keith_l_wiebe

I have used Ultra 50 in the 120 format. I have a wonderful 20x20 scene of mirrored lake in Colorado that is grainless. Take a look at this http://sunrise.scu.edu/cgi-bin/show?980927-18:31:42-keithw-|21 and tell me what you think! This was without polarizer which isn't needed with this film!

I've had good luck in the past by copying the pictures with Illford XP2 film and have the prints made on color paper with a slight sepia tone if doing antique photos. The contrast isn't too great and I get all of the original quality too. Now I might try Kodak T400CN as I like it better. I don't have any experience copying color pictures though. I use my studio room lights that are on a 3' track. I put a posing table against the wall tilted somewhat, aim the lights at a 45 degree angle and use my Mamiya C330 with normal lens (80). Exposure is usually around 1 sec. at F8 (running ei 200 for the Illford XP2).

How do you think the stores receive their film? The same way we get ours! Film isn't that sensitive! Order it, don't worry!

Keith Wiebe

My Yashica 124 did the same thing. Wasn't the g for gold contacts on the light meter switch or was it a gold contact on the flash sync? I just tapped on it slightly or raised and lowered the hood until it came on. I would think about getting a handheld incidident meter.

What's the latest on the new Kodak Porta films? I just received my samples but haven't shot them yet. Could a person run the 400 speeds at Ei 800 for indoor shots and get by? Handholding at 1\30th at 2.8 with standard lens isn't enough depth of field and 1/30th too slow for a sharp picture.

Finding a good film for landscape work is hard these days. I love Agfa Ultra 50 but also run into trouble when trying to do some portrait work on the same roll of film although Agfa suggests trying this film if using a soft focus filter as it'll bring back some of the lost color! (I'm going to try that one of these days) Lately I've been running Kodak PRN and Kodak PPF 400. I was dissappointed in using the PPF 400 during high noon in Colorado a month ago as the highlights got washed out because of too high of contrast. I've used Gold 100 about 8 yrs ago and couldn't tell the difference between it and VPS for some indoor shots of people. Some outdoor shots were nothing to write home about. The grain is probably better in the PPF 400 than the Gold 100. I've shot some Agfa 125 (now it's 100) a couple of yrs ago and loved this film as some other people have (haven't heard anything bad about it yet) The new Kodak Porta films coming out in a month might be the answer to our needs but the price might be slighly higher. If price is a concern I would try some Fuji CN 100 as it can be had for around $2.25 a roll. I haven't tried any yet but that may be the way to go. I thought that Fuji CH 400 would be the way to go about 1 yr ago but it looked just like NPH in some photos taken at the same time (indistiguishable) I use NPH for all of my outdoor portrait work but like the CH 400 is weak in color and contrast-good detail just dull. Conclusion-use PRN in good light, PPF in lower light or when wanting to handhold. Possible Agfa Optima 100 or Fuji Cn100. I guess you can tell I'm not really happy with any of them! There's Kodak GPX 100 probably imported from Mexico that I liked about 5 yrs ago and I loved VHC for the contrast and color which is discontinued. How about Konida VX 100-cheap film and one of my portraits has the best color of any enlargements I have.

I bought a Mamiyaflex body with 80 lens in e-bay auction for $39 not in pristine condition of course, but if it takes decent pictures( I haven't received it yet) I'm going to let my 8 yr old son start taking pictures with it. Yes, medium format pictures are 3 time the expense of wallmart 35 but he'll probably take 3 times less pictures and if he uses a tripod and composes will have wonderful pictures. He took some picures of me and his mother and had a wonderful time. (I use a Mamiyaflex and C330F with 55, 80.135, and 180super lens.

Keith Wiebe

I was vacationing in Colorado a couple of yrs ago with my family and we decided to get on some trail horses. After the hour ride we had to get off. I decided I could get off myself so I proceeded to. I held my Mamiyflex with 80 lens in one hand to protect them and keep from swinging away from me (I had a neck strap). I started to put my foot down and the ground sloped away more than I realized and I also stepped on a tree root. My ankle gave away and I landed against the pine tree and got tree sap over the focusing knob but the camera was allright! My foot started to swell up and I was concerned because I wanted to go on a 3.6 mile hike up to Emerald Lake in Rocky MTN Ntl Park the next couple of days. After letting it rest a couple of days I went on the hike but that foot hurt for about 2 months after that! Next time I'll get help when I have my camera in one hand!

Keith Wiebe

I have some Mamiya TLR's and do just a little bit of portrait work on the side to pay for my hobby. I don't have more than $1500-$2000 invested in my equipment and it's paid for. I wouldn't worry about digital taking over. More and more medium format cameras are coming out all of the time. It would take a mighty good digital camera and computer to match the medium format in quality. You can get 2nd 8x10's made at a pro lab for $2-$3.00 and that's cheaper than the paper and ink in an ink-jet printer or quite a bit less expensive than a better Kodak printer. The more people get into digital the more impressed they will be with the enlargements made from medium format negs. Keep your equipment costs in line and if it does become obsolete you won't waist much money but I don't believe it will be anytime soon!

Keith Wiebe

I submitted a post to rec. medium format and mentioned that Freestyle sales in Calif. had Konica VX 100 real cheap and someone wrote back to me and said it was 6 exposure rolls. I didn't investigate it for sure but thought it was interesting. I think my Mamiy C330f manual mentions it.

Keith Wiebe