joe_johnson2
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Posts posted by joe_johnson2
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Look under the "Want to Buy" heading and you'll find a thread on this subject with the title "Which light meter to buy" Good luck. jj
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I use a Cokin P-size circular polarizer with their holder on my 24mm without any problems with vignetting. Has anyone used this with a 20 or 17mm with success?
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I attended a 4-day workshop with George Lepp at Olympic National Park about 6 years ago. He described his lens/film testing methods and they are quite scientific. He uses the same military resolution chart on all lenses under the same lighting conditions. If you stop a 500 mm lens down to f5.6, you'll already get a significant improvement in sharpness, so if you compare the consumer zooms and the 500 at the same f5.6, then you'd probably see the 500's comparing more favorablly. I haven't used a 500, but I own a Canon EF 300 2.8 and a Sigma 400 5.6. I haven't done any scientific comparisons, but can tell you there is a world of difference (the 300 is MUCH better).
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Sharpness is only one issue when deciding on whether to fork over the big bucks for the big lens. The coatings give the lenses a unique look from one manufacturer to another and for me after having used the Sigma I'd rather stick with Canon's lenses. I just prefer the "look" of the photos from the Canon lenses. Having said that, I'm still thinking of buying a Sigma 28-70 2.8 to use as a "point & shoot" kind of lens because it's much lighter and MUCH cheaper. I wish I could test one first before I buy, but there's not much option to do that here in Taiwan.
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I'd have to say I typically find truth in the addage "you get what you pay for" so I'm very cautious.
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About a year and a half ago just after I'd been using my new P67 for about 3-4 months, I did something pretty ignorant. I was shooting color chome 220 film and decided I wanted to change film mid-roll after about 2 frames. I surmised that I could just flip the film over and reload it after I had finished the B&W 120 roll I had just put in. I figured I'd just shoot about 16 frames and advance to the end past the frames I had already shot. BIG MISTAKE.
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I didn't realize the paper backing was attached only to the ends and I wound up jaming the whole thing up. When it got difficult to advance, I applied too much force and stripped the mechanism. This was all totally my fault. Nevertheless, the camera was still in warranty and I sent it back to Pentax with an explanation of my stupidity. They fixed it without giving me any hassles and it's worked perfectly ever since (and beforehand, I might add). I'm very satisfied with both the camera and the Pentax folks in Colorado.
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Clive, I don't know if anyone has answered you directly, so I'll put the answer here:
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Really Right Stuff
Bryan & Kathy Geyer
P.O. Box 6531
Los Osos, CA 93412
TEL: 805-528-6321 (M-F, 8am-5pm, Pacific Standard Time)
FAX: 805-528-7964
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These are really nice folks to work with. I've had them ship to me here in Taiwan with no hitches. The only thing is that they don't accept credit cards, so you'll need send a check or money order.
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Take a look at my answer to the same question under the Pentax section. I recommend getting a TTL strobe even if your can't currently use it with your Mamiya. Just make sure the unit can be used on different camera systems (via modules/adaptors) and also has manual and auto exposure capability. That way, when/if Mamiya upgrades to TTL flash control and you decide to buy it, then you won't have to reinvest in another strobe. You could also use it for other camera systems you may use concurrently. JJ
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In addition to the answers above, I can recommend the 300 f4. As long as you keep the camera rock steady, it works well for isolating elements of a landscape and can be used in a pinch for wildlife. I also take a Canon 77mm 500D diopter for closeups of flowers when I want to keep the aperture wide open to soften the back/foreground. Works nicely. JJ
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I use two different flashes with the P67: 1) an older Sunpak auto 333 (not TTL) when I want a light-weight unit and don't as much power, and; 2) a Quantum Q-flash when I can afford to carry more weight or need more power.
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The Sunpak is handy and does a fine job exposing indoor shots. I use it mostly for snapping people. It can be mounted on the flash shoe bracket on top of the hand grip. I've even used it nicely hand-held, which typically is not recommended for the P67. However, the flash duration of the strobe is quite short (1/1200 ~ 1/45000) which is more of a determining factor for how well you can hand-hold than the P67's slow shutter synch speed (1/30) if used as the primary light source as opposed to fill flash (BTW, that's true for any flash). The head can be tilted or swiveled for bouncing off cielings/walls and is manually zoomable from 35mm - 135mm (35mm lenses). The unit is not available anymore, but the #383 I believe is what replaced it ($69 from B&H). Sunpak also makes the very capable model 120J which can be used TTL for cameras with that capability with the proper adapter, but I have no experience with it.
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The Q-flash is quite powerful and can be used in manual mode, auto mode and TTL mode with the proper module. I use it with a Canon EOS system as well as with the Pentax and view cameras. The head swivels and tilts and comes with a parabolic reflector w/diffusor that has two positions; wide and normal. It can also be used bare-bulb.
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I use three of these in portable studio type work. When I bought these, I compared them to the Sunpak 120J and to systems from Norman and Lumedyne. You have to buy these with batteries. There are two models; the T-2 and the X-2. The T-2 is used with Quantum's Turbo battery while the X-2 is made to use with either the Norman or Lumedyne batteries and is much more powerful. With the Norman/Lumedyne, you can get up to 400watt-seconds(ws) of power (a lot!), but the batteries are incrediblly expensive ($900+) while the Quantum battery is less ($294) and delivers 150ws. Besides the extra power, you can use a modeling light with the X-2 when used with the Norman A400BML. I bought the Model T because of the cost, but I now wish I had the Model X because I could use the extra power and the modeling light. Of course all of that power comes at a cost. The Model T is $378 and you can pick-up Model T w/Turbo packages for about $550. The Model X is $447, so with the Norman A400BML the total cost is over $1,400.
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If a person needs all that power, why not just buy a studio monolight like a White lightning Ultra 1800 and get an effective power of 1800ws for only $550? Portability is the only answer. I've packed the Quantum system up mountains to set up location shots that I obviously couldn't do with a studio strobe.
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Why not just use the light head that comes with the Norman battery? You can, but you only have manual and lose auto or TTL exposure capability.
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Why didn't I get the Sunpak 120J? The Quantum Q-flash was more powerful (150ws vs 120ws) and I can use the Quantum Turbo battery with my Canon EZ430 (or many other brands).
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Why didn't I buy the Pentax AF 400 T strobe, the flash recommended/sold by Pentax? It's a TTL strobe made for the Pentax 35mm and 645 cameras, which I don't own, so the TTL is useless for me. I might as well just buy an inexpensive auto strobe (like the Sunpak).
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Why didn't I get the Metz 60? I like the studio-type light quality & bare-bulb capability of the Quantum.
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Quantum draw-backs: a bit big and bulky, but if I want small I use the Sunpak. Ideally made to put on light stands vs. mounting on a camera. It has a universal 1/4" threaded socket for mounting. It can be used with cheap flash bracket mounts with the 1/4" stud and mounted on the Pentax hand-grip. Another draw-back is that when using a multiple flash set-up, you have to use a lot of connecting/synching cords. The Metz 60 can be used cordless I believe.
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I hope this helps. JJ
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I've been using the Pentax 67 for the last couple of years now, but I still fumble around everytime I load film. It takes me forever (well, I'm exagerating a bit, but it seems like forever when the light is right but changing fast) to get the bottom/lower sprocket seated into the black plastic film spools. The manual gives no hints about how to speed up the process. Does anyone out there have any tips for me?
6X7 chromes to PhotoCD?
in Medium Format
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