anthony_harrison

Mamiya have an interesting Tilt/Shift Adaptor on the way, with two special short-barrel lenses which will permit focussing to infinity, including a 75mm. This would do the trick, though I suspect it will be fiendishly expensive - you could buy a view camera for less, if you're prepared to face the technical hassle.

Yes, RB finders fit, which is why Mamiya provide the plastic gizmo with the RZPro2 - though my first reaction was to think how easily it would go astray. I tried an old RB chimney finder on my RZPro2 in a dealer's the other day, and would have bought it had it been less beat-up, and cheaper. If anyone in UK has a chimney for sale, please email me direct.

Hello Andrew - with a standard B+W TopPol I too experienced vignetting on the Bronica ETRSi 4ommPE, but cured it by getting a B+W "Slim" polariser. Your Mamiya 50mm for the RZ has the same angle of view, so I trust this will work for you. As to contact between filter and lens surface, I would think it highly unlikely that a reputable camera maker would build any lens which might allow such an occurrence!

I'm about to buy an RZ-2 myself, and the 50mm as well, so since I'm in UK I'd appreciate your advice about suppliers, pitfalls, tips etc. Thanks - Tony H.

Maybe this helps: I have the Bronica 40mm PE for my ETRSi, and even using a slightly oversized B+W top-pol (a 67mm) with a step-up ring, I got vignetting. I've recently bought the B+W "Slim" 62mm polariser and it works fine - no vignetting at all. I'm sure this would be OK for the Hasselblad 50mm, but I suspect for the 38mm you'll need something else, like B+W's special oversized WA polariser.

I've decided to buy my film in North America, rather than carry it

with me from the UK this summer - too concerned about the possibility

of powerful x-ray scanning. Got a quote from a recommended dealer in

Toronto for Fuji Velvia and Astia, to supply and mail it to my

destination address in Ontario, but the price is actually higher than

I'm accustomed to paying in UK! Unusual...

Can anyone recommend a reliable Canadian pro dealer for Fuji, with

reasonable prices?

I am considering a used Horseman VHR with which I have been offered an

older Schneider S-Angulon 65/8 with the Compur 00 shutter. Some say

this is a good lens but if the shutter goes it can't be repaired any

more, at least not if it requires spare parts. And might I experience

any difficulty fitting it to a Horseman lensboard? Is it false economy

altogether, and I'll have to shell out about 600 UKP (1000 USD) for a

new Rodenstock 65mm?

If you go for a Lee filter system, don't worry about the optical quality: it might be true that the best glass filters (e.g. B+W which I also use)are superior, but Lee are as good as they come, and they've been supplying filters to the photo and movie industries for years. I find with resin system-filters I have to be more careful about flare, and sometimes light can sneak in sideways through the slots in a holder or the combined hood/filter holder, but that's the only worry.

I agree with Mark and Russ. The 165/2.8 is an excellent lens, one which I have found to be particularly useful for studio product shots in combination with ext tubes, with flash illumination. At the same time, shutter (not mirror, if you use MLU) vibration is definitely an irritating potential problem with the big Pentax, and you have to affix it firmly to a serious tripod, plus maybe sandbags or whatever on top if you're hyper-critical. With flash this doesn't apply of course. And I have never used the 165 at f22, so maybe diffraction kicks in at that aperture - f16 is the smallest I've tried, and got perfectly sharp results which enabled (for example) a shot to be printed as a magazine double-A4 spread with impeccable clarity. Kill vibration, avoid diffraction, and you might see sharper results.

Still looking around for the ideal (but affordable) MF camera with

movements, with which to photograph interiors. I like the metal

technical cameras, 5x4 and 6x9, but I�m told they generally lack

sufficient WA lens capability combined with movements. Are the Toyo

45A2 and Wista 45VX/SP exceptions? These claim more flexibility. A

dealer has offered me a Linhof Color 6x9 monorail (made from 1960 to

???) with a Schneider Symmar 150/5.6 and Schneider S-Angulon 65/8,

plus 6x7 S-Rollex back, for around 1000 UKP (ca. 1600 USD). This

sounds really interesting - is it good value at this price, and does

anyone have experience with this camera? The price is about my limit,

so clearly a new technical or monorail plus a good lens is probably

out of the question. As ever, MFD-ers� opinions will be greatly

appreciated. Tony H

I've just been web searching for mentions of a shift lens for my

Bronica ETRSi, and came across just one - a 55mm made by Schneider to

fit various MF cameras including the Bronica, apparently both rare and

very expensive. I want to learn more about interior photgraphy, and I

really don't know the best way to go technically, except that I think

5x4 is going too far - a lot of pros here (UK) and elsewhere use MF it

seems. I like my ETRSi system a lot, and am convinced the format and

optics are up to high-quality work for glossy magazine reprodution (I

do sell a few) but for serious interior work I need movements.

Does anyone in UK have the Bronica-mount Schneider for sale? Are there

any other shift lenses for it? Should I go instead for a technical

camera plus rollfilm back, or a Silvestri? Your opinions very welcome.

With my long experience of using quite a few camera types, it came as

a shock to realise I hadn't the faintest idea how to use a Polaroid

back I bought s/h for my Bronica ETRSi. I think I might have used a

Polaroid camera once or twice, 25 years ago, but that's no help! I

bought some Polaroid Polapan 100 from a pro supplier, but even they

were unable to explain much. Is it possible for anyone to explain,

without diagrams, how to (a) load the film in the back, and

(b)extract and "process" the film after exposure? BTW, I'm OK on the

actual exposure, darkslide etc.

I bought this thing to facilitate new lighting setups for product

photography, which I seem to be doing an increasing amount of, though

I'm shocked to learn that each exposure is going to cost me more than

1 UKP!

BTW again, anybody got experience of the Bronica macro lenses? Is the

new PE macro significantly better than the older E series?

Thanks - Tony Harrison

Haven�t seen any postings recently concerning loupes, but I just bought

a replacement at last for my ultra-cheap 8x Agfalupe, which was useable

but not exactly state-of-the-art. In Teamwork, Foley St, London (great

pro shop, good stocks, friendly service) I came across some Russian

loupes which impressed me: I�d been resigning myself to shell out

serious cash for a Schneider or Rodenstock some time, but though I�m

cautious about false economies where optics are concerned (I�d never

buy an off-brand lens for my Bronica or Nikon) I think I have a

bargain. For 25 UKP I got a 10x loupe marked "Horizon 10x by KMZ",

distributed by Silvestri of Italy, code 00104. They also offer 8x, 6x

and 4x models - the latter has a 50x50mm field of view. It has an

extra removeable optically-flat lens with an etched graticule, held in

place by a threaded plastic ring, a lens cap, and a neck cord. This is

a well made item which allows me to view trannies on the lightbox,

both MF and 35mm, with far greater ease and clarity than before.

Recommended!

Has anyone any experience of the Gitzo 320 Performance, perhaps with

the Arca Swiss B1 head (QR)? It would be for use with the P67, and a

Nikon F90X plus 80-200 2.8 zoom. I've been using a Manfrotto 058 with

Manfrotto 168 ball head, nice tripod but heavy and bulky, and the head

has lousy ergonomics plus it's not sufficiently rigid. Thanks.

I was surprised to read the note from someone hiding behind the

anonymity of "bad timing", which I found gratuitously offensive.

As others have observed, if the Mk1 Pentax is a good camera which

serves William Ju well, good luck to him. At the same time, it will be

nice if the introduction of a Mk2 brings down the price of the original.

Here in England especially, we suffer from rip-off pricing structures,

with the P67body selling for around 1000 UKP. And yeah, it would be

even nicer if Pentax could fix the serious shutter vibration which

I find such a disincentive to using the 67 even more than I do - for

landscapes it's no big deal to fiddle around hanging my camera bag across

the pentaprism, but it would be good to be able to use this camera for

reportage & editorial work without such odd stratagems, which slow

everything down and make your human subjects give you some funny looks.

Not all of us can afford a Mamiya 6 or 7 outfit as well as the Pentax,

and it would be preferable to use one outfit for everything. In

particular I want to take my Pentax to the US next year (thanks to those

who replied so helpfully re. the Badlands etc) but I'm not looking

forward to all that extra help the Pentax requires just to get over its

chronic vibration tendencies.

BTW a camera repairer I've used before said he can do a thorough repair

job on my P67's dodgy shutter/MLU/interlock for significantly less

than I was quoted by Pentax UK.

I�m planning a trip to the USA next year which involves driving with

friends from Michigan out as far as eastern Wyoming, in a big loop.

I�ll be spending most of my time in S.Dakota, and I�m especially

interested in producing good images of the Badlands. I dare say

they�re one of the most photographed locations in North America, sure,

but the pictures I�ve seen make me long to shoot my own! As well as

(excuse the expression) 35mm I�ll be carrying a P67; I only have the

45mm and 165mm lenses, so what would an experienced Mid-West

photographer recommend as extra focal lengths to acquire? What key

pieces of advice would you offer? I assume there are pro dealers in

the bigger places we�re likely to pass through (Omaha, Des Moines etc)

where I can get refrigerated supplies of Velvia, but how about smaller

places like (e.g.) North Platte, Grand Island, Casper, Siox Falls,

Rapid City, and so on? Am I wildly optimistic? Might there be pro E6

labs in such places? After my trip last year to Canada, I would be

nervous about carrying much film through airport x-ray machines,

especially at the UK end, where the ignorant security-fascists can be

unco-operative about requests to hand-inspect.

Lastly, a photography teacher I know suggested that Fuji reversal film

sold in N.America has a slightly different colour balance than that

sold in Europe. This sounds unlikely - any truth in it?

I�d be grateful for any advice. Thanks.

I think most of us semi-pros and keen amateurs (and not a few pros)tend

to use step-up rings sometimes, especially given the condiderable cost

of good filters. What really prompts my contribution is Robin Smith's

unusual suggestion that Hoya are the "prime" filters in the UK, and that

B+W are not only less well thought of here, but cheaper too! Hoya have

a dominant position, and they're pretty good, but B+W are less prominent

purely because they are extremely expensive. I think they're the best -

and our other MFD correspondent should know that B+W too use Schott

glass, Schott being part of the Carl Zeiss group, which is why Hassy

filters are made of Schott glass...

Photographers in both the US and UK should know they're being ripped off,

though, since B+W filters are considerably cheaper in Germany, which is

where I buy mine. In fact, I get them at a price which beats the UK prices

of Hoya, just from a regular pro dealer with branches in major German

cities. B+W filters are the best I've used, bar none.

Followed the reliability correspondence with interest. My Pentax is well

used, got it a few months ago in exchange for my Mamiya, delighted - sort

of - with performance but think I was misled about condition...

I'm glad to hear that most users consider it to be rugged and long-term

reliable; mine exhibits three faults - (1) wind-on locks during initial

winding to first frame and when winding off after last frame, shutter

release needs to be pressed, (2) using mirror lock button often fires

shutter, (3)left edge of some frames is blurred, as if a shutter blind

is sticking. Pentax UK quote around 180 UKP for full service...

Lenses are great - IF heavy camera bag hung with strap across

pentaprism to damp chronic vibration problem...

My new 165 2.8 is a superb performer, and now I've learned to stop it

down far enough, the 45 seems great too. However, it's too wide

for my purposes. Anyone in UK want to swap his new-type 55 for my 45?

It has the latest checkered rubber grip, has been quite well used but

is optically perfect, recently serviced by Pentax UK at cost of 109 UKP.

Ballheads - still looking around, still can�t pluck up courage to lay

out the substantial sum for an Arca Swiss. While in Germany I came

across a brand previously unknown to me, called Giotto - four heads

in different sizes, two having a separate adjustable tension control, each with integral locking pan/rotation. The one at approx 100UKP is roughly Arca size; the Arca currently lists at around 250UKP. Anyone know Giotto heads, and care to share an opinion?

BTW since one or two tripod threads are currently running, I just got

a little Manfrotto 190 with the Midi QR ballhead for travel and casual use, immediately gave it a workout in Germany and here in UK, and think it�s great - very stable and free of vibration for such a small item. It can�t compete with the big Manfrotto 058 of course, but I have lots of pin-sharp Provia/Astia trannies from my Nikon F90X with the 80-200 zoom, which sits surprisingly well on the little tripod, and of more MFD relevance, from my Fuji GA645.

BTW2, I note mention of the gee-whiz flip-up polariser for Leica M,

but wonder how much it will cost� I commonly use a standard Hoya

polariser on my Fuji, and have no difficulty in previewing a scene

through it, then re-fitting. Carrying filters around is another

matter - hate those waistcoat things! How do others carry a selection

of filters so they�re accessible yet safe?

I am interested to hear that Joel is switching to Cokin P filters for

his P67. I use the P-series holder with my Pentax, and fit HiTech

rectangular (84mm?) filters made here in Britain. However, they�re

barely big enough to use with the 45mm lens if taped on, and even

with the front slot cut off I get slight vignetting with that lens.

I shall either get one or two more B+W glass filters, or invest in

the considerably more expensive W/A large resin filter system by Hi

Tech or Lee. You might care to know that HiTech (or Format Filters as

they seem now to be called, they change their name every couple of

months it appears) make an interesting thin-filter which is barely

thicker than gels but much more robust, and cheaper than resin.

Like Joel, I too have the 165mm lens, which is an excellent performer

- it works very well for tabletop product shots, using the #1 or #2

extension tube.

Also like Joel, I have 35mm Nikon gear - it�s perfectly true that no

one format will do everything, and with my new F90X (why is America

the only country in the world which chooses to call this the N90S?)

and 80-200/2.8 I can do things that haven�t been possible with the

Pentax or with my much-loved Fuji GA645.

I read Stefan Poag�s posting with great interest and complete

agreement, and I think of the various responses Darron Spohn�s best

represents my reaction. I�m glad Stefan set straight those who seemed

to wilfully misrepresent what he was saying about his Rollei compared

with 35mm - it saved me from having to spring to his defence!

It�s all a matter of degree of course - no-one suggests we should

eliminate technical comparisons, but Stefan was right to point out

that some of the discussions get a bit, well, nerdy in their degree of

technical obsessiveness about resolution or whatever.

Sticking a few films through a camera and examining the results

carefully is surely sufficient to show you if it�s good enough, and

does what you want of it. At the same time, postings like that from

the contributor (sorry, forgot his name) who revealed great expertise

about the construction of the older P67 400mm lens are potentially

very valuable to people like me who might consider buying such an item

some time. I too have learned a great deal from MFD in particular, and

one or two other photo websites/groups, and particularly value the

contacts I�ve made with other photographers whose great expertise and

generosity have provided me with extremely useful information which I

could not have come by otherwise. Thanks to you all.

There seem to be a lot of MFD contributors who are part-time

professionals, and I can just about classify myself this way. I�ve

been keen on photography for most of the past 30 years, and have sold

quite a few pics - mostly as illustrations to articles written for UK

(plus some German, one US publication) sportfishing, shooting and

outdoor periodicals. Currently though, partly for reasons I won�t bore

you with but which involve the accursed British Government�s screwing

up the national teachers� pension scheme, I�m trying to boost my

commercial potential so I can finally quit the day job - and starting

to have some limited success.I know other MFD-ers sell scenics,

landscapes & travel shots, and I�m in the process of selling some to

a magazine, and to local tourism-promotion organisations. I just got

back from southern France where I shot lots with my Fuji GA645, all

Provia and Astia. I should have used more Astia - its lower contrast

suits the light resulting from strong directional sunshine and fairly

clear skies. This Fuji is a camera I�ve rapidly grown very fond of,

great handling and performance. Perhaps oddly, I never use its auto

exposure (prefer my Minolta Spotmeter F) and (in France) mostly used

manual focus: using a DoF program supplied by MFD contributor & guru

Tim Brown, I have a DoF table taped to the camera back, and set the

lens for zones of sharp focus. DoF is comparatively limited with the

60mm, and f11 / f16 are necessary, but this technique worked pretty

well in eg market places. And yes, you CAN use polarising filters

quite easily with a rangefinder camera�

Sorry for this excessively long essay - I�ll stop now. Regards - Tony.

Quick and dirty and even cheaper. I keep thinking about getting one

of the cheaper studio flash units such as Prolinca (designed by

Elinchrom and made here in UK) but my home-made outfit is great for

tabletop photography of small products, components etc, which I shoot

for illustrations to the articles I write.

I have a softbox made from a white polystyrene hi-fi packing case, about

two feet long by one and a half wide by one deep, with the two halves

taped together and the base cut out. Into one end I cut a slot to take

the head of my Vivitar 283,held in place with velcro tape, angled

so the light bounces evenly around inside this box and out the bottom.

The whole thing is suspended from my garage ceiling by metal rods and

shock cords; adjustment is awkward, but it works! On Provia 100 with

subjects a couple of feet below, I can shoot at f11 or f16, and get

really professional looking effects, even illumination etc - with a bit

of fill from white poly sheets, mirrors placed just outside camera

field of view. I already had the Vivitar and the other stuff cost,

er, zero... I have pictures taken on this setup published in magazines

almost every month. I'll still get a proper studio flash some day, but

you can do without surprisingly easily. Good luck!

I'm not sure about the advice to consider 645 instead, at least as far

as the suggestion that 645 cameras handle much like a 35mm - they don't.

Sure, Pentax make a big thing about their 645's handling, but it looks

to me much like my Mamiya 645 Super fitted with the Power Drive. This

I found a nice combination, but 35mm it ain't. And the most noticeable

defect of the Mamiya, as a professional camera, is its bizarre approach

to connecting a cable release via a delicate, easily damaged adaptor,

the electronic contacts of which work loose after moderate use.

As for the big Bronica GS-1, I investigated this, and was deterred by

what is (in England) the extremely high cost of all items, especially

lenses. Perhaps this helps to explain the rarity of GS-1 kit on the

used market - whereas there are tons of good Mamiya RB/RZ items around.

Get a good used Mamiya RB, and as a carry camera, a Fuji GA645 or

Mamiya 6 or 7 - some pros are using these for weddings successfully,

as well as reportage, and I have the Fuji, which is a great camera

with a superb lens.

Fuji's selling point with Astia is that is very neutral, particularly

in terms of rendering flesh tones accurately, and I find this to be

true. Any colour cast comes from the processing or some other

extraneous source.

Astia is extremely useful for documentary photography in strong

sunlight, where Provia - a great film for most purposes, terrific

punch and sharpness in the studio - gives hopelessly contrasty results

with blocked shadows. Yes, it's cooler with less saturation, but stick

on an 81C filter and it perks up a bit, while retaining its favourable

characteristics. It responds very well to fill-flash, giving natural

results without obvious signs of artificial lighting.

I'm looking forward to trying the forthcoming Fuji multi-speed film

said to be based on Astia, rateable from 100 - 1000 ASA.

Delighted with my big Pentax, plus used 45mm and new 165mm -

the latter is excellent and versatile, done lots of good CU shots

using the extension tubes too.

I got the body used but in good order. However, just recently the LH

edges of certain frames look slightly fuzzy, almost as if the lighting

was fading out toward the edge. Have I got a shutter problem here?

Further, on loading film a couple of times, it has apparently wound on

to the first frame, but subsequently it turned out not to be the case,

and I took a non-picture before hitting the start of the film.

This seems more like a genuine problem. Comments anyone?

Re. Scott Eaton�s comments on Mamiya lenses, I have to say I disagree

- at least so far as lenses for the 645 Super are concerned. The "N"

series 45, 80 and 210 lenses have given me superb results when I did

my bit, with the camera locked onto a solid tripod (Manfrotto 058

plus 168 HD ball head), Fuji 50 or 100 film, mirror lock-up for slow

exposures, and good filters by HiTech or B+W. (I�m constantly

surprised at the number of people who seem happy to risk degrading

the quality obtainable from their expensive lenses, through using

cheap filters.) I�m convinced they�re as good as Nikon, Canon and

Bronica.

I do agree with the negative comments about Mamiya robustness however

- though not the RB67, of which I have no experience, and which seems

to be used by a great many professionals who would presumably not

waste their money on something flimsy.

I just disposed of my M645 Super, rather reluctantly, because I wanted

6x7 - specifically, the Pentax, and I now have a couple of oldish P67

bodies (one MU, the other not) and three lenses - looking to trade

the older body plus 105 and 200 lenses for a new 165/2.8�

In the field especially, I was always concerned at the creakiness of

the plastic housing on my AE prism, and the seeming vulnerability to

damage of the rearward overhang of this prism finder. Further, I

never got used to the awkwardness of handling a square body with its

controls in different places (the Pentax�s simplicity is a great

relief), and positively disliked the flimsy cable-release adaptor

protruding from the LH side - even with light semi-pro use, the

contacts were becoming unreliable on this.

As for Fuji, I note the glowing reports of lens quality on the 6x9

and 6x7, which I can believe because I just got a GA645, and am very

impressed with the sharpness of its 60mm Fujinon. I might add that

I have been able to shoot with this inside shop premises under

fluorescent light only, using Provia 400, and get sharp results at

1/15, hand-held - which I�ve never achieved with any reflex camera.

BTW no-one should be surprised at Fuji lens quality - their

binoculars are the best in Japan, and the Fujinon FMTR-SX 7x50 is the

most impressive binocular I�ve ever used, bar none.