp/). These are the folks who recently let the

Rollei-USA website lapse briefly in March, and made the same mistake with the Horseman-

USA site just a few days ago. Their response time (to me directly and then to my

authorized Horseman dealer) has been deplorable, and their in-stock inventory appears to

be non-existant at the moment.

Until that situation changes, and they either improve or are replaced, I would strongly

recommend purchasing a 6008AF from Robert White in the UK instead. They appear to

have a much stronger supply chain, and a full line of AF lenses. Also, in the past, they've

been a joy to deal with.

Just my $0.02.

What's the best solution for cleaning the rollers on the 545 when sticky with developer gunk? I had a

Polaroid sheet come apart in my holder, and the "goo" got everywhere. I've seen lots of threads discussing

"how to" but none that say "what with". I'd like to make sure I don't make matters worse by dumping the

wrong chemicals on the rollers. Thanks!

Bill can be reached at (404) 244-0095. He does fantastic work and is incredibly friendly. I'm

glad I called him instead of emailing, as I learned a lot from the call.

If you're determined, you can space out the pressure plate with longer screws and tiny

washers (get them from an optician's shop or sunglass hut). However, the counter on my

Seagull only goes to "12", and I don't know if it can go 'round a second time or just stops --

You'd have to try it to find out.

My low-profile is the Sekonic L-208 Twinmaster, which fits in the change pocket on my

jeans. It matches my L-558, so I assume it's quite accurate, or at least that Sekonic meters

all match readings. I use the 208 a lot with my Holga, and it's an excellent back-up in case

something goes wrong with your electronic gear. I bought mine "like-new" for about $40 on

the 'Bay.

I feel the Polaroid plastic backs are not nearly the quality of the older metal edition, nor are

they the equals of the newer Fuji plastic back for their instant films. I have switched to the

latter for everything except type 55 P/N, for which I find the heft and solid-sounding "thunk"

of the metal 545 reassuring. The original back sells used for about $50 in like-new

condition on EBay, and I purchased mine still boxed for less than that. The tny bit of extra

weight is well worth the construction qualty, IMHO.

Thomas,

Most of the adapters I've seen (like Mamiya's own) are designed only for the RZ mount/

camera. There may be a way to cheat that, or it may be a structural issue that can't be

avoided. I do know some imperfect options, though...

I've heard good things about the Zoerk Multi-Focus System (http://www.zoerk.com/) but

their website offers no pricing info (which can't be good for a direct-sales company).

The Horseman VCC is a beautiful, but very expensive, way to use large-format lenses on

the RB67. Wide-angle lenses require you make an additional adapter, though, and

knowing you I suspect you're more interested in those than telephoto.

I've also heard that Wista has some sort of solution, which I know nothing about (save for

this picture at http://www.hpmarketingcorp.com/PR/Wista%20pr.html), but it looks more

like a view camera one adheres the RB67 to.

I think the cheapest bet is to get the appropriate adapter, and pick up one of the Russian

T/S lenses out there like the Hartblei TS-PC 3.5/45 (http://www.kievcamera.com/

product.php?ID=175), but I'm not sure you'll have enough coverage for movements if you

go above 645 format.

Any of these work for you?

I'm the new owner of a slightly used Fujinon 75mm lens. In the Arizona sun there's clearly some

vignetting, but Fuji don't make or recommend a filter to compensate. Most center filters seem to be

either +1.5 or +3 stops, but I've seen +1 and +2 from reputable manufacturers as well. Is there a way

(maybe using a grey card) that I could measure the fall-off to procure the appropriate filter? I want just as

much adjustment as I need, and no more...

Thanks in advance.

I'm not an authority of any kind, but I believe that for the GX680 I and II the "AE Finder FL"

was the only metered finder available. This was similar to the "magnifying" finder, vertical

with an eyecup, but offered TTL metering. B&H has a bunch of refurbished units right now

on clearance, but be aware that the auto-exposure lock doesn't appear compatible with the

mirror lock-up, which I find to be a requirement in many cases. Also, the TTL accuracy was

questionable in my experience, so the non-metered prism and a decent hand-held meter

might suit you better and would almost certainly be cheaper.

The build quality on the Toyo viewer is OK, but not great, based on the one I've seen. The

Toyo was a good starter camera for me, but not one I really *enjoyed* using. The Toyo gear

all seems similarly clunky to me. The Horseman gear seems elegant in comparison, though

not a slick as, say, the Sinar (at three times the price).

KEH, and the other usual suspects, have viewers that are slightly damaged, but no new or

unused. I'd like to start with something relatively untouched, and bang it up myself...

It appears that the Horseman Folding Binocular Viewer has been discontinued, as it is not

availible from either the new North American distributor, nor the old European one. That's a

shame because A> this seems to be the prefered viewer everyone retrofit to even non-

Horseman cameras and B> I wanted one. I've checked the obvious places (and some less

obvious ones) but they seem to have vanished off the earth. Is there an adequate

replacement anyone can recommend of similar quality and price? Or a vendor

who still has these for sale you could point me to? Thanks in advance.

OK, well, since no one else seemed to know, I finally tracked down the answer in a multi-

hour phone call with FujiFilm. It seems the output is 2000mA, meaning you can't use an

over-the-counter job from Radio Shack, and the center-negative polarity stop you from using

most laptop/DVD adapters. You can use a regulated multi-input/output device, but if the

switch or dial gets bumped in your camera bag it'll fry your big, expensive camera. Looks

like finding the proprietary adapter is the safest choice.

I know this is an odd question, but can anyone with the AC/DC adapter for the GX680III

please post it's specifications?

It's no longer availible through the Fuji accessory catalog, and when it was it had a list price

of over $300. I confirmed with Fuji that there's nothing particularly special about any of their

adapters (that is, any adapter with the correct specifications will work), but they no longer

had the data sheet for this adapter in particular.

I know that it's a 5.5mm plug with an exterior + polarity, with a conversion of 110 to 9V, but

I need the correct milliamperage (mA). Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.