chuck_foreman1

In my case I've used stand development, becasue I screwed up... Shot a 400ASA roll as 100..in both caees.. Your views are quite homogenized, While I got usuable, results, the grain on the 100 exposures was excessive. I've used Rodinal as a regular developer to otherwise satsfactory results. Both Distagons... very envious. :)

Lovely.. what an odyssey Doug! We change. we develop, good that you've got a gig doing something that you intimately love .. . I do love the wide look.. well done.. Remind us about the technical details.. also the film/dev etc

Perseverence pays dividends

I agree James .. nothing like big negatives.. and I have often split a 400 ASA 36 exp into two .."rough" 18 exp rolls.. of course it's a losing proposition , I generally roll 24 exp ..ie 24 clicks on the Watson Bulk loader. I'm not too exact... but thereabouts.

When I replied back in 2007.. I noted the RTS as a contender..but likely too modern for the post!! I see that'S changed Thanks Stuart Pratt

Good Idea to follow up with the color fi,m results... HAving just had the Signet experience.. this does look very desirable... I've got to stop buying cameras and start sellinmg some of my seconds etc...

Well I tried to delete the last photo.. but the edit timer had run out.. it's not very sharp now is it??

Trying to be clever in my titles. As I am way behind in posting, but rarely up to posting to "this week" as the photos are not recent.. I decided I would just post these pics and camera porn as it was, some from the Fall and some from Spring. Just before I visited home (USA) in Octiober, my sister had forwarded a Signet 35 with an 44mm 3.5 Ektar lens together with a top mount Speed Graphic viewfinder and a 3D printed lens board also for the Speed Graphic. You might recall I posted of my adventures with the 90mm 6.8 Optar. I recently had a similar vintage Kodak Pony ansd liked very much the build quality. Unfortunately, the shutter stopped and in my "repair" managed to "TTTWWIIINNG " first one and then two critical springs flew away . Suffice to say the Pon is now placed on the growing pile of shame. I shot one roll with some loading problems before I went to the US and I've repeated some of the same mistakes here in the Spring. While in the USA, I found a camera I bought some 12 or so years ago This was a Perfex 55 I was going to ask my Father to send it to to me, but it got sort of lost in the family homestead ...years passed ...etc . While there I stumbled upon it, and a Takumar 50mm ? Which actually belongs to my younger brother BJ. I left it there b/c it's his. Some of us have voiced a rather low opinion of the Signet,, I was very enamoured of a post done here on the forum the photos were ishot n the desert with a yellow filter. Kodak Signet 35 in California Two other reason why I went for the Signet: I like semi wides like 42mm and 35mm focal lengths, and I don't own a Ektar intended for 35mm film. The other two are the 101mm for 2x3 Century and the 127mm for the 4x5 Speed Graphic. Both of these cameras have been featured here in the past. I will mention my Perfex 55 is actually in pretty good condition and I have the screw-on shutter release lock. With both of these models and with the Signet twice, I failed to properly load the film lead. which I relaized after a while.. as this happened the first time around with the Signet ..you feel like an idiot. Slow Learner ' Well besides losing half the Signet roll to improperly loaded film, I sleeved the negatives while they were a bit damp. This results in tiny bits of Pergamin on the negs... which I tried to remove by re-wash the strips ... :( with varying degrees of success I used the RF for the above pic. The patch is a green Triangle. Seems Ok The next few are from a roll done in March which is a "I don't know WTF happened." Shame .. as the few images that made it .. look nice. Maybe I tried some "shady" yellow filter .. the whole roll had a veil of darkness with one ot two pics only partially affected or not at all. My short term memory sucks, I think it was this camera :( Proof Sheet This is screen shot of what the scanned roll looked lik,, Sample of how most of the above frames rendered What might've been As this was a wash.. I had to shoot another roll in the God Damned thing!! My front Yard That was it for the Signet Let's move on to the Perfex . Here I managed to scratch the next roll.. I have since checked the camera over and the rollers were a bit rough so I ran some fine emery cloth over them I travelled to nearby Venlo .. it's a custom to travel/shop to Holland ..back in the day people were arrested for smuggling coffee which was a lot cheaper . Still wuite the draw on the weekends. Out of sequence .. view from my front door From Venlo Here I used the RF as with the other and it appears to work Ok.. IT is a bit tricky to get the patch to appear

Love these great little cameras.. Although I have a few, they are all the hard edged.. I really like these later models with the rounded edges.

Seems to be very special... pray tell

I know that feeling.. you know what's wrong, but you can't get started. HAve you tried the lens? MAybe the "problems" are no sitrusive and do not affect the image quality?

Yes Gary..... very impressed with both the gerar and the development.. How did you focus?

Lovely cameras Ralf.. are you importing from New Zealand?

Don... My work so far .. is a now over 10 year project that got dropped.. Regrettably, in removing the screen, I broke three of the four screws.. now I need to find those replacement screws ... which I've wasted 12 years twiddling my thumbs.. Meanwhile the original show stopper.. a replacement mirror is an easy fix as someone now cuts custom mirrors. I did buy a replacement screen ,, so if I ever set my mind to finding replacement screws .. I might just comlete this now 12 year project. the photos I made prior to the "It ain't broke, but I can fix it" I have done nothing more than remove the focussing screen... Interesting, there is a close focus mirror adjustment to try and compensate for parallax error. Even back in the 30s they were addressing this problem with TLRs.

I think many of the people wanting to get into film photography are probably doing it for the wrong reason... I like quirky stuff like Exaktas and Kiev and Zorkis. I have old Folders and Baby Speed Graphics... I like the discipline of thinking about what I'm doing. Why not do it in style with a mid 50s Contax and a Biotar lens. Many newbies like the idea of film photography, but want the P&S experience, auto focus etc. There's tons of capable cameras out there that won't break the bank so I encourage folks to just take one and learn how to use it, then move from there.. Many believe there's a Eierlegende Wollmilchsau camera that will launch them into photographical stratosphere. What is a good value film camera?.. Probably the one you're using!

Very Nice.. when you conisder the age... great condition. I have a now 20 year pproject Art Deco that was probably left in a drawer that collected water and amazingly .. it still worked but looked horrible. I tried to take the hood off but every screw but one broke so I have one sample screw I used a dremel drill and the sample screw to tap the broken screw holes.. The silver mirror had a big black deposit on it. Ruining the focus/view. I ordered a replacement screen from Rick Oleson and I tried cutting a polaroid mirror .. but to no avail... I eventually ordered some mirrors, that I think might work, but I abandoned the project ...waiting to find the right screws to assemble it. Meanwhile .. there's a guy cutting mirrors to size so .. I could eventually... in this life time ...get this back working like it was before I decided to fix it :( Don't be decieved this camera is rusted inside all over etc .. Before removing the screen Three broken screws later... This little boy is now 26

Goos Point Tony, I also was missing his weekly posts. Have you tried writing him directly ..ie through Photo.net?

I'm always amazed at the high regard this model brings. Like your Yashicamat 12, I have a similar vintage Yashica Mat 124. It too has the Yashinon, meter and 120/220 but is not a " G "designated model and doesn't have the plasticy pieces etc . Because of this.. it will not bring the return this miodel will bring.

Does Indeed look Intersting. As film may be hard to find, paper? Curious to see the lens...

Excellent find... I 've admired the Minolta Series and the Meopta.. but what I think really makes this shine is the Tessar-type lebns.. not least your exquisite photo taking panache and finely developed ( pun intended ) Pyro work flow!! Wow ! I have saved a similar photo to this series ( mist ..trees .. bench ) you posted years ago.. that I just loved sooo much ..

Lover those Bikes!! I too have this lens and really was impressed how it renders. Mine is in the Exakta mount.

The title was a reference to a album by the Eagles released after the reunion. My odyssey, like others of this designation has been long and ..well I guess it's not over yet. I bought a 4x5 Speed Graphic in the middle 1980s circa 86 I think. Back in those days a classic camera "Swap Meet" might take place once or twice a year. I lived in the BaltWash Metro area and I believe the meet was near Catonsville, not far frome BWI airport. I was just starting to earn money and I spent too much of it that day.. I acquired a Pacemaker SG with a rollfilm back and couple of 4x5 cassettes 1986 $250,00 I was very busy working and traveling for work. I believe I made a few hand-held exposres, of which I only have one negative from back in the day. So the whole project got book-shelved. ... time passes... circa 20 years. My children were old enough and I started back in around 2008. Here I used the rollfilm back and got some decent results. I let this again go back on the shelf as I entered the digital age and this forum etc and ...time passes...it may be back five or so years now. I read about the Harmann Direct Positive paper and thought this might be a cool wy to use the the 4x5. I bought a pack of 25 and asked my Dad to send me a tank I knew he had that could handle 4x5. Those old enpough might know this tank as the Yankee Tank that likely dates to the 40s or earlier. Whern I finally ordered the paper developer and received the tank etc , another year had passed. The tank had been damaged in the transport and had a few cracks etc and to make matters worse, it fell from the top of the wardrobe with a now serious crack . Anyway, when I went to use it I realized the light trap piece was missing and I couldn't use it so I splurged and bought the Stearmann Tank. The learning curve with the Harmann paper was steep and in trying to find the speed and develop a work flow with pre-flashing (don't ask) etc my resutls were...uuuggghh . I soon realized film would be easier and cheaper. Well I had noted some dark lines on the paper positives but loading dark slides and the tank all have a learning curve etc so I wasn't yet aware that those lines in my negs were actually the plastic back of the negative carriers . I persevered and did get some results .. (look to the skies to see the negative carriers shadow) Oh somewhere here in the last five years as I was working with the Stearmann tank, and the negatives etc, I came into a 90mm 6.8 Optar. It was in poor shape, and the guy gave me half back. The glass is ok, but one of the aperture blades is not seated right and if you close down all the way the leaves pucker a few millimeters outward and hinder the travel of the shutter. Once back to F11 or less then the shutter works ok. I bought a 3d printed lens board for the Speed Graphic to try it out, but you might recall I posted about focusing WA lenses. Wide Angle Lens Physics and Infinity I learned that my lack of bed travel is due to the FP shutter which widens the body considerably. The result is that there is very little bearing on the bed. Focussing ..old age etc a PIA. At this point I realize the problem with the lines in the negatives is not my error but due to the Stearmann tank. They have said it is related to pre-soaking, anti-halation, improper inversions ..and of course I can buy new improved carriers that cost only 1/3 of a new unit (okay the shipping to EU doubled the pricer ) Meanwhile cleaning under the Wardrobe, I found the light trap for the Yankee Tank so rather than risk the shadows of the carriers I would try to use this tank with my last batch of negatives. . I patched the cracks pretty well, but it still leaks . I decided Rodinal stand development was the way to go; The Yankee Tank does not lend itself to agitation, and the large amount of solution required ( 1500ml) deemed this the best route. The Optar series were a catastrophe. My usual sloppy execution age and time. There were only 2 results that probably also belong in the Hall of Shame but I included. I wil ltry to remember what negatives were with which lens . Anyway, I haven't posted anything since last fall but I have been plugging along and will with hopefully shorter posts .."fill in the blanks" The Ektar 127mm last summer (not the lines in the skies) Ektar 127mm Another from last Summer Ektar 127mm with Stearmann Tank Done in the Yankee tank.. I think this too is the 127mm Ektar This is the 6.8 WA I think the others were just not fit to publish Yankee Tank This was also the Yankee Tank but again the 127mm Ektar - Hand held 4x5

My eyesight is fading (age related) and as mentioned above from Roy stopping down will sharpen up the view, but it's harder to see and when open it is too fuzzy. This brings little confidence about focus. The plan was to keep it at F16 or 11 as the lens is actually broken. The aperture blades are askew. At least one is not seated right. At this point, due to exercise, the aperture is no longer is the center of the lens . Stopping down to f32 causes the aperture blades to pucker enough to hinder the shutter. I may get brave and open this up and try to seat the lammelen. The serial number on the lens is 650350N..the six might be a G. The glass is in good condition, but I do not think it is coated. I have other distractions and will wait a while before I play with this again. Aperture F6.8 Aperture F16 .. you can see a bit of the pucker here..

I actually like to have the "never-ready" cases as it adds a modicum of protection.. ie dust cover too. If the case is a half-case design then you do have a strap whether you wear it on your shoulder or neck.. it's a strap to free your hands when needed. oh and @Fiddlefye.. who services your Contax... mine (IIa color) ... need to consider getting the shutter adjusted correctly. I've owned it a while and and it basically works..but never to its potential...

Which begs the question... what, if any lens might be compatible to the Perfex TM ? If it is call 39mm..what is the difference to the Leica mount? Flange difference? Or it may be the pitch of the threads ? Enquiring minds want to know :) Umm I see now we are talking about the UK PerifLex not the US model Perfex... never mind.