ronin1

Looks like you had the best of both worlds! Really great stuff. I would totally do the same.

"Yep, you know you've hit the big time when you start impressing the Walgreens clerks."

 

I had a roll of C-41 Kodak BW400CN developed at Walgreens a few weeks ago. I usually use Acros and develop it myself but this was a class assignment to photograph a photograph and it was suggested that we use the BW400CN. The Walgreens clerk remarked that he liked my photos, I guess since they developed the negatives there wasn't much question that I'd shot them. The clerk actually used to take art classes and develop and print his own film, so we got into a nice discussion. He wanted to get back into developing real Black and White film but didn't have access to a darkroom anymore. I recommended taking classes at the local college as it's inexpensive and gives you access to a nice darkroom. When the next schedule comes out soon, I'm going to drop him off a copy.

I posted a picture of my Brightscreen Accurfocus D5 Magnifier for the ETR in the following thread. If the rotary finder has the same eyepiece as the regular finder, one of these might work. Though seeing your optician might be cheaper.

 

http://tinyurl.com/39r5ap

Here's the kind that stand up and have two sides...

 

http://tinyurl.com/ypkwq7

 

Maybe easier to find is the "L" type plastic picture frame...

 

http://tinyurl.com/2xzmkh

If any schools, colleges etc. around you have darkrooms, you might ask what they do with the fixer. I know the college I take classes at reclaims the silver. When I start doing my own developing at home, I plan to bring the old fixer to them to process, they can keep the extra change.

 

I'm not sure if hospitals have all gone to digital x-rays now, but you could also check with your local x-ray department.

In addition to telling them that I'm on the Federal Do Not Call list and asking to put on their Do Not Call List, I recheck their business name and tell them that I keep my own list of business that have cold called me, so I know not to ever do business with them.

You can find a free manual here...

 

http://www.butkus.org/chinon/fujica/fujica_az1/fujica_az-1.htm

 

and a review...

 

http://tinyurl.com/yu7fcm

My favorite photographer movie, after "Rear Window", is aptly named "The Photographer" (2000). http://imdb.com/title/tt0240802/

 

I rented "The Notorious Bettie Page" when it first came out to watch with my then 95-year old Dad. It's the only movie in years that he's stayed awake for the whole movie in one sitting.

If I was buying photos of my children I would not buy one with part of their head (or heads) cut off. I know it's a popular thing today, and sometimes it works but too much of it gets old. Opinions vary though.

I will never think about changing a lens the same way again...

I second Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. You can take a path to the top of the mountain, lovely views and an old cemetery. The town is interesting too.

Just remember that in June it's likely to be over 100 degrees in the daytime. So, hanging out in the casinos in the daytime and walking the Strip at night might be a good plan. Though, oddly sometimes it doesn't seem to cool off that much at night. The casinos on the strip are pretty far apart in places, they look closer than they are because they're so big.

 

The top of the Stratosphere is a great place to be at sunset. There's a restaurant at the top, not as I remember a great one, but worth it for the view. There's also a observation deck.

 

I'd suggest spending some time downtown on Fremont Street, the downtown casinos are smaller and much closer together, though not as posh. There are lots of gift shops too. Fremont has a cool overhead light show at night. Main Street Station is really pretty, my favorite downtown casino.

 

I second Valley of Fire over Red Rock.

 

And remember, if you do have the kids with you, you can walk through the casino part with them but you're not suppose stop and gamble or linger. There used to be rules against taking pictures inside the casino, the gambling area, but not sure how well that is enforced these days.

I have several Maxpedition bags that come in OD green, khaki and camo, which would be handier than the usual black in the desert. I have a Colossus Versipak and use it as a daily camera bag. They also make larger backpacks if you need something bigger. They are very rugged. There is a photo galley on the website with pictures customers send in, there seem to be a lot of military uses.

 

http://tinyurl.com/2z5xtg

 

Helps this helps!

Maybe you could e-mail him through the contact seller button on his auction and ask him what happened to the bellows that you paid for back in ______?

I was thinking about my earlier reply and realized that they probably were not aware that you took the photo, since it was done in a studio, so no matter what their contract says you can't sign away copyrights that they don't know you own. I've got into arguments at the store trying to reprint a photograph that I took because it was obviously done in a studio, if Wal-Mart is aware of copyright law, I would think a industry as heavily regulated as funeral homes would be.

 

At least think about reporting them to the area funeral regulatory agency for trying to sell you back photos that they don't own the copyright to. It's not like they're all not going to make money off of all us sooner or later.

Sorry to hear of the loss of your mother.

 

So you gave them a picture of her and now they are trying to sell it back to you? That's crazy and hopefully illegal. Hopefully someone will come along with more constructive advice. Look through the contract and see if any mention is made of allowable uses of the photo. It seems that they should have at least asked if you wanted them to enlarge that photo for the service or provide one of your own. My guess is that if the contact allows them to make an enlargement that you've already paid for it and they're trying to take advantage of your grief and get paid twice. Since you don't want it, ask for proof that it has been destroyed. Like any business, there are going to be scumbags. Sorry you have to deal with crap like this at this time.

Those scales took a penny didn't they? Today we'd rather not know what we weigh.

 

Look at the size of the tree on photo #3! I think that house has been there a while.

 

The pocketbooks were huge and women never let them out of their sight. A few years ago, when my mother was visiting me, she was appalled that I leave my bag in the family room when I go to bed. She asked what if someone breaks in in the night? I told her this way they wouldn't have to wake me up to steal my purse. I think I leave it by the computer so I won't forget to get the cell phone out the recharger. How times have changed.

 

At least there are still people with cameras who like to take pictures of family.

Very cool! I especially like the temple stairs.

 

It's funny when I see Chinese characters, I think it's saying something profound. So your explanation of the reading made me smile.

 

I tried to study Chinese once, but am basically tone deaf, so that didn't work out very well. I did a little batter with Japanese and still got to study the beautiful characters.

Can't help you with info on the Pentax, but I know you will treasure using your father's camera. I started taking Photography classes after finding my Dad's camera stash in his closet. Something special about being able to see the world through the same viewfinder.

You can prepay for funeral packages and you hope that you won't need them for decades.

There seem to be a lot of abandoned wheelchairs in your neck of the woods. They always make me wonder what happened to the people who needed them. Probably not anything good.

Sweet shots as usual. Gene, are there any occupied buildings where you live? Or I guess your neighbors object to you wandering around in their houses.

 

I was just looking a website that sells Arista EDU films, I'll have to try some now.

 

I agree, the Retina's are pretty cameras with beautiful cases.

I just got a Brightscreen Accurfocus D5 Magnifier for the ETR from KEH. I have a similar 6X focusing finder, the DW-4, for my Nikon F3, I loved the F3 attachment so much that I figured the one for the ETR would help too. It wasn't cheap, $179, but it was either that or only shoot at infinity. The ETR magnifer attaches with a screw to the viewfinder eyepiece with the rubber eyecup removed. It magnifies the center of the viewfinder and then flips out of the way so you can view the whole scene.

 

 

There doesn't seem to be much info available on the internet about this handy little gadget, I found it by accident looking for a new focusing screen.

 

Here's a quick photo of the ETR D5 Magnifier...<div></div>

I wondered how they did film in 12 minutes, now I know. I may have nightmares.

Cabin Fever drives people to do strange things. No way I'd try that, especially the really tall ones. Hope you get to ride your new bike someday. Great shots, especially the "wide" ones. Had to look up the widelex - what a cool camera.

 

Are the negatives tricky to scan and/or print?