victor_randin

<p>The 2.8C has the absolutely round aperture of the taking lens and gives more pleasant "bokeh", while the 2.8F has the pentagonal aperture and you can see its sign on the out of focus zone. </p>

<p>Try Fujica GA645 (lens 4.0/60mm, Planar type, Super EBC), GA645W (4.0/45mm. Biogon type, Super EBC), AF cameras. They are available on ebay in ex++, LN condition for 350-500. I am happy with them. All my huge staff of 'blads,'flexes, RB, GW. GL, and others have a long rest.</p>

 

<p>"The ring/collar with the two tiny slots does not seem to rotate with nominal (= finger force) effort; the ring/collar was mounted nearly 50 years ago at time of manufacture/assembly, and is now difficult to rotate. I can try WD-40 (tiny amount); I applied Zeiss lens cleaning liquid with a Q-tip to the ring/collar and did not see any great effect."<br>

Please note: the viewing lens is fixed with the side stopper-screw which is visible only after taking off the front panel of the camera. Turn it at 1/4 and then you could rotate the view lens mount in both direction for accurate adjusting the infinity image on the screen. Of course you should be sure that adjusting of the taking lens is OK at infinity. Dismantling and especially mounting of the front panel is very complicate job. You have to connect : f-stop, speed, light meter, DOF governors and the MX-lever. All of them are under the front panel and you can't see them. The firm Rollei used a huge special device for control and adjusting their TLR cameras. So, let it for adjusting to any pro. </p>

<p>"I don't know whether this was the famous thorium glass of the 1960s."<br>

Rolleiflex manual by Alec Pearlman, published by Fountain Photobooks, London, Chapter 24 p. 31 (or 34): " It is fitted with f/3.5 Carl Zeiss Tessar lens made from new Lanthanum glass, which gives even better resolution and colour correction than previous Tessars."<br>

It seems to be true since the use of rare-earth glass by main brands was started in earlies '50es: E.Leitz with their Elmar 2.8/50 Summicron 2.0/50, Carl Zeiss Jena and CZ Oberkohen with their Tessar 2.8/50, Schneider Kreuznah - S.A. and Symmar not MC, Asahi Pentax - Super Takumar... etc. Then due to environmental and health problems appeared in the process of preparing rare-earth type of glass they came back to obvious technologies. <br>

There were the lens comparison by John Lehman on the forum :<br>

http://www.photo.net/medium-format-photography-forum/0003e1<br>

By its simpler design and features Rolleiflex T fits between the budget Rolleicord and the Rolleiflex F models. So, its price seems to be also in between.<br>

BTW, some Germans say that the letter T means (T)heodore Uhl - the first letter of the name of the camera designer, not the lens first letter.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Soft focus lens Fujinon SF 250mm for $250-300 makes very good portraits.</p>

<p>I own and use both systems: Sinar Norma Expert with 4x5, 5x7, 8x10 backs and Sinar P with same 3 backs.<br>

Agree with Mark: Norma is better made. The Norma's 8x10 back has much lower centre of gravitation than the P's one. The rail clamp is almost twice lower than P's one.<br>

The 65mm lens does not work with Norma 4x5 standard bellows when using a flat lens board. (I use Schneider 5.6/65 SA multicoating). But it works at infinity with bag bellows, however both standards gets together very tight (the main issue) and you have to fight for every millimetre. <br>

BTW, 90mm and 121mm lenses work on both Norma & P with 5x7 and 8x10 backs very well when using standard conical bellows.</p>

 

<p>See http://www.photo.net/medium-format-photography-forum/00ZtMR?start=10</p>

 

<p>Rodenstock produced Imagon 5.8/200mm for Hasselblad V in very limited quantity. The lens is cumbersome, in black and equipped with black Compur #3 leaf shutter placed on the front of the lens barrel. Imagon and the helical focus tube are placed just behind the shutter. The shutter with Imagon are rotating during focusing. You have to use a double shutter release cable properly adjusted for camera auxiliary shutter and Compur leaf shutter. You do not see a subject after closing the shutter preview lever. The Imagon 5.8/200mm for Rollei SL66 is much lighter and easy to use, you see a subject all the time of shooting. Rodenstock also produced Imagon 5.8/200mm for Mamiya RB67 with Zork-tubus. You replace the front part of your 180 Mamiya Secor C lens with that Zork-tubus which Imagon is screwed in. The newer 180 KL does not match Zork-tubus. I have 3 Imagon's above said and prefer ones for Rollei SL66 and less for RB. All my Softars (1-111) for Hasselblad and SL66 are not in use for portrait shooting any more excluding the No.2 for Sonnar 4.0/150.<br>

BTW, <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rodenstock-200-H-5-8-Imagon-10443920-Hasselblad-mount-/390047630872#vi-desc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">(link)</a> shows Sonnar 4/150mm barrel with garage-made front 50mm tube containing 200mm Imagon. Cheers.</p>

<p>The CZJ Dagor's f9.0 75mm and 100mm are known. Both produce very sharp and contrast image.<br>

I used the 75mm on Linhof Technika 4x5.</p><div></div>

<p>Bulent, I had same issue until pushed the button a little deeper into the camera. </p>

<p>Josiah, sorry for spelling in your name :)</p>

<p> Josian, thanks. Walker's submission is looking like a street portrait of a child refugee...it's very dramatic shot.<br>

BTW, my first submission, the portrait "on the forgotten cinema studio" was shot with Noktilux at 2.0 f-stop, not at 1.0, sorry for confusing.</p>

<p>Walker, as for me you shot the best portrait.</p>

<p>Trying again</p><div></div>

<p>Summitar 2.0/50mm full open</p>

<p>Look at<br>

http://www.kutuzov-photo.ru/Fototehnika-b/u-/-Second-hand/Hasselblad-V/View-all-products.html</p>

 

<p>Noctilux 1.0/50mm full open</p><div></div>

<p>So late...</p>

<p>In '70-80es the plant "Arsenal" (Kiev, Ukraine) produced the "Kiev-5" that appeares to be not a bad camera. It has a crank winder, selen metering, long base RF combined with VF, bright lines and automatic parallax correction of VF frame. The shutter is same as in Kiev 4/Contax II (frost proof vertical moving curtains made of very thin leather and aluminium strips). It is looking like the hybrid of Leica M and Kiev/Contax. I prefer Leica M2/M3, so intend to place at the page "Classified" the Kiev-5 outfit including 4-5 lens (2.8/35mm, 2.0/85mm, 4.0/135 Jupiter's - clones of Sonnar's; Helios 2.0/50, collapsible uncoated Tessar 3.5/50) and backup body Kiev-4a.</p>

<p>Try also classic Schneider Xenar's: 4.5/150mm and/or the 5.6/150mm - both are very good lenses and can be stored inside the 45SP.<br>

I got almost same measurements of my Schneider Symmar S 5.6/150mm: front: 35,9mm depth (Synchro Compur) x 60 mm diameter, 52mm for filter; back: 16,2mm depth x 40,5 mm diameter. (BTW, it does not fit inside MT 45)<br>

I found the Apo-Sironar S 5.6/135mm to be more universal lens for the 4X5" field camera than any of my four 150mm lenses.</p>

<p>Why only M7/7II and P67 for Africa? Old good, all-metal and cheap 6x7 RF-cameras: Koni Omega Rapid, Omega Rapid 100 or Omega Rapid 200 (better) with their Hexanon/SuperOmegon's: 60/58mm, 90mm(best), 135mm, 180mm do their job very well in any conditions. They are just underpriced.</p>

<p>Check the selftimer. Maybe it was cocked and stiffed. This doesn't allow the shutter to be released.</p>

<p>

<p>Very good question, thanks. It seems to me that too many things are looking similar elsewhere, even in East Siberia. My first and very old gun (still shooting) says: “Champion” 24 gauge barrel, USA, Fitchburg“. It defended me against wolfs and help hunting on the long way to school and back home through the forest in winters of 50'es. My first bicycle was one-speed and only rear brakes too. The first camera was trophy Leica still working, and the first car: trophy MB 170V of 1937 with four holes (soldered) from bullets in its roof (now restored and still working). My first job at my 16 was float logs for firewood down the river Uda: 180 rubles a month (6.4 per day, 0.7 per hour) then north navigation upon frozen rivers driving a truck (with no stove) to Yakutsk, Mama, Bodaybo.</p>

 

<p>

<p>Looking a bit strange to recall that my first 'Rock & Roll" music was also Bill Haley’s record homemade on roentgen exposed film with images of broken human bones when looking through. When being a student-physicist in 60’es I played drums and trumpet in classic jazz orchestras and working as photojournalist in a small student newspaper (10 000 circulation). It was my happiest old times of classic.</p>

</p>

 

 

</p>

 

Bertram 6X9 camera surprised me a lot with its high-end design (for its 50es): the parallax auto compensation ability, viewing field automatically switching in the VF and automatic distance scale for each lens, wide range of rear tilts and swings. It has very accurate rangefinder and smooth focusing knob, double (outer and inner) bellows. It has the push-pull front panel, not falling Linhof's front bed, tiny and coated Schneider’ s lenses: Angulon 65mm & 75mm, Tele Xenar 180mm, Xenar 3.5/100mm, behind the lens shutter, Plaubel 6x9 film backs and beautifully made double cut film cassettes for its graflock. I find Bertram to be more comfortable and compact than my Linhof Master 23 and Technika 70.

Yes, Andy, the XA has the 6-lenser F-Zuiko 2.8/35. Just have checked it. Sorry.