robert_kennedy

The N80 DOES have a threaded cable release.

N80.

 

You sort of NEED it to be confusing to some extent. If it is TOO easy, too P&S like, then you won't learn much. You will just shoot and let the camera do the work. Plus the N80 will take you farther than the N65 by far.

And Mamiya, and Bronica and Nikon and Canon and....

 

Seriously this is nothing odd. The older manual cameras that were well made have stood the test of time. In fact 21 years is nothing. I shoot with older cameras all the time. I even have one that is close to 60 years old and works like a charm.

 

What you have discovered though is the secret to budget photography. Just because a camera is old doesn't mean it can't take excellent pictures. For not a lot of money you can get the superstars of yester-year.

I'm with Austin.

 

I have been working on doing some nudes, and while I managed to get some friends to model, I also tried the "forum" method.

 

It is NOT worth it. I used a variety. Mostly OneModelPlace.com as that seemed to have the most models in my area. I found one VERY good model and about fifty bad ones. For every 25 e-mails sent out, expect maybe 2 or 3 responses. Most seem to fall into some sort of electronic black-hole.

 

Add to that the flake factor, and the amount of work you have to do is HUGE with little reward. It can be maddening. I had one model all set to go. She cancels with a migraine hours before the shoot. She says she will reschedule. Then she starts to ask for more money to reschedule!

 

And this is pretty common apparently!

 

Stick with the non-pros. Plus I think "real" people make better subjects for art shoots.

Yeah, sounds like you might be trying to use the Graphloc slides with a standard film holder.

 

Basically a standard back works pretty simply. The ground glass is held against the back of the camera by two leaf springs. To focus, you use the ground glass, and then slide the film holder UNDER the glass. The springs hold the ground glass tightly against the film holder. So it won't pop loose. Plus there is a little ridge at the end which helps hold things together. It is not that easy to pop a film holder loose when working with the dark slide if everything is working properly. I use an old metal 545 Polaroid holder on my cameras and even that beast is hard to REMOVE intentionally, much less accidentally!

I'd guess he meant artistically. His night work is very precisely planned. Theatrical really when you think about it. As with any night shot, there is quite a bit you don't see when compared to the same shot taken at high-noon. Thus the focus of the image - the artistic focus - is different at night. Vastly different.

On my N80 the little plastic cap that covers the center of the foucs

selector (The one with M, S, and C on it) has popped off. In fact it

is long gone. It should be easy enough to put back on, and cheap to

buy. But I am loathe to go through a Nikon shop and pay who-knows-

how-much for a simple repair.

 

Anyone know if I can get just that one part?

If I am not mistaken, French is a pretty regulated language. There is actually a government agency which determines what is a legitimate word in French. The goal being to preserve the language and culture.

 

So you can end up with some interesting terms. Plus there is the whole history aspect of photography in France. So terms from the 19th century are still in use. Add to that a group which looks toward preserving the langauge, and you get 19th century terms being used more than in say English.

I REALLY want to know how come everyone assumes that consumers will NOT notice in a decade when their precious baby pictures and wedding photos simply fade away. If they are LUCKY they will be able to find the CD and print up new images (assuming they HAVE a CD and didn't print from the flash card....which is the way it is going...look at some printers that have CF slots now), if not, sorry, we have no pictures of Tim when he was little.

 

I mean please. 75% of the people out there are NOT saving images properly from digital cameras, 99.999% DO NOT BACK UP AT ALL, and at least 66% of average users are printing out images using regular inkjet ink and some sort of dodgy "photo paper".

 

At some point people will start to say "Maybe we should do this on film so it will last...."

I'd decline. Seriously. LF is about patience. Weddings aren't.

 

That said, if you have the inclination and the right equipment you can do some "old fashioned" LF shooting at the wedding as a second. You would be shooting as the old press photographers did, but it could be fun.

In regards to to digital producing "consumer" images, I forsee a backlash in a few years.

 

A LOT of people out there are doing things like shooting weddings and portraits at and making big bucks by simply outputting to a "slightly better than average" inkjet. Not a Frontier or anything like that, just a fancy home inkjet printer.

 

In a few years as these things start to fade, I predict a huge backlash against digital for things like weddings by the consumer. How many "Five years ago we were married and now the pictures are faded and useless" stories will we hear? Probably a lot.

 

And the first person to claim "Well XXXXX makes an archival system that outlasts platinum...." will be thrown in a vat of hypo.

I just take in the film holders. Always get them back, and can - and + as I wish easily. Yeah, I can't use the filters for a day, but LF ain't about speed....

Sounds like you may be using your camera in extreme conditions. If that is the case, you might want to actually split the difference on your cameras. A digital AND a rugged manual.

 

Just in case. I'd rather drag a beat up manual into harms way than a $5,000 DSLR.

You shouldn't be looking at replacing the Bronica, but at supplementing it. MF range finders are nice, but somewhat limited. Keep the Bronica and get an MF rangefinder.

 

Like maybe a Bronica :) I've heard good things.

How come the Hindus got all the photogenic dieties? It just ain't fair!

 

I love it! It seems well....very "god-like". The DOF is perfect.

Minimum you should get the N65. IDEALLY, for the money on a sub $500.00 budget, you should get the N80. Mostly because it isn't THAT much more expensive that an N65. It is a smaller jump than say between the N80 and the F100. So it should be considered. But if the 65 is the one that fits your price-range, then go for it. Do NOT get the N55.

I think that only applies to automobiles....

From looking at what has been in View Camera and Camera Arts recently (yeah, I know same publishers), ULF seems to be the rage. Be it the Mega-Polaroid or someone's home-made banquet camera. And of course people read these articles, see the amazing work that is being done out there with these beasts, and they start to want one. I mean who wouldn't want to be able to make pt/pd prints that measure 11x14 or 7x20 or whatever.

I can't see how it would be particularly harmful. I have heard of it being used in research quite a bit. Any bird careless enough to get so into the song that it is nabbed by a predator would probably not last long in the wild anyway. and I doubt thatwould even happen.

Doug - That is why I suggest bringing some 3200. That with a fast lens like a 50mm/1.x and a flash will dramatically increase your low-light possibilities.

Some people buy just the 220 inserts and use them in the backs. You can save some bucks that way. I've seen good inserts out there for $50.00 while a complete insert/back set in the same shape is going for $150.00.

Well at least nobody is disassembling them to make stupid Star Wars props like with the Graflex flashes....

I wouldn't count on becoming an insider. First off, it is a lot of work. Possibly for a cause you don't believe in. Secondly, nobody is gonna be saying "And at 3:12pm Susan will hold up a sign and get yelled at by a guy in a suit making for a great picture". If you simply hang-out, you will be able to figure out what the overall plan is. Or you can just follow the crowd. Also, pay attention to what people are saying and where they are going. If something happens people will head there or at least start talking about it.

"But for exhibition, that's another story. If your subject doesn't move, a scanning back offers resolution larger than 8x10 film. You can scan for an image file size of over 500megs. That's huge, much better than film. "

 

That is far from the equal of film. A mere 4x5 chrome is the equal of a 1.5 GIGABYTE file. And that is 1/4 the size of an 8x10.

A few tips that I have found useful -

 

 

- Bring a wide range of film. You may have to deal with all sorts of lighting and situations. I bring some 100, 400, and 3200. Yeah, I know you could just carry 400 and push it, but if things start popping, you want to be able to load and shoot. Labeling film is the last thing you want to do. BTW - there is a reason I bring 100. I'll get to it later.

 

- Bring a flash and use it! And remember that you can use a flash with any speed film. I've used it with 3200 and gotten some great shots. This can be VERY useful if the subject is distant. And if the protest starts to get rough, you will want some space between the action and you.

 

- Bring the right camera. I bring an old FT2. Built like a tank and not worth a fortune if I loose it or destroy it. This is why I take 100 speed film. The FT2 has a max shutter speed of 1000, and in bright sunlight 400 speed film sometimes outpaces the equipment. With 100 I have more control. I should add that I tend to shoot closer to f4 than f16 most of the time since I like that "bokehy" look. Also bring at least one fast lens (like a 50mm f1.2) and one longer lens (I like a 135mm).

 

- This one is VERY important, cheap UV filters! Bring a BUNCH of them. These can save your butt! O.k., your lens. A demonstration is no place for a $45.00 UV filter. And you may very well need a replacement if things get dicey.

 

- You will also need a few other things. Bring some bottled water. At least a couple of bottles. Some for drinking and some in case you get tear gassed. If you wear contacts, don't. Wear glasses. If you get gassed, you will need to rinse your eyes. Contacts could wash out. Glasses won't. Bring a towel too so you can dampen it and cover your mouth if needed. DO NOT BRING ANYTHING THAT COULD BE SEEN AS A WEAPON. I mean not even a 2" pocket knife. Also, do not bring a gas mask. That will label you as "not a friend of the law". Carry your stuff in a backpack. Do not place anything valuable in it though (I'll get to that later).

 

- A few hints on how to behave. Avoid getting into the fray. A missed shot is nothing. Jail time is. If people sit down and you want to shoot at their level, crouch down in front of them, shoot one shot, and then move to another shot. Get up when you move. The cops will see you as not sitting down, but as observing (hopefully). If the police start using things like bean-bag guns, rubber bullets, rubber stun grenades, etc. just get out of the way. If you are aimed at or someone near you is, get to cover fast. If there isn't any (concrete trashcans are good, one saved me a few years ago), just turn around and get low. Duck your head. Remember that backpack you brought? It can be a nice shield. Once you feel an impact, just get away from the area.